Low Sodium Butter Tarts Recipe
These low sodium butter tarts are a delicious treat, with rich and gooey brown sugar center and a tender, flaky, salt-free crust. Butter tarts are like mini brown sugar pies, and are sweet and delicious!
A fantastic low sodium dessert recipe for holidays or to make for a bake sale! These classic tarts are simple to make, have only a few ingredients and can be enjoyed by all. See our step-by-step photos below to make these tarts today.
Want more low sodium dessert recipes? Try our low sodium sugar cookies, low sodium carrot cake, and our favorite low sodium chocolate chip cookies.
Butter tarts are a classic Canadian dessert that my husband’s family has been making for decades, and wanted to share this recipe in honor of Canadian Thanksgiving next week. This lower sodium version of butter tarts has no added salt and low sodium ingredients, but tastes just as good as the original.
If you haven’t had a butter tart before, think of them as mini individual pecan pies. They have that same great great brown sugar, butter filling and a delicious flaky pastry crust.
I tested this recipe quite a few times recently and handed out these butter tarts to friends and co-workers… they were a huge hit!
Notes from Our Kitchen
- These butter tarts are gooey in the center, have a caramelized sugar topping, and a flaky salt free crust.
- They are sweet and crunchy and make a perfect holiday or special occasion dessert.
- Wonderful to make for bake sales or to enjoy for afternoon tea.
- This recipe is versatile. You can use our homemade low sodium pie crust recipe or if you can find prepared low salt pie crust that works too!
- You don’t need to be an expert baker to make these – follow along with our step-by-step photos below and your butter tarts will come out perfectly!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to visit the recipe card below to see the full ingredient amounts and directions!
The base of this butter tart recipe is unsalted butter! We use both butter in the salt-free pie crust and also mix it with brown sugar for a delicious filling.
It only takes about 10 minutes to make your own super flaky low sodium pie crust in the food processor (no kneading required)! It is made with all-purpose flour, a little granulated sugar, and a bit of cold water to give the crust a nice consistency.
Filling is made by mixing brown sugar, eggs and unsalted butter and vanilla extract. Use good pure vanilla extract if you can. The flavor really makes a difference!
Additions and Substitutions
Add nuts! We’ve made versions of these butter tarts with and without pecans. And if you like a nuttier flavor, I highly recommend adding half a cup of chopped pecans into the butter/brown sugar filling.
If you don’t want to go to the hassle of making your own salt free pie dough, look for a lower sodium version in your grocery store. I’ve been able to find crusts in the frozen section that are low in sodium and work just as well as homemade.
My mother-in-law’s original recipe also had raisins in the filling, so if you like those, feel free to add raisins or other dried fruit as desired… about a half a cup will work!
Step-By-Step Photos & Directions
Step 1: Dice 2 sticks of butter into small cubes. Place them in a food processor with the flour and granulated sugar.
Step 2: Cover with the lid, turn on the food processor, and stream in the water until you have a crumbly looking dough.
Step 3: Take 2 tablespoons of dough, and roll it out into a small disc. Place that into greased muffin/capcake tins as the base of the tarts. Fill all the tins with the dough.
Step 4: In a mixing bowl, cream together the eggs, 2 remaining sticks of unsalted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
Step 5: Preaheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill each tart 2/3 of the way with the brown sugar mixture, until all tarts are filled. Bake for 18-22 minutes until the tarts have a nice brown crust on top.
Step 6: Remove from the oven, and allow the tarts to fully cool before handling (they can crumble if you try to get them out of the tin when warmed). Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Our low sodium butter tart recipe has 15mg sodium for each tart as we use a salt-free pie crust and low sodium ingredients in the filling like unsalted butter. If you are enjoying a butter tart from the store or a commercial bakery, the sodium amounts will vary so be sure to check nutrition labels or talk to your baker before enjoying.
Butter tarts are like mini pecan pies. They have a buttery flaky crust and a delicious set, gooey brown sugar center. They are fantastic with coffee or tea and are a staple at holiday dessert tables.
Store any leftover tarts in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can eat them cold or enjoy them at room temperature or heat them up for a minute or two in the microwave or air fryer.
Expert Tips
- I have found that baking these butter tarts a little bit longer (for the full 22 minutes) gave the brown sugar more time to caramelize and gave a nice crunchy texture to the finished tarts.
- Make sure you only fill the butter tarts 2/3 full of the filling so they don’t bubble over the crust when baked.
- For a crunchier texture, feel free to add half a cup of chopped pecans which are delicious if you like nuts.
Serving Suggestions
These butter tarts are a fantastic dessert on their own and go great with coffee or a variety of teas.
If you’re making these for a holiday gathering, you can serve the butter tarts alongside our low sodium pumpkin pie or low sodium carrot cake for more festive recipes.
If you’re in the mood, we can also serve these butter tarts with a scoop of plain vanilla ice cream… yum!
More Easy Low Sodium Dessert Recipes
- Low Sodium White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Low Sodium Peach Cobbler
- The best Low Sodium Whipped Ricotta Honey Dip
- Low Sodium Pretzels with White Chocolate and Nuts
- Low Sodium Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Let’s keep in touch – don’t forget to follow over on Instagram, Facebook, & my Youtube channel for more easy low sodium recipes.
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Low Sodium Butter Tarts
Equipment
- Muffin Tin
- food processor
Ingredients
For the Tart Crust
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cold water or more if needed
For the Filling
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped pecans optional
Instructions
- Dice 2 sticks of butter into small cubes. Place them in a food processor with the flour and granulated sugar.
- Cover with the lid, turn on the food processor, and stream in the water until you have a crumbly looking dough.
- Take 2 tablespoons of dough, and roll it out into a small disc. Place that into greased muffin/capcake tins as the base of the tarts. Fill all the tins with the dough.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the eggs, 2 remaining sticks of unsalted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill each tart 2/3 of the way with the brown sugar mixture, until all tarts are filled. Bake for 18-22 minutes until the tarts have a nice brown crust on top.
- Remove from the oven, and allow the tarts to fully cool before handling (they can crumble if you try to get them out of the tin when warmed). Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition estimate (for 1 serving)
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used in our kitchen. It will vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify your nutrition content and sodium amounts.
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