Miso-Caramel Tarts

These Miso-Caramel Tarts layer a crisp, hand-pressed shortcrust pastry with glossy salted miso caramel and a poured dark-and-milk chocolate ganache, creating a dessert that hits every note: buttery, salty, bittersweet, and impossibly silky — all in one perfect little shell.

I made these for the first time on a rainy Sunday afternoon when I had exactly zero desire to do anything ambitious — and somehow ended up with the most impressive-looking thing I’d ever pulled from my oven.

That’s the magic of this miso caramel tart recipe: it looks like a patisserie showpiece, but it’s genuinely approachable. The miso does something quietly genius to the caramel, adding a savory, umami warmth that makes you tilt your head and go, wait, what is that? in the best possible way.

If you’re already a fan of unexpected flavor combos, you’ll want to check out these chewy miso and white chocolate cookies — same brilliant salty-sweet energy, different occasion.

Why You’ll Love This Miso-Caramel Tart Recipe

This salted miso caramel tart is the kind of recipe you’ll make once and immediately text someone about. It’s not fussy, it’s not precious, and it genuinely rewards you every single step of the way.

It’s a small-batch dream. The recipe makes two 3–4 inch tarts (or one 5-inch tart), so you’re not committed to feeding a crowd. Perfect for a date night, a solo treat, or honestly just a Tuesday.

Three components, no stress. Shortcrust pastry, miso caramel, chocolate ganache. Each one takes about 10 minutes to pull together. And if you want to get a head start on the ganache technique, this step-by-step chocolate ganache guide has everything you need.

Nutritional Peek (Per Serving)

Here’s a rough nutritional snapshot per tart (based on 2 servings from this recipe). Treat yourself — you made these from scratch.

Nutrient	Per Serving
Calories	~420 kcal
Protein	~5 g
Carbohydrates	~38 g
Fat	~28 g

What Do You Need to Make Miso-Caramel Tarts?

For this miso caramel dessert, you only need a handful of pantry staples — most of which you probably already have. The one thing worth seeking out is a good white miso paste (shiro miso); it’s milder and sweeter than red miso and plays beautifully with caramel.

Pastry

Amount	Ingredient
50 g	All-purpose flour
1 tsp	Sugar
Pinch	Salt
25 g	Cold butter — cold is non-negotiable here!
2.5 tsp	Ice water — I keep mine in the freezer for 5 minutes first

Miso Caramel

Amount	Ingredient
10 g	Sugar
4 g	Butter
15 g	Heavy cream
1 tsp	White miso paste — the star of the show

Chocolate Ganache

Amount	Ingredient
75 g	Heavy cream
40 g	Dark chocolate, finely chopped
30 g	Milk or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Decoration (Optional)

Amount	Ingredient
2 tbsp	White chocolate chips — for those pretty drizzle lines

What Equipment Do You Need?

Nothing too fancy — here’s what I reach for every time I make these:

• Small mixing bowl
• Two 3–4 inch tart tins (or one 5-inch tart tin)
• Rolling pin
• Your smallest saucepan (seriously, the tiniest one you own)
• Microwave-safe bowl
• Pastry brush (optional, but helpful for the caramel step)
• Small whisk or fork
• Butter knife
• Parchment paper piping bag or small plastic piping bag (for decoration — totally optional)

How Do You Make Miso-Caramel Tarts Step by Step?

Making these miso-caramel tarts is a lovely little project — three distinct layers, each one building on the last. Let’s walk through it together.

Make the pastry dough. In a small bowl, stir together 50 g all-purpose flour, 1 tsp sugar, and a pinch of salt. Cut 25 g cold butter into small cubes, then rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse, slightly damp sand with no large butter chunks remaining. Add 2.5 tsp ice water and stir with a butter knife until the dough starts to come together.

Chill the dough. Gently knead the dough just until it forms a cohesive ball — don’t overwork it or your pastry will be tough rather than tender and flaky. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or a reusable beeswax wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes while you make the caramel.

