Tomato Tart Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 7, 2026 
When tomatoes are at their best, I make this tomato tart recipe on repeat. With a flaky homemade crust, a creamy cheese base, and layers of fresh tomatoes, it’s one of those easy summer recipes that feels special without taking much effort. I love that I can swap the cheese depending on what’s in my fridge.
I learned to make traditional tomato pies shortly after moving to the South. The comforting combination of freshly-baked garden produce, molten cheese, and pastry crust is hard to beat. But, I wanted to create something a bit more elegant and show-stopping with summer tomatoes, which is where this tomato tart came in: a simple, winning combination of a cheesy herb filling, homemade crust, and juicy tomatoes! Consider it an updated version of a Southern tomato pie, but called a tart as it is the complete opposite of the winter comfort offered by other savory pies like my fan-favorite potato pie.
PS – My tamale pie is also a huge fan favorite!
Laurie – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had a million cherry tomatoes to use up from my parents garden, so I decided to give this a try. My entire family was skeptical, except me….I thought it was gorgeous! My 12 year old son was already negotiating with me, but to my great surprise, every single one of us loved it. My daughter said it tasted like something from a fancy restaurant and claimed that she would get all the leftovers. Not only beautiful, but delicious!
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Beautiful yet simple – Considering how good this tart looks, even I sometimes can’t believe all you need to do is mix the cheese filling, add some tomatoes, and make a simple pie crust. It’s so easy to make, even with that buttery, made-from-scratch crust. (Though I won’t judge if you use a shortcut version from the store, but like with my tomato pie recipe, I do recommend using the tart crust recipe below if you have the time!)
Change the cheese, keep the mayo – The cheese filling under the tomatoes is a luxurious, southern blend of creamy mayonnaise, cheese, and herbs I absolutely adore. I’ve developed this recipe using provolone cheese for its delicate flavor and amazing melting properties, but you can use any cheese you like that shreds easily and melts smoothly.
Key Ingredients and Tips
- All-purpose flour and cornstarch – I find that using a mix creates the best flaky pie crust!
- Butter – You want this to be fridge-cold for the best flaky crust.
- Grape or cherry tomatoes – I’ve designed this recipe to work with any small tomato, kept whole, so if you have a load of summer garden tomatoes that fit this description, go ahead!
- Sharp provolone cheese – If you don’t have any, A Spicy Perspective readers have told me this tart also works really well with fontina and white cheddar!
- Fresh basil leaves – I find basil is the best herb to bring that summer flavor to this tart, but if you don’t have any you could use snipped chives. It won’t be the same, though!
- Mayonnaise – Yes, the key to my tomato tart is mixing mayonnaise with cheese. If you think that mayonnaise is mostly egg, it makes sense really.
How to Make
Find the full recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
For the crust – First, to make the crust I preheat the oven to 375°F. In a food processor, I combine the flour, cornstarch, butter, and salt, then pulse until the mixture forms very fine crumbs, scraping down the sides a couple of times as I go. Then I add the egg and continue pulsing until a dough forms. The dough should be fairly firm, but it comes together well.
Shape the crust – I gather the dough into a ball and press it evenly into a 9-inch tart pan, making sure to cover the entire surface. (Alternatively, I can roll it out into a 12-inch circle first.) I crimp the edges, then refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes.
Prep the basil – While that chills, I then roughly chop ¼ cup of the basil, stacking and rolling the remaining basil to slice into thin ribbons to use as the garnish.
Make the filling – Next, I mix the cheese, mayo, chopped basil, green onions, and pepper until smooth.
Add the filling – I then spread the mixture over the bottom of the tart shell. Make sure it’s in a nice even layer.
Assemble the tart – To assemble the tart, I arrange the grape tomatoes on top and gently press them down into the cheese mixture.
Bake and cool – Then I bake the tart for about 35 minutes, until the crust edges are golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. Finally, I allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then sprinkle the sliced basil ribbons over the top before serving slices of the tart still warm.
Recipe Variations
- Sometimes, if I want to add a little extra protein, I add 1/2 cup drained cottage cheese to the filling – it lightens up the tart but still adds a delicious creaminess!
- If you want to change up the herbs, I’ve found fresh thyme works beautifully. Parsley and chives also work well, and I think rosemary would too, but only if you finely chop it so you don’t get woody pieces in your tart.
- When I’m pressed for time but I still want to make this tart, I use a pre-made crust. One look at the comments section is enough to tell me that the ones from Whole Foods are your overwhelming favorites for this recipe! A crust from the store is also a good way of making this recipe gluten-free.
