Homemade caramelized onion tart made with red onions, leeks, and other healthy ingredients. This onion pie is called “Zwiebelkuchen” in Germany, and it’s a traditional fall recipe. The dish is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, easy to make, flavorful, and delicious.
German Onion Tart
There are a couple of things which I love about fall. I enjoy making different pumpkin recipes, but I also love caramelized onion tart and Federweißer! We make Zwiebelkuchen (that’s how it’s called in Germany) quite often, and I absolutely adore it! Federweißer is a very young wine made from grapes, just in case you were wondering. 😀
It was time to publish a vegan onion tart on my blog, and I am really excited to share this recipe with you!
How To Make Caramelized Onion Tart?
This vegan onion tart also contains leeks and bell pepper because both add a great flavor. If you aren’t a fan of either, simply leave it out. You can use a store-bought pie crust, make your own, or try out my vegan and gluten-free pie crust. All ingredients and measurements are below in the recipe card!
STEP 1: Make the “flax eggs” first by adding 2 tbsp of ground flax seeds and 5 tbsp of water to a bowl. Mix with a whisk and set aside for 5 minutes. To make the pie crust, simply add all ingredients to a bowl and mix with a spatula or your hands until the dough sticks together. You can also use a food processor.
STEP 2: Press the dough into a greased/oiled 8-inch tart or pie dish and up the sides, as shown in the below photo. Transfer it into the fridge.
STEP 3: Mix the chickpea flour, cornstarch, spices, and water in a bowl with a whisk. Set aside.
STEP 4: Heat oil in a pan over low/medium heat and add the chopped onion, leeks, and bell pepper. Cook the veggies with a lid for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly caramelized, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic for the last few minutes, and preheat the oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit (ca. 200 °C).
STEP 5: Add the chickpea flour mixture and stir immediately, as it will thicken very quickly. Also, add plant-based milk and soy sauce.
STEP 6: Let simmer for a few more minutes (the mixture should thicken considerably), then turn off the heat. Pour the filling into the pie crust and smooth it evenly.
STEP 7: You can also add vegan cheese of choice (I used my easy vegan cheese sauce) and pan-fried onion rings on top, but this step is optional.
STEP 8: Bake the onion tart in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until nicely caramelized and golden brown.
Useful Tips
- Make the pie crust in advance (for example, in the morning or a day ahead) and store it in the fridge.
- Use other veggies for some variation. You can also add zucchini or carrot if you like.
- You can make a couple of mini onion tartlets instead of one regular-sized tart.
- Try making the onion tart in silicone muffin molds without the crust (for a crustless version).
- You can enjoy the onion tart at room temperature or simply reheat it in the oven for a couple of minutes to eat it warm.
How To Store
Store onion tart leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I haven’t tried freezing the onion tart because we always eat it immediately on the same day. It should freeze well, though.
This Healthy Red Onion Tart Is:
- Vegan
- Flavorful
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Soy-free
- Egg-free
- Satisfying
- Comforting
- Bursting with flavor
- Perfect for the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas)
- Easy to make
Should you give this caramelized onion tart recipe a try, please leave a comment and rating below, and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan #elavegan because I would love to see your vegan Zwiebelkuchen remake! 🙂
For more savory holiday dishes, check out the following delicious healthy recipes:
- Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- Vegan Quiche
- Hearty Vegan Meatloaf
- Vegan Gravy
- Roasted Cauliflower Steaks (Vegan Schnitzel)
- Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- French Onion Soup
- Vegan Pumpkin Soup
- Creamy Mushroom Sauce (Geschnetzeltes)
Caramelized Onion Tart
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp (160 g) (gluten-free) flour (see notes)
- 1/2 cup (60 g) almond flour (see notes)
- 2 tbsp (2 tbsp) ground flax seeds or chia seeds
- 5 tbsp (5 tbsp) water
- 2 1/2 tbsp (30 g) coconut oil softened
- 1/3 tsp (1/3 tsp) sea salt
Onion Tart Filling:
- 3 medium-large (300 g) onions peeled and diced
- 2 medium (200 g) bell peppers diced
- 2 small (130 g) stalks of leek finely chopped
- 3 cloves of (3 cloves) garlic minced
- 3 tbsp (30 g) chickpea flour
- 1 heaped tbsp (10 g) cornstarch or arrowroot flour
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) water or vegetable broth
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) onion powder
- 3/4 tsp (3/4 tsp) sea salt or more/less to taste
- 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp) paprika
- 1/2 tsp (1/2 tsp) cumin (optional)
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tbsp (1/2 tbsp) fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dry
- 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) tamari or soy sauce (GF if needed) or coconut aminos
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) plant-based milk
- 7 oz (200 g) vegan cheese of choice (optional)
- Fried onion rings on top (optional)
Instructions
- Check the step-by-step process shots and the video above in the blog post.
- Put 2 tbsp ground flax seeds (or ground chia seeds) to a small bowl, add 5 tablespoons of water and mix with a whisk. Set aside for 5 minutes.
- For the pie crust, simply add all ingredients to a bowl and mix with a spatula or your hands until the dough sticks together. You can also use a food processor.
- Press the dough into a greased/oiled 8-inch tart or pie dish and up the sides. Put it into the fridge.
- Mix the chickpea flour, cornstarch, spices, and water or vegetable broth in a bowl with a whisk. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan over low/medium heat and add the chopped onion, leek, and bell pepper. Cook the veggies with a lid on for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly caramelized, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic for the last few minutes and preheat the oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit (ca. 200 °C).
- Add the chickpea flour mixture and stir immediately, as it will thicken very quickly. Also, add plant-based milk and tamari.
- Let simmer for a few more minutes (the mixture should thicken considerably), then turn off the heat. Pour the filling into the pie crust and smooth it evenly.
