Tarte Tatin

Name: Tarte Tatin
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 150 g sugar; 60 g butter, diced; 6 apples, firm, peeled, cored and quartered; 1 pinch salt; 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry; 150 ml heavy cream (optional)

Vegetarian

Apples cooked in buttery caramel under a lid of pastry, then turned out so the glossy, burnished fruit sits on top. A French classic that is easier than it looks with shop-bought puff pastry.

Tarte Tatin is a French dessert from France, ready in about 1 hour 20 minutes and made with sugar, apple and all-butter puff pastry. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking

A serving of Tarte Tatin — Photo: Djenghisz / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 50 min
Rest: 10 min
Total: 1 h 20 min
Serves: 8
Level: Intermediate
Calories: 417

Ingredients

8 servings

150 g Sugar (opens in a new tab)
60 g Butter (opens in a new tab), dicedContains milk
6 (1080 g) Apples (opens in a new tab), firm, peeled, cored and quartered
1 pinch (0.5 g) Salt (opens in a new tab)
1 sheet (320 g) All-butter puff pastry (opens in a new tab)About 320 g, all-butter if possible.Contains wheat, gluten, milk
150 ml Heavy cream (opens in a new tab) (optional)Or crème fraîche, for serving.Contains milk

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 200 °C. In a 24 cm ovenproof frying pan, melt the sugar (opens in a new tab) over medium heat without stirring, swirling the pan, until it becomes an amber caramel. Off the heat, stir in the butter (opens in a new tab) and salt.
- 8 min
- 200°C
- medium heat
- Frying pan / skillet (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Caramel is extremely hot — keep children away and don't touch or taste it.
2
Step 2
Pack the apple quarters tightly into the pan, rounded side down. Cook over medium-low heat for 10–15 minutes, basting, until the apples (opens in a new tab) soften and the caramel thickens.
- 15 min
- medium-low heat
3
Step 3
Roll the pastry slightly larger than the pan, lay it over the apples (opens in a new tab) and tuck the edges down inside the pan. Prick a few holes in it.
- 5 min
- Rolling pin (opens in a new tab)
4
Step 4
Bake until the pastry is puffed and deep golden.
- 28 min
- 200°C
- Oven (opens in a new tab)
5
Step 5
Rest for 10 minutes, then put a plate over the pan and carefully invert the tart. Serve warm with cream.
- 10 min
Food safety: Use oven gloves when inverting; hot caramel may run.
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Centre-Val de Loire (Lamotte-Beuvron), France · Commonly attributedPopularly credited to the Tatin sisters' hotel; the story is more legend than record.Also popular in United KingdomMore food from France
Dish: Dessert · Desserts · Pastries
Cooking method: Oven-baked
Taste: sweet, buttery, fruity
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Festive & celebration
Cook more with: Sugar · Apple · All-butter puff pastry · Butter
Techniques: Baking

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom butter, all-butter puff pastry, heavy cream
Contains: Wheatfrom all-butter puff pastry
Contains: Glutenfrom all-butter puff pastry

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

417 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 201 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

Protein 3%
Carbohydrate 52%
Fat 45%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	417 kcal	207 kcal
Protein	3.3 g	1.7 g
Carbohydrate	55.4 g	27.5 g
Net carbohydrate	51.6 g	25.6 g
Sugars	33 g	16.4 g
Added sugars	18.8 g	9.3 g
Fibre	3.8 g	1.9 g
Fat	21.6 g	10.7 g
Saturated fat	7.7 g	3.8 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	16 mg	8 mg
Sodium	169 mg	84 mg
Salt equivalent	0.4 g	0.2 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 171 mg
Calcium: 14 mg
Iron: 1.2 mg
Magnesium: 13 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 55 µg
Vitamin C: 6 mg
Vitamin D: —
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 54 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: heavy cream.
All-butter puff pastry: Frozen puff pastry (FDC 172790). Shop-bought puff pastry varies; some brands use vegetable fat.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Choose apples that hold their shape, such as Cox, Braeburn or Granny Smith.

Common mistakes

Turning it out too late — once the caramel sets, the apples stick to the pan.

Storage

Best on the day; keeps 2 days in the fridge.

Reheating

Warm briefly in a low oven.

Variations

Pear tarte Tatin: Use firm pears instead of apples.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 26 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Compare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Butter, diced60 g
Apple, firm, peeled, cored and quartered6 piece · 1080 g
All-butter puff pastry1 sheet · 320 g

Used in steps 1, 2, 3

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

Mix and knead · about 30 min
Keep the butter and dough at the same cool, pliable temperature; chill between folds.
Rest · about 10 min
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 28 min at 200 °C
Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).
Start to finish: about 1 h 8 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Pastry didn't puff or layers leaked butter
Likely causes
- Butter too warm and melted into the dough
- Layers sealed when cutting
- Oven not hot enough
What to do
- Chill between folds; keep everything cold
- Cut straight down with a sharp knife — don't drag
- Bake hot (200–220 °C) so the water in the butter steams the layers apart

Reviews & corrections

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