Pâte Sablée, Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Tart Shells

This is the best Pâte Sablée, sweet shortcrust pastry tart shells recipe you'll ever need. It's a delicious, buttery shortcrust that makes perfect French tart shells! Making French shortcrust pastry - whether it is full-sized tart cases or mini tartlets - is one of the baking basics definitely worth mastering as a home baker!

This recipe was one of the first dessert basics I shared on my blog back in 2020. Over time, I've updated it with fresh photos, a new tart shell size, additional baking tips inspired by your questions, and several fillings and ingredient substitution options.

Best Pâte Sablée, Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Tart Shells

This is a professional Pâte Sablée tart case recipe adapted for home bakers in their own kitchens with 100+ 5* ratings.

Tarts and tartlets are one of the most popular pastries worldwide, and this recipe is one of the most popular on my blog. Unlike traditional American flaky pie crust, pate sablee makes a crispier and more cookie-like tart shell. There's no blind baking, and the result is a super delicious, buttery shortcrust that is a sweet but not too sweet, melt-in-the-mouth pastry dough.

The sable pastry recipe contains only a few basic ingredients - like butter, sugar, and flour - yet can be the base of the fanciest, most impressive desserts you will ever make.

In this Pate sablee tartlet shell recipe you will learn

• Using the right ingredients at the right temperature, e.g., 82% fat content European style high-quality unsalted butter used chilled
• Using the right equipment, e.g., perforated tart rings that ensure even baking without blind baking
• Learning the right technique, e.g., how to roll the pastry to an even thickness

I cover all the necessary information you probably haven't read elsewhere. So, your tart cases will turn out exactly like mine. No one will believe you made these neat, professional-looking Pâte Sablée tart cases yourself!

Katalin's Key Take On How hard it is to make homemade Pâte Sablée

Making homemade tart cases using this pâte sablée recipe is actually not that hard. However, it takes practice and precision. Temperature is everything, so you must master when to chill it and when it needs to warm up slightly. The dough will break if it is too cold, but the butter will melt, and it gets sticky if it is too warm. There is also a knack for rolling it to the correct thickness; that's perfectly even for the best tart crust.

The secret behind making beautiful, neat, and delicious French tart crust is all about mastering the technique, understanding how temperature plays in role while working with the dough, and using the right equipment.

This sweet shortcrust pastry tutorial is the only recipe you will ever need to read to make tartlets at home!

My best advice on the ingredients

You must use high-quality butter if you want the best buttery flavor in your pâte sablée. Use unsalted European-style butter with a fat content of at least 82%; it will really make a difference! The butter must be chilled. Take it out of the fridge and cut it into cubes. Then, place it into the freezer for 10-15 minutes before using it in this sweet pastry recipe.

I use pastry flour (which is lower in protein content) for this French tart shell recipe, but you can substitute it with all-purpose flour if you can't find it. Read my flour guide for more pro advice! I prefer to mix it with almond flour for a better taste and crispy texture. Buy good quality ground almonds without skin.

The recipe is also made with egg (which must be at room temperature) and a small amount of powdered sugar and salt, too. This makes the tart case sweet but not overly sweet and balanced while highlighting the delicious buttery flavor. Don't skip the salt!

My 5 minutes crumbling method to mix the shortcrust pastry dough

There are two methods in the pastry chefs' world to make sweet shortcrust pastry: the creaming method and the crumbling method. The creaming method requires the butter to be at room temperature, and it is creamed into the powdered sugar before adding everything else. I prefer the crumbling method as it keeps the butter (and the dough) chilled at all times, making it much easier to work with.

Here is how you do it:

Weigh out the butter, cut it into chunks, and place it in the freezer while you prepare the other ingredients. It is essential that the butter is really cold.

Weigh out the dry ingredients (the flour, powdered sugar, almond flour, and salt) and sift them into a bowl to avoid lumps.

To crumble the cold butter chunks into the flour mixture, add them into the bowl and rub the mixture between your hands until it reaches a sand-like texture.

Add the egg and bring the dough together with your hands. It might look crumbly, but do not add more wet or dry ingredients to the recipe. Knead the dough for one or two minutes with the palm of your hand until it becomes smooth. Work quickly to avoid melting the butter. Do not use a mixer or food processor.

Press the dough into a rectangular disk (making it easier to roll out) and wrap it in plastic food wrap. Place it in the refrigerator to chill for 10-15 minutes in case it has warmed and become sticky.

Steal my favorite rolling secret

Once the dough has cooled down, continue rolling it out.

Place it between two silicone baking mats and roll it to an even 2mm thickness. Roll it from top to bottom with an even pressure, and rotate it 90 degrees after each roll. The recipe quantity is designed so that once you roll the dough out, it will reach the silicone baking mats (41.9 x 29.5 cm, 16.5 x 11.5 inches) from edge to edge. You should not need any dusting flour.

Still between the mats, place the dough into the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Now time to assemble the tart shells

Take the dough out of the freezer and peel off the top silicone mat. If the dough becomes too soft and warm to handle or seems sticky at any point in the following process, return it to the freezer for 5 minutes. It can tear if it is too warm, but it can break if it's too cold, so judging the correct temperature is vital.

Cut eight long strips from the dough to form the sides of the tart (measure one of the rings to get the correct width, but we will trim them later, so don't worry if they are slightly too wide).

Then, use the base of a perforated tart ring to cut eight circles out of the remaining pastry dough. This will form the bottoms of your tarts. Carefully lift and place each base into the rings.

Now, take the strips and press each one into the sides of each ring and to the bottom to ensure it sticks together. It needs to be pliable enough that it doesn't break but not so warm that it is sticky to the touch.

