White chocolate desserts deserve to taste rich, creamy, and balanced, not overly sweet or artificial. These white chocolate tarts are all about getting that perfect texture, smooth, fluffy, and just tangy enough from the cream cheese to keep the filling from feeling too heavy. I took what I know from culinary school and real world baking and used it to create a tart that feels elegant and bakery worthy, but still simple enough to make at home!!
The filling is made with high quality white chocolate, whipped cream, and full fat cream cheese, so every bite is creamy, light, and full of real white chocolate flavor. The fresh fruit on top adds color, brightness, and a little tartness that makes the whole dessert feel balanced. They are beautiful enough for entertaining, but easy enough that you do not need any fancy pastry steps to pull them off.
My white chocolate mousse cake and banoffee tarts are just as delicious!!
Why You'll Love This White Chocolate Tart Recipe
- Flavor: The white chocolate mousse is incredible. It is creamy, smooth, lightly tangy from the cream cheese, and sweet without feeling too heavy. The fresh fruit on top balances the richness perfectly and makes every bite feel bright and fresh!!
- No fancy steps required: The mousse is made with cream cheese, white chocolate ganache, whipped cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. They're no bake, and you do not need eggs or gelatin!
- Super pretty and perfect for enteratining: These tartlets are gorgeous with colorful fruit on top. Blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, and raspberries add the prettiest mix of color and make the tarts look polished with very little effort.
What is white chocolate?
White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, and vanilla. It does not have cocoa solids like milk or dark chocolate, which is why it has that creamy ivory color and sweet, smooth flavor. For the best flavor and texture, I always recommend using real white chocolate made with cocoa butter, not white baking chips or candy melts made with oils!
Baking Tips
- Using a kitchen scale is a total game changer for baking. It makes measuring ingredients super precise, so your recipe comes out perfect every single time. Plus, fewer measuring cups means less cleanup, and who doesn’t love that? Invest in one, and you’ll wonder how you ever baked without it!
- I absolutely love baking with fine kosher salt, it gives the perfect balance of flavor. Table salt, on the other hand, can be a bit too harsh, so if you're using it, be sure to cut the amount in half to avoid over salting your treats.
- Always check your oven temperature! Ovens can be sneaky, sometimes running hotter or cooler than what the dial says, and that can really affect how your baked goods turn out. For the most consistent results, I recommend using an oven thermometer to make sure your temps are spot on every time
White Chocolate Tart No-Bake Ingredients
- White chocolate: Use high quality pure white chocolate, not fake white chocolate or white baking chips made mostly with oils. Real white chocolate should contain only cocoa butter, which gives it that creamy texture and smooth melt. Avoid products labeled “white morsels” "melting wafers" or “white baking chips”
- I used Grand Marque White Chocolate: Its rich, creamy, and super smooth with a natural vanilla flavor that is not overly sweet. It is made in a Belgian chocolate factory known for its amazing white couvertures, and it melts beautifully for ganache, mousse, tarts, and so many other desserts. Check it out from ifiGOURMET Provisions!
- Tart Shells: I used the tastiest Filigrano Tartlets from ifiGOURMET Provisions. Crisp, buttery tart shells that is perfect for filling with creams, mousses, ganache, or fruit. I love that these are made with high quality Swiss butter and have a protective coating, so they hold their texture really well, even if you fill them ahead of time!! I used 3.5 inch tartlets but you could use any size you prefer.
- Cream cheese: Use full fat brick style cream cheese. Tub style cream cheese is softer and can make the filling too loose.
- Heavy cream: The heavy cream needs to be cold so it whips properly. It's usually around 36% milk fat, which is what allows it to whip up thick, fluffy, and stable.
- Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar sweetens the whipped cream and also helps stabilize it!
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla brings out the flavor of the white chocolate. A little goes a long way, but it makes the filling taste more complete.
- Fruit: You can use any fresh fruit you love on top. I like using blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, and raspberries because the colors are gorgeous together and the fruit adds a fresh, slightly tart contrast to the creamy filling.
See recipe card below for quantities.
How to Make Easy White Chocolate Tarts!
- Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the ½ cup of heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer (do not boil). Pour the hot cream over the chopped white chocolate.
- Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Stir gently until smooth and fully combined. If it is not fully smooth and melted, microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between until smooth. Set the ganache aside to cool.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the cooled ganache and vanilla extract to the cream cheese. Beat the mixture until fully combined and smooth. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat 1 ½ cups of heavy cream and powdered sugar. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form (when the cream holds its shape and doesn’t collapse). Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese and ganache mixture. Use a spatula to fold carefully, ensuring you do not deflate the whipped cream. Mix until fully combined and smooth.
Hint: When looking for real white chocolate the key is color! It should have a natural ivory or creamy yellow color rather than a bright white appearance!
