Rustic French Apple Tart
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Like an apple pie without the pan, this French apple tart consists of a thin layer of cinnamon-scented apples over a buttery, flaky crust.
When we think of French desserts, we usually imagine fancy pâtisseries with pyramids of pastel-colored macarons and glossy fruit tarts. But when the French bake at home, they don’t compete with their pastry chefs; they keep it simple. One of my favorite food writers, Dorie Greenspan, wrote of her time living in France: “No matter how chic the hostess, her homemade dessert invariably looked as rustic as if it had come from a farmhouse grand-mère.” This free-form apple tart is the kind of dessert a French woman might throw together at home. Like an apple pie without the pan, it consists of a thin layer of cinnamon-scented apples over a buttery, flaky crust.
I know the mere mention of a homemade pastry crust is enough to send some people running for the hills, but this dough is virtually foolproof and easy to roll to out, and it comes together in a food processor in under a minute. Plus, the beauty of a free-form tart is that you don’t have to fuss over crimping the dough into a pie plate; you simply fold it irregularly over the fruit. The charm of this dessert lies in its imperfections.
What you’ll need to make a french apple tart
Before we get to the recipe, a word of advice: you might be tempted to load up the tart with extra apples, but less is more with this type of dessert. The apples release quite a bit of juice, which can leak from the tart and make a mess of the crust and your oven.
Also, be sure to use apples suitable for baking, such as Fuji, Granny Smith, Jonagolds, Jonathans, Golden Delicious, Gala, or Honey Crisp. These apples hold their shape when cooked, while non-baking apples turn into applesauce. As you can see, I use two types of apples for this recipe. With any recipe that calls baking apples, like apple muffins, apple crisp or apple cobbler, it’s a good idea to use different varietals for a more nuanced flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the pastry. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, salt and sugar. 
Pulse briefly to combine, then add the pieces of cold butter.
Process just until the butter is the size of peas, about 5 seconds.
Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and process just until moistened and very crumbly, about 5 seconds.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
Knead a few times, just until it comes together into a cohesive ball.
Pat the dough into a disk.
Flour your work surface again and dust the dough with flour, as well. Using a rolling pin, roll into a circle 8 to 10 inches in diameter, turning and adding more flour as necessary so the dough doesn’t stick. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the filling (you’ll roll the dough out further on the parchment paper so go ahead and clean your work surface).
To make the filling: Peel, core, and cut the apples into 1/8-inch-thick slices (you should have about 4 cups) and place in a large bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt.
Toss to combine.
Take the dough from the fridge and slide the parchment paper onto the countertop. Roll the dough, directly on the parchment paper, into a 14-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. It’s fine if the edges are a little ragged.
Place the parchment and dough back on the baking sheet – the pastry should curve up the lip of the pan.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour evenly over the pastry.
Arrange the apple slices on top in overlapping concentric circles to within 3 inches of the edge. Don’t worry about making it look perfect! It doesn’t make much difference in the end and you don’t want the dough to get too warm.
Fold the edges of the dough over the apples in a free-form fashion, working your way around and creating pleats as you go. Patch up any tears by pinching a bit of dough from the edge.
Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with the beaten egg.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the turbinado sugar over the top crust and 1 tablespoon over the fruit. Then chill the assembled tart in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden and cooked through. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool. While the tart cools, make the optional glaze: mix the apricot jam with 1-1/2 teaspoons water in a small bowl. Heat in the microwave until bubbling, about 20 seconds. Then, using a pastry brush, brush the apples with the apricot syrup.
Use two large spatulas to transfer the tart to a serving plate or cutting board. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. The tart is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers will keep, loosely covered on the countertop, for a few days.
Video Tutorial
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Rustic French Apple Tart
Like an apple pie without the pan, this French apple tart consists of a thin layer of cinnamon-scented apples over a buttery, flaky crust.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ¼ cup very cold water
For the Filling
- 1¾ lbs baking apples (3 large) (see note)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For Assembling & Baking
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
- 1 tablespoon apricot jelly or jam, optional for glaze
Instructions
- Make the crust: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the cold butter and process just until the butter is the size of peas, about 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the mixture and process just until moistened and very crumbly, about 5 seconds. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times, just until it comes together into a cohesive ball. Pat the dough into a disk. Flour your work surface again and dust the dough with flour, as well. Using a rolling pin, roll into a circle 8 to 10 inches in diameter, turning and adding more flour as necessary so the dough doesn’t stick. Transfer the dough to the parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the filling (you’ll roll the dough out further on the parchment paper so go ahead and clean your work surface).
