Easy Vegan Tomato Galette

This Vegan Tomato Galette is filled with three types of vegan cheese, caramelized onions, and ripe juicy tomatoes then baked in a buttery, flaky crust. It’s the perfect summer main or side to make when your garden is bursting with fresh tomatoes. It’s so much easier to make than you think, too! 

What is a galette?

A galette is a free-form sweet or savory French pastry that’s known for it’s rustic appearance. It’s made with a round crust that is folded over the edges of the filling, leaving the center of the vegan tomato galette exposed. 

There are typically 3 types of galettes – a fruit galette, Breton galette, and a Creole galette. This savory vegan galette is technically a fruit galette since tomatoes are fruit! 

If you’re interested in a vegan galette recipe with a sweet fruit filling, try this Vegan Apple Galette or this Persimmon Galette and sprinkle turbinado sugar on the flaky crust before baking. Or for similar free-form pie recipes, check out these Savory Pumpkin Hand Pies or these Crispy Mini Meatless Pies.

Ingredients You’ll Need 

• Crust: We’ve included a homemade recipe for an easy buttery crust made from all purpose flour, sugar, salt, Italian seasoning, vegan butter, and apple cider vinegar. If you’re short on time, opt for a store-bought vegan pie crust. 
• Vegan ricotta cheese: You can use store-bought ricotta from brands like Tofutti and Kite Hill, but we recommend using our Easy Tofu Ricotta recipe. 
• Vegan butter: Frozen butter is the key to a super flaky vegan galette crust. Opt for vegan buttery sticks over butter spreads for the correct consistency and easy measuring.
• Onions: We prefer to use sweet onions such as Vidalia because they have a naturally higher sugar content and make delicious caramelized onions. Yellow onions are the next best option as they become sweet and rich when caramelized. 
• Tomatoes: Medium/large slicing tomatoes such as beefsteak tomatoes, herirloom tomatoes, vine-ripe tomatoes or Roma tomatoes are best. 
• Garlic: The more fresh garlic cloves, the better. Garlic and tomatoes are a match made in heaven.
• Vegan mozzarella: Use your favorite store-bought brand. We typically use VioLife,Daiya, or Follow Your Heart. If you prefer to use a homemade vegan cheese, try our Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese.

Equipment Needed

• Large bowl
• Spatula
• Plastic wrap
• Large pan
• Sharp chef’s knife and cutting board
• Fine mesh colander or sieve
• Parchment paper

How to Make a Vegan Galette

Homemade Galette Dough

1. Start the galette dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and Italian seasoning. Using your fingertips, pinch the cold butter into the dry ingredients until distributed in the flour mixture. If the butter becomes too soft from the heat of your hands, place the bowl into the freezer to firm it up before continuing. 
2. Form a shaggy dough. Add in the apple cider vinegar and ice-cold water and mix together using a spatula to form a shaggy dough. The vegan galette dough should be on the drier side. Transfer the dough to a work surface covered with a sheet of plastic wrap and lightly knead the dough into a rough disk. Add additional ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too dry. 
3. Chill the dough for 4 hours. Wrap the vegan galette dough tightly in the plastic wrap, then place it in the fridge to chill for 4 to 24 hours. 

How to Make the Filling and Bake

1. Caramelize the onions. Melt 2 tablespoons of vegan butter in a large pan over medium heat. Once warm and melted, add the sliced onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir well to combine, then cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and jam-like. If the onions are sticking to the pan, deglaze with a splash of water. Then, once ready, transfer the caramelized onions to a bowl and set aside to cool. 
2. Prepare the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes into 1/4″ slices. Place them in a fine mesh colander with salt and sliced garlic cloves and toss to combine. Set the tomatoes aside for 10 minutes while they release their juices. Then, transfer the tomatoes and garlic to paper towels or a clean tea towel and rest for 20 minutes to absorb any remaining moisture. 
3. Make the vegan ricotta. Drain the tofu and place it in the bowl of a food processor along with the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and Italian seasoning. Process until smooth, then season with salt and black pepper to taste. 
4. Roll out the galette dough. Place the vegan galette dough on a large piece of parchment paper. Working from the center outward, roll the galette dough into a round circle about 1/8″ thick using a rolling pin or wine bottle. Transfer to a baking sheet. 
5. Add the vegan galette filling. First, spread the caramelized onions on the center of the dough, leaving about a 2-inch border. Next, layer on the vegan ricotta, followed by the vegan mozzarella, and tomato slices and garlic. 
6. Fold and bake. Gently fold the outer edges of the vegan galette over the filling, then bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. 
7. Enjoy! Allow the vegan tomato galette to cool for 15 minutes, then slice and serve with fresh basil, vegan parmesan cheese, and freshly cracked black pepper. 

Tips for Success

• Salt the tomatoes: Properly preparing the filling ingredients before adding to the vegan galette pastry dough is vital. If you do not draw the excess moisture out of the sliced tomatoes before adding them to the crust, the excess moisture will make the crust too moist and it won’t be nice and flaky. 
• Caramelize the onions for a full 20 minutes. This is key to adding a pop of robust flavor. Removing them from the heat too soon is called “blonding” instead of carmelizing. You will know your onions are ready when they’re a deep, rich color and have significantly reduced in size. Check out our full blog post on How to Caramelize Onions without Oil here! 
• Plan ahead. If you’re making the homemade crust, it is easiest to prepare the crust in advance. Once made, the dough will last for 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 1 month in the freezer. Make it ahead of time to make the tomato galette process as easy as possible. 

Serving Suggestions 

Savory galettes are typically served lightly warm or room temperature as a main course for a light lunch or dinner. It’s the perfect recipe to prepare in the summer months during tomato season. Serve with a light side salad, a Quinoa, Lentil & Arugula Salad or roasted vegetables, as desired. 

This rustic pie would also make a great Vegan Mother’s Day Brunch dish with potatoes such as Oven Roasted Breakfast Potatoes, Crispy Garlic and Herb Smashed Potatoes, or Crispy Oil-Free Noochy Potatoes!

Storage Instructions

Once baked, this vegan galette will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. For best results, store in an airtight container or wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil. 

Reheat leftover vegan tomato galette in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 300F, or until warm. Alternatively, reheat in the air fryer or toaster oven until warm. 

More Homemade Tomato Recipes You May Enjoy: 

• Spiced Chickpea and Tomato Toast – easy to make with just a few ingredients and your favorite toasted crusty bread.
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Tomato Sauce – the ultimate end of summer tomato sauce that’s made in less than an hour. 
• Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce – a freezer-friendly kitchen basic that tastes so much better than store-bought.
• Easy 6 Ingredient Tomato Soup – made in a blender with fresh tomatoes and just a few ingredients! 
• White Pizza with Zucchini and Tomatoes – a family friendly weeknight dinner that’s the perfect way to use up summer produce. 
• Sheet Pan Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce – learn how to make homemade pasta sauce directly on a sheet pan! 

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