In this recipe I’ll show you how to make the best vegan caramelized onion tart (German Zwiebelkuchen) using just a few ingredients – This eggless and dairy-free savory pie is as delicious as the Swabian original and will surely convince even non-vegans!
The Best Vegan Caramelized Onion Tart Recipe
Here in Germany onion tart is a favorite classic fall recipe! So here’s my vegan version that has convinced everyone so far: vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike! The recipe is easy to make (no blender needed), super flavorful, amazingly delicious, and perfect for meal prep. You can serve it warm as a main dish for lunch or dinner, or cold as a side dish for brunch or a buffet. It’s also perfect for special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas!
What is onion tart?
Traditional onion tart is a savory pie with a topping of caramelized onions, sour cream, heavy cream, eggs and diced bacon. However, it can also be easily made vegan, because it turns out perfectly without using eggs and dairy!
The pie is very popular in southern Germany, eastern Germany, Switzerland and Alsace. By the way, in Germany onion tart is called “Zwiebelkuchen”, in Basel “Zwiebelwöhe” and in French “tarte à l’oignon”.
The crust is usually made of a fluffy and soft yeast dough, but there are also onion tart recipes without yeast, made like a quiche with simple shortcrust pastry. You can bake the savory cake either on a sheet pan or in a round pan like I did.
The crust
I love caramelized onion tart with yeast dough because it’s so nice and thick and soft! However, feel free to make the onion tart in a pie dish with pie dough instead. If you want to whip up this pie quickly, you can also use store-bought pizza dough or your favorite vegan pastry.
Ingredients needed
Yeast dough
- Flour: all-purpose or spelt flour or gluten-free flour for yeast dough.
- Dry yeast: or fresh yeast.
- Vegetable oil: such as canola or sunflower oil.
- Water
- Sugar
- Salt
Onion filling
- Onions: I prefer using yellow onions plus one red onion because it adds a little different flavor, but you can use your favorite onions.
- Smoked tofu: is used as a vegan bacon alternative for a salty and smoky flavor.
- Vegan cooking cream: for example soy cuisine or oat cuisine. Alternately you can substitute coconut cream.
- Vegan crème fraîche: I prefer an herb-infused variety for more aroma, however, you can also use plain vegan sour cream or dairy-free cream cheese or homemade cashew ricotta and add some fresh or dried herbs like parsley, chives, rosemary, thyme. You can also head over my mushroom leek tart made with silken tofu and chickpea flour.
- Vegan shredded cheese: use your favorite meltable dairy-free cheese brand.
- Salt & pepper: or other seasonings to taste like nutritional yeast, dijon mustard, garlic and/or paprika powder.
- Vegetable oil: e.g. canola or sunflower oil or vegan butter.
Tip: For better digestibility of the onion tart, you can add some caraway seeds.
How to make Onion Tart – So easy is the vegan recipe!
As always, I recommend checking out the recipe video and these step-by-step instructions first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Make the yeast dough
First, combine flour, dry yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Add water and oil to the flour mixture and knead for about 5-8 minutes until a smooth dough forms. Then cover with a lid or damp tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30-45 minutes.
Step 2: Prepare the onion filling
In the meantime, peel the onions, slice them finely and sauté for about 5-8 minutes over medium heat until translucent. Also, cut the smoked tofu into small cubes and fry in another pan over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on all sides.
Now stir the tofu cubes into the sautéed onions. Then stir in the vegan cooking cream, crème fraîche and cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Assemble the onion tart and bake.
Roll out the yeast dough on a floured work surface into a large circle. Then place in a round pan leaving a border of about 1.5-Inch (4 cm) on the sides. Spread the onion filling evenly on the yeast dough and bake at 350 °F (180 °C) for about 35 minutes. Then brush the edges with a little olive oil and bake for another 5 minutes on convection or broiler setting, until golden brown.
Step 4: Serve
Then let the vegan onion pie cool so that the filling can set and become more sliceable. Garnish with vegan parmesan and fresh parsley if desired. Cut into pieces and enjoy!
Make ahead Tips
- Make ahead: You can make the yeast dough and filling the day before and store separately in the fridge until ready to use. Then, the next day, all you have to do is assemble the onion tart and bake it until the top is caramelized and golden brown.
- Pre-bake: If you want to prepare the onion pie completely ahead of time, you can bake it for just 25 minutes. Then let cool and store covered in the refrigerator. The next day, before serving, bake again for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven. This way the onion tart won’t be too dry and you can still enjoy it warm.
How to store and freeze onion tart?
