Need an easy-peasy dessert without even switching on the oven? If so, then my no-bake gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart recipe is definitely the one for you! Plus, you only actually need 5 ingredients to make it.
Yep, you can make this tantalising dessert without even baking a single thing. You’ll be the best ever contestant on ‘The Great British No-Bake Off’ ? This recipe just involves a bit of chilling and trust me, I know how to do that! Ok, so here’s my no-bake gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart recipe…
I can’t believe that going into 2020, all of us gluten free folks still have stories that are something along the lines of: ‘when it came to dessert, they just gave me sliced banana in a bowl.’
10 years ago – maaaaybe I wouldn’t be surprised. But in this day and age, I just can’t believe that being served a last minute ‘oh **** we don’t actually have any food for her, let’s give her a banana’ option.
(does that remind anyone else of a certain episode of The Apprentice at all?!)
I mean, there really is no excuse when I feel like I’ve filled my blog with TONS of simple, delicious gluten free options that we’d much prefer to eat. And they’re all sooo easy to make! Go check out the desserts section of my blog if you don’t believe me – there’s cheesecake, trifle, profiteroles… so many better things than what we usually get offered!
And my no-bake gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart recipe is definitely one of them! But what actually is it first of all?
Well, for starters, the base is made out of crushed bourbon biscuits and melted butter – a billion times easier than making actual gf pastry, trust me.
Then, there’s a lovely layer of salted caramel, topped with a smooth, rich chocolate ganache. Then, I just simply topped it with some of Schar’s gluten free ‘Malteasers’, all smashed up. The result is absolutely mind-blowing.
It’s every chocaholic’s dream! But what’s even somehow *better* than the taste… is how incredibly simple it is to make. You don’t even need to turn your oven on – you just need a fridge!
Ok, so the pastry case is dead easy to make – especially since it’s like a biscuit base you’d get with a cheesecake. No pastry making skills required.
There’s no need to make your caramel either, I simply used a tin of Carnation and added a little salt to make my salted caramel. Wow, this is looking easier and easier by the sentence ?
Then, all that’s left to do is create your ganache mixture on the hob and add it on top of the caramel layer. You can then top it with whatever you like, I used Schar’s gf ‘Malteasers’ but you can happily use any leftover gf bourbon biscuits too. Pop it in the fridge to set – job done!
Ok, so here’s your shopping list – don’t forget to keep scrolling down to the recipe card below for the method ?? You actually only need 5 ingredients to make this as the salt and topping are optional. How good is that?
Ingredients for my no-bake gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart recipe
For the base
- 320g gluten free bourbon biscuits
- 100g butter, melted
For the filling
- 1 tin of caramel (I use a tin of Carnation caramel which is 397g – but also making your own using one of my recipes is fab if time allows!)
- 225g dark chocolate
- 40g butter
- 270ml double cream
- pinch of salt for the caramel (optional)
For the topping (optional)
- any gluten free chocolates you fancy! I went for Schar Delishios, but whatever your favourite chocolate treat is, chopped up would work!
Oh and here’s a few tips and frequently asked questions to make sure you make the perfect no-bake gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart recipe every time:
Can I make this recipe gluten free?
It is gluten free!
(but nobody would ever know this recipe was when tasting it – trust me!)
Can I make your gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart recipe dairy free?
Most of my recipes are really easy to make dairy free with a few simple swaps and though this one needs a little more shopping around, it is possible!
Firstly, the biscuit base. The gf bourbons I used are NOT dairy free and I couldn’t find any alternative that are gf AND dairy free. So instead, I’d recommend using these gluten free, vegan and dairy free ‘Oreo-style’ biscuits instead which are much easier to find in Asda’s free from aisle. Then melt Stork baking block instead of butter.
Next, the caramel. You can either buy your own here (Nature’s Charm Coconut Salted Caramel Sauce) or you can use my recipe here to make your own using 3 simple ingredients.
Lastly, the ganache – we’re almost there! You can simply replace the double cream with a dairy free alternative like Alpro’s single soya cream. Of course, use dairy free chocolate at this stage too and Stork baking block instead of butter.
Oh and remember to top it with whatever you like, as long as it’s dairy free! A few extra crushed biscuits will do the trick.
Can I make your gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart recipe vegan?
