This lemon tart is made with a buttery pastry crust and filled with a zesty lemon curd filling. This tart is a ray of sunshine in a dessert!
I love making this Tarte au Citron tart for my family, they always say that it's like the pastries they like from Paris. And that's the most amazing compliment.
If you like summery desserts as we do, try out our lemon poppy seed muffins, lemonade bundt cake, lemon cooler cookies, fresh strawberry sheet cake, no-bake key lime pie, and our strawberry crumble cake.
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Why this recipe works
- Is made with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Made with simple ingredients.
- Perfect for summer and will light up your day!
- Made with a delicious buttery crust and filled with creamy lemon curd!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this lemon curd tart recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
For the crust:
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe. cake flour will work great as well.
Eggs- you will need 1 egg for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Kosher salt- you will need about ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this delicious crust.
Make sure that your butter is cold.
Powder sugar- you will need powder sugar for this recipe. you don’t have to buy powder sugar, you can simply make it at home by blending granulated sugar in a blender or food processor.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
For the lemon curd filling:
Lemon juice- use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon will give you the best result. We don't recommend using store-bought lemon juice. This will make the flavor pop!
Lemon zest- you will need ½ teaspoon of lemon zest. We recommend zesting the lemon first and then juicing it.
Granulated sugar– we like to use granulated sugar, also the most common sugar used in baking. Caster sugar will work great as well.
Butter- make sure that your butter is unsalted.
Kosher salt- you will need about a pinch of kosher salt for this filling.
Eggs and egg yolks- you will need eggs and egg yolks for this recipe. Make sure that your eggs are at room temperature.
Instructions
Start by making the tart dough. In a food processor, add the flour, powder sugar, and salt, and mix until combined.
Add the cold cubed butter, and blend until there are pea-sized pieces of butter. If you dont have a food processor, you can do it by hand, mixing the cold butter into the flour mixture. Make sure that your hands are cold.
Then, add the egg, and the vanilla extract and mix until a dough forms. Try not to overmix the dough.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Transfer the dough onto a clean floured surface and roll with a rolling pin into a circle and transfer it into a 9-inch tart pan. Cut off the extra edges. Make little holes with a fork and freeze for 20 minutes.
Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let it cool while making the filling.
Make the lemon curd:
Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook it over medium-low heat whisking constantly.
Once the butter melt, the consistency of the mixture will be thin, dont increase the heat. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens for about 5 minutes.
When the mixture thickens, transfer it to a fine-mesh strainer set over and bowl and strain the mixture from any unnecessary lumps. This will give you a perfect and smooth curd.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the mixture cool for about 20-30 minutes.
Pour the curd into the tart crust and smooth it out with a spatula. Bake the tart in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the edges are set.
Refrigerate the tart for at least 2 hours, cut, and serve!
Expert Tips
- Dont let the lemon curd come to a boil! This will cook the eggs and leave you with scrambled eggs. Make sure that the lemon curd mixture cooks over medium-low heat.
- Use COLD butter for the crust, we suggest cutting the butter into cubes and then placing it in the fridge, so when you are ready to use it, it will be very cold.
- If the crust puffs a bit while baking, press it down using a cup.
- Constantly whisk while making the curd! It is really important if you want to get a smooth and silky curd.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture.
- Use an easy-release tart pan. We use an easy-release tart pan for all of our tart recipes. This makes sure that your tart will be easy to release from the pan.
- Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Faq's
Cutting tart, the right way is very important. To get even and clean tart slices, make sure that you are using a serrated knife.
Our favorite way to cut tarts and cakes is by dipping a long knife into hot water, once the knife warms up, wipe off the excess water, and slice the tart. Dip and wipe the knife between every slice.
This tart will last for up to 4 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container, or in the freezer for up to a month stored in an airtight freezer-friendly container.
There are a few ways to decorate this tart! Top it with fresh berries, top it with a big dollop of whipped cream, top it with powder sugar, and top it with lemon slices.
Freezing
Freezing tart is very easy. Simply cover it with a plastic wrap tightly (a few layers) and transfer it into an airtight freezer-friendly container and freeze it for up to 2 months.
To thaw, place it in the fridge overnight.
Storing
Store this dessert in the fridge (because it contains dairy) covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 3 days. I like eating this the day after.
Variations
Meringue- make this into a lemon meringue tart by topping the tart with a big amount of meringue!
Tartlets- make this into mini lemon tartlets! You can use this exact recipe to make adorable lemon tartlets.
Substitutions
There are a few substitutions that may be helpful for your diet:
- Gluten-free - if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
- Dairy-free- you can make this dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter.
Serving tips
Whipped cream- we love topping this tart with a big dollop of whipped cream. This creates the most creamy and delicious bite.
Vanilla ice cream- serve this tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
More lemon recipes
Lemon cooler cookies- These lemon cooler cookies are made with fresh lemon zest and lemon juice, making the lemon flavor pop! These are the perfect summer cookies buttery and tossed in powder sugar.
Lemonade bundt cake- This lemonade bundt cake is made with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest and topped with a lemon glaze. This cake and bright and will light up your day!
Lemon ricotta pancakes- These pancakes are made with lemon zest, lemon juice, and ricotta cheese which makes these pancakes moist, extremely fluffy, and flavorful.
Honey lemon pepper wings- These honey lemon pepper wings are made with a sweet and savory glaze, baked in the oven or in an air fryer, extra easy to make, and taste absolutely incredible.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Tart
Equipment
- Tart pan Nonstick
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 â…“ cup Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- â…“ cup Powder sugar
- 115 g Butter cold
- 1 Egg large
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Lemon curd filling
- ½ cup Lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon Lemon zest
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 115 g Butter
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 Eggs large
- 4 Egg yolks large
Instructions
- Start by making the tart dough. In a food processor, add the flour, powder sugar, and salt, and mix until combined.
- Add cold cubed butter, and blend until there are pea-sized pieces of butter. If you dont have a food processor, you can do it by hand, mixing the cold butter into the flour mixture. Make sure that your hands are cold.
- Then, add the egg, and the vanilla extract and mix until a dough forms. Try not to overmix the dough.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Transfer the dough onto a clean floured surface and roll with a rolling pin into a circle and transfer it into a 9-inch tart pan. Cut off the extra edges. Make little holes with a fork and freeze for 20 minutes.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let it cool while making the filling.
Make the lemon curd:
- Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook it over medium-low heat whisking constantly.
- Once the butter melt, the consistency of the mixture will be thin, dont increase the heat. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens for about 5 minutes.
- When the mixture thickens, transfer it to a fine-mesh strainer set over and bowl and strain the mixture from any unnecessary lumps. This will give you a perfect and smooth curd.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the mixture cool for about 20-30 minutes.
- Pour the curd into the tart crust and smooth it out with a spatula. Bake the tart in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until the edges are set.
- Refrigerate the tart for at least 2 hours, cut, and serve!
Notes
- Dont let the lemon curd come to a boil! This will cook the eggs and leave you with scrambled eggs. Make sure that the lemon curd mixture cooks over medium-low heat.
- Use COLD butter for the crust, we suggest cutting the butter into cubes and then placing it in the fridge, so when you are ready to use it, it will be very cold.
- If the crust puffs a bit while baking, press it down using a cup.
- Constantly whisk while making the curd! It is really important if you want to get a smooth and silky curd.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture.
- Use an easy-release tart pan. We use an easy-release tart pan for all of our tart recipes. This makes sure that your tart will be easy to release from the pan.
- Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
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