Apple and Puff Pastry Tart

These Apple Puff Pastry Tarts are simple enough for a quick dessert at a weeknight meal but fancy enough for any holiday table. It’s an easy recipe that uses store-bought puff pastry, fresh apples, and just a few other simple ingredients. The results are a beautiful buttery crust stuffed with fresh, warm spiced apples. 

If you’re looking for a delicious and simple fall recipe, this is the one this apple season. This puff pastry apple tart recipe is made with fresh apples and a store bought puff pastry for an easy recipe that will have you falling in love with its simple fall flavors.

This quick recipe – as long as your package of puff pastry is thawed – is so simple to make and done in under 30 minutes. You can dress up the apple puff pastries any way you like. I’ve included a number of options below. These terrific tarts are great for game day snacks or bringing to potlucks or parties and only require a few minutes of prep time.

I should also mention that this apple tart recipe isn’t just for dessert. It is also great for breakfasts or brunches. And these are such an easy option for overnight guests! They always think I woke up so early to make them when all I did was put frozen puff pastry in the fridge the night before.

Why You’ll Love This Apple Puff Pastry Tart

• Delicious – This easy apple tart is tasty and full of spiced apple flavor in a buttery, flakey puff pastry crust.
• Easy Recipe – This simple tart recipe is made with fresh apples, store-bought puff pastry dough and just a few simple ingredients.         
• Quick Recipe – This is a very quick fall dessert, from start to finish this takes about 25-30 minutes total time.

Easy Puff Pastry Apple Tart Ingredients

This simple recipe is made using just a handful of common ingredients with delicious results.

Puff Pastry Sheets – thawed, but still cold.

Apples – best apples are granny smith, honey crisp or gala apples.

Granulated sugar – you can also use raw sugar or coconut sugar

Ground cinnamon – make sure your spices are fresh and in-date to get their best flavor

Unsalted butter – if all you have is salted butter, that’s fine

Apricot jam (optional, for glaze)

Equipment Needed To Make Apple Puff Pastry Tarts

• Baking sheet
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Rolling pin

Substitutions & Alterations

• You can make this tart with sliced peaches, pears, or plums
• Sprinkle a little brown sugar or raw sugar over the top of the tart before baking
• Spread some jam over the apples before baking as a glaze
• You can skip the apples altogether and use your favorite flavor jam or preserve. Just spread a thick layer in an even line over the pastry before baking.
• Use a dairy free butter and puff pastry to make this recipe dairy free or vegan friendly. Pepperidge Farms sheet of puffed pastry contains no dairy. 

How to Make the Best Apple and Puff Pastry Tart

Step by Step Instructions overview. Full recipe instructions are provided in the recipe card below. 

Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Thaw the pastry sheet if not already thawed.

Step 2 – Peel, core, and slice the apples.

Step 3 – Roll out the sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to smooth out any creases, then transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.

Step 4 – Place the sliced apples in overlapping rows on the puff pastry sheet, leaving a small border around the edges.

Step 5 – Brush the top of the apples with melted butter.

Step 6 – Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon or with jam. Bake as directed until the apples are golden brown.

Serve and enjoy!

Time-Saving Tips to Make the Best Apple and Puff Pastry Tart

• Make sure your puff pastry dough is thawed and ready to use
• Bake the tarts in a fully preheated oven for best results
• You can sprinkle a little lemon juice on the sliced apples to keep them from browning while you are building the tart.
• Double the recipe and make mini apple tartlets by cutting the crust with a knife or pizza cutter to make smaller rectangle pastry-sized portions.
• Use an apple corer or even better, an apple peeler corer (amazon link) to save time.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Best Apples For Baking

Any type of fresh apple will work for this recipe, but some apples definitely bake better than others. Choose crisp, tart apples and stay away from the kind with a soft, mealy texture to them.

These are some of my favorite kind of apples to choose from when baking with apples: 

• Honeycrisp 
• Granny Smith
• Crispin
• Fuji
• Pink Lady 
• Braeburn

How to Serve Puff Pastry Apple Tarts

• Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. 
• Add a spoonful of jam to the slices before serving
• Sprinkle some grated lemon zest on the apple slices before or after baking
• Drizzle some caramel sauce over the baked apple filling before serving for a delicious caramelized apple tart
• Dust the top with a little powdered sugar before serving

How to Store Leftover Apple Tarts

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to place a piece of plastic wrap directly but lightly onto the apples to decrease exposure to air before sealing with the lid. This helps decrease oxidation which causes browning.

Stored properly, leftover tarts will be good for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze these tarts for up to 3 months. Allow the tarts to cool completely and wrap them in plastic wrap then again in a piece of aluminum foil. Place tarts in a freezer safe bag, seal and date. 

Let the frozen tarts thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat according to instructions.

How to Reheat Apple Tarts

Reheat the tarts in a hot oven, air fryer, or microwave. 

In the Oven – Reheat the apple tarts in a 350° oven for 5-7 minutes until heated through

In the Air Fryer – Place the tarts in a single layer with space between each. Heat at 350 degrees for 4-5 minutes until warm or hot.

In the Microwave – Place the apple tart on a microwave safe plate wrapped lightly in a paper towel. Heat on high for 1-1 1/2 minutes until heated through. 

Recipe FAQs

What are the best baking apples?

Choose crisp apples and stay away from the kind with a soft, mealy texture to them when baking. I like honeycrisp apples or granny smith apples best for baking.

Does all store bought puff pastry have milk in it?

No. Some puffed pastry, like the frozen puff pastry sheets from Pepperidge Farms, are dairy free.

More Apple Desserts

Apple Pie Rolls with Caramel Sauce

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Apple Crumble Cheesecake

Caramel Apple Cobbler

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