I found cherries at the Farmer’s Market!
And you know what that means? SUMMER IS COMING!!!! And you know what that means, right? Summer fruit!!!!!
Summer fruit is the stuff my dessert dreams are made of. Berries, cherries, peaches, apricots. I love it all. And I’m kicking off summer fruit season with this decadent and super simple NO BAKE cherry chocolate tart.
With summer comes all the gatherings, potlucks, and warm summer dinners. It’s always nice to have an easy breezy dessert recipe that can just be thrown together without heating up the kitchen. This chocolate tart has just a few ingredients and can be whipped up in about 15 minutes (half of that time being used to pit the cherries.) It’s versatile so you can use what you have on hand (read my suggestions below.) It does require a bit of time to set in the fridge, so I usually just make it the night before.
Why I love this no bake chocolate tart:
….the crust. A simple crust made with toasted hazelnuts, cacao (or cocoa) powder, maple syrup, and coconut oil adds just the right amount of texture to this velvety tart. Think nutella-flavored!! Feel free to use almond, walnuts, or pecans if that’s what you have.
….the filling. A rich, decadent, smooth, ganache-type filling made with 4 simple ingredients that takes just minutes to prepare. I like to use good quality dark chocolate bars for my filling, but you can use any bittersweet chocolate or dark chocolate chips that you have on hand. You get to choose the sweetness factor of this tart by the chocolate that you choose.
….the cherries. My love of cherries is real. What could be better than sweet, juicy, ripe cherries on top of a chocolate tart? Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries work as well.(Be sure to check out the video below to see how to pit a cherry the easy way. No cherry pitter needed. )
Do you need any more reasons to walk run RIGHT NOW to your kitchen to make this tart?
Happy Almost Summer!
xo, Katja
P.S. Want to know how to EASILY pit a cherry? Watch the video below.

No Bake Chocolate Tart with Fresh Cherries (gluten free, paleo, and vegan)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: one 9 inch tart 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: no bake
Ingredients
FOR CRUST
- 2 cups lightly toasted hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder (I use THIS)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
FOR FILLING
- 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk (I use THIS)
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I use THIS or THIS) **see note
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
GARNISH
- 3/4 pound fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- extra toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
- To make crust, lightly grease 9 inch tart pan with coconut oil. Process hazelnuts, cacao powder, and salt in food processor until resembles a coarse flour. Add maple syrup and melted coconut oil and pulse until well incorporated. Press mixture into tart pan with removable bottom. Set aside.
- To make filling, coarsely chop chocolate and place into a large glass bowl. Bring coconut milk to a gentle simmer and pour over chopped chocolate. Wait one minute, add vanilla extract and pinch of salt, and then stir mixture until creamy smooth. Pour mixture evenly into prepared tart crust.
- Place tart of fridge to set for at least 2 hours. Arrange fresh cherries over top just before serving. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in fridge, tightly covered.
Notes
- I like to use good quality dark chocolate bars for my filling, but you can use any bittersweet chocolate or dark chocolate chips that you have on hand. You get to choose the sweetness factor of this tart by the chocolate that you choose.
- Toasting the hazelnuts for the crust really brings out the flavor. I highly recommend doing so. Feel free to use toasted almond, walnuts, or pecans if that’s what you have.
Click HERE to PIN THIS!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This will be made very soon for my husband the chocoholic! I have hazelnut flour–still 2 cups or a little less? Cream instead of coconut milk? Hubby not loving coconut. Thanks.
I think the hazelnut flour will be just fine. I would still use 2 cups. The crust can be as thick or thin as you like it. I haven’t tried cream, but I’m guessing it should work just the same. This is definitely a chocolate lovers dream tart. Hope he loves it. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Hazelnuts are my favorite. Such a beautiful pairing with the cherries (and chocolate)!! Your photos are just beautiful too!
★★★★★
Thanks, Megan!
This whole recipe sounds to die for! That hazelnut base and the filling – OMG! Plus I LOVE cherries with chocolate. <3
★★★★★
Thanks, Georgie! Coming from you, that’s a BIG compliment. 🙂
WOW!! So darn pretty! Can’t wait to try this magical combo!!
★★★★★
Thanks, Tessa!
I absolutely love the idea of chocolate and cherries together and this recipe sounds divine. I bet that hazelnut crust is amazing!
★★★★★
The crust is fabulous. It goes really well with the chocolate and cherries.
This is beyond stunning, and I bet it tastes even better than it looks, can’t beat chocolate and cherry!
Thanks, Kari! It really was super tasty!
Chocolate, cherries and no baking is the perfect combo! Yum!
I totally agree! The best!
Swoon! This looks incredible! There’s nothing better than the chocolate cherry combo. I can’t wait to get some cherries soon now that they’re in season and hopefully get to devour this soon.
★★★★★
Thanks, Emily! Hope you get to try it this summer. 🙂
Wow! That is stunning and divine! I could dig right into that. The photos and the recipe are magical!
★★★★★
Thank you, Stacey! I like that: a magical salad. 🙂
Incredible this doesn’t require baking! Thank you for supplying a recipe I can get to grips with!
★★★★★
Right? The perfect summer dessert recipe. No baking!!
Chocolate and cherries are the best flavor combo ever. I love it that it’s no bake too. Amazing !
★★★★★
You really can’t go wrong with that combo! Thank you! 🙂
This IS STUNNING!! What a delectable combination! Bravo!
★★★★★
Thank you, Cristina! 🙂
I made this last week but replaced coconut milk with whipping cream for the filling and also substituted almond extract for vanilla. I might try almonds for the crust next time too. I also put them in six ramekins. It was a huge hit and we all loved it! Fresh cherries are the perfect on top but could use fresh berries. Will definitely be making this again!! Thank you!
★★★★★