Quick and delicious homemade easy apple tart made with puff pastry sheets, ready in just 40 minutes!
Whenever apples are in season, my daughter gets especially excited about this Easy Apple Tart recipe we often bake together. If you have children at home, you’ll have fun making this delicious dessert together!
Puff Pastry Sheet for Easy Apple Tart
The frozen puff pastry sheets are very versatile and can be used for many purposes, such as golden puffy crust for your fruit tarts, pastries, or pies. It’s a great ingredient to always have in your freezer, especially if you often have unexpected guests. With this tart recipe, you can also make it with seasonal fruits besides apples.
What else do I love about these pastry sheets? The buttery, flaky puff pastry crust! You really don’t need to be an expert baker to use these sheets, but the final results will surely impress your friends and family.
The frozen sheet of ready-made puffed pastry should be available in the freezer section of your supermarket.
What are the Best Apples for Your Easy Apple Tart?
For this recipe, I used Fuji apples, which are our family’s favorite kind of apple. Though, according to The Food Lab’s test result, it’s not the best kind of apple for an apple pie (if you have time, read the article). What are your favorite apples for your apple pies and tarts?
Here are some of the popular apples to use in pies and tarts (in alphabetical order).
- Braeburn
- Golden Delicious
- Gala
- Golden Delicious
- Granny Smith
- Honeycrisp
- Jonagold
- Jonathan
- Melrose
- Mutsu
- Pink Lady
- Rome Beauty
- Winesap
Quick and Easy Open-Face Apple Tart
You might have seen my other Easy Apple Pie recipe using similar ingredients. I think this Apple Tart recipe is even easier and quicker as we don’t have to cook the apple before placing them onto the puff pastry.
I also think this tart is prettier than my other pie because you can see the thin apple slices on top of the tart which make it look elegant. What can make this dessert even better? I love to serve this dessert with vanilla ice cream on the side. Simply delicious! Here is another tip, you can make this tart ahead of time and set it aside. Simply reheat in a low oven temp before serving!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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- 1 frozen puff pastry sheet (Each box usually comes with 2 sheets)
- 1 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter (Keep it cold)
- 2 apples (I used Fuji Apple)
- 1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar/powder sugar
- 2 Tbsp apricot jam (See Notes)
- 2 tsps water
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tsp water
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon powder (optional)
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Gather all your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 ºF (200 ºC). Cut the cold butter into small cubes.
- Allow the puff pastry sheet to thaw on a sheet of parchment paper for about 15-20 minutes, then carefully unfold it. When the dough is thawed, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough: it helps make the dough more even and connects the folding creases (if there are any). Once puff pastry sheet has thawed, work quickly while it’s still cold. If the sheet reaches room temperature, return to the fridge to chill (but not refreeze).
- With a sharp knife, score a ¾ -inch border around the edge of the puff pastry sheet to create a crust (Do not cut all the way through the dough). Poke the inner square (rectangle) all over with a fork. Transfer the puff pastry sheet with parchment paper to a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, add 2 Tbsp. apricot jam and 1 tsp. water. Stir well to combine so it’s easy to spread.
- In another small bowl, combine the egg yolk and 1 tsp. water. Whisk well together.
- In another small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp. sugar and ¼ tsp. cinnamon powder.
- Peel, core, and cut the apples into thin slices (1/8 inch or 3 mm thick). Try to keep the slices stacked together so you can easily spread and fan out on the puff pastry.
- Evenly spread the apricot glaze in the center of the pastry sheet.
- Arrange the apple slices on the jam, overlapping slightly and fanning them out as you go. You may end up not using all the apple slices, just eat and enjoy them.
- Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Brush around the crust with the egg wash. And then place the butter cubes over the apples.
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Bake at 400 ºF (200 ºC) for about 22 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. If you like, sprinkle powder sugar on top and/or serve with vanilla ice cream.
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Wrap the tart in aluminum foil (I keep them individually packed for a later snack) and put in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to a month. Reheat the frozen tart (do not defrost) in the oven or oven toaster before you enjoy.
Apricot Jam: It can be replaced with apple sauce or fig jam.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Any suggestions for an alternative glaze? I am allergic to apricots 🙁
Hi Lisa! You can omit the apricot glaze. and spread the apples. I only apply when it’s in my fridge. 🙂
Hi, if we cant finish it in one day can we freeze it?
Yes! I freeze these tarts individually for later snacks. Just reheat in the toaster oven or oven without thawing. 🙂
Just wondering if you could use honey instead of jam. Looking for something easy for Rosh Hashanah.