- Make the Filling: Peel, core, and cut the apples into ⅛-inch-thick slices (you should have about 4 cups) and place in a large bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt; toss to combine.
- Take the dough from the fridge and slide the parchment paper onto the countertop. Roll the dough, directly on the parchment paper, into a 14-inch circle about ⅛ inch thick. It’s fine if the edges are a little ragged. Place the parchment and dough back on the baking sheet – the pastry should curve up the lip of the pan.
- Assemble the tart: Sprinkle the flour evenly over the pastry. Arrange the apple slices on top in overlapping concentric circles to within 3 inches of the edge. Don’t worry about making it look perfect! It doesn’t make much difference in the end and you don’t want the dough to get too warm. Fold the edges of the dough over the apples in a free-form fashion, working your way around and creating pleats as you go. Patch up any tears by pinching a bit of dough from the edge.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the pleated dough evenly with the beaten egg. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the turbinado sugar over the top crust and 1 tablespoon over the fruit. Chill the assembled tart in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the center position.
- Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden and cooked through. (It’s okay if some of the juices leak from the tart onto the pan. The juices will burn on the pan but the tart should be fine -- just scrape any burnt bits away from the tart once it’s baked.) Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool.
- While the tart cools, make the optional glaze. In a small bowl, mix the apricot jam with 1½ teaspoons water. Heat in the microwave until bubbling, about 20 seconds. Using a pastry brush, brush the apples with the apricot syrup.
- Use two large spatulas to transfer the tart to a serving plate or cutting board. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. The tart is best served on the day it is made, but leftovers will keep, loosely covered on the countertop, for a few days.
- Note: Be sure to use baking apples that hold their shape when cooked, such as Honeycrisp, Jonagold, Fuji, Granny Smith, or Golden Delicious. And use a mix of different varietals for the best flavor.
- Make Ahead: The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated. Allow it to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes or until pliable before rolling.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The assembled tart may be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the baking sheet in the freezer until the tart is frozen, then wrap tightly. (Wait until right before baking the tart to brush the beaten egg and sprinkle the sugar onto the crust.) Bake directly from the freezer. (It may take a few extra minutes to bake from frozen.)
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 392
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Sugar: 26 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 195 mg
- Cholesterol: 73 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This turned out very well. I’ve made it twice and the second time I made two tarts with the recipe instead of one, rolling out each of the two crusts 10×10 instead of 14×14 and folded them over about 2 1/2 inches instead of 3 inches. Worked perfectly and enabled me to give smaller tarts to a couple of friends.
This turned out delicious. It did take me 2 hours, but it was worth it. I did not have any apricot glaze, so I made my own apple glaze by boiling the scraps of the apples with 1/4 cup sugar and water to cover, then strained it after it became a syrup. Excellent recipe! Far more moist than an apple pie. I forgot to buy ice cream but it didn’t even need it.
This is more of a general comment for Jenn.
I just want to thank you for freely offering so many recipes. Once Upon a Chef has become my GO TO because your recipes have never failed me. Everything always comes out fantastic! You have really upped my game. My feeling is that if you’re going to do the work in the kitchen, why not make it taste awesome every time? Thank you so much Jenn!
❤️
Hi Jenn,
I’ve made this a few times, and each time I follow directions for keeping butter cold but when I bake it the butter seeps out and separates from the dough. It’s absolutely delicious anyway, but the crust is literally sitting in a small pool of butter when it comes out. Any ideas? I’m at 5000 ft, but I usually don’t find much of an impact on baking. Thanks!!
Hi Lena, although it’s not 100 percent, the altitude could be playing a small part. I’d try increasing the oven temp by 25 degrees. The bake time will be shorter so keep a close eye on it.
This is my go to apple tart recipe! The dough is so easy to work with and has such a nice flaky texture. Always a big hit at the table!
I have made this tart so many times I can almost make it from memory. It is delicious
This recipe has become my favorite apple dessert. The crust is so delicious and the apples are perfectly spicy and sweet. My family loves it!
I am not a baker but this looked easy enough. Sadly, my dough never melded together. It was very dry and kept cracking. I followed the recipe precisely. The apples were good but overall not successful for me. It has nothing to do with the recipe – it’s definitely me! I had planned on serving this for Thanksgiving but thought I should do a dry run and so glad I did. I will now try the Apple Cobbler. That looks easier and hopefully, it will be a success.
