This no bake Healthy Chocolate Tart is my most requested recipe because it’s so decadent with deep chocolate flavor. It’s also super easy to make and naturally gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and paleo! This simple dessert is easily made ahead which makes it perfect for dinner parties, birthdays, and holidays.
Envision a sticky, chocolate cookie dough crust with a satin smooth chocolate filling. This no-bake wonder of a tart has been a long-time favorite in our house and one of our oldest recipes ever published.
It’s back again with new photos and all the tips and tricks I’ve learned in 10 years of making this recipe. So if you haven’t made this one yet, add it to your ‘must-make’ list right away.
And I mean… just look at that filling. It looks amazingly fudge-y, and it’s everything you might think. Ultra smooth mousse-like deliciousness. The word luscious comes to mind.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pecans – I use pecans specifically because they’re a great flavor pairing with chocolate. But you can use cashews in place of this or try unsweetened coconut flakes instead. I’ve also had readers write in to say they’ve had success with sunflower seeds as well. I’ve tried this recipe with walnuts, but they tend to be too oily.
- Cocoa Powder – this is what brings all the deep chocolate flavor! I’ve been using Nativas and Dagoba which both have great flavor.
- Maple Syrup – I love using Grade A amber pure maple syrup because it has a lighter maple syrup flavor which is perfect in this chocolate tart.
- Avocado – This is what makes up the base of the chocolate tart filling. And don’t worry about ‘avocado flavor’ in the final product. I’ve fed this tart to avocado haters and they’ve never known there was avocado in this!
- Vanilla Extract – I add vanilla to the crust and the filling because it enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Coconut Oil – This is essential to the silky texture of the filling, and it adds to the flavor of the filling perfectly.
How to make this Healthy Chocolate Tart recipe step by step
Step 1: Start by adding all the ingredients for the chocolate filling to a food processor and blend until completely smooth.
Scrape the filling out into a medium-sized bowl and return the food processor bowl to the base to make the crust. (No need to wash the food processor in between the filling and the crust.)
Tip: for an extra chocolatey filling, melt 1/4 cup chocolate chips and add it to the food processor with the filling.
Step 2: refit the bowl back on the base and process the nuts and cocoa for the crust. Check out the above photo for the texture you want to see before adding maple syrup to the crust.
Step 3: Lin the tart pan with plastic wrap and pat the chocolate crust mixture evenly into the 9-inch tart pan.
Step 4: Finally, spread the filling over the crust, and voila, chocolate decadence. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, 4-6 hours or overnight.
Tip: This tart really is better after it’s been refrigerated, it needs the time to chill to bring out the chocolate flavors.
Ways to serve this
- Topped with Homemade Whipped Cream or Coconut Whipped Cream.
- Add berries when they’re in season. Fresh raspberries are our favorite, but strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries are really good as well as pitted fresh cherries.
- When berries aren’t in season, try my Berry Sauce recipe instead which is made from frozen berries.
FAQ’s
One main difference is a tart is shorter in depth than a pie at around 1 – 1.5 inches deep where most pies are 2.5 – 3 inches. Also, a tart only has a bottom crust which is much thicker than a pie crust.
This chocolate tart will last 4-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
I recommend using dates in place of maple syrup only in the crust because they’re not smooth enough for the filling. 10-12 Medjool dates are usually enough to sweeten the crust.
Tips & Tricks
- If you want to cut down the sweetener in this tart, cut back in the crust. If the crust isn’t coming together with less sweetener, add just a touch of water until it is like cookie dough.
- You can sub in dates for the syrup in the crust. I’ve used Medjool dates for the crust sweetener with great results. And dates really are a great variation because they add a caramel-like flavor to the crust.
- I wouldn’t cut back the sweetener in the filling because you really don’t want to taste the avocado – just the sweet chocolatey-ness!
- Flavor Tip: for an extra chocolatey filling, melt 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and add it to the food processor with the filling.
I really hope you enjoy this Healthy Chocolate Tart. It’s become a family classic over the last 10 years, and I know it will be a hit for you too! If you do make this tart, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. I always love hearing from you here.
Healthy Chocolate Tart
INGREDIENTS
Chocolate Filling:
- 2 avocados - not over-ripe, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- pinch sea salt
- 2 tbsp coconut oil - room temperature
Tart Crust:
- 4 cups pecans - unsalted, not toasted
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
Toppings:
- fresh berries
- Whipped Cream or Coconut Whipped Cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line a 9” removable bottom tart pan with plastic wrap.
- Place the ingredients for chocolate filling in a food processor fitted with chopping blade and process until smooth. Scrape the filling into a bowl and set it aside.