Hi Sue! Yes, you can. 🙂
Oh wow! Now this is definitely something I will try. I love fruit pastries! The only other treat that is my weakness is cheesecake. The only problem would be the pastry sheet. Can the pastry sheet be easily made?
Hi Jerry! No, it’s not easy… otherwise I’d probably try making it. It’s just time consuming process. 😀
本当に！Ah! I hope I can find it locally. I really wanna make this dish. Thanks for responding.
Here’s the recipe that I’d try one day: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-puff-pastry-222312
Hi Nami, thank you for sharing this easy to make Apple tart. Would you recommend to use green Apple for this receipe cos green Apple is sour.
Always enjoy reading your post.
Thank you
Hi Lucy! I think it depends – if you don’t like super sweet dessert, I think green apple can be good as it has some tart flavor. But if you like traditional apple pie/tart, maybe you might not enjoy it as much. 🙂
I apologize for my late response. Hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading my blog!
Can you substitute something else for the apricot jam? No one in our family likes it but I’d love to make this for them!
Hi Donna! I apologize for my late response. I think… fig jam or apple sauce might be good… maybe lemon curd… 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
I made this today and it was fantastic! I skipped on the jam and peeling the apples. It was still delicious without the jam, but I would certainly peel the apples next time. With the skin on, I tend to bite into it and pull the slice of apple right off the tart leaving the bare pastry behind.
Hi Christopher! I apologize for my late response! I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you so much for your tip on peeling the skin. I usually peel apples for apple pie/tart, so I wasn’t too sure what would happen. 😀 Yeah, no jam is okay. I have made without jam, with different jam before too. It doesn’t make a HUGE impact, so we can be completely flexible. 🙂
hello it may sound stupid but where does the butter come in?
Hi Dora! It’s at Step 10: Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon mixture. Brush around the crust with the egg wash. And then place the butter cubes over the apples. And if you see Step 11, the butter is melted over the apple…
Hi Nami, I love your blog. In this apple tart recipe, at the start of the instruction, there’s cold butter cube, but I don’t see where do you use it after.
Can you tell me what to do with the cubed cold butter please?
I want to try this recipe soon as it looks so easy.
HI Wai See! Thank you so much for reading my blog! It’s written at Step 10. It might not be obvious so I divided up into 3 separate sentences. 🙂
Great recipe as usual. Thanks Nami! I was thinking to have it for tea party and need to make them in advance. May I know how low the oven and for how long should I reheat them. Thanks a dozen!
Hi Jo! Thank you so much! This is a great recipe to make in advance and reheat. I don’t know how big your oven is… but in the US we usually put in the middle rack (but for example, in Japan, the oven is small so you put it in the bottom area…). You can reheat at 300-350F. 🙂
Thank you again Nami for this easy and yummy dessert recipe! I never made a pastry in the past and when this was done, it was a slam dunk! My little monkey said he gave me infinity “stars”!!! ????
Hi Lena! Awww I love your little one said “Infinity Stars”!!!! SUPER CUTE!!! Thanks for trying this recipe! It’s easy, quick, delicious! 🙂
Hi Nami. Great recipe and the results were excellent. Today I used it as the basis for doing a kuchen by adding a basic loose custard over the apples. It was not a perfect replica but it was quick and tasted great. Thanks for the recipe and idea.
Hi Linze! I’m so happy you tried this recipe! Ohhh sounds so delicious with custard!!! :p
Hi Nami. I just wanted to let you know I made your apple tart over the rainy weekend and it turned out delicious! We have an apple tree in the backyard of the house we bought last year and our first year’s crop mostly went to waste because I wasn’t prepared for the quantity we got. This year, I have been collecting recipes like crazy and using as many of the apples as I can. In addition, we have a pear tree that produced more than 500 pears this year! I made pear butter with a couple dozen of them and substituted that for the apricot jam. It was absolutely delicious. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks!
Hi Laurie! You have organic fruit trees in your yard! So nice! This tart works with pears too. 500 pears are a lot… good luck! 😀 Thank you so much for your kind feedback. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xo
Nami,
Is the finished tart suitable for freezing?
Hi Tony! I do, I wrap around the cooled tart in aluminum foil and then put it in a ziploc bag to freeze it. When we are ready to eat, I take out and without defrosting, put it in the oven (if I defrost a lot) or the toaster oven (just for myself he hee). 😉
Hi Nami, I finally tried out your recipe of apple tart, I love it, so delicious. However, the bottom of the pastry is not that puffed up, pretty flat and doughy. is that normal?
