Vegan Pumpkin Tarte Flambée

Halloween is right around the corner, and if you're looking for a recipe that looks spooky but is still "totally normal food" underneath, our vegan pumpkin tarte flambée might be exactly right for you. You don't need any fancy decorations or expensive ingredients for this Halloween recipe, because we're literally carving our decorations out of vegetables. That's how simple it is!

And of course: you can also just slice the pumpkin, beetroot, and co. with a vegetable peeler and end up with a wonderfully simple tarte flambée you can enjoy all fall long.

What Do You Need for a Vegan Tarte Flambée?

The base is a store-bought vegan tarte flambée dough, which you'll find in most supermarkets and organic stores. Most of them are already vegan, but it's still worth double-checking the ingredient list. If you'd rather make your own dough, check out our Vegan Tarte Flambées 101 for a homemade version.

Since we're putting a bit more effort into the decoration this time, we're keeping the base simple and spreading the dough with vegan Petrella Garlic & Herbs cream cheese, which is already flavorful enough that you won't need any extra ingredients for the topping. Handy bonus: one pack is the perfect amount for one tarte flambée! Of course, you can also use one of the other vegan varieties, like Peppasweet, Chives, or Plain. Just swing by your local REWE, EDEKA, Marktkauf, Combi, Famila, Markant, Tegut, or Globus to pick some up.

For the topping, we add thin strips of Hokkaido pumpkin, red onion rings, and vegan ham cubes or smoked tofu.

Do I Need to Peel the Hokkaido Pumpkin?

Nope. Hokkaido pumpkin is one of the few pumpkin varieties whose skin turns soft enough while baking that you can eat it without any problem. That saves you time — and keeps valuable nutrients you'd otherwise lose along with the peel.

How Do I Make the Halloween Decorations?

For the Halloween version, slice potato, sweet potato or pumpkin, and raw beetroot into thin slices. Then use a small, sharp knife to cut shapes like ghosts, witch hats, or spooky pumpkin faces out of them. A chopstick comes in handy for the fiddly details, like the eyes. It sounds complicated at first, but once you've nailed one shape, you can just trace it as a template again and again.

How Long Does the Tarte Flambée Need to Bake?

At 220°C/430°F (convection), the tarte flambée needs approximately 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are crispy and lightly browned. It's best to keep an eye on it during the last few minutes, since ovens can vary in how hot they actually run.

Can I Prepare the Dip in Advance?

Yes, even really well ahead of time. Mix the vegan Petrella Plain with finely chopped herbs like dill, chives, and parsley, the zest of half a lemon, and salt and pepper. If the dip turns out too thick for your liking, just thin it out with a bit of water. It'll keep in the fridge for about two to three days.

What Do I Do with the Leftover Vegetable Scraps?

You don't need to toss the trimmings from the potato, sweet potato, and beetroot. They're perfect for a quick veggie stir-fry, a roasted vegetable mix, or a vegetable soup. If you're after more savory tarte flambée ideas, check out our Vegan Alsatian Tarte Flambée, and now that pumpkin season is in full swing, it's worth browsing all our vegan pumpkin recipes.