- Fit the bowl and blade back onto the food processor (no need to clean the bowl in between). Place all ingredients for tart crust except maple syrup into food processor.
- Process until fine textured with small bits of pecans. Measure out a 1/4 cup of the crumbs and sprinkle them across the bottom of the tart pan.
- Add the maple syrup to the remaining crumbs and process 1-2 minutes until the tart crust becomes as thick as cookie dough. Pat crust into tart pan.
- Spread the chocolate filling over the crust. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Serve with your choice of fresh berries and whipped cream.
NOTES
For dessert recipes I use Grade A amber maple syrup, it has a much lighter maple flavor. Regular pancake kind of syrup is Grade B and is darker and richer in maple flavor.
nutrition facts
This recipe was originally published in 2013 but has been updated with new photos, tips, and information in 2023.
Hey! This recipe looks wonderful and I’m looking forward to making it, but I was wondering if there’s a substitute for the coconut oil?
Thanks in advance!
I’ve just started using cacao butter and I think it’s even more delicious than coconut oil in this recipe because it makes it taste even more chocolaty! I would use 1 1/2 Tablespoons of cacao butter instead of the 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil that the recipe calls for, because cacao butter is a bit firmer.
Well, I made this at a friends this weekend so I used her equipment and ingredients…I bought a lot too.
Her Food Processor didn’t work, and the Blender was a pain, especially for the Pecans:( Ended up chopping by hand and saying to myself “What did they do before Food Processors, used a knife of course”…..so the crust was a little chunky. I think that maybe a different Cocoa (Hershey’s) would be better. What brand do you use? All of my friends stuff might have been a little old….:((. She used to be a fab cook, but has Alzheimer’s now, it’s sad. ANYWAY, this was just OK for me, but I will try again with the right tools and fresh ingredients:). It did look amazing. Oh yeah, I lucked out and got the Grade A Maple Syrup by chance, whew! Would you ever sub Agave?
Thank you!
Janet
I would really encourage you to try this with good quality ingredients! Because it’s a simple recipe each ingredient really counts. I use Dagoba cocoa powder, it has a really deep chocolate flavor. Agave nectar can sometimes make a bitter flavor in desserts, so I prefer the Grade A Maple Syrup! Let me know how it goes with the right things!
What would you recommend instead of pecans? Allergic to nuts 🙁
I would recommend using coconut. The big flake kind works really good in the food processor. Also, I would suggest using honey as the sweetener with coconut because it will stick together better than maple syrup. Two cups of coconut and 1/2 cup honey should be enough to fill a 9″ tart pan. Pulse the coconut, honey, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil together until a sticky dough forms. Pat it into the tart pan with wet hands to keep it from sticking. Hope this helps!
Two (2) avocados… they come in small, medium and large sizes. Can you give an estimate of how much avocado to use? If using two large avocados, would it change the texture, or just the taste, etc?
I think the avocados I use would be medium (they come from Costco). I have used some larger ones before and it still turned out fine. The avocados give this a silky satin texture, so your texture will be fine and this is really chocolatly so I don’t foresee any problems.
Thanks for your question and I will start weighing my avocados after peeling and pitting so that the measurements will be more detailed in the future!
As an alternative to honey, you can use date pulp, it is really sweet and contains protein
Thanks for the info, I want to start incorporating dates into my desserts because the have a caramel flavor. It’s good to know they contain protein as well!
The problem with this recipe is that I eat most of it while making it. Made a double batch this time and came out with a pretty appropriately sized tart. 🙂 Thank you! So good!
I can totally identify with that! I sometimes make just the crust for ‘raw brownie bites’, they’re soo… good!
I am a chocolate fanatic, but what drives me to making this is solely from this one line: “…one bite brings on a chocolate induced silence.” That is just classy!
I don’t think you’ll be disappointed – let me know how it goes! We’ve been developing new recipes, but I still crave Chocolate Tart over and over again!
this is a 5 star dessert. Very simple to make . Thank you.
I’m so glad you liked it! It used to be Tyler’s favorite but now it’s tied with Chocolate Fudge Skillet Cake. This is definitely my go-to chocolate dessert though!
Just wondering if there is a different kind of nut that you would suggest. I’m not super fond of pecans. Do you think that almonds or cashews or a mixture would work?
I think either one would work. Cashews would give you a softer crust, but chocolate and almonds are an unbeatable combination! As a side note, you probably wouldn’t taste the pecans through all of the chocolate flavor, but better safe than sorry!
Good to know, but I don’t worry about my calories when they come from nutritious foods.