- You can also add vegan cheese of choice (I used my easy vegan cheese sauce) and pan-fried onion rings on top but this step is optional.
- Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned. Enjoy! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
- Gluten-free flour blend: I used 120 g (3/4 cup) rice flour and 40 g (5 tbsp) tapioca flour. A store-bought gluten-free flour blend (with similar ingredients) should work as well. You can also use regular flour or spelt flour if you're not gluten-free.
- You can use finely ground nuts (e.g. hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews) or even ground sunflower seeds instead of almond flour (ground almonds).
- Recipe serves 8. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Equipment
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Thank you for providing this wonderful recipe. I made it with a regular flour pie crust and it turned out very well. My husband and son loved it so much they both had second helpings and look forwards to my making it again.
That’s wonderful, Kim! I am so glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
I don’t have tapioca or rice flour. Can I use regular flour or a mixture of almond and oat flour instead?
160 grams of regular flour instead of the rice flour and tapioca flour should be fine. 🙂
I love your recipes and can’t wait to try them! I just discovered your site today! I’m starting with the tortilla recipe but want to try this one too. Can you think of anything to replace the oil with in the crust? We are going for whole foods these days. Thank you!
Hey Kathy! 🙂 You can make your favorite pie crust without oil, however, it will turn out rather dry and chewy. I also don’t use a lot of oil or vegan butter but sometimes a little is necessary.
I love your page! Quick question…I am preparing this for a holiday brunch and want to do the muffin size for ease of serving. How much time and what oven temp?
Hello! I would suggest 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 °C) and 20-25 minutes. Let me know how they turn out, please. 🙂
This looks like a pizza on steroids and I am dying to make it !
But, I have a question. It states it is soy free but it Step 5 the instructions are to add in soy….see below quote. Can you clear this up for me pls? Tks
“Also, add plant-based milk and soy sauce.”
Haha, pizza on steroids. 😀
That was a mistake, it should say “tamari or soy sauce”. 🙂
Every few weeks I like to make something different and tonight was the night. This is so delicious and easy to make. My boyfriend loved it so much that he asked me if there were leftovers so he can take it for lunch. Thanks for another yummy recipe
I am so glad you both loved the recipe, Jackie! 🙂
Looks yummy!
Thanks! I hope you will give it a try. 🙂
This onion tart looks so delicious, Ela! Honestly, it reminds me of tuna pizza but in the vegan version! That was my favorite when I was a child! Will try it soon! Lots of love, Bianca
Great memories, dear! I hope you will like the recipe! 🙂
Just made this for a friends-giving and everyone LOVED IT! I was the only vegan there so I wanted to make sure I brought something hearty and delicious, and your recipe was absolutely perfect! <3 I added sweet potato instead of bell peppers because it was what I had on hand 🙂
I am so happy you all loved the recipe, Rebecca! 🙂
It is so decilious ..the taste so good i just put carrots instead of leek and i will cook it again for sure but i wanna ask u a few things:
Can I use olive oil instead of cocount oil in the dough?
also i found it had a little bit of sweet flavor but idk why maybe the carrots?
Hi Gehan, I am not sure if olive oil is the best option but you can give it a try. Vegan butter or margarine would be a good substitute.
The sweet flavor comes from the onions. 🙂
Hi Ela, Im a new fan and follower. Love Your inspiring kitchen creations. Just waiting to put this pie into the oven. I wondered if you added frying oil into the calorie calculation? It’s not in the recipe, so I used 4 tsp olive oil. What did you do? Thank You!
Hi Jessica! No, I didn’t add it to the calorie calculation since it’s optional. I think I used only 2 tsp of oil. 🙂
Decilious and rich in flavour! I have followed the recipe in 95% (I have replaced red pepper with zucchini & potatoes, plus, I have added a bit of ground trumeric to get the “cheese” topping more yellow – it didn’t influence the flavour) and because my baking mold was slightly bigger than Ela’s, I have multiplied all ingredients by 1.5. We have consumed this tart with my husband over the one evening ? I highly recommend this recipe ?
That’s wonderful! Thanks so much for your amazing feedback, Ola. 🙂
Looks nice and interesting mite do it for Christmas
Great, enjoy it! 🙂
Such a tasty tart, like everything else I made from here!! Best of all, my 4 year old keeps saying how yummy it is and ‘best pie ever’. I used a couple of different veggies as I didn’t have everything, and swapped for all purpose flour, but other than that I followed your instructions. Only thing however, my ‘cheese’ on top (used your recipe for that too) didn’t keep it’s yellow colour after baking. Will be making this again soon! Thank you, Ela!
Aww, that’s fantastic! I am so glad it turned out amazing, and I am so pleased that your 4-year old loved it! Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback, Julia! 🙂
What a fantastic recipe Ela! This tart looks so delicious, and I just love these caramelised onions!
Thanks so much, Anna! Caramelized onions are indeed amazing. 🙂
Look so good ,but i can i do it without almond flour? what can i use instead ?
You could use any finely ground nuts instead, for example, ground hazelnuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc. I wouldn’t recommend any other flour since it doesn’t contain fat like almond flour. I hope this helps! 🙂
You’ve done it again. This recipe looks amazing.
Thank you, Henrietta! Please report back if you give the recipe a try. 🙂
I made the recipe tonight. Both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely make it again.
That’s wonderful, Henrietta! Thanks so much for your great feedback. 🙂
hi, it looks delicious! I have a question, I don’t like the flavor of chickpea flour, you think I could use brown rice flour instead? or any other flour? Thank you.
Yes, Analia! I am sure brown rice flour should work as well or regular flour (if you aren’t gluten-free). 🙂
Looks so delicious Ela, will try it soon.
Great! I hope you will love the recipe, Hager. 🙂