Gluten Free Grapefruit Matcha Tart

Light, tasty, and healthy! This gluten free grapefruit matcha tart is a refreshing treat for a hot summer day. The grapefruit mousse is sweet and sour with floral notes, while the matcha whipped cream adds a hint of earthy tones. A truly delicious combination that you must try!
I made the tart shell gluten free using oat flour. From all the gluten free flours I’ve used I find this one to be the easiest to work with and the best tasting one. You won’t notice a difference in flavor between oat flour and regular wheat flour. However, the finished shell is a little bit more crumbly due to a lack of gluten, so handle it with care.
Note: Oats are naturally gluten free, however, sometimes they can get contaminated during processing or packaging. If you cannot tolerate gluten, I recommend you buy oats and oat flour that are certified gluten free.
I also added a little grapefruit zest in the tart shell. This gives it a little bit of floral aromas and bitterness. But if you want your tart to taste sweeter, you could skip it.
To set the grapefruit mousse, I used gelatin. You can replace it with agar agar or vegan gelatin if you do not consume regular gelatin. Additionally, you may also be able to find gelatin sourced from fish or beef.
For decorating the tart, you only need some matcha whipped cream. However, if you dislike matcha I recommend some plain whipped cream.
The tart shell and the grapefruit mousse both call for vanillated sugar. This is a staple in European baking recipes. If you’re not sure where to get it from, you can find it on Amazon. Additionally, you may find it at any grocery store that sells European produce. I used the Dr. Oetker brand that comes in yellow pouches.
See more tart recipes here.
And finally, here’s the recipe for the gluten free grapefruit matcha tart:
Gluten Free Grapefruit Matcha Tart
Ingredients
For the tart shell:
- 2 ½ cups (250 g/ 8 ¾ oz.) oat flour
- 1 ¼ sticks (145 g/ 5 oz.) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (60 g/ 2 oz.) icing sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tbsp. vanillated sugar
- zest from ¼ grapefruit
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2-3 tbsp. oat flour for dusting the work surface
For the grapefruit mousse:
- ¾ cup (180 ml/ 6 ⅓ fl. oz.) whipping cream (35% fat content)
- ½ cup (120 ml/ 4 ¼ fl. oz.) pink grapefruit juice
- ⅓ cup (70 g/ 2 ½ oz.) granulated sugar
- 1 pouch (7 g) powdered gelatin
- 1 tbsp. vanillated sugar
For the topping:
- ½ cup (120 ml/ 4 ¼ fl. oz.) whipping cream (35% fat content)
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. matcha powder
Instructions
For the tart shell:
- In a large bowl sift the oat flour and sprinkle the salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and place the butter, icing sugar, and vanillated sugar. Work the butter and the sugar with your fingertips until mixture become creamy. Gather the flour little by little toward the center and gently rub the mixture between your hands until it looks crumbly. Beat the egg in a small bowl and pour it over flour, butter, and sugar mixture. Gently knead the dough until it comes together. Shape the dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 3 hours.
- After three hours, take the dough out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough to a circle of about 31 cm (12 inches) in diameter. Then place it into a tart baking pan with a removable bottom. Press the dough lightly your fingertips against the bottom and sides. Roll the rolling pin across the top edge of the pan to cut off excess dough. Prick the bottom of the tart with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes, covered with plastic wrap.
- Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
- Place plastic wrap over the dough and fill the shell with rice or beans (to keep the bottom flat). Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the rice and bake for another 15 minutes. Edges of the tart should be golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature in the pan.
For the grapefruit mousse:
- In a small bowl, place 50 ml cold grapefruit juice and the gelatin. Allow the gelatin to hydrate for 5 minutes. Place the remaining grapefruit juice and granulated sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to a simmer. Once it begins to simmer, take it off the heat, add the hydrated gelatin and mix well to dissolve gelatin. Leave it at room temperature to cool down.
- Place the whipping cream in a bowl and beat it to a stiff peak. Add the cooled gelatin grapefruit mixture, and gently incorporate it into the whipped cream with a spatula. Pour into the tart shell (keep the tart in the pan) and place in the fridge until set (approximately 2 hours).
For the topping:
- In a bowl, place the whipping cream, matcha powder, and the sugar. Beat them to a stiff peak. Remove the tart from the pan. Pipe matcha whipped cream onto tart.