Cook the miso caramel. In your smallest saucepan, cook 10 g sugar over medium heat without stirring. To prevent crystallization, either cover the pan with a lid to let steam dissolve any sugar crystals from the sides, or use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush down the pan walls. Watch it carefully — caramel goes from golden to burnt very quickly.

Finish the caramel. Once the sugar turns a deep amber color and smells like toffee, remove from the heat and quickly stir in 4 g butter until melted, then 15 g cream (it’ll bubble — that’s normal!), and finally 1 tsp white miso paste. Stir until glossy and smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat and roll. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough as thin as you dare without it tearing — the thinner, the crispier your shell will be. Gently press or drape it into your tart tin(s), trimming any excess from the edges.

Chill the lined tins. Pop your pastry-lined tins into the fridge for at least 10 minutes before baking. This is a key step — chilling firms up the butter in the pastry, which dramatically reduces shrinkage and helps those beautiful fluted edges hold their shape.

Blind bake the shells. Prick the base of each pastry case several times with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife to prevent puffing. Bake for 17–20 minutes until the base is lightly golden and the edges feel dry to the touch. (If the edges brown before the base does, loosely tent with foil.)

Add the caramel layer. Let the baked tart shells cool for a few minutes (still in their tins), then spoon half the miso caramel into each tart shell, or all of it into the larger 5-inch tart. If the caramel has firmed up a bit, the residual warmth of the pastry will soften it right back — just spread it gently with a small spatula or the back of a spoon.

Make the chocolate ganache. Remove the tart shells from their tins and let them cool for 5–10 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop 40 g dark chocolate and 30 g milk or semi-sweet chocolate and place in a bowl.

Heat 75 g heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments until very hot but not boiling, then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes, then whisk until the ganache is smooth and glossy. (Still lumpy? Microwave the whole thing for 10 seconds and whisk again.)

Fill and set. Pour the warm ganache over the miso caramel layer in each tart shell, filling to just below the rim. Transfer the tarts to the fridge and let them set for at least 30 minutes until the ganache is firm and set but still has a subtle wobble.

Decorate (optional but fun). Melt 2 tbsp white chocolate chips in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each, until fully liquid. Transfer to a small parchment piping bag, snip a tiny opening, and pipe thin straight lines or whatever pattern your heart desires across the surface of the set tarts. Alternatively, whip a little cream with a pinch of icing sugar until soft peaks form and dollop or pipe it on top.

Pro Tips for the Perfect Salted Miso Caramel Tart

This salted miso caramel tart is pretty forgiving, but a few tricks make a real difference between “pretty good” and “genuinely spectacular.”

Keep everything cold for the pastry. Cold butter is what creates those flaky, delicate layers in shortcrust pastry. If your kitchen is warm, pop the flour in the freezer for 10 minutes before starting. As King Arthur Baking explains, cold fat creates steam pockets during baking that puff the layers apart — that’s where all that beautiful flakiness comes from.

Don’t rush the caramel. Medium heat is your friend here. High heat means you’ll have a split second between “perfect amber” and “charred disaster.” If your caramel smells even slightly burnt, start over — a bitter caramel will overpower the miso and ruin the whole tart.

Chop your chocolate finely for the ganache. The smaller the pieces, the faster and more evenly they’ll melt into the hot cream. Rough-chopped chocolate can leave you with stubborn unmelted lumps, which means more microwave time, which risks overheating the whole thing.

White miso vs. red miso matters. White miso (shiro miso) is sweet, mild, and slightly fermented — ideal here. Red miso is more intense and saltier, and it can overwhelm the caramel rather than enhancing it. Stick with white for this miso caramel dessert.

Troubleshooting: What If Something Goes Wrong?

Why did my caramel crystallize and turn grainy? This happens when sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan and fall back into the melted sugar. Next time, use a wet pastry brush to wash down the sides of the pan, or keep the lid on for the first couple of minutes to let steam do the job. If it crystallizes mid-cook, don’t panic — add a tiny splash of water and gently swirl (don’t stir) over low heat to dissolve the crystals.

