Fresh, sweet, summery, and fruity is what this French strawberry tart (Tarte aux fraises in French) highlights. Juicy strawberries, almond cream, vanilla custard, and puff pastry go well in this classic French dessert.

You cannot go wrong with this amazing strawberry tart or Tarte aux fraises in French.
If you look for a delicious strawberry dessert, this tart is your perfect pick.
Starting a strawberry season in early may, Tarte aux fraises is sold in almost every bakery or boulangerie in France.
Traditionally, sandy crust or pâte sablée represents the tart shell. Although, puff pastry to make a tart base is wildly used by French chefs as well.
A delicious vanilla pastry cream known as crème pâtissière is another component of French strawberry tart.
It is usually used as a base for making different French desserts, especially fresh fruit tarts or Tarte aux fruits in French.
Another wildly made layer of French strawberry and red fruit tarts is almond cream (crème d’amande) baked in a pastry shell.
And finally, seasonal strawberries glazed with apricot jam are the stars of the dessert.
What is tarte aux fraises
Tarte aux fraises is a classic French dessert made with buttery tart crust, pastry cream, and fresh strawberries.
"Tarte aux fraises" is translated as strawberry tart in English, where "tarte" means tart and "fraises" means strawberries.
Why you should try this recipe
- This classic tart is a traditional French dessert. If you love French cuisine, this tart is a must-make.
- Its recipe with a make-ahead option helps manage your time on the day of serving.
- It is a perfect summer dessert with lovely taste that highlights a strawberry season.
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.
Puff pastry: use frozen ready-rolled puff pastry or roll it between two parchment paper sheets.
Butter: use salted softened butter (not cold butter) for the almond cream and unsalted butter to make the pastry cream.
Sugar: use golden brown sugar to make the almond cream and granulated white or caster sugar for the rest of the dessert.
Ground almonds: grind slivered almonds yourself or use almond flour.
Eggs: use an egg separator to separate egg yolks from the whites. Then bring egg yolks and required whole large eggs to room temperature.
Milk: the recipe calls for whole milk.
Corn starch: it is used to make crème pâtissière. Replace it with all-purpose flour if desired.
Vanilla bean: use the most flavorful Madagascar vanilla beans. You can replace the vanilla bean with 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
Strawberries: choose seasonal ripe strawberries sold in local farmer's markets or picked at farms.
Hull the berries, but leave some of them with green tops. Sort strawberries according to the size to facilitate the tart decoration.
Icing sugar and pistachios: it is optional to sprinkle the dessert with icing (powdered) sugar and/or chopped pistachios.
How to make French strawberry tart
To make the almond cream, mix softened butter, ground almonds, and sugar in a large bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add the egg and gently mix to combine (photo 1). Cover it with a piece of plastic wrap in contact and refrigerate.
To make the puff pastry crust, preheat the oven to 355 degrees F/180 degrees F.
Thaw the frozen butter puff pastry. Using a rolling pin, roll it out on a lightly floured surface or between two parchment paper sheets to ⅕ inches/5 mm thick.
Line a 9-inch/23 cm fluted tart pan, with a removable bottom, with the pastry, pressing it into the bottom and sides of the dish.
Trim the edges of the pastry case with a sharp knife and prick the bottom with a fork (photo 2).
Blind bake the crust for 25 minutes (no need to use ceramic pie weights or dried beans).
Take the pastry out of the oven and lightly press the pastry base to flatten, using a paper towel.
Decrease the oven temperature to 300 degrees F/150 degrees C. With a spoon or a small bent spatula, spread the almond cream (photo 3).
Bake for a further 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven, let it cool completely in the pan (photo 4).
Then transfer the pastry base to a serving platter.
To make the pastry cream, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds with the tip of a knife.
In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and corn starch with a hand whisk (photo 5).
Pour milk into a medium saucepan, add scraped vanilla seeds, and the pot split in half, and bring to a boil.
Remove the vanilla pod, add hot milk while stirring to the egg yolk mixture.
Pour the egg mixture back to the saucepan and cook the cream over low to medium heat, stirring constantly.
Stop cooking when the cream thickens. Remove the pot from the heat, add butter to the thickened mixture, and mix (photo 6).
Transfer the pastry cream to a shallow dish, cover with cling film (aka plastic film) in contact.
It should touch the whole surface of the cream. Let it cool at room temperature.
To assemble the tart, whisk the pastry cream with a hand whisk and spread it on the baked almond cream.
