This Lemon Tart features a thick, buttery crust filled with creamy, custardy lemon goodness. Finish with fresh berries and powdered sugar!
Love lemon desserts? You’ll love these Lemon Bars, creamy Lemon Pie, or Lemon Cookies!
A Homemade Lemon Tart
This Lemon Tart is a variation of my favorite lemon bars recipe, but instead of a shortbread crust, I’ve created a sugar-cookie-inspired crust. It’s buttery, sweet, and perfectly textured—firm enough for a great bite without being too hard.
The lemon filling is tangy, sweet, and slightly creamy, making it the perfect complement to the cookie-like crust. With a few simple kitchen tools, you’ll be on your way to Lemon Tart heaven! More on those tools below.
Tools You’ll Need
This Lemon Tart is easy to make with the right tools:
- A big food processor helps mix the crust easily.
- A correct-sized tart pan makes sure the recipe turns out right.
- Pie weights or dried beans (like lentils or rice) keep the crust from puffing up or shrinking. After chilling, cover the crust with parchment paper, fill it with weights, and bake.
- A fine strainer removes bits from the lemon filling for a smooth custard.
Lemon Tart Crust; And All About Par-Baking
For this lemon curd tart, the crust must be par-baked before adding the filling.
Blind baking means partially baking the crust so it’s golden brown before the filling goes in since it won’t cook much more afterward. Par-baking can be tricky, but these tips make it easy:
- Don’t stretch the dough. Press it gently into the pan to prevent shrinking.
- Prick the base with a fork—just halfway through—to prevent bubbling.
- Use pie weights or dried beans. They keep the crust from puffing up or shrinking. Skipping this step can ruin the crust!
- Bake twice. First, with weights; then remove them and bake again to set the crust fully.
What Is A Lemon Tart Made Of?
A few ingredients worth going into detail about:
- Butter: Better butter means better flavor. Use unsalted so you can control the salt.
- Vanilla: Vanilla bean paste adds more flavor, but regular vanilla extract works too.
- Heavy cream: This might seem unusual, but it helps balance the tartness and makes the custard extra smooth.
- Lemon zest: Stay away from the bitter white part. Use a fine grater to zest just the yellow outer layer.
How To Get More Juice From Lemons
- Microwave the lemons for 15-20 seconds.
- Knead the lemons with your hand against the counter for 20-30 seconds.
- Cut the lemon in half horizontally and juice the lemon using a juicer.
Quick Tip
This citrus juicer makes juicing the lemons a breeze! You’ll have 2/3 cup in no time at all! A medium lemon generally yields 4 ounces of juice.
How To Make A Lemon Tart (Tips)
- Top Tip: Keep everything cold. Use chilled ingredients, touch the dough as little as possible, and get it back in the fridge fast.
- Less handling helps the crust keep its shape and taste better.
- Don’t mix too much in the food processor—it warms the dough.
- Let it cool in the pan before taking it out to avoid cracks.
- Bake until set but slightly jiggly in the center—gently shake the pan to check.
Storage
How Long Does Lemon Tart Last In The Fridge?
Tarts are best eaten the day they’re made and shouldn’t be refrigerated for extended periods. It’s best to make this Lemon Tart early in the day to allow plenty of time for it to rest before serving.
More Delicious Desserts:
- Dessert Cheese Ball brownie-batter flavored
- Cheesecake Bars with a graham cracker crust
- Peach Lemonade with real peaches and lemons
- Mini Fruit Tart with sugar cookie cups
- Blueberry Cobbler with a sweet cookie topping
Lemon Tart
Equipment
- Tart pan 11-inch
- Large food processor or powerful blender
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter almost 1.5 sticks
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2-1/2 cups flour
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 to 4 large lemons
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Serving suggestions see note 1
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Cut the cold butter into small cubes and refrigerate. Grease the tart pan with cooking spray and place it on a large tray. Set aside.
- In a large food processor or powerful blender, add cubed butter, powdered sugar, and flour. Pulse in 1-second intervals until the butter forms small pieces, about 20–25 pulses.
- Add egg yolk, vanilla extract, salt, and the very cold water. Pulse until the dough starts to clump, about 20–25 more pulses. The dough should form large clumps but still appear a bit crumbly. Transfer the mixture to a clean work surface and shape it into a ball. Add a touch of flour if needed (if the dough is too sticky). Press the dough evenly into the prepared tart pan, covering the sides and center. Poke the bottom of the crust 8 times with a fork, only halfway through. Freeze for 20 minutes or cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Remove tart from freezer. Place a sheet of parchment paper over it and fill with dried beans, rice, or pie weights to keep the crust in shape. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment, then bake another 5–10 minutes until the edges are light brown and the bottom is set. Let cool while preparing the filling.
Lemon Filling and Topping
- Meanwhile, add eggs to a large bowl. In the same food processor or blender, add sugar and the zest of 3 large lemons (about 2 tablespoons packed). Pulse until the zest is broken down, but avoid turning the sugar into powdered sugar. Add this sugar mixture to the eggs along with 1/2 cup lemon juice, cream, and a pinch of salt. Whisk thoroughly until combined.
- Pour half the lemon filling through a mesh strainer into partially baked crust. Carefully transfer tray back to oven, then pour in remaining filling. Bake for 18–25 minutes, or until tart is set with a slight jiggle in the center. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Remove the tart and slice it using a hot, sharp knife (run under hot water and dry with a towel). If desired, top with fresh berries and a sprinkle of powdered sugar just before serