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This No Fuss Strawberry Cream Pretzel Tart is the go-to summer dessert. Easy, yet delicious, and pretty too. The filling is made with 5 ingredients: heavy cream, honey, lemon, vanilla extract, and strawberry jam. The crust is a mix of sweet gingersnap cookies, salty pretzels, and a touch of butter. When combined with the creamy strawberry filling it makes for a yummy tart that’s sweet, luscious, wildly creamy, and a touch salty. Top with an assortment of fresh berries for a tart that’s perfect for any occasion.
Well, this week just flew by. All week long I kept thinking it was a different day, but I’ll happily welcome the weekend “early” and with the most delicious strawberry tart too!
When I took a look at the next few months ahead, I knew that the days would be busy with work and summer travel. My goal for the summer is simple, no-fuss recipes that still feel fun, fresh, and of course, taste delicious. Like always!
Desserts can sometimes prove to be a little tricky when you want to simplify things, yet still get an outcome that really is ” roll your eyes back good”. But this sweet, creamy strawberry tart is the perfect example!
This is kind of like magic. The ease of it all is really going to shock you, but you’ll love the yumminess even more!
Now onto the details
Step 1: make the crust
This is definitely one of my favorite crusts. It’s salty-sweet with very subtle hints of ginger that are unexpected but always received so well.
Using a food processor or blender, pulse the cookies, pretzels, melted butter, and honey until the cookies and pretzels are finely ground!
Then press the mix into a spring-form pan or a tart pan that has a removable bottom.
Bake, and about 8 minutes later your crust will be complete! It smells really great too.
Step 2: make the cream filling
This is the simplest filling, you’re going to be shocked when I tell you the ingredients. All you need is heavy cream, honey, and vanilla. Then, add your favorite strawberry jam, either homemade or store-bought (I love Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves). Just 4 very simple ingredients, zero eggs, and almost zero effort.
All you need to do is bring the cream to a boil with the honey. Once boiling, boil for 5 minutes. Then remove from the stove and add the lemon and vanilla. This is important, be sure to use a large pot, bigger than you think you’ll need. Heavy cream really likes to boil over, so use the largest pot you have to be safe.
When I first started to test this recipe (years ago) I remember being concerned that the cream was not going to set up. But to my shock, no matter how many times I make this, the cream shockingly sets up within the first 30 minutes of chilling. Boiling the cream and adding lemon juice thickens it up and allows for it to set up just as it would if using eggs.
It’s honestly magic the way that it works!
Step 3 – swirl in the jam
Now take the lemon cream and pour it into your pre-baked crust. Next, grab the jam and gently swirl the jam into the cream. Make sure you’re using a thick jam that will not make the cream “melty”.
Chill the tart until it’s set, for me this happens in 30 minutes to an hour, but it could take up to 2 hours. You can keep this in the fridge overnight, but beware, depending on how runny your jam is, the tart may crack. The thicker the jam (preserves) the better!
When ready to serve, finish the tart off with a handful of your favorite fresh berries. You’ll have the prettiest dessert that takes almost no effort at all. In the words of Ina Garten, “How easy was that?”.
Lastly, you can use any berry jam you love. Sometimes I love using a mix of strawberry and raspberry jam! But I imagine blackberry and blueberry would be great too!
Looking for other chilled Summer recipes? Here are some favorites:
No Churn Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars
Creamy Vegan Chocolate Fudge Pops
Blackberry Lavender Ice Cream Sandwiches
Lastly, if you make this No Fuss Strawberry Cream Pretzel Tart, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
No Fuss Strawberry Cream Pretzel Tart
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 493 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mini salted pretzels
- 15 gingersnap cookies
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons, plus 1/3 cup honey
- 3 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest, plus 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup strawberry or raspberry jam
- 2 cups mixed fresh berries
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.2. To make the crust. In a food processor, pulse the pretzels and gingersnaps into semi-fine crumbs. Add the butter plus 2 tablespoons honey and pulse until the mixture holds together when pinched and starts to look like dough. Press the dough into an 8 or 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom to form a flat, even crust. Transfer to the oven and bake until toasted, about 8 minutes.3. Meanwhile, combine the heavy cream, the remaining 1/3 cup honey, and lemon zest in a large pot, bigger than you think you'll need. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, boil 5 minutes and then remove from the heat. Whisk in the lemon juice, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Let cool 10 minutes.4. Carefully pour the lemon cream into the baked crust. Dollop the jam over the cream, then use a knife to very gently swirl the jam through the cream. Cover and chill for 1.5 to 2 hours or until set. Before serving, remove the tart from the pan and top with fresh berries.