Hi Jenn,
Can you please advise me if I am able to make this (without baking) a day, or two in advance. Then take it out of the freezer to bake?
Yep- see the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. Enjoy!
Delicious!!! 4.5 stars! A little too much cinnamon.
This is wonderful. I used Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Envy apples. I skipped the apricot jam as we tend to like things less sweet. I like that it’s less time consuming than making apple pie. Will definitely make again!
I made this a few weeks ago and it was so delicious. Everyone raved about it. The crust is outstanding. I’m making it again and would like to make only the crust ahead of time. Can I freeze it in a ball for a week? Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
Glad you like it! Yes, you can freeze the dough in a ball.
Gonna make this. Did you use the food processor to slice apples? they look perfect and same size
No, I sliced them by hand (I’ve sliced a lot of apples)! 🙂
The turbinano sugar dissolved after I sprinkled on the tart then chilled it in the fridge so I would suggest to put the sugar on the crust just before placing it in the oven to bake.
I historically am not great at baking, but my attempt at this recipe turned out fantastic! With some whipped cream on top, it really is the perfect fall dessert.
I can’t wait to bake it again for the holidays! Thanks for sharing!
Yet another delicious recipe from you Jenn!!! This pie pastry is light and flaky and remains crisp under the fruit. It rolled out easily, and proves once again that there is magic in using butter. Totally wowed my guests, and I was happy to share my source with them. Thank you!!!
Thanks a ton for this lovely recipe. I’ve made this multiple times now and love it more each time we bake it!
Which brand name food processor do you use? Mine is too small. Do you have an Amazon link to it? Thnx
Hi Marie, this is the one I use and love it!
Made this for a small dinner party. Followed directions and it was delish! Many compliments. Can’t wait to make it again.
Made this last year for Thanksgiving for my husband and myself. It was super easy and absolutely delicious! Going to make it again , this year.
Hi,
Just made this today and it is A-mazing. It is a keeper for sure. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I just made this. Apple tart. It was so easy to make, and so very delicious! I must confess that I did not make my own dough (I still fear going that far). Instead I bought pie dough which I just rolled out onto a baking sheet. It did not contain butter, but the apples had enough to add that buttery flavor. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe Jenn!
Made this for Canadian thanksgiving, was absolutely delicious
Totally delicious! I was fearful of making the pastry crust, but I did it and it turned out well. I don’t have a food processor so I used a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour. That worked fine. I served it with a spoon of vanilla ice cream on top. This was a big hit. I found it much easier to make than a pie.
Hi! I love this recipe has become a family favorite. Have a question if I wanted to make 3 smaller ones from this recipe( want to drop off to family) how long should I bake them for? Thank you!
Hi Tasha, glad your family likes this. I’m not certain how long 3 smaller ones will take but I’d start checking at about 25 minutes. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Hi Jenn, 45 mins and all 3 were perfect. I started checking as you said at 25 mins and did increments of time until the color was perfect. Thank you!
Oh wow! This was just delicious! Didn’t change a thing and the apricot glaze at the end took it to a new level! Flakiest crust ever. Thank you!
Do not change anything! This recipe is perfect…not too sweet, deliciously flaky, incredible apple flavor. I made it yesterday and it’s almost 3/4 gone!
Everyone in my family and friends loves this apple galette! It’s perfectly balanced and relatively low in sugar. I put the galette on the parchment paper in a tart pan to bake to keep any loose juices from spilling into the oven. The juices line the edge of the galette and caramelize while baking. Delicious!
Oh my! This tart/galette is superb! The crust is fab and the vanilla adds a different nuance to the filling. Thank you for sharing the recipe. For my next baking experience I plan to make the plum galette, looking forward to it!
I made this tart two weeks ago and froze it unbaked. I was skeptical it would turn out right. I baked it from frozen at 350 for about 70 minutes, until the crust was golden brown and apples were cooked through. Served it after dinner that night…and OMG. It was Delicious. Crust was so flaky and the apples were wonderful. Family did not know I baked from frozen, they thought it was freshly made that day. This is the Perfect make ahead dessert. Thank you Jenn. This will be great with the busy holidays coming up.
I just made this pretty tart but forgot to sprinkle the flour on the dough before placing the apples on it. Will this be a problem?
Also, when transferring the tart to the serving plate do I leave it on the parchment paper?
Thank you!