Why is my pastry shrinking in the oven? The dough wasn’t chilled long enough before baking, or it was stretched rather than gently pressed into the tin. Always refrigerate your lined tart shell for at least 10 minutes — cold fat holds its shape far better in the oven than room-temperature fat does.

What if my chocolate ganache is lumpy? Give it another 10–15 seconds in the microwave (at 50% power), then whisk again. The chocolate just needs a little more heat to fully melt. If it’s still refusing, strain it through a fine mesh sieve — that’ll smooth it right out.

Why does my ganache look greasy or split? The cream was probably too hot when it hit the chocolate, or the mixture was stirred too vigorously. Next time, let the hot cream sit on top of the chocolate for the full 5 minutes before whisking — starting gently in the center and working outward creates a smooth emulsion.

My miso caramel is too thick to spread — help! It’s probably cooled down too much. Just warm it gently in the microwave for 10 seconds and stir — it should loosen right up. The warmth of the freshly baked pastry shell will also help soften it once it’s in the tart.

Can You Make Variations of This Miso-Caramel Tart Recipe?

Yes — and honestly, this is a great base recipe to riff on once you’ve made it once.

Add a nutty layer. Press a thin layer of finely chopped toasted hazelnuts or pecans onto the base of the tart shell before adding the caramel. It adds crunch and a gorgeous roasted depth that plays beautifully with the miso.

Go fruity. A few fresh raspberries or a thin smear of raspberry jam between the caramel and ganache layers cuts through the richness perfectly — especially in summer.

Make it dairy-free. Swap the butter and cream in both the caramel and ganache for coconut cream and vegan butter. The coconut flavor pairs surprisingly well with the miso. Use dairy-free dark chocolate for the ganache.

Try a different chocolate. All dark chocolate (70%) in the ganache makes for a more intensely bitter contrast with the sweet miso caramel. All milk chocolate makes it sweeter and creamier — great if you’re serving this to chocolate-cautious guests.

And if you can’t get enough of that salted caramel vibe, these gooey salted caramel stuffed chocolate cookies are calling your name.

How Should You Serve, Store, and Reheat Miso-Caramel Tarts?

Serving

These tarts are best served at room temperature — give them 10–15 minutes out of the fridge before eating so the ganache softens slightly and the caramel becomes silky rather than firm. A small dollop of lightly whipped cream on top takes them from lovely to genuinely restaurant-worthy.

Storage

Store finished tarts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The pastry will soften slightly after day one, but the flavor actually deepens overnight — so day-two tarts are arguably better. Keep them away from strong-smelling foods in the fridge (miso absorbs odors easily).

Can You Freeze Miso-Caramel Tarts?

Yes! Freeze the tarts undecorated on a flat tray until solid, then wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving. I’d skip the white chocolate decoration until after they’ve thawed — it drizzles much more neatly on a set, cold ganache surface.

No-Waste Kitchen Magic

Even with a small-batch recipe like this, there are little ways to make sure nothing goes to waste:

• Leftover pastry scraps? Roll them thin, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes for crispy little pastry twists. They’re irresistible.
• Extra ganache? Pour it into a small jar and refrigerate. Warm it gently and use it as a sauce over ice cream, or let it firm up and roll it into truffles coated in cocoa powder.
• Leftover miso caramel? Drizzle it over oatmeal, stir it into your morning coffee, or spoon it over vanilla ice cream. You’ll thank yourself later.
• Unused white chocolate? Melt any leftover chips and stir in crushed pretzels or dried cranberries, then spread on parchment to set as bark.

Frequently Asked Questions About Miso-Caramel Tarts

Go Make These Miso-Caramel Tarts Tonight

These miso-caramel tarts are the kind of recipe that earns you a reputation. They look like you spent all day in the kitchen, they taste like something from a very good patisserie, and they come together in under two hours — most of which is chilling time while you relax with a cup of tea.

If you make them, I’d love to see! Drop a photo in the comments or tag us — seriously, seeing your kitchen creations makes my whole day.

And if you’re in a cookie mood instead, these miso white chocolate cookies deserve a permanent spot in your baking rotation. Happy baking!

Baked with love by Rebeccah Ellene.