Juicy heirloom tomatoes meet a buttery, flaky crust and creamy cheese filling in this vibrant tomato galette. It’s rustic, unfussy, and the easiest way to turn peak-season tomatoes into something show-stopping.
A galette is essentially pie’s more relaxed cousin — free-form, forgiving, and beautifully imperfect. No special pans, no crimping stress.
It’s the galette that celebrates every color of the tomato rainbow. Serve for brunch, lunch, or a light dinner with a simple green salad.
If you need an excuse to eat tomatoes, cheese, and pastry for dinner — this is it.
Why this Tomato Galette Recipe Works
- Salting the tomatoes first. A quick 15-minute salt draws out their juices, concentrating the tomato flavor, and helps prevent a soggy crust.
- All the flavors. Sweet, tart, juicy and savory tomatoes pair with a buttery, flaky crust and a creamy, cheesy filling.
- Rustic. The truly magical quality of galettes. The free-form crust wraps around the filling, requiring no precision or perfection necessary.
Up your presentation game with all the tomato colors and create a rainbow galette!
Note: making this galette with single tomato color and variety works as well!
When Are Tomatoes in Season?
Tomatoes, a quintessential summer fruit, are in peak season in California July through September.
The arrival of summer brings a stunning bounty of heirloom tomato varieties in all sorts of colors and sizes. There are over 15,000 known varieties of tomatoes, ranging in flavor from mild to sweet to tangy and even smoky, with varying degrees of acidity. To find all sorts of variations, skip the grocery store and head to your local farmer’s market.
Food taste best grown in its own season
How to Make this Tomato Galette
- Prepare the dough in a stand mixer or food processor, or use store-bought. If homemade, chill before rolling.
- Salt the tomatoes and let them sit to draw out excess moisture.
- Mix the cheese filling.
- Roll out the dough and briefly chill again if needed.
- Spread the cheese filling, then layer the tomatoes on top.
- Fold the edges over the filling to form the galette.
- Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with parmesan.
- Bake until golden and bubbling.
- Finish with olive oil, fresh herbs, flaky sea salt, and black pepper.
Cheese Filling Notes: Mascarpone is delicious here, but goat cheese, cream cheese, whipped feta, or ricotta work well too. If using ricotta, drain it thoroughly to avoid a soggy crust.
Enjoy these in-process pics for easy cooking!
Cooks Tips
- When possible, buy local, sustainably grown heirloom tomatoes.
- For the flakiest pastry, start with very cold butter.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days). It also freezes well for up to a month.
- Always salt the tomatoes to draw out excess moisture and prevent a soggy crust.
- Galettes are meant to be rustic — don’t stress about perfection.
- This tomato galette is best served warm, straight from the oven.
More Galette Recipes
Once you master a galette, you’ll realize the secret — they’re all basically the same awesomely forgiving dish. Just wrap buttery pastry dough around a sweet (or savory) filling and bake until golden and bubbling.
Try one of these next:
- Rhubarb Galette – sweet berries and tangy rhubarb baked into flaky buttery pastry — a vibrant spring dessert that’s easier than pie.
- Mixed Berry Galette – sweet-tart berries baked into a jammy filling wrapped in buttery pastry.
- Peach Galette – juicy summer peaches baked into a flaky rustic crust that’s literally easier than pie.
- Strawberry Rhubarb Galette – sweet strawberries and tangy rhubarb baked into the ultimate spring galette.
- Apple Galette – thinly sliced apples layered into the most beautiful fall galette (this one even won a food photography award!).
- Pear Galette – ripe pears baked with vanilla-scented cream cheese and tart berries.
More Tomato Recipes
If you’re looking for more tomato inspiration, check out rainbow tomato guide and colorful tomato recipes below.
- Tomato Confit - low-and-slow roasted cherry tomatoes in olive oil until sweet, jammy, sweet and bursting with umami.
- Tomato Watermelon Salad - sweet, juicy, crunchy, salty, briny, and tangy summer salad.
- Gazpacho - a watermelon strawberry twist on the classic Spanish cold tomato soup.
- Baked Feta with Tomatoes - A quick and easy baked feta appetizer bursting with bright, bold Mediterranean flavors.
- Tomato Puff Pastry Tart - Crispy, buttery puff pasty topped with a lemony, creamy ricotta and fresh, juicy tomatoes
- Cherry Tomato & Burrata Pasta – roasted tomatoes with creamy burrata makes the ultimate summer comfort pasta.
If ya tried it, I'd love to hear — leave a comment below and tag me on IG, @danielagerson, so I can see too!
There's a whole lot more seasonal recipes and colorful produce guides waiting for ya on the site.
Let's make waves in the kitchen.
Notes: Rainbow tomato bounty is from SF ferry building farmers market, Santa Monica farmers market, and The Hungry Gardens.
Tomato Galette
Ingredients
For the Galette Dough
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 egg beaten
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter cubed
For the Heirloom Tomato Filling
- 1½ pounds heirloom tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 8 ounces mascarpone room temperature
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon of water (for egg wash)
- ½ cup parmesan grated
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- freshly cracked black pepper
- flaky sea salt
- fresh basil or other herbs optional
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Pulse flour, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Add cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add shredded cheddar and pulse briefly to combine. Drizzle in the egg and pulse just until the dough begins to come together.