Servings Suggestions
Serving this tomato tart as a vegetarian main dish, my favorite sides are my Couscous Salad (with Pickled Vegetables), Farro Salad with Kale and Artichokes, and my Cucumber and Onion Salad (with Dill).
If I’m serving this tart as a side dish, I often pair it with my Grilled Blackened Chicken, Pork Chops with Pork Chop Seasoning, Broccoli Salad with Bacon, or my Cool and Creamy Grape Salad.
Storage Notes
Store leftovers of this tart in the in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-4 days. Like with my Italian tomato pie, I find leftovers taste best if I’ve had time to bring them up to room temperature. Or, you can wrap the tart dish with plastic wrap for overnight storage at room temperature. But if you do this, you really should eat it the next day, and perhaps give this a miss if you’re experiencing a heatwave!
If you want to reheat slices, do this in the oven rather than the microwave, which will make the pie crust soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Layer the crust while raw and bake the tart all together. If you are concerned about the bottom baking through, you can place the fresh tomato tart on the lowest rack so the bottom of the crust is closer to the heat source. I’ve also had success baking tarts on a pre-heated baking tray.
I do prefer this pie with a homemade crust, but I know it can be a lot of work sometimes. I have made this with store-bought, and it was still delicious. Yes, you can also use a puff pastry sheet rolled and cut to fit the pan. Still bake according to the recipe below.
This is one of the things I love the most about this recipe, it is delicious served hot, warm, or at room temperature. It’s even tasty right from the fridge, though room temp is better.
Help Me Spread the Word about this Fabulous Free Recipe! Sharing this recipe link on Pinterest and Facebook is super impactful, and I greatly appreciate it! Find the share buttons below the recipe form.
More Recipes With Tomatoes
Tomato Tart Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 teaspoons
- 6 tablespoons butter diced
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
- 2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes rinsed and dried
- 1 1/2 cups sharp provolone grated (or fontina)
- 1/2 cup basil leaves divided
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch , butter, and salt. Pulse the mixture until it forms very tiny bits. Add one egg and pulse until a dough forms. This dough is rather tough, but it does come together nicely.
- Gather the dough into a ball. Then press the dough in to the 9-inch tart pan, covering every bit. (You can roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle if you want.) Crimp the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roughly chop 1/4 cup of the basil leaves. Stack and roll the remaining basil leaves and cut them into thin ribbons. Save the ribbons for the end. Mix the cheese, mayo, chopped basil, green onions and pepper in a bowl. Spread the mixture over the bottom of the tart shell.
- Top with grape tomatoes and press them down. Bake for 35 minutes, until the crust edges are golden-brown and the cheese is bubbling up.
- Cool for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup sliced basil ribbons. Serve warm.
Both of the tarts look beautiful. I've never had a tomato tart, so I'm putting this on my to make list.
thanks a lot for you answer; i was just wondering :)) have a good day!
Friends~
Thanks for all the encouragement. Parenting is HARD, but I say a prayer and do the best I can!
Beautiful photographs! And, you know, in a way, I'm glad the little tomatoes (we call them cherry tomatoes here) taste better than the heirloom ones because I haven't seen any heirloom tomatoes on sale!
Magdalena~
Yes, I added RAW grape tomatoes. They retain all juices inside the skin and it only comes out when you bite it! With my old tomato pie recipe, I used to chop, salt and strain the tomatoes for 20-30 minutes to remove a lot of the juices. Using grape tomatoes makes that step unnecessary!
It's heartening to hear the voice of a mum who has her heart and philosophy in the right place, in my opinion! You'd be surprised how many mums get swept up by the tide and start moulding their daughters from early on to conform to society's expectations. I suppose part of it arises out of the fear that their daughters will lose out if they don't keep up *sigh* Kudos to you Sommer, for bucking the trend! Looks like your daughter is already on the right path, whether or not she knows it :)
The tomato tart sounds and looks lovely and I would go for taste over looks any day! I think it's Lazaro (yup, that guy up there LOL) who said something like "Looks impress for 15 seconds but taste grabs the memory"….. but don't quote me on that cos my memory sucks ;)
They both look beautiful, great job!
Tomato Tarts are one our fav dishes here and your's looks delicious
Congrats on the Top 9 today
Hello! Your tart looks absolutely great, but I have one question – you put raw tomatoes on your tart – is the bottom of the tart after baking still ok (meaning, not too watery)? thanks for answering me and have a good day!
Wow I am surprised about F&W just like you. I am glad you caught it though and worked out the fixes because this was on my list for NH tomato season coming up in a few months. Looks tasty!
Thank You!
Jason
first congrats on the top 9, I think both tarts looks amazing, such a nice recipe. Will definitely try that.
How can you go wrong with fresh tomatoes! What a delicious dish!