You can store leftover pieces in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. For longer storage, you can also freeze them for up to 3 months. It’s best to separate the individual pieces first with parchment paper or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. This way, you can easily take out individual pieces at any time. Simply reheat them in the oven and enjoy!
This Caramelized Onion Tart recipe is:
- Simple
- Can also be made gluten-free
- Dairy-free (lactose-free)
- Soy-free
- Eggless
- Creamy
- Tasty
- Healthy
- Better than the original!
- Can be enjoyed both hot and cold!
- Perfect as a main meal or side dish for lunch or dinner!
Serving Suggestions
You can pair the Swabian vegan onion tart with a fresh salad or roasted veggies, but also hearty side dishes like vegan meatballs, veggie patties, lentil meatloaf or other meat alternatives go well! You can also serve it with a creamy soup.
More similar recipes to try
- Spinach Quiche
- Tomato Tart
- Mushroom Leek Quiche
- Tarte Flambee
- … or try my German Schupfnudeln, Maultaschen or Cheese Spaetzle!
If you try this Vegan Onion Tart recipe, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a photo of your German Zwiebelkuchen and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your creations! Have fun trying this simple and delicious German recipe! 🙂
Caramelized Onion Tart - Vegan German Zwiebelkuchen
Author:Ingredients
Yeast dough (alternatively pie dough or store-bought dough*)
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose or spelt flour or gluten-free flour for yeast dough
- ½ tbsp (3.5 g) dry yeast or 10 g fresh yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar variety to taste
- ⅔ cups (160 ml) lukewarm water approx. 95 °F (35 °C)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil e.g. canola or sunflower oil
Onion filling
- 25 oz (700 g) yellow onions unpeeled weight
- 1 red onion optional
- 6 oz (175 g) smoked tofu
- 2 tbsp neutral oil divided
- 7 oz (200 g) vegan cooking cream e.g. soy or oat cuisine or coconut cream
- ½ cup (125 g) vegan crème fraîche or sour cream or homemade cashew cream, *see notes
- 1 cup (100 g) shredded vegan cheese
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp pepper or to taste
For garnish (optional)
- vegan parmesan
- fresh parsley or other herbs
Instructions
*Note: Check out the recipe video + step-by-step photos above!
Make the yeast dough
- Place flour, dry yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl. Mix everything together and form a well in the center.
- Pour water and oil into the well and mix it all together first with a wooden spoon. Then knead for another 5-8 minutes with the dough hook of a food processor (or with your hands) to form a smooth dough.
- Then cover with a lid or damp tea towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30-45 minutes.
Prepare the onion filling
- In the meantime, peel the onions and cut them into fine rings. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large deep pan. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 5-8 minutes (depending on the thickness of the onion rings). Season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, cut the smoked tofu into small cubes and fry in the remaining hot oil for 2-3 minutes on all sides until golden brown.
- Stir the fried tofu cubes into the sautéed onions and turn off the heat.
- Add the vegan cream, crème fraîche and cheese and mix everything well. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Assemble the onion tart and bake
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Lightly grease the sides of a 10-inch (24 or 26 cm) springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Roll out / pull the yeast dough on a floured work surface to a round circle of approx. 13.5-Inch (35 cm). Then place in the pan leaving a border on the sides that is about 1.5-Inch (4 cm) high.
- Add the onion filling to the yeast dough base and spread evenly.
- Bake the vegan onion tart in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes. Then brush the edges with a little olive oil and bake for another 5 minutes on convection or broiler setting, until lightly golden brown.
- Then allow to cool so that the filling can set and become more sliceable.
- Garnish with vegan parmesan and fresh parsley if desired. Cut into pieces and enjoy!
Notes
- Yeast dough: You can also make the onion tart with pie dough (without yeast). If you want it to be quick you can also use store-bought pizza dough or shortcrust pastry.
- Vegan crème fraîche: I prefer an herb-infused variety for more aroma, however, you can also use plain vegan sour cream or dairy-free cream cheese or homemade cashew ricotta and add some fresh or dried herbs. You can also head over my mushroom leek tart made with silken tofu and chickpea flour.
- Tip: To make the onion cake more digestible, feel free to add some caraway seeds.
- More helpful tips and information, including make ahead, storing and freezing instructions as well as yummy recipe ideas, are mentioned in the blog post above!
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Hi, thank you so much for this recipe, it sounds and look super tasty! I have a question: in which sense you mean it is “caramelized”?
I didn’t find any passage about caramelozation. Thanks a lot again! Anna
Hi Anna, when you cook the onions, they slightly caramelize. Greetings!