If you follow all the steps I just mentioned above to make this recipe dairy free, this will also make it vegan too! The ‘Oreo-style’ biscuits I recommend from Asda are vegan, so use those for the base.
The same goes for the Nature’s Charm Coconut Salted Caramel Sauce) or using my 3 ingredient vegan salted caramel recipe.
And of course, if you use vegan chocolate, Stork baking block and Alpro’s single soya cream, this will make the entire tart vegan. Like I said, it involves a little more shopping around, but it’s so worth it!
Is your gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart recipe nut free?
Whilst this recipe doesn’t contain nuts itself, it uses a few ready-made products like biscuits which can often have a ‘may contain’ warning for nuts.
So as I always say, make sure you triple check the ingredients on every product you use to ensure they don’t contain nuts or have a warning for nuts!
Is your gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart recipe low FODMAP?
Sadly, because of the high dairy content, this recipe isn’t suitable for the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet. Making it dairy free isn’t an easy low FODMAP route either. By making this df, you’re then introducing a lot of coconut in the caramel which can also be high FODMAP in certain portion sizes.
Plus, by using products like biscuits for the base, it’s hard to guarantee that they’re low FODMAP unless they’ve been certified by Monash University.
(which is very rare to see in the UK)
So this recipe might be best attempted once the elimination phase of the diet is over and you’re past the reintroduction phase too.
Can I make your gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart in a food processor or standing mixer?
You actually don’t need a standing mixer for this recipe at all. But what would really help is a food processor!
I used my food processor to blitz the biscuits into a fine dust so that it would be nice and easy to shape into my pastry tin.
Can I make your gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart without any kind of electric mixer/appliance at all?
You can, of course, make this without any assistance from any appliance – you just need a little extra elbow grease. Well, a lot more actually!
You’ll need to smash up your biscuits into a fine dust so that they’re easily shaped into the pastry tin. To do this will take a lot of bashing!
So just grab a zip-lock bag and a rolling pin and go ham on them until they’re really nice and fine – it is definitely possible.
Then, you’re good to continue making this recipe without any other appliances needed – just a fridge I guess.
Do I need any special equipment to make your gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart recipe?
You won’t need anything in particular apart from a good 23cm (9 inch) pastry tin with a loose bottom like this one.
I wouldn’t really recommend trying this in a tin without a loose bottom, otherwise it can be very hard to remove from the tin when you want to serve it up.
(especially as the biscuit base is more easily breakable than pastry is)
Using a tin smaller than mine will mean that each slice will be thicker and take longer to set, so bear that in mind! A bigger tin will result in a flatter tart and potentially a thinner base which may not hold the filling as well.
Can I make this recipe without xanthan gum?
There’s no added xanthan gum in this recipe at all.
You’ll see xanthan gum in a lot of my recipes as it’s an essential ingredient in gluten free baking – in cakes and biscuits, it helps to replace gluten by binding the texture together.
Otherwise you can end up with a very crumble bake. Fortunately, that doesn’t apply here!
What gluten free biscuits should I use for the base?
In the photos I used Schar’s gluten free Bourbon biscuits. However, you can actually use whatever biscuits you fancy! These aren’t dairy free though of course, so scroll up to the question on how to make this recipe dairy free for other recommendations.
What caramel should I use for this recipe?
I used a tin of Carnation caramel for this recipe. It’s gluten free and just takes away all the stress of having to make your own caramel.
Can I make my own caramel?
Of course! Carnation is a quick and easy option, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own. I’d recommend making my 3 ingredient caramel if you’re dairy free, or simply make the caramel from my Millionaire’s shortbread recipe if not.
What did you top your tart with?
I smashed up some of Schar’s gluten free Malteasers and threw them on top for a little added crunch and a nice finishing touch. But of course, you could just finish them with any biscuits you had leftover from making your base.
Do I need weighing scales to make your gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart?
In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any my recipes without them. One of the worst things you can do in any baking recipe is alter the quantities by mistake or on purpose.
(unless you know what you’re doing of course)
Why? Well, you’re sort of just gambling with the recipe and praying that it turns out ok, don’t you think? And I’ve generally already done the hard work there for you, so you don’t have to do the guesswork with measurements!
A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities so I wouldn’t mess around with them unless you really know your stuff.
