Asparagus Phyllo Tart — 28g Protein | Vegan Brunch

This is the brunch recipe that looks like it took all morning but comes together in 45 minutes. Layers of phyllo with a sparkling water wash, silky tofu custard folded with asparagus, the best tips pressed into the top. It comes out of the oven golden, ruffled at the edges, and it slices clean.

The trick is the sparkling water in the wash. Carbonation releases as steam during baking and separates the phyllo layers so they puff and crisp individually instead of fusing into one dense sheet. Without it, you get phyllo that bends. With it, it shatters. That’s the difference between something that looks homemade and something that looks intentional.

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📊 NUTRITION (per serving)
Calories: 410 | Protein: 28g | Carbs: 36g | Fat: 15g | Fiber: 5g
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⏱️ Time: 45 minutes (Prep: 15 | Bake: 30) 🍽️ Serves: 1
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INGREDIENTS:

Ingredient	1 Serving	2 Servings	4 Servings
Phyllo pastry sheets	2–3 sheets (40g)	4–6 sheets (80g)	8–12 sheets (160g)
Firm tofu, drained & pressed	5 oz (150g)	10 oz (300g)	20 oz (600g)
Unsweetened soy yogurt	½ cup (100g)	1 cup (200g)	2 cups (400g)
Nutritional yeast	2 tbsp (10g)	4 tbsp (20g)	8 tbsp (40g)
Ground turmeric	½ tsp	1 tsp	2 tsp
Fresh asparagus, trimmed	6–8 spears (100g)	12–16 spears (200g)	24–32 spears (400g)
Coconut oil, melted	1 tsp (4g)	2 tsp (8g)	4 tsp (16g)
Sparkling water, cold from bottle	2 tbsp (30ml)	4 tbsp (60ml)	8 tbsp (120ml)

✨ Chef’s Kiss: Add ⅛ tsp garlic powder to the custard when you blend it — it deepens the savory flavor enough that people ask whether there’s cheese in it. Impact: +0 calories, +0g protein.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Press the tofu for a custard that sets firm: Wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel and set something heavy on top – a cast iron pan, a stack of cookbooks. Leave it for 10 minutes. You’ll see moisture absorbed into the towel – that’s exactly what you’re removing. Skip this and your custard will weep liquid into the phyllo and the whole thing turns soggy. Press it and it sets clean and sliceable.
2. Blend the custard: Add the pressed tofu, soy yogurt, nutritional yeast, and turmeric to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth and pale yellow – no lumps, no graininess. It should look like thick, pourable sunshine. Season with salt and black pepper. This is your filling base.
3. Prep the asparagus: Trim the woody ends and slice the stalks into ½ inch (1cm) pieces. Pull out 4–5 of the prettiest tips and set them aside – these go on top and they’re your visual finish. Fold everything else into the custard and stir to combine.
4. Make the wash and preheat: Heat your oven to 400°F (200°C). In a small bowl, mix the melted coconut oil with cold sparkling water straight from the bottle. It won’t fully emulsify and that’s fine – you’re not making a sauce, you’re making steam.
5. Layer the phyllo: Lightly grease a small oven-safe baking dish, roughly 6–7 inch (15–18cm). Phyllo dries out fast once it’s out of the package – work quickly. Lay the first sheet in and let the edges drape over the sides. Brush with the wash. Repeat with remaining sheets, rotating the direction of the overhang slightly each time so you get full edge coverage all around.
6. Fill and fold: Pour the asparagus custard into the center. Fold the overhanging phyllo edges back in loosely toward the center – don’t press, just let the pastry ruffle and pleat naturally. The middle of the custard stays exposed. Press your reserved asparagus tips into the surface.
7. Bake until deeply golden: Bake for 25–30 minutes. You want the phyllo genuinely brown – not pale gold, actually brown. Press the center gently; it should feel firm and set, not wobbly. If the edges are browning faster than the center is setting, tent loosely with foil for the last 5 minutes.
8. Rest before you slice: Take it out of the oven and leave it alone for 5–10 minutes. The proteins in the tofu and yogurt keep setting as it cools. Cut into it too soon and the wedge collapses. Wait and it holds its shape clean.

PRO TIP: Use your sparkling water cold, straight from the bottle. The colder it is, the more active the carbonation, and active carbonation is what creates steam fast enough to separate the phyllo layers before they have time to fuse. Room temperature sparkling water still works, but cold gives you a noticeably crispier result.

CHEF’S KISS: Add a tiny pinch of garlic powder (⅛ tsp) to the custard when you blend it. Impact: +0 calories, +0g protein, but it deepens the savory flavor enough that people ask whether there’s cheese in it. That’s the reaction you want.

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🌱 PLANT DIVERSITY: Asparagus • Soy (tofu + soy yogurt, counted once) • Nutritional yeast • Wheat (phyllo) • Coconut • Turmeric

(If you’re tracking plants per week, this adds 5 to your count.)

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*Nutrition information is an estimate and may vary based on ingredients and brands used.* 

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ESSENTIALS

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You may find yourself in need of: 

Phyllo (Fillo) Dough Sheets – paper-thin pastry that bakes into golden, shattering layers. Not puff pastry – lighter, crisper, and essential for that ruffled, structured finish.

Extra Firm Tofu – base of the silky custard. A dense tofu presses properly and sets clean, giving you a sliceable tart instead of a watery center.

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