Hi Wai See! So sorry for my late response. I’m so happy to hear you tried this recipe! Thank you! It’s pretty normal – one thing you can do is to blind bake (bake the puff pastry before you put filling). Another quick hack is to make sure the apples are not wet and spread jam/butter/egg white etc over the bottom of the puff pastry to avoid the sogginess. It’s too heavy to “puff up” with apples on top, so yes, it’s normal. You could make it slightly better by blind baking. 🙂
Hi Nami. I made this earlier this week and the part under the apples was quite doughy – i thought it wasn’t cooked enough, until i read this comment. I am going to try making this again tomorrow. Could you please explain how long and when to blind bake and at what temp? And also pardon my lack of baking knowledge here – is there any reason for a rimmed baking sheet? I’m planning to make more than one, but i only have one baking sheet. Could I use a deeper baking pan as long as it fits? Would the temperature and length of baking time differ if i bake more than one together?
Thanks!!
Hi Juliana! Thank you for trying this recipe!
1) First of all, make sure the apples are not cold and stay at room temperature. And if you want to blind bake, you can put a pie weight (beans, pennies, etc) and bake at t 400F (200C) until slightly golden.
2) I don’t recommend a deeper baking sheet because the hot air is blocked by surrounding walls.
I’m excited to try your recipes !!!!
Hi Ruth! Hope you enjoy this recipe! I’ll probably have my daughter make one this weekend too… lots of apples to use. 😀
How do you bake this? Greased or not greased baking paper? Which side goes against the mixture? Will it stick if I just put it strIght on a baking tray? I followed your instructions and the whole tart was stuck to the paper which wouldn’t even peek off and the whole thing was inedible. Some simple instructions would really help.
Hi Kira! “Parchment paper” (there’s no front and back side) does not required greasing, and the tart slides left and right after it is baked – it does not stick at all. I’m curious what kind of paper you used? If we put the tart straight on the baking sheet/tray, it will stick. Which is why we need to use parchment paper (or silicone baking mat).
I tried to think why yours stick…. I’ve never came to this same situation but is it possible that your puff pastry was too soft (left too long before putting in the oven) or maybe apple slices have so much water that moisture leak through the puff pastry? I am not too sure what could be the reason. Maybe you used a homemade puff pastry?
I have just finished eating this fresh from the oven, and it looks and tastes so professional in spite of the super easy no-fuss preparations. Looks just like on your pics, and it’s crispy and butter-y at the same time, the bottom part as well, under the apples. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Flora! I’m so happy to hear yours came out well. Thank you for trying this recipe and for your kind words! 🙂
Hi Nami, I am a big fan of you. I tried most of your dessert recipes and they all came out great! I tried baking this apple tart too. The edge of tart is perfectly crispy but the bottom part of the puff pastry (below the apple slices) is soaked with oil and very soft, is it normal? (I did not add any jam) I don’t know if it is because of the frozen puff pastry I bought, maybe I left it in the room temperature for too long (I did put it back to the fridge when I found it being not cold anymore) or is it because my oven does not have bottom heating? Many thanks!
Hi Bo! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and many of my dessert recipes!
1) You can use jam or butter to spread under the apples. It acts as waterproof for pie sheet when apple started to release its moisture.
2) It is best to keep the pie sheet cold before baking for good puffy and crispy texture.
3) Probably not due to your oven. 🙂
Thank you again!! xo
All this looks absolutely wonderful
Thank you Anne-Marie! oxox
Hi Nami,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I made it tonight and it was enjoyed by all.
Hi Hillary! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for your kind feedback! xo
Made this today. Delicious and ridiculously simple. Will 100% make again.
Hi Po! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your kind feedback!
What kind of apples are used for baking in Japan usually? The most common ones here I recognize Fuji and yellow sweet ones that I’m thinking are too sweet for baking.
Hi Ashley! Japan has whole different kinds of apples (for your reference: https://foodslink.jp/syokuzaihyakka/syun/fruit/Apple3.htm)… outside of the US we can only get Fuji and that’s what I use. 🙂
Thank you for following up. So many recipes in the US use those tart green apples so I thought sweeter apples might not work. My son just asked to make apple pie so I think we will try this recipe.
Hi Ashley! In Japan, we don’t have those tart green tart apples so we use regular sweet apples to make apple tart/pies in Japan. Hope your son will enjoy the pie! 🙂