White Chocolate Tartlet Pro Tips
- Let the cream sit on the white chocolate: After pouring the hot heavy cream over the chopped white chocolate, let it sit for about 5 minutes before stirring. This gives the chocolate time to soften and melt gently, which helps create a smooth ganache.
- Use room temperature cream cheese: Make sure the cream cheese is fully softened before mixing it into the white chocolate ganache. Cold cream cheese will not blend smoothly and can leave little lumps in the mousse.
- Cool the ganache before mixing: The white chocolate ganache should be cooled before adding it to the cream cheese mixture. If it is too warm, it can loosen the filling and make it harder for the mousse to set properly.
- Whip the cream to stiff peaks: Whip the cold heavy cream with the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. This helps the mousse stay light, fluffy, and stable inside the tart shells.
- Fold gently: When adding the whipped cream to the white chocolate mixture, fold gently so you keep as much air in the mousse as possible. This is what gives the filling that soft, creamy texture.
- Top with fruit right before serving: For the freshest look, add the fruit close to serving time. The tarts can be filled ahead, but fresh fruit looks best when added shortly before serving.
Variations
- Add dark chocolate: Drizzle melted dark chocolate over the finished tarts, brush a thin layer of dark chocolate inside the tart shells before adding the mousse, or add chocolate curls on top for a little contrast.
- Switch up the tart shell flavor: Use classic sweet tart shells, graham cracker tart shells, or chocolate tart shells.
- Add jam: Spread a thin layer of raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, or apricot jam in the bottom of each tart shell before adding the mousse. It adds extra fruit flavor and a pretty surprise layer.
- Change the fruit: Try peaches, blackberries, cherries, mango, passion fruit, or citrus segments. This filling works with so many different fruits, so you can easily change it based on the season. White chocolate raspberry tart is such a classic!
- Add lemon or orange zest: A little citrus zest in the mousse adds brightness and makes the white chocolate taste even better.
How to store white chocolate tarts
Refrigerator: Store the filled tarts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. I like to place plastic wrap directly on the mousse to prevent a skin. The tart shells may soften slightly over time.
Make ahead: You can make the mousse and fill the tart shells the day before serving. For the best presentation, wait to add the fruit until the day you plan to serve them.
Fruit topping: Once the fruit is added, the tarts are best served the same day. Fresh fruit can release moisture as it sits, which may soften the filling or make the tops look less fresh.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing the assembled tarts. The mousse can change texture once thawed, and fresh fruit does not freeze well on top of a creamy tart filling.
FAQs About Recipe
The mousse should be fully chilled and no longer loose before serving. After a few hours in the refrigerator, it will firm up into a smooth, creamy filling that holds its shape in the tart shell.
The filling is made with cream cheese, heavy cream, and white chocolate, so the tarts should stay chilled until you are ready to serve them.
The best white chocolate for these tarts is pure white chocolate made with cocoa butter, not white baking chips or candy melts. Cocoa butter content is key.
More Sweet Treats
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📖 Recipe
White Chocolate Tarts
Equipment
- Handheld or stand mixer
- Measuring cups or kitchen scale
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
Tart Shells
- I used store bought tart shells for this recipe, which I linked in the notes. But if you’d rather make your own, you can follow the homemade tart shell recipe below
- 1 and ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 7 tablespoons (100 grams) salted butter, melted (add ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt if you do not have salted butter)
White Chocolate Mousse
- 8 oz (227 grams) white chocolate must be high quality, I used Belgian white chocolate from ifiGOURMET Provisions linked in notes
- ½ cup (113 grams) heavy cream
- 8 oz (226 grams) cream cheese, brick style room temperature, full fat
- 1 and ½ cups (330 grams) heavy cream cold
- ½ cup (62 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Tart Shells
- Crush graham crackers into fine crumbs using a food processor or blender. In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and granulated sugar. Pour in the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are evenly coated. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan you're using to form an even crust. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
White Chocolate Mousse
- Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl (chop if big pieces) Heat the ½ cup of heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer (do not boil). Pour the hot cream over the chopped white chocolate.
- Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Stir gently until smooth and fully combined. If it is not fully smooth and melted, microwave for 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between until smooth. Set the ganache aside to cool.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the cooled ganache and vanilla extract to the cream cheese. Beat the mixture until fully combined and smooth. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat 1 ½ cups of heavy cream and powdered sugar. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form (when the cream holds its shape and doesn’t collapse).
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese and ganache mixture. Use a spatula to fold carefully, ensuring you do not deflate the whipped cream. Mix until fully combined and smooth.
Assembling
- Fill the tartlets with the white chocolate ganache mousse and top with fresh fruit. I like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, mandarin oranges, and kiwi. Use whatever you love!
Callie says
These reminded me of a bakery’s fruit tarts growing up, such a nostalgic recipe!!