Wash, drain, and hull strawberries. Leave a few of them with green tops for decoration.
Cut strawberries in half lengthwise and arrange them on the layer of pastry cream (photo 7). Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
To serve Tarte aux fraises, sprinkle the edge of the tart with icing (powdered) sugar.
To highlight strawberry haves, take some, sprinkle them with little icing sugar and place them back on the tart.
Sprinkle the dessert with chopped pistachios (photo 8).
Recipe variations
Instead of making a large strawberry tart, you can make individual tarts (French strawberry tartlets) using small tart tins.
Decorate them with halves, quarters, or thin slices of fresh strawberries, or use wild strawberries if available.
French chefs mostly use harmonious ways to decorate Tarte aux fraises, but some imperfection takes place and highlights this traditional dessert.
The simplest way to arrange fresh strawberries cut in half is to place them spontaneously in different directions.
It is the same technique used by French chefs Cyril Lignac and Benoît Couvrand to decorate their Tarte aux fraises.
I adapted that technique to arrange sweet strawberries over the tart (the recipe is below).
The neatest way to decorate the tart is to use whole strawberries or slice berries lengthwise in two, four, or more slices and place them in a circular pattern.
Arrange berries cut side up or side down, leaning strawberries up a little as you work along the edge or towards the center.
Start from the outside of the tart, slightly overlapping strawberries.
To be inspired, please, have a look at the fruit topping of strawberry tarts from The Spruce Eats, As Easy as Apple Pie, Del's Cooking Twist, or Taste of the South.
You can also slice strawberries into the thickness and decorate your Tarte au fraise in a spiral pattern, resembling a strawberry “rose” on top of the dessert.
Or place strawberry slices about ⅓ inch/1 cm thick harmoniously on top of the tart to cover the pastry cream.
If you desire, cover berries with neutral glaze or brush them with warm apricot jam.
Sprinkle top of the dessert with chopped pistachios, toasted flaked almonds, and decorate with fresh mint or verbena leaves.
Storage
The finished strawberry tart with pastry cream should be eaten within 24 hours.
But you can keep it in the fridge for up to 48 hours maximum. I do not recommend freezing the assembled strawberry tart.
Expert tips
- Do not overmix the almond cream; otherwise, it will swell during baking and overflow the tart. Use only a rubber spatula for this step.
- Watch the color of the almond cream while baking: it has to be lightly brown.
- Cut fresh strawberries in two or four, depending on the size. Leave some of them with green tops.
- Arrange strawberries on top of the tart in the way you desire.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can bake a puff pastry shell with almond cream one day ahead and keep it at room temperature covered with a tea towel. You can also make pastry cream in advance and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Make sure to cover it with plastic in contact. Then, on the day of serving, just decorate the tart.
You do not need to line up this type of tart pastry with parchment or aluminum foil. The same is about the use of pie weights or dried chickpeas to bake. It is because the puff pastry layers need to rise and puff up.
Love French fruit tarts? Try these next!
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Recipe card
French Strawberry Tart (Tarte aux Fraises)
Fresh, sweet, summery, and fruity is what this French strawberry tart (tarte aux fraises in French) highlights. Juicy strawberries, almond cream, vanilla custard, and puff pastry go together well in this classic French dessert.
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Tarts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
1 sheet puff pastry
For the almond cream:
- 3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) salted butter, softened
- 4 tablespoons (50 g) brown sugar
- ½ cup + 1 teaspoon (50 g) almond flour
- 1 large egg
For the pastry cream:
- ⅔ cup + 1 tablespoon (175 g) whole milk
- 8 ½ teaspoons (40 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoon (15 g) corn starch
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) unsalted butter
For decoration:
- 17.5 oz. (500 g) fresh strawberries
- 1 tablespoon icing (powdered) sugar
- 0.35 oz. (10 g) raw pistachios (see note #1)
*Don't you have the correct baking pan on hand right now? Try this simple Cake Pan Converter!
** If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
- To make the almond cream, mix softened butter, ground almonds, sugar with a rubber spatula. Add the egg and gently mix just to combine. Cover it with plastic film in contact and refrigerate.