Hi Debbie, the flour is just to absorb some of the moisture that the apples will give off when they bake (so your crust may be a little soggy on the bottom). And, no, you don’t need to leave the finished tart on the parchment. Hope that helps!
This was GREAT! I didn’t have baking apples so I cooked all the filling ingredients in a pot until the apples were pretty much done then let them cook before I put it on the crust. I didn’t have the turbinado so I just used regular light brown sugar and a little bit of cinnamon sugar over the whole top. Another time I prepared the filling and crust the night before and assembled it in the morning and had equally good results, although it needed some extra time since the apples were now cold from being in the fridge overnight.
Although I didn’t use the same crust, the apple filling was perfectly balanced for sweetness. I was worried that the temperature was too low and the pie sitting too high in the oven but I followed the directions and the crust turned out perfect – browned on the bottom and cooked throughout. With all of the inherent problems with making apple pie (and there are plenty!), this recipe is a great alternative.
Delicious and easy to make! Love the crust!!
Simple and delicious! And pies formed this way are so much easier to both make and serve. Thanks for the recipe!
Love this recipe! I have a question about apple measurements for this recipe and your other apple recipes. When you give the apple weight, is that before peeling and removing the core, or is it after it’s prepared? Thanks!
Hi Ilana, Glad you like it! The weight is for the apples unpeeled and uncored.
Lovely recipe! It would be helpful if the recipe included weight in grams too. I am living in Italy and use online recipes all the time. But without ingredients in weights it becomes complicated.
Hi Susan, Glad you enjoyed it! The great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
I discovered this recipe last fall and made it all winter! This is sacrilege but I started using store bought crusts so that I could make it on short notice. It’s perfect on a Sunday morning with your coffee.
I was looking for a recipe to use use some Macintosh apples nobody was eating. I couldn’t say no to the ease and ratings. I cut the sugar by 1/3 and added about a tablespoon of cornstarch into the filling. It was literally gobbled up, leaving me only a small slice with breakfast. AWESOME recipe!
This was delicious! Flaky crust, not too much sugar or seasoning, which allowed the apples to shine. I used Jonathans and they lent a slightly tart taste. Definitely keeping this one handy!
Lovely! I made this twice, the second time I omitted butter from the apple mix as I didn’t find that step necessary. I noticed the apples collect water/’apple juice’ at the bottom of the bowl after mixing the cinnamon, sugar and vanilla extract. I used the recommended ones (honeycrisp & green apple) so not sure how that was the case?
This was amazing! I made it for our holiday dinner. I have made other recipes for rustic apple tart previously but this was clearly the best, flakiest crust- very tender but not mushy! The flour on the bottom seemed to help keep the tart juicy but not runny. I did not use the apricot glaze- seemed totally unnecessary. For those who wanted a little something extra, we served them with a small bit of ice cream. Perfection! Thanks for this great recipe.
Delicious and your instructions were perfect. Great recipe
Lovely recipe. I used tart green apples (unsure what variety) from a friend’s garden and swapped the apricot jam for honey in a nod to Rosh Hashanah. Served warm to guests, who absolutely loved it!
I had a bag full of the wrong apples (mackintosh), but I wanted to make this anyway!
The crust was amazing – flaky and crisp, not hard.
The filling a bit sweet due to my apples being on the sweet side. I was worried about a soggy crust so I added some almond flour with the flour on the crust before adding the apples. It wasn’t wet and didn’t leak in the oven.
I’m making this again today, but with less sugar and a bit more almond flour (because why not?) as I still have apples left in the bag!
I’m saving this recipe to make whenever I can. So good.
Hi Jenn,
I have an upcoming fall dinner party. If I make this in the morning do you suggest warming each slice in the microwave and serving with vanilla ice cream or just serve at room temp?
Hi Maria, You can serve it at room temperature, or if you’d serve it warm, put it briefly in a 300-degree oven to refresh a bit.
Today is the first day of fall!!! I love fall with all of its bright colors and fabulous comfort food. This is apple season and there is no dessert that compliments the season better than this rustic apple tart. We don’t even make apple pies anymore, because this is so much better (in my opinion). The perfect fall dinner consists of a roast chicken, roasted root vegetables, and this tart. We’ve never used the apricot preserves to finish as it is perfect without.
I made this today — what a treat! Since there were only two of us who’d be eating it, I halved the recipe and it came out perfectly. My two medium-sized Granny Smiths produced the right amount of apples. And I baked it for about 50 minutes. It looks stunning and tastes delicious — an ideal fall dessert!