I’d recommending using digital cooking scales like these so you know you’re getting an accurate measurement and replicating my recipe as accurately as poss.
Can I make your gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart without sugar or with less sugar?
I can understand the need to reduce sugar in our foods, but this recipe is one where I wouldn’t recommend it!
For starters, the base is made purely from biscuits, which will always contain sugar. Caramel, of course, contains sugar and the ganache contains a little caramel as well. As I’m sure you can guess… you can’t make caramel without sugar!
So if you’re trying to dodge sugar, you might want to dodge this recipe entirely!
How long can I keep your gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart for?
Obviously keep this in the fridge at all times – it should last around 4-5 days. Also try to keep it in an airtight container, or covered with clingfilm.
Can I freeze my gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart?
Yep! You can freeze it for up to 2-3 months without a problem – just make sure you put it in an airtight plastic container. It’s probably a good idea to slice it first so you can defrost a slice at a time.
If you want to defrost the whole thing at once, you can leave it at room temperature to thaw for around 12 hours. A single slice will probably take about 5 hours to thaw, so get it out ahead of time!
Can I bake my gluten free chocolate and salted caramel tart in the oven?
No, please don’t! This is a no-bake tart, meaning that it’s made to be chilled in the fridge and that’s it.
I can guarantee that if you try and bake this in the oven, you’ll just end up with a big mess to clear up ?
When I wanted to cut my tart, it was hard to cut and the caramel splodged out everywhere! What happened?
The chocolate ganache layer can set quite hard when placed in the fridge. I’d ideally allow the tart to warm up to room temperature a little for serving – like 30-45 minutes or so.
If your ganache layer is really solid from the fridge and you try to force a knife through it, it will squash out all the caramel!
Can I print your recipe?
Of course! Just hit the print button located on the recipe below ?? (otherwise you might end up printing this entire post which would probably make your printer go into early retirement)
My No-Bake Gluten Free Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the base
- 320 g gluten free bourbon biscuits
- 100 g butter melted
For the filling
- 1 tin of caramel I use a tin of Carnation caramel which is 397g - but also making your own using one of my recipes is fab if time allows!
- pinch of salt to add to the caramel optional
- 225 g dark chocolate
- 40 g butter
- 270 ml double cream
For the topping (optional)
- Either any leftover biscuits from your base or I used Schar Delishios for fun!
Instructions
- Firstly make your base. In a food processor, blitz your bourbons into a crumb-like texture. If you don't have a food processor you can bash them with a rolling pin as well! You do want quite a fine consistency for this though.
- Pour your melted butter into your crushed biscuits and mix together in a bowl.
- Spoon your mixture into a loose bottom fluted tart tin (mine was 23cm across) and then using the back of a spoon and also your hands, press the mixture into the tin - both the base and up the sides. Try to get it as even and flat as you can.
- Chill this in the fridge for around 30 minutes - 1 hour. Whilst this is happening you can sort out your filling.
- On top of the caramel is a chocolate ganache - let's make this first. To make this, slice your dark chocolate finely with a sharp knife - this helps it melt quicker when you pour the cream onto it. Place it in a heat-proof bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat your cream and butter - do this gently so the butter is fully melted and the cream is just about to reach boiling point (I stir mine a little so it doesn't stick to the bottom as it heats up).
- Once heated, pour your cream mixture on top of your chopped chocolate (in its bowl) and leave it for about 5 minutes without stirring. After 5 minutes mix it all together so that it is combined, smooth and fully melted.
- Remove your tart tin from the fridge. Mix your caramel briefly in the tin (or a small bowl) to loosen it - you can optionally add a pinch of salt here to make it salted caramel. Then pour it into your tart base and spread evenly.
- Pour over your chocolate ganache mixture and spread evenly with a spatula or palette knife.
- Add any additional chocolates or chopped biscuits at this stage as the topping.
- Chill in the fridge for a few hours to allow the ganache to fully set.
- Remove from the fridge a little earlier than you want to eat it (around 30 minutes) so the chocolate isn't too hard to cut through - especially if you've left it in the fridge overnight.
- Slice up (the caramel does come out the sides a little bit!) Enjoy with some vanilla ice cream!
Notes
Nutrition
Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me on Instagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
Oh and don’t forget to pin this for later!