- To make the puff pastry crust, preheat the oven to 355 F/180 F. Thaw the frozen butter puff pastry and, using a rolling pin, roll it out between two parchment paper sheets to ⅕ inches/5 mm thick. Line a 9-inch/23 cm fluted tart pan, with a removable base, with the pastry, pressing it into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the edge with a sharp knife and prick the bottom with a fork. Bake for 25 minutes. Take the pastry out of the oven and lightly press the pastry base to flatten, using a paper towel. Decrease the oven temperature to 300 F/150 C. With a spoon or a small bent spatula, spread the almond cream. Bake for a further 20 minutes. Remove it from the love, let it cool completely in the pan, then transfer the pastry base to a serving platter.
- To make the pastry cream, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, scrape the seeds with the tip of a knife. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and corn starch with a hand whisk. Pour milk into a medium saucepan, add scraped vanilla seeds, and the pot split in half, and bring to a boil. Remove the vanilla pod, add hot milk while stirring to the egg yolk mixture. Pour the mixture back to the saucepan and cook the cream over low to medium heat, stirring constantly. Stop cooking when the cream thickens. Remove the pot from the heat, add butter, and mix. Transfer the pastry cream to a shallow dish, cover with plastic in contact (it should touch the whole surface of the cream). Let it cool at room temperature.
- To assemble the tart, whisk the pastry cream with a hand whisk and spread it on top of the baked almond cream. Wash, drain, and hull strawberries. Leave a few of them with green tops for decoration. Cut strawberries in half lengthwise and arrange them over the tart. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
- To serve tarte aux fraises, sprinkle the edge of the tart with icing (powdered) sugar. To highlight strawberry haves, take some, sprinkle them with icing sugar and place them back on the tart. Sprinkle the dessert with chopped pistachios.
Notes
- 10 g pistachios equal about 18 raw pistachios.
- Do not overmix the almond cream; otherwise, it will swell during baking and overflow the tart. Use only a rubber spatula for this step.
- Watch the color of the almond cream while baking: it has to be lightly brown.
- Cut fresh strawberries in two or four, depending on the size. Leave some of them with green tops.
- Arrange strawberries on top of the tart in the way you desire.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 398
- Sugar: 12.1 g
- Sodium: 152 mg
- Fat: 27.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.7 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 7.1 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
Keywords: tarte aux fraises, tarte au fraise, French strawberry tart
The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.
The recipe was originally published on April 07, 2021. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.
Marie-Charlotte Chatelain says
I'm French and even though I don't eat a lot of desserts I SOOO Miss this kind of pastry! Thanks for the taste of home.
★★★★★
Irina says
You are very welcome, Marie-Charlotte. I appreciate your comment. Thanks!
Jayne says
Making this strawberry tart had me dreaming of traveling to France. So good and authentic. Thanks.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks for making the recipe, Jayne. Please, enjoy it.
Kristina Tipps says
Loved this! I plan to make it at my Mother's Day brunch, and I know all of the moms will much love it!
★★★★★
Irina says
What a great idea, Kristina! Please, let me know how your baking went. 🙂
Beth says
Yum! My daughter is going to love this absolutely! Strawberry anything, yes, please!
★★★★★
Irina says
WOW, Beth. Please, go for it! 🙂
Tara says
Such a beautiful tart and so perfect for the upcoming season! I love all the tips to help make it perfect and that sprinkling of pistachios over the top.
★★★★★
Irina says
If you make it, Tara, please, let me know! Thanks for visiting the recipe.
Biana says
This tart looks amazing! I love desserts with fresh fruit in them, and this tart will be perfect for making in the summer.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks, Biana. Please, enjoy the recipe and let me know once you make it. 🙂
Beth says
Not only is this delicious, but it sure impressed my guests! Such a beautiful dessert! Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Irina says
You are more than welcome, Beth! It is so great that your guests and you loved the tart. 🙂
Kushigalu says
I love French desserts, plus strawberries are my favorite. I can't wait to make this. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Irina says
You are very welcome, Kushigalu! Please, let me know once you make the tart!
Dannii says
What a beautiful tart. Such a great way to use strawberries and perfect for summer.
★★★★★
Irina says
Sure, Dannii! Thanks for visiting the recipe, and please, enjoy it!
Jamie says
This reminds me of the tarts I get at my local French bakery! It's so delicious and perfect for this time of year!
★★★★★
Irina says
I agree with you, Jamie. Desserts with seasonal strawberries are the best. 🙂
Andrea says
Beautiful and such a perfect pastry for any occasion. I can't wait to impress my friends with this one.
★★★★★
Irina says
I do not doubt that this tart will impress your friends. Please, Andrea, let me know then!