Mini Tomato Tarts with puff pastry are fantastic and sharable two-bite appetizers! Bring out the fresh flavor of tomatoes with these easy 6-ingredient tomato tartlets. Use store-bought puff pastry and ripe regular-size or cherry tomatoes.
When it comes to appetizers, mini tarts are genius. The ratio of filling to mini tart shells (that fabulous crust!) is usually right on par with my carb-loving tastebuds.
However, it does take a little extra prep to make homemade tart shells. When I'm short on time, but still want an impressive appetizer, a store-bought puff pastry base is the way to go.
Puff pastry is easy to use and bakes to crisp buttery perfection. Many of my favorite savory appetizers, like Ham and Gruyere Mini Turnovers and Asparagus Puff Pastry with Cracked Pepper Cottage Cheese, start with puff pastry!
Why you'll love this recipe
Before you rush to get your puff pastry thawing, let me share why I think you'll love these easy tomato tartlets:
- 6-ingredients: A simple combination of puff pastry, tomatoes, cheese, and seasoning is all you'll need to make these.
- Uses ripe tomatoes: This recipe is so user-friendly! You can use whatever tomatoes you have on hand -- regular, heirloom, cherry tomato, etc.
- Easy prep: I love that I can make the tarts any size, and they only take minutes to prepare.
- Versatile: Make these mini tarts to serve at a party, on a buffet table, or as a fun appetizer. They are also delicious with a weeknight dinner with a salad or alongside soup.
In addition to my love of puff pastry, I adore roasted tomatoes! I love the intense flavor that develops after a bit of time in the oven. Pair them with some cheesy goodness on a golden crust to get a top notch finger food.
Jump to:
Such an easy, tasty appetizer!
- Mary
Ingredients
Just a few ingredient tips to help you get started. See recipe card for quantities.
- Puff pastry: You'll need 1 package that contains 2 frozen puff pastry sheets.
- Cheese: I used Swiss Gruyère cheese because it has a nutty flavor that pairs well with tomatoes without overpowering them. Sharp white cheddar would also be delicious.
- Tomatoes: You can use any tomatoes you desire. Heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, hothouse or tomatoes-on-the-vine; anything is good. This recipe makes it easy and delicious to enjoy all those garden tomatoes, too! Even off-season, winter tomatoes are delicious on these mini tarts because roasting them intensifies their flavor!
- Seasoning: I kept the seasoning simple. You'll just need kosher salt, ground black pepper, and chopped fresh or dried thyme.
How to make tomato tarts with puff pastry
Check out this helpful photo tutorial with step-by-step instructions. See recipe card for comprehensive directions.
- Step 1: Thinly slice ripe tomatoes.
- Step 2: Finely grate cheese.
- Step 3: Roll out both sheets of thawed, but still cool, puff pastry to 1/16 inch thick.
- Step 4: Use a fork to liberally prick the surface of the puff pastry.
- Step 5: Cut the pastry into circles of various sizes to match your tomato rounds.
- Step 6: Top each pastry circle with a sprinkle of cheese and tomato.
- Step 7: Season each tart with kosher salt, black pepper, and thyme.
- Step 8: Bake at 400°F until golden, 20 to 25 min. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Tara's tart customization tips
This recipe is easy to customize. Here's some ideas to help you get creative in the kitchen:
- Herbs: I used chopped thyme, but these tartlets would also be delicious with basil, oregano, parsley, and/or rosemary. You can use fresh or dried herbs!
- Cheese: If you are looking for other cheese options, you could also use sharp white cheddar, or Parmesan.
- Pie crust: The puff pastry can be substituted with store-bought pie crust.
- Egg wash: If desired, you can top the pastry with egg wash before adding the toppings. The egg wash will help to bind the toppings to the pastry and give the edges a shiny look.
What to serve with Tomato Tarts
If you plan to serve your tarts with dinner, they taste amazing next to soups and salads. Here's what I'd recommend:
Equipment
Use the small holes on a box cheese grater.
Use a rolling pin to even out the puff pastry sheets.
I cut my mini tarts with round biscuit cutters. Cut circles just larger than the tomatoes you are slicing.
Heavy duty baking sheets work best.
Storage
The crisped pastry becomes soft with storage. I recommend serving these the day they are made.
If you do have leftovers, you can reheat the tomato tarts with puff pastry to crisp the crust in a low oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
FAQ
The crisped pastry becomes soft with time and covered storage. I recommend serving these the day they are made.
When fresh, the tarts are not soggy.
Roasting tomatoes is a surefire way to create some caramelized sweetness. These tomatoes, seasoned with salt to balance their flavor, get roasted just long enough to coax out the sweetness.
You can also make sure to use ripe tomatoes to ensure they are the perfect flavor.
Yes! Puff pastry is stored frozen until you're ready to begin baking. You'll need to let the puff pastry thaw a bit so you can unfold the sheets without breaking them.
You don't want it too warm though, or it will be hard to work with and the shapes will stretch. You can check the box for specific thawing instructions.
More easy bites and appetizer recipes
Looking for more fun and delicious appetizers? Try these:
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📖 Recipe
Mini Tomato Tarts with Puff Pastry (6 Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 1 package (13.7 ounces) frozen puff pastry
- 10 tablespoons grated Gruyère cheese
- 4 tomatoes, thinly sliced (or 1 pint cherry tomatoes)
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- chopped thyme
Instructions
- Thaw the frozen puff pastry. On a floured surface roll each sheet to 1/16 inch thick. Prick sheets generously with a fork and cut into about 30 various-sized circles with biscuit cutters.
- Place circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top each circle with 1 teaspoon grated Gruyère cheese and one or two thin tomato slices, or halved cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper, and chopped thyme.
- Bake at 400°F until golden, 20 to 25 min. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Mary Bench says
Such an easy, tasty appetizer!
Tessa says
I love cheese and tomatoes as well! This will be perfect for a summer snack!