Puff Pastry Tartlets Recipe: Easy Homemade Pastry Shells 2026

These puff pastry tartlets are wonderfully simple to make at home and give you a crisp, buttery shell ready for any filling you like, sweet or savory. With just a sheet of butter puff pastry and a little grease for the molds, you get a bakery-worthy result that will stop you from ever buying ready-made shells again.

The trick is blind baking: the pastry is weighed down while it bakes so it stays flat and forms a neat cup instead of puffing up into a dome. Any oven-safe individual mold works here, from tartlet tins to ramekins or even muffin pans.

Ingredients for Puff Pastry Tartlets

This makes 8 tartlet shells.

• 1 sheet of butter puff pastry
• Baking spray or butter (for greasing the mold)

How to Make Puff Pastry Tartlets Step by Step

1. Roll Out and Prick the Pastry

Lay the sheet of butter puff pastry out flat and prick the entire surface with a fork. This lets steam escape so the pastry bakes evenly instead of ballooning in the oven.

2. Cut 8 Pastry Discs

Using a cutter about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter, cut 8 discs from the pastry sheet. Work steadily so each round is clean-edged and roughly the same size.

3. Fit the Pastry into the Greased Molds

Grease your chosen molds with a little baking spray or butter, then press each disc gently into a mold. Ease the pastry into the corners without stretching it so the sides stay even.

4. Add Parchment and Weight

Place a piece of parchment paper over each pastry shell, press it down well, and fill with rice to weigh it down so the puff pastry does not rise. Any dry rice or dried legumes work perfectly for this.

5. Bake for 20 Minutes at 180 °C

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C) with top and bottom heat. Bake the tartlets for 20 minutes, until the edges begin to turn golden, then remove from the oven.

6. Cool and Fill

Let the shells cool completely on a wire rack before unmolding. Once cold, they are ready to fill however you like, with sweet or savory ingredients.

Tips for the Best Puff Pastry Tartlets

Choose Any Oven-Safe Mold

You can use any individual mold, tartlet tin, or bowl you have at home as long as it is oven-safe. Flan molds, ramekins, or the classic multi-cavity muffin pans all work well.

Weigh Down the Pastry

The only tricky part is weighting the pastry during baking so the puff pastry does not rise. Rice settles nicely into the smallest corners, but any dried legumes work just as well.

Fill Them Sweet or Savory

These shells are endlessly versatile and take both sweet and savory fillings. Try jam with chocolate mousse, pastry cream with fresh fruit, or a little tartar sauce and salmon.

30 Top Recipes I Keep Coming Back to at Home

Like a lot of home cooks, I like having a go-to rotation that covers cozy comfort plates, well-known dishes from around the world, and sweets that please a crowd.

When a rich, indulgent treat is what I'm after, my picks are usually this La Viña Molten Cheesecake recipe, this refined Original French Crème Brûlée recipe, or a luscious Chocolate Mousse Cake recipe. And on days when I want something fruity and cozy, this timeless French Tarte Tatin recipe is the one I reach for.

Mornings and lighter plates call for these airy Oatmeal and Banana Pancakes recipe, a hearty Stuffed Sweet Potato recipe, or these bright Eggs Stuffed with Avocado and Salmon recipe. And for a gluten-free staple I can keep on hand, this no-fuss Gluten-Free Rice Flour recipe does the job.

Tapas and Mediterranean cooking are a mood I return to often, and I tend to cycle through this punchy Basque Tuna with Tomato recipe, these crackly Patatas Bravas Air Fryer recipe, a velvety Tirokafteri Greek Dip Sauce recipe, and a cool Burrata Salad with Tomato and Pesto recipe. This chilled Italian Vitello Tonnato recipe also makes the table when I feel like something a bit more elevated.

Come lunch or a slow dinner at home, I'm quick to suggest this warming Meatballs in Spanish Sauce recipe, a time-honored Meatballs in Almond Sauce recipe, a deep-flavored Italian Bolognese Sauce recipe, and silky Chicken Croquettes in Thermomix recipe. When hunger runs bigger, I'll bake this Greek Pastitsio Pie recipe, a homey Potatoes and Squid Stew recipe, or the deeply comforting French Boeuf Bourguignon recipe.

Street-food cravings and party spreads usually mean this saucy Homemade Chicken Doner Kebab recipe, golden Salchipapas recipe, a punchy Mexican Pork Carnitas recipe, or these crisp Korean Hobak Jeon recipe. These simple Air Fryer Zucchini Rings recipe also work nicely as a light starter or snack.

And when guests are coming and drinks are part of the plan, dinner often gets paired with a cool Original Cuban Mojito recipe, a strong Long Island Iced Tea recipe, or a jug of this fruity Bleeding Spanish Sangria recipe. To fill out the spread, I like setting out this zesty French Remoulade Sauce recipe alongside, or ending with this eye-catching Mediterranean Black Rice with Squid recipe.

Even More Tasty Recipes the Whole Family Will Enjoy

After years of trying, tweaking, and remaking dishes in my own kitchen, I've come to see that the ones that stick around are built on straightforward steps, methods you can trust, and serious flavor.

What follows is the set of recipes I keep circling back to—whether it's a fast plate just for me or a bigger spread for the people I love.

On the sweet side, the rich, silky Orange Chocolate Mousse Recipe is one I turn to when I want something that feels fancy without much fuss. Another dessert I adore is the caramelized Trdelnik Slavic Pastry Recipe, modeled on the well-known Central European chimney cake. If baking is your thing, knowing how to make syrup for better texture in desserts comes in handy, and my Inverted Sugar Recipe walks through exactly how I do it at home.

For something light and uncomplicated, I'll usually reach for the timeless Italian Caprese Salad Recipe or a flawlessly cooked Simple Poached Egg Recipe. And for heavier comfort plates, my usual picks are the filling Meatball Sandwich Recipe, the velvety Russian Stroganoff Beef Recipe, and the speedy weeknight go-to One Pot Pasta Recipe.

I'm just as happy sharing dishes with roots in other countries, like the genuine Sorropotún de Bonito Fish Stew Recipe, crunchy Chilean Pumpkin Sopaipillas Recipe, and Spain's own Cochifrito Segovian Fried Pig Recipe.

Air fryer cooking is another area I use all the time, since it cuts down on effort while still giving you excellent results. The ones I make most are Air Fryer Pork Ribs Recipe, Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Recipe, Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes Recipe, Air Fryer Baked Potatoes Recipe, Air Fryer Peppers Recipe, Air Fryer Mixed Sandwich Recipe, Air Fryer Toasted Bread Recipe, and Air Fryer Hard-Boiled Eggs Recipe.

And for those steering clear of wheat, my cozy Gluten-Free Lasagna Recipe shows that a baked pasta classic can still be creamy, cheesy, and completely satisfying without any gluten.

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