Semi-Raw Vegan Chocolate Tart with Wine Poached Pears
This semi-raw vegan chocolate tart has an amazing red wine flavor and a rich chocolate taste, plus it’s ready in about half an hour.
This raw vegan pear chocolate tart layers three easy elements: a no-bake almond-and-date crust, a smooth banana-and-dark-chocolate cream, and glossy pears poached in spiced red wine. There is no oven and no baking involved for the base and the filling, so most of the work is blending, melting, and assembling. It comes together in around 30 minutes of active time, and the wine-poached pears on top are what turn a simple chocolate tart into a real autumn dessert.
I don’t know how I got the idea to make this semi-raw vegan chocolate tart, but I’m very glad I did! Initially, I craved a fruit tart and I was thinking about making a basic fruit tart with a flour crust, but I was too lazy to do it. Yes, laziness is a huge problem for me. That’s why almost all of my recipes are super-easy to make, and you’ll never see me stay too long in the kitchen. So I decided to make a raw vegan chocolate tart following the most simple recipe ever, and I poached the pears in wine and spices to give it that special touch.
Why This Tart Is Semi-Raw, Not Fully Raw
The crust and the chocolate cream are both raw: the crust is the basic raw vegan dessert base made of nuts, dates, and a little sweetener, and the cream is blended, not cooked. What tips this tart into semi-raw territory is the pears. Instead of using them fresh, I poach them in red wine and warm spices, so they are gently cooked and take on a deep flavor and color. That one step is the difference between a plain no-bake chocolate tart and this cozy, autumn-ready version, and it is the reason I call it semi-raw rather than fully raw.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
Everything here is grouped into three short lists, one per layer. Nothing is complicated, and most of it you likely already keep in the pantry.
- For the crust: almonds (hydrated for 30 minutes), dates (hydrated for 15 minutes), and 1 tablespoon of honey or any other sweetener you prefer.
- For the chocolate cream: 4 ripe bananas, 2 tablespoons of carob powder, 2 tablespoons of honey or another sweetener, 100 g of dark chocolate (85% cocoa), and 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks.
- For the pears: 5 to 6 small pears, 500 ml of sweet red wine, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or molasses, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of rum extract, 1 tablespoon of cardamom seeds, and 1 cinnamon stick.
A few notes on the key players. The ripe bananas do double duty here, sweetening the cream and giving it body, so use ones that are soft and well-spotted. The psyllium husks are what set the filling: they absorb moisture and thicken the blended bananas so the cream firms up instead of staying runny. And the dark chocolate at 85% keeps the whole thing from tasting too sweet, balancing the natural sugars from the banana and dates.
How to Poach the Pears in Wine
Start with the pears, since they need the most time and taste better once they have cooled a little. Peel them, then add them to a medium pot together with the wine, brown sugar or molasses, vanilla, rum extract, cardamom, and the cinnamon stick. Poach for about 25 minutes, until the pears are tender when pierced and have soaked up that ruby color from the wine. Small pears look lovely left whole on top of the tart, but you can also slice them if you prefer a flatter finish.
Making the Crust and Chocolate Cream
While the pears poach, build the base. Add the hydrated almonds, dates, and honey to your food processor and blend until they form a sticky paste. Line your tart form with plastic wrap first, which makes it much easier to lift the finished tart out later, then press the paste in and spread it evenly across the bottom.
For the cream, blend the bananas, honey, psyllium husks, and carob powder until smooth. Melt the dark chocolate gently — I use a steamer, but a bain-marie over simmering water works just as well — then pour it into the blender over the banana mixture and blend again until fully combined. Pour the cream over the crust and smooth the top.
Tips for the Best Results
- Chill before slicing. The psyllium needs time to set the cream, so give the assembled tart a few hours in the fridge before you cut into it. It slices much more cleanly cold.
- Drain the pears well. Let the poached pears sit for a few minutes so the excess wine drips off, otherwise the syrup can pool and loosen the cream.
- Taste your sweetener. Bananas and dates already bring sweetness, so adjust the honey to your own taste before you set the cream.
- Make it fully vegan. The recipe uses honey by default, which keeps it vegetarian. Swap the honey in the crust and cream for maple syrup or agave and it becomes completely plant-based.