So I made this tart and it was delicious. I piled mine with strawberries and blueberries and it reminded me of your recipe ‘No Bake Eton Mess Berry Cheesecake’. I went looking for that recipe and went thru your older recipes from 2013. I just loved looking at those chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate recipes!
Hi Cindy,
Wonderful!! I’m so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
What did I do wrong? I had so much liquid left and no room in the tart pan unless it overflowed. I used a 9.5 inch so it should have been enough. Still waiting for it to set but I made another crust and mini version to make sure all the liquid didn’t go to waste.
Hi Jayne,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Was there anything that you adjusted? Did you boil for 5 minutes and then let it cool for 10 minutes? Please let me know how I can help! xT
I’m not sure I’ve tried other tart pans and it was really thick and didn’t set as well. Is there a certain thickness to the tart pan that was used for that much liquid. I did just make some more crust and add the liquid to smaller version.
I made this for a friend for his birthday and it was a huge hit. He also ate it the next day for breakfast, with lunch and dinner :). I added extra jam to get a little more strawberry flavor and it cracked just slightly as you warned but overall still delicious.
Hi Sheryl,
Wonderful!! I’m so glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
I followed the recipe closely because I’ve loved everything else I’ve tried here. After chilling for several hours it never set up completely. Very tasty, but very runny. Any thoughts?
Thanks
Hi Tina,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Did you boil for 5 minutes and then add the lemon juice? That is really key for getting the heavy cream to set and then it needs time to cool before pouring over the crust. I hope this helps! xT
I’m just making this now. It would have been helpful to know how much 15 gingersnap cookies weigh. I’m in Mexico and far away from a place where I could buy gingersnap cookies, so I made my own which weighed much more per cookie than what a store-bought cookie weighs. I checked the internet and the target page and it comes out to 7 grams per cookie.
Hi Julia,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry I didn’t weigh the gingersnap cookies so I don’t have that info. Did the tart turn out okay? Let me know! xx
Saw you post this and immediately had to try it!!! Absolutely delicious!! The whole family LOVED it!!! Thanks for sharing!
Love to hear this Angelica!! Thanks so much for trying this tart and sharing your feedback! Happy Sunday! xT
Hi dear T
Thank you so much for this easy recipe. Cream is just so refreshing and light. Only thing that happen to me was that it poured out of the baking sheet, even though I waited to cool off. Little bit less cream, but so delicious.
Hi Ines,
Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it and your review! Sorry to hear about the cream. xT
I followed the recipe but still came out soft yogurt consistency – tasted great though. Should the cream be cool before pouring into the pan or just the 10min cooling off time frame okay? Not sure where I went wrong. Allowed it to set in fridge for over 2hr also
Hey Grace,
Thanks for trying this recipe!! It should be good after the 10 minutes, I would pop this into the freezer to see if that helps at all! xx
Hi! I have a tart pan that is 12in diameter — how would this change the baking method?
Hi Katie,
You are going to need to increase the recipe for that size of a pan:) I would adjust the serving size to 12 and follow the measurements for that! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Looks incredible!
Can I use coconut cream for a vegan version or what would you recommend?
Thanks Madelynn! I haven’t tested this recipe with the coconut cream, but it should work if you boil for 8 minutes. I hope you love this recipe! xT
This looks amazing! Do you think canned coconut milk could be use in place of the heavy cream? Thank you in advance:)
Hi Stephanie,
If you boil for 8 minutes, I think the coconut cream should work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try:) xx
Looks fabulous,I’m going to try it with huckleberry
Thanks Carol! I hope you love this recipe! Happy Friday! xx
Hi!
If I were to substitute the heavy cream with half and half, would I use the same amount?
Hi Michele,
Sorry, I wouldn’t recommend that, you’ll want to stick with the heavy cream for this recipe:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Half and half wouldn’t work as a substitute – not a high enough fat content and would just be liquid.
Sounds yummy! I love strawberry anything and really love the idea of the pretzel crust. However, I’m really not a fan of ginger in desserts… if I was to substitute graham crackers instead, how many do you recommend I should use?
Hi Jeanine,
Sure, graham crackers would be great, not sure on the exact amount since I haven’t tested it myself!! Let me know if you give this tart a try, I hope it’s delish! xT
Can you substitute with maple syrup for the honey?
Hi Joan,
Sure, that should work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xT
I’m allergic to honey can I substitute with sugar? It looks yummy like all the recipes I’ve tried of yours.
Hi Cathi,
I would use maple syrup in place of the honey:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT