This easy gluten-free tart shell recipe uses just two ingredients, including a store-bought cake mix. No rolling pins, no chilling dough, and no fuss. These shells bake up sweet, golden, and sturdy enough to hold all your favourite dessert fillings – perfect for parties, lunchboxes, or anytime you want a quick treat.

Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Tart Shell Hack

Quick hack – mix, press, bake. Done.
Party-friendly – mini size makes them ideal for kids’ birthdays or gatherings (no sugar overload).
Versatile – they suit almost any sweet filling, from custard and lemon curd to fruit and chocolate.
Afternoon treat – the perfect bite-sized pick-me-up when you’re craving just a little sweetness.
Make-ahead convenience – bake, freeze, and fill later for stress-free entertaining.

This recipe will make 24 mini tart shells, but you can adjust the sizes to make slightly bigger, but still ‘mini’ tarts like you can see in my below images. The second image shows some tart shells that I made with a slightly higher side on them, and I was able to make 16 out of these:

24 mini gluten-free tart shell recipe — This recipe makes 24 mini gluten-free tart shells

16 mini gluten-free tart shell recipe — You can also make slightly larger, but still ‘mini’ gluten-free tart shells by splitting the batch into 16.

Ingredients Required to Make Gluten-Free Tart Shells

You only need two ingredients to make these tart shells:

1 box (approx. 12 oz / 340 g) gluten-free vanilla cake mix
½ cup (1 stick / 110 g) unsalted butter, melted

That’s it! No eggs, no milk – just mix and press.

2 ingredient gluten-free tart shells recipe

Substitutions and Alternatives

Dairy-free: Swap the butter for a dairy-free butter alternative or melted coconut oil (note: coconut oil will give a slight coconut flavour).
Cake mix flavours: While vanilla works best for most fillings, you can use a gluten-free chocolate or lemon cake mix for a fun twist.
Mini vs. regular tarts: This recipe works best in a 24-hole mini muffin tray. If you’d like bigger tart shells, use a standard muffin tray and increase bake time by 2–3 minutes.
Coconut variation: Stir in about ¼ cup (20 g) desiccated coconut to the dough for a sweet coconut flavour. If the mix feels a little dry, add an extra teaspoon or two of melted butter to help it bind.

What You Need To Make These Gluten-Free Tart Shells

24-hole mini muffin tray (non-stick works best)
Cooking spray or light greasing (optional – there’s plenty of butter, but this ensures easy release)
Teaspoon for pressing the shells into shape.

How to Make Gluten-Free Tart Shells Step by Step

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) or 140°C fan
Mix the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the gluten-free cake mix with the melted butter until it forms a soft dough.
Portion: Place about 1 tablespoon of dough into each mini muffin cup.
Press: Using your fingers or the back of a teaspoon, press the dough up the sides of each cup to create a tart shell shape.

press the dough up the sides of each cup to create a tart shell shape.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just lightly golden. Watch carefully though, as they can brown quickly and will result in harder shells.
Shape while warm: The shells will puff slightly in the oven, and then start to deflate once out of the oven. Once out for a few minutes, you can gently press the centres down with a spoon while still warm to help define the tart shape, but you shouldn’t need to.

allow the tart shells to cool completely in the tin

Cool completely in the tin. This is important, so have patience! Once set, the shells will lift out very easily. If you are trying to remove them and they start to crumble, then you haven’t let them fully cool!

Once the Tart Shells are cool, they will lift easily from the tin

Find the measurements and full recipe below!

Jump to Recipe

Gluten-Free Tart Filling Ideas

These shells are sweet, so they’re best suited for dessert-style fillings. Here are some fun, family-friendly ideas:

Fresh fruit & whipped cream – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries.
Chocolate ganache – rich and indulgent (kids love mini choc tarts!).
Custard or pastry cream – classic, creamy filling.
Cheesecake filling – no-bake cheesecake mix spooned in and chilled.
Lemon curd – tangy and fresh.
Nutella or peanut butter topped with sliced banana.
Mini s’mores tarts – marshmallow fluff + melted chocolate.

All equally delicious!

Storing Gluten-Free Tart Shells

These mini tart shells are sturdy and very forgiving. They also store well and can be made ahead of time too:

At room temperature: Store plain tart shells in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze: Once completely cooled, place shells in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before filling.
Filled tarts: Best eaten within 1–2 days, depending on the filling.

Troubleshooting Gluten-Free Tart Shell Issues

If your shells stick to the pan – make sure to grease lightly, even with the butter content.
If your shells puff too much – just press them back down gently with a teaspoon while warm.
If your shells crumble – allow them to cool fully before removing from the tray.

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