Serving, Storing, and What to Pair It With
Finish the tart by arranging the wine-poached pears on top and garnishing with a little cinnamon and a few chocolate flakes. Keep it in the fridge, covered, and enjoy it within a couple of days: the banana cream is at its best fresh, and the crust stays soft rather than crisp. If you want to get ahead, you can poach the pears a day early and store them in their syrup, then assemble everything the next day.
If this kind of no-bake chocolate dessert is your thing, you have plenty of company on the blog. For another spoonable option, try this easy chocolate mousse recipe, or go bigger with a raw vegan chocolate and raspberry birthday cake. Chocolate and pears are a classic pairing, so this warm dark chocolate and pears souffle makes a lovely counterpoint, and for bite-sized treats there are these raw almond chocolate truffles. You can find even more inspiration in my roundup of the most decadent chocolate desserts.
If you make this semi-raw pear chocolate tart, I’d love to know whether you left the pears whole or sliced them, and how the wine flavor came through for you. Please leave a star rating and a comment below — I can’t wait to read how it turned out!
Summarise & Save This Recipe
★ Add us as a trusted Google source
Semi-Raw Vegan Chocolate Tart with Wine Poached Pears
Ingredients
- Crust:
- ¾ cup almonds hydrated 30 minutes
- ½ cup dates hydrated 15 minutes
- 1 Tbsp honey – or any other sweetener you want
- Chocolate cream:
- 4 ripe bananas sliced
- 2 Tbsps carob powder
- 2 Tbsps honey or any other sweetener you want
- 100 g dark chocolate 85% cocoa
- 2 Tbsps psyllium husks
- Pears:
- 5-6 small pears
- 500 ml red sweet wine
- 2 Tbsps brown sugar or molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp rum extract
- 1 Tbsps cardamom seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- For the pears:
- Peel the pears. Add all ingredients in the list above [Pears section] in a medium pot. Poach the pears for 25 minutes.
- For the crust:
- Add almonds, dates ad honey in your food processor. Blend well until they form a sticky paste.
- Cover your tart form with a plastic wrap. This way you’ll remove the tart from the form a lot easier! Add the paste and spread it evenly in the tart form.
- For the chocolate cream:
- Add bananas, honey, psyllium husks and carob powder in the blender. Blend until smooth.
- Melt the chocolate. I used the steamer.
- Add melted chocolate in the blender over the banana cream and blend well.
- Pour the cream in the tart form.
- Add wine poached pears and garnish with cinnamon and chocolate flakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
As written, the recipe uses honey in both the crust and the chocolate cream, which makes it vegetarian rather than strictly vegan. To keep it fully plant-based, swap the honey for maple syrup or agave, exactly as the recipe allows when it says „or any other sweetener you want.” The rest of the ingredients, including the almonds, dates, bananas, carob, and dark chocolate, are already plant-based.
The crust and the chocolate cream are both raw, since they are blended and pressed rather than baked. The pears, however, are poached in red wine and spices for about 25 minutes, so they are gently cooked. That one cooked element is why this is a semi-raw tart and not a fully raw one.
Psyllium husks act as a natural thickener and binder. They absorb moisture from the blended bananas and help the cream firm up and set, so the filling holds its shape once chilled instead of staying runny. Give the assembled tart time in the fridge so the psyllium can do its job.
Yes. You can poach the pears in a sweet non-alcoholic red grape juice using the same spices, vanilla, and rum extract for a similar warm flavor and color. Keep in mind the alcohol version develops a deeper wine taste, which is part of the tart's character.
The crust is the basic raw vegan dessert base, and I used almonds here, but other nuts work well too. Walnuts or cashews both blend into a similar sticky paste with the dates. Just keep the same soak-and-blend method so the crust holds together.
It is best enjoyed within a couple of days, kept covered in the fridge, since the banana cream is at its freshest early on. To get ahead, poach the pears a day in advance and store them in their syrup, then assemble the crust, cream, and pears the next day.
Thank you for sharing this recipe
Semi-raw vegan chocolate tart with wine-poached pears is such an elegant dessert! Love combining indulgent flavors with healthier ingredients.