Easy Summer Savory Puff Pastry Tarts with Zucchini

These easy zucchini puff pastry tarts are delicious bites of summer and one of the simplest savory appetizers or teatime recipes you can make. Flaky puff pastry is layered with herbed crème fraîche and thin slices of zucchini, summer squash, and colorful cherry tomatoes.

Summer entertaining and afternoon tea should feel effortless while celebrating the best vegetables and herbs of the season-and that is exactly what these little savory tarts are designed to do.

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What I Love About These Zucchini Puff Pastry Tarts

Whether I'm creating a summer garden party, a gathering on the patio, or bringing some of my favorite people together for a summer afternoon tea, I'm always looking for easy recipes and bite-size savory recipes.

These summer puff pastry tarts are all about simplicity. With only a handful of ingredients and very little prep, they are delicious, allowing the best of summer's flavors to shine through.

Much like our equally simple Classically French Tian Provençal, these savory tarts are a beautiful way to highlight the season and enjoy delicious and simple food.

Ingredients for Puff Pastry Savory Tarts

These easy, savory tartlets can be made in two colorful variations from a single simple recipe. Here are the key ingredients you will need:

For the puff pastry appetizers

• Puff pastry sheets: Thawed (all-butter is best, but any works well)
• Vegetables: Zucchini, yellow summer squash (or crookneck squash), and cherry tomatoes. I love using rainbow cherry tomatoes for their summer-like color variations.
• Aromatics: Olive oil, salt, and pepper

For the herbed sauce

• Creme fraiche
• Fresh herbs: chives and dill
• Minced garlic

How to Make Bite-Size Savory Tarts

Complete instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here is a quick overview of how simple it is to make these puff pastry appetizers!

To prep:

Preheat your oven to 400°F and line baking sheets with parchment. Thinly slice the zucchini and summer squash. A handheld mandoline makes this super easy in 1 to 2 minutes-and then halve the cherry tomatoes.

Make the Herbed Sauce

Mix creme fraiche with fresh herbs and minced garlic. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Set aside.

Assemble the Savory Tarts

Unfold the puff pastry and roll slightly to even the sides. With a pastry cutter or pizza wheel, cut each sheet into squares, using the fold lines as guides.

With a sharp knife, score each square with a ½-inch border inside the pastry edge. Be careful not to cut all the way through. With a fork, prick the inside square of each pastry.

Spread a dollop of herbed creme fraiche over the inner square of each pastry. Place your choice of thinly sliced vegetables in the center. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Brush the edges of each square with the beaten egg and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the pastry has puffed up around the edges and is golden brown.

To serve, I like to pipe small dollops of the remaining herbed creme fraiche on the top of each tart using a pastry bag and a star tip. Fresh basil leaves finish them beautifully.

Serving Savory Tarts for Afternoon Tea

As you may know, we love teatime. In any season, any month, any day of the year. Like our Mini Blueberry Tarts with Lemon Curd, these tartlets are simple to make and deliciously enjoyable. While blueberry tarts are served for the sweets course, these tarts are perfect for the savory course.

Serve them simply with Salmon Salad Tea Sandwiches or Strawberry Chicken Salad Tea Sandwiches, and English Scones, among other savories and sweets.

Variations

Although I've made these tartlets with zucchini, yellow squash, and cherry tomatoes, the possibilities are nearly endless. Try thinly sliced Japanese eggplant, Roma tomatoes, colorful bell peppers, or a combination of your favorite garden vegetables.

When late summer arrives, I always begin thinking about ratatouille. These little tartlets offer a similarly beautiful way to celebrate seasonal vegetables, while flaky pastry turns them into an easy appetizer or afternoon tea savory. For more ideas, see this easy Provencal tart or browse these easy puff pastry appetizers.

More Recipes to Try

• Berry Puff Pastry Tarts with Lemon Cream
• Easy French Apple Hand Pies
• 20 Easy Puff Pastry Appetizers
• Quick and Easy Puff Pastry Strawberry Tart
• Mini Blueberry Tarts with Lemon Curd