Place the perforated tart rings with the pastry dough into the freezer for one hour. Don't skip this step!

Baking is the grand finale

Toward the end of the freezing time, preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).

Take the tart rings from the freezer and trim the top of the dough with a sharp knife to line up with the top of each ring.

Bake the sweet pastry tart shells in the preheated oven for 20 minutes at 160°C (320°F). Then, carefully remove them from the rings. Once you take the tarts out of the oven, wait for a minute or two for the pastry to somewhat contract within the ring. Then, you will be able to remove the rings easily. If the pastry seems to be stuck onto the ring, it means you will probably need to bake it for a few more minutes. Do not force it, as you can easily break it.

After the tart rings are removed, bake the tart shells for an additional 5-10 minutes or until they turn golden brown.

Allow the French tart shells to cool completely on the perforated baking mat before filling.

Do not substitute the ingredients

When one ingredient changes, it often requires the whole recipe to be reformulated, as everything plays its part. This is one of those recipes I do not recommend swapping out the butter or using egg substitutes as it will affect the texture and flavor.

The one swap you can make is to replace the almond flour with an equal amount of pastry flour (or all-purpose flour). The pastry won't be quite as crisp, and you will lose the slight marzipan flavor, but you won't need to rework the recipe entirely.

Try some flavor variations

Once you learn the basics of preparing the pastry cases you can play around somewhat with the ingredients. Replace some almond flour with hazelnut flour to make hazelnut tart, for example, or other nut flour. Add citrus zest for a lemony kick or some black sesame seeds like this black sesame tart recipe. Love chocolate? Try adding cocoa powder (Dutch process) to make my favorite chocolate Pâte Sablée recipe.

You can also use this recipe to make simple pâte sablée cookies. Prepare the dough as explained, cut out biscuit circles using a cookie cutter, bake, and enjoy. This tastes especially good when you grate lemon zest into the dough and sprinkle over some granulated sugar after baking!

Need to bake ahead? Store and freeze like a pro

Baked tart shells can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, but make sure the container is sealed tightly. You can refrigerate them to keep them fresh for up to a week, but let them come to room temperature before filling or serving.

You can freeze the raw tart cases before baking for up to three months and bake them as explained above when needed. This is my preferred option, as while you can freeze baked tart cases, they might lose their crispiness a bit. Place the unbaked tart shells in their rings onto a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer them (still in their rings) to an airtight container or freezer bag.

To freeze the pâte sablée cases after baking, allow them to cool completely, then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Do not freeze the tarts once they are filled.

Helpful equipment

You can achieve a neat, visually appealing, professional-looking tart crust by purchasing some basic equipment!

Always weigh ingredients by the gram using a digital scale. When it comes to French pastries, precision is everything!

I recommend rolling the pastry out with a rolling pin between two silicone baking mats, as it minimizes the need for dusting flour and keeps you from handling the dough too much. It’s also possible to use two sheets of parchment paper, but I find the silicon mats are better.

These perforated tart rings are the best investment I have ever made! They allow homogeneous baking due to the even air circulation, and there is absolutely no need to grease the tart rings. The Pâte Sablée dough will stick to its perforated side while baking and contract after baking - so the ring can be removed easily.

While baking the tart shells, use the perforated “air” baking mat straight on top of the oven rack (not in a baking pan or tray) for the air to circulate properly.

All ovens vary, and it is critical you bake at the correct temperature. Use a digital oven thermometer to check your oven is not too hot or cold.

My final expert tips

1. Temperature is everything! If your kitchen is warm, you might take the dough in and out of the freezer up to 10 times in between steps to ensure the dough is always at the right temperature to work with. If you are lucky and have a cold kitchen, you might be ok with 2-5 chilling breaks.
2. I really recommend using perforated equipment over the blind baking method, but read my article on how to blind bake a tart crust in case you need it.
3. Always preheat your oven, and do not use the fan settings for this recipe.
4. I have a special technique to get the shells out of the ring: hold the tart shell with both hands and gently press the top on two opposite sides simultaneously, then go around the edge of the tart shells. Never press the middle part, only the top side of the tart shell edges.

Troubleshooting

The pastry dough shrinks while baking - This can also be due to excess water in the dough, which evaporates, so make sure you stick to the specified amount of egg and do not add more liquid. Using butter with a high-fat content of at least 82% will also help. Pastry dough also shrinks while baking due to overworking the dough, so make sure to follow my recommendations on how long to knead the dough (just for a minute or two).

The tart shells don't keep their shape while baking - do not skip freezing the shortcrust dough before baking. This ensures it keeps its perfect, even shape! Another issue can be too low oven temperature so your pastry effectively melts instead of bakes.

The pastry falls out of the tart case while baking - This should not happen if the dough is firm enough when you press it into the ring. If this happens, very quickly open the oven door and press it back with your finger.

The dough puffs up during baking - Ensure that you roll the dough out to 2mm thickness and use perforated equipment rather than the blind baking method.

The tart shell won't come out of the ring - This happens if you assemble the tarts into the rings when the dough is too soft. If the dough temperature is just pliable at the assembling stage (not too cold, not too hot), the pastry is supposed to contract within the ring during baking, which makes it easier to remove. If the tart shells seem stuck onto the ring, bake it for a few more minutes. Do not force it, as it can break.

How to fill these tart shells

Try some delicious tart fillings to enjoy your homemade pâte sablée to the max!

• Strawberry tart
• White chocolate raspberry tart
• Lemon tart
• Raspberry Frangipane tart.
• Chocolate and Salted Caramel tart.

And check out my ultimate collection of tart recipes! Using this basic tart shell recipe, you can make mini tartlets or larger ones in any shape, form, or flavor.