These Vegan Sakura Jelly Tarts are filled with creamy, vegan yogurt and enveloped by a flaky and buttery vegan crust. Each bite is a delight to have, the sakura jelly melting into the layers of yogurt and flaky crust.

I’ll eat it one layer at a time.

Every summer, my mom loved to make Vietnamese coconut jelly. When I walk into the kitchen early in the morning, I would find her at the stove with 3-4 pots on low heat and a counter filled with little jelly cups. Instead of just making one color jelly, she loved layering them with different colors- pink, green, yellow/white.

She would stand there for hours waiting for each layer to set before adding the second layer. Even though it took long, she enjoyed the process, finding joy in making an ordinary snack fun and colorful.

After they’ve been in the fridge for a few hours, it would be hard to stop me from opening and closing the fridge, grabbing the jelly cups to snack on throughout the entire day. I would eat it while reading, watching t.v., sitting outside for the cooler air and anytime I was just bored and wanted something to snack on. By the end of the day, we would have a large tray of emptied jelly cups on the kitchen counter.

For some, it may be too simple of a snack, nothing but coconut milk, water and sugar, but to me, it is the process of making them and the simplicity of them that I love. They were memories of summers at home when I couldn’t travel, finding joy in the simplest things I have around me.

Here is an overview of these Vegan Sakura Jelly Tarts.

Ingredients

Flour: I used regular all-purpose flour to make the tart crust. You can also use 1:1 gluten-free flour for a gluten-free crust.

Sakura Powder: I purchased the sakura powder on Amazon. You can find it here.

Salted Sakura Flowers: This is what makes the jellies so special, having real sakura leaves in them. Since they are salted to preserve the flowers, make sure you soak the flowers with water before you use them. This will help dilute the saltiness of the flowers. You can find them here as well.

Sugar: I used powdered sugar with the jelly to best preserve the color of the sakura jelly. To make them refined sugar-free you can use coconut sugar.

Vegan Butter: I like to use unsalted, vegan butter to better control the saltness level of the tart crust. If you do not have unsalted, vegan butter you can just omit the salt in the batter!

Plant-based Yogurt: I used unsweetened, almond milk yogurt for the filling but you can also use any other vegan yogurt you like.

Tips

Can I make the sakura jelly tarts gluten-free?
Yes! You can substitute the regular flour with 1:1 gluten-free flour in equal amounts. I recommend using Bob’s Red Mill’s 1:1 gluten-free flour (the one in the blue bag) to make the crust.

How do I store these tarts?
These Vegan Sakura Jelly Tarts are best served fresh when assembled. If you have any leftovers, store them in the fridge and have them within 3-4 days.

Can I make the sakura jelly tarts refined sugar-free?
Yes! You can substitute the sugars with coconut sugar instead! However, note that the color of the jellies will not be pink because of the color from the coconut sugar.

I don’t have dried rose petals. Can I omit it?
Yes, you can leave them out! They are for decoration purposes. You can also use any other toppings you like.

Can I prepare the recipe the night before?
Yes! I do recommend it. You can make the tart crusts and sakura jellies the night before and assemble them the following day.

If you like these Vegan Sakura Jelly Tarts, you might also like to try:
Vegan Vanilla Cake Boxes
Vegan Sweet Cream Buns
Vegan Japanese Shibuya Toast (Brick Toast)

I cannot wait for you to try these Vegan Sakura Jelly Tarts! If you do, please tag me on Instagram @_withhelen or leave a comment below letting me know you like it! Happy Baking!

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