- Form into a disk, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare the Tomatoes
- Lay sliced tomatoes on a towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and let sit for 15–20 minutes to draw out excess moisture. Gently pat dry. (This prevents soggy crust — crucial.)
Make the Filling
- In a bowl, combine mascarpone, garlic, lemon juice, and salt until smooth.
- Assemble the Galette
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Roll chilled dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet
- Spread mascarpone mixture over dough, leaving a 1½–2 inch border. Arrange tomatoes on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with black pepper and flaky salt.
- Fold dough edges over filling, overlapping slightly. Brush crust with egg wash.
Bake
- Bake 35–45 minutes, until crust is deeply golden and tomatoes begin to blister. Let cool slightly. Top with fresh basil and serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- When possible, buy local heirloom tomatoes grown sustainably.
- For a flakier and more delicate pastry dough, start with very cold butter.
- Dough must chill in the fridge at least 2 hours and up to 2 days and will keep up to a month in the freezer.
- Remember to salt the tomatoes to release their liquid and prevent a soggy crust.
- Embrace galettes inner chill and don’t worry about perfection when assembling.
- The galette tastes best straight from the oven, served warm.
Beautiful and colorful compositions for an amazing delicious galette, thanks chefdanielagerson. Can’t wait to make it.
xoxo
Absolute pleasure!!! You are too cute! I hope I can make this for you soon :). How amazing are all the rainbow tomatoes :)?
This galette is fabulous! I love all those beautiful colors, and it was so simple to prepare. I'll definitely enjoy this all throughout heirloom tomato season!
Yayyyyy!!! Thats like sweet music to my ears! Thank you so much Amanda for the feedback! Galettes are awesomely simple to make and its so fun to top it with all the colors of the rainbow! Am loving the heirloom tomato bounty in season :).
What a gorgeous post and wonderful recipe! Fresh, perfect tomatoes are one of my favorite parts of summer. Here in Ohio, the season is fleeting and such a treasure! I've grown some of the varieties you mention - like Black Beauty and Sungold (one of my favorites!). But so many others I'd never even hear of - like Thorbutn Terra Cotta, White Tomesol, Blue Cream Berries, and those darling Sweet Pea Current Tomatoes! So inspiring!! Thank you for this lovely post!
Absolute pleasure!!! And thats so rad that you grown your own tomatoes! Joni from the Hungry Gardens grew lots of those tomatoes and told me what all the varieties are! I'm so stoked to have inspired you and you are definitely inspiring by growing your own food :-):):)!!!
I loved using my tomatoes for this recipe! So easy and perfect for brunch! 🙂
You just have to try the recipe after these amazing photos! Great tips and fantastic galette!
Thank ya and I hope you do!!! Galettes really are so easy to make and the heirloom tomatoes at the farmers markets are so colorful in the summer :)!
Wow. when you have so many beautiful tomatoes, this is the perfect way to showcase them.
Yessss!!! The farmers markets are filled with such amazingly colorful rainbow tomato bounty! All the heirlooms in all the colors - I love it :)!
What a flavorful and delicious recipe to try this summer. Thanks for sharing. Pinned
Thanks so much Kushigalu! I'm def a very colorful food kinda gal! And live in awe at the colors of produce. So amazing how we can find tomatoes in all the colors of the rainbow :)!
Your photography is stunning! You've capture the beauty of the season with this fabulous galette! Those juicy tomatoes are calling to me...looks SO good!
You are too kind Tammy! The tomatoes are so stunning and such a pleasure to photograph! I cant believe all the fabulous colors of the heirloom tomatoes in season! Thank so much for the super sweet feedback :).
Your heirloom tomatoes are picture perfect. What gorgeous colors and featuring them in a galette certainly shows off their beauty. The galette would be ideal for a luncheon I'm hosting next week. Now to find those tomatoes. I've pinned the recipe so I don't lose it.
Wooohoooo's so super stoked to read your feedback Marisa! Thank ya so much! It's so amazing how heirloom tomatoes really do come in every single color of the rainbow :)! Hope it turned out fab for your luncheon :)!
We loved this savory and cheesy tomato Galette. Your heirloom tomatoes were beautiful , I couldn't find all of the colors you had but still delicious. The crust is so buttery and flaky, I couldn't stop eating it. This whole meal just tasted of summer, SO GOOD!!
Love and appreciate your sweet feedback Debbie - thank ya! And it tastes just as good if the tomatoes aren't in every single color of the rainbow like I managed to get :). I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it :)!
What a gorgeous galette! And the basket with all the heirloom tomatoes is stunning!! This is the epitome of summer!
Thank ya so much! It's so amazing how heirloom tomatoes really do come in every color of the rainbow and agreed that they're the epitome of summer (along with berries and stone fruit :))., Really appreciate the sweet feedback!
Super yummy. I had to tweak it based on what ingredients I had available (shredded Mexican blend cheese instead of cheddar in the dough, 4 oz jalapeño Laughing Cow cheese + 4 oz plain Greek yogurt instead of mascarpone). I also drizzled with lemon-infused olive oil instead of regular EVOO before baking.
Your version sounds delish MB! Thanks so much for sharing and the lemon-infused olive oil sounds super yummy on it :).