Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Tart w/ Hazelnut Shortbread Crust

A creamy, tangy filling made with pumpkin, greek yogurt, and warm spices on a buttery cookie like crust made from hazelnut meal and oat flour then topped with candied hazelnuts and orange kissed whipped cream. A delicious, unique, lighter take on a classic pumpkin pie. 

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is only 2 days away!

I can’t wait! 

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I mean what’s not to love? You get to spend the day with family and friends, eat a lot of delicious, decadent food, watch football (if your in to that sort of thing), and enjoy some adult beverage. It’s a fun day filled with traditions and love.

Omg I seriously can’t wait! 

The dinner is always amazing with so many delicious side dishes and different preparations of turkey. But I have a mean sweet tooth, so admittedly dessert is my favorite part of the meal. And I always save some room for it!

I have a creative, unique, and healthy spin on the classic pumpkin pie. I created a greek yogurt pumpkin tart with a hazelnut shortbread crust. It has all the flavor and texture of the classic dish but it’s also has a little tang from the greek yogurt and extra crunch and nutty flavor from the hazelnuts.

It’s the perfect makeover for a beloved Thanksgiving pie!

Let’s get to baking. 

One of the new twists to this pie was trading in the regular crust for a hazelnut oat shortbread crust. This swap actually helps make this pie gluten-free and healthier as I used hazelnut meal and gluten-free oat flour in the crust instead of white flour. It also adds much more flavor as the hazelnut meal adds a sweeter, nuttier flavor.

In a large bowl, combine all of the crust ingredients and use a fork to mash them all together. It will form a slightly crumbly dough.

You can either use four 6 inch tart pans or one 10 inch tart – depending on what you have on hand and what is easiest for you. Whatever you decide to use, make sure to grease it and line the bottom with a circle piece of parchment paper to make sure the tart easily removes from the pan.

Press the crust mixture firmly and evenly into the greased tart pan. The firmer you press it down, the easier it will remove from the pan.

Next, make the filling by adding all of the ingredients to the food processor and blending until you have a smooth mixture. That’s it. Super easy peasy – the perfect kind of holiday dessert.

To make this a lighter, new version of the classic, I used greek yogurt in the filling. The greek yogurt helps add a little tang but keeps the filling light and airy.

I also cut down the sugar quite a bit. I find pumpkin pie is sometimes way too sweet (some recipes call from 2 cups of sugar!) which takes away from the other flavors. I used  little maple and brown sugar (1/4 cup of each), which I think added the perfect amount of sweetness while still allowing you to taste the spices and pumpkin flavor. Remember, there is already natural sweetness in the yogurt and pumpkin puree – so we just want to slightly enhance that sweetness.

Pour the filling into the tart pan(s) and bake it at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Let the pie cool for about an hour then transfer it to the fridge and let it continue to cool for another 2 hours.

Once the pie is fully set, gently remove it from the pan. To easily remove the tart pan, place the full tart pan on a aluminum can (or a similarly shaped, hard object) so the bottom is firmly on the top of the can and gently pull down the sides. The sides should easily fall down so you can then gently remove the bottom part of the pan with a knife or off set spatula.

Finally, top the pie with your favorite whipped cream (I used TruWhip), orange zest, and candied hazelnuts (see notes for recipe). The orange zest adds a pop of freshness and the candied hazelnuts add some nice crunch.

And there you have it. A creative, slightly healthier new pumpkin dessert!

Admittedly, I like this version better than the original! The hazelnut crust is buttery and slightly nutty and taste like a shortbread cookie! The filling is perfectly sweet, creamy, and luscious with the nice tang from the greek yogurt. And the candied hazelnuts and orange zest whipped cream adds crunch and freshness, which takes the dessert to the next level.

Its the perfect, delicious end to Thanksgiving!

I hope you try it and love it! Please leave a comment below if you do!

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Pumpkin Tart with Hazelnut Shortbread Crust

A creamy, tangy filling made with pumpkin, greek yogurt, and warm spices on a buttery cookie like crust made from hazelnut meal and oat flour then topped with candied hazelnuts and orange kissed whipped cream. A delicious, unique, lighter take on a classic pumpkin pie. 

Course Dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes

Total Time 32 minutes

Author Dani

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 ½ cups oat flour
• 1 ½ cups hazelnut flour
• 6 tablespoons melted butter I used Kerrygold
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Filling

• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup Greek yogurt room temperature
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Toppings

• Candied Hazelnuts see notes
• Whipped Cream I used TruWhip
• Orange Zest

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the bottom of four 6-inch removable bottom tart pans or one 10-inch removable bottom tart pans with a circle of parchment paper, butter the bottom and sides, and place it on a baking tray.
2. Add all crust ingredients to a large mixing bowl and use a fork to stir and mash together until a crumbly dough is formed.
3. Scoop about a 1/2 cup of the dough into the tart pan and use your fingers to firmly press it evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Use a fork to pierce the surface of the crust a few times.
4. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, or until just beginning to turn light golden at the edges. Let cool completely.
5. In a food processor, add all of the filling ingredients and blend until you have a smooth, well-combined mixture. Evenly distribute the batter between the four small tart pans (or pour it all in the large tart pan).
6. Bake the tart for 35 minutes. Let cool for an hour. Transfer to fridge and let completely cool for another 2 hours.

7. Remove the tart from the pan. Top with whipped cream, orange zest, and candied hazelnuts*

8. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

For the candied hazelnuts, I used this recipe from Eating Well. 

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