These no bake strawberry pistachio tartlets are a stunning summer dessert, perfect for when you don’t want to turn on your oven! They are gelatin free and easy to make gluten free as well!

These strawberry pistachio tartlets are the perfect mix of a crunchy pistachio and white chocolate crust, light diplomat cream, and sweet, fresh strawberries. You don’t need an oven or mixer to make these beautiful pastries!

How to make a pistachio croustillant tart crust

The crust for these tarts is a “croustillant,” which is a crunchy insert often found in French desserts. It has a wonderful rich, crunchy, buttery texture without any need for baking.

Ingredients for no bake tart shells

Ingredients to make the no bake pistachio tart crust:

Pistachio butter: Pistachio butter helps bind the mixture together while adding intense pistachio flavor

Almond butter: I opted for a 50/50 mix of pistachio and almond butter because it’s more cost effective while preserving the pistachio taste. Almond butter has a more neutral flavor than a lot of other nut butters and is fairly easy to find in most grocery stores. If you like, you can use 100% pistachio butter instead.

White chocolate: White chocolate adds sweetness, and the cocoa butter in the chocolate shields the tart shell from moisture and keeps everything nice and crunchy.

Crushed roasted pistachios: Roasted pistachios add crunchy texture and flavor

Corn flakes: Corn flakes add a very crunchy, crisp texture while also aerating the mix, keeping it lighter and less dense

Crushed butter cookies: Crushed butter cookies add texture and flavor while also helping to create a more cohesive mix

Salt: A pinch of salt helps bring out flavor and balance out the sweetness from the white chocolate

What ingredients should I use to make a gluten free tart shell?

When purchasing the corn flakes and the butter cookies, you can opt for gluten free ones. The other ingredients should be naturally gluten free.

Technique for no bake tart shells

The technique for making the croustillant tart shell is straightforward. First, mix together all of your ingredients until well combined. Make sure that there are no huge chunks.

Next, use a small spoon to press the mixture into your tart mold. Make sure to press firmly – you don’t need to worry about squashing the mixture.

Finally, put in the fridge until chilled and firm.

How to release the shells from the mold

Once firm, the tart shells should naturally release from the mold, as there is a lot of fat in the mixture. If using a tart ring, make sure that you are building the shell on parchment paper so it release easily from the surface.

If you’re using something like a muffin tin, you may need to gently warm up the bottom of the tin to aid in releasing the tart shells. You can do this by very quickly dipping the tin in and out of hot water, or by passing over the bottom of the tin with a blow torch.

How to make a diplomat cream

The filling for these tarts is a light, not too sweet diplomat cream. A diplomat cream is pastry cream lightened with plain whipped cream. It leads to a soft, pipeable texture.

Ingredients for diplomat cream

Milk: Milk is the liquid base of the recipe, and provides fat for richness and flavor

Vanilla: Vanilla provides flavor. I like to use vanilla bean to be extra fancy, but you can also use a teaspoon of vanilla extract instead

Sugar: Sugar provides sweetness

Corn starch: Corn starch acts as a thickening agent and stabilizer so that the cream holds its shape when piped

Egg yolks: Egg yolks act as a thickening agent, and provides fat for richness and flavor. Personally I like to use egg yolks only instead of whole eggs due to the extra richness

Heavy cream: Heavy cream is whipped to stiff peaks to help lighten the pastry cream and create a fluffier texture

Technique for diplomat cream

First, you’ll make your pastry cream. Start by cooking the milk and vanilla on the stove to a boil. The hotter you cook the milk at this step, the faster it’ll be to thicken after you add the eggs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and corn starch until well combined. Pour the hot milk into the egg yolks while whisking to avoid scrambling the eggs. Pour everything back into the pot and bring back up to a boil. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes at a boil until thick and smooth.

Immediately cool down the cream by filming with plastic wrap and then placing in your freezer.

Once the cream is cooled, you’ll whip up the heavy cream and fold it into the pastry cream.

Tips for making Diplomat cream

• When making the pastry cream, make sure to whisk the eggs as you add the hot milk. This prevents the eggs from getting too hot and scrambling
• When making the pastry cream, make sure to keep stirring so that it heats and cooks evenly. Don’t just stir in the middle of the pot – also make sure to stir along the outer edges
• Cook the pastry cream for 1 – 2 minutes after you see the first bubble. This pasteurizes the eggs and also helps create a smoother, thicker cream
• Make sure to film the pastry cream on contact, meaning that the plastic wraps touches the surface of the cream
• Make sure the whipped cream is whipped to stiff peaks so it has enough air
• When folding the whipped cream into the pastry cream, do it gently so you don’t squash out the air

How to decorate strawberry pistachio tartlets

Assembling these tarts is the fun part! I like to use a large star piping tip to pipe the diplomat cream into the chilled tart shells. I then top with sliced strawberries and a sprinkle of pistachios.

To add a nice finishing touch, I like to brush the strawberries with melted apricot jam. This adds a lovely shine while also protecting the fruit from drying out.

How to store these no bake tartlets

It’s important to store these tartlets in the fridge until they’re ready to be served. Both the tart shell and the cream are not stable at room temperature. The shell will start getting soft, and the cream will start going bad.

Other tart recipes to try

• Pistachio lemon meringue tart
• No bake coconut tart

If you make this recipe, please let me know! I always love to see what my readers are baking. You can comment below or tag me on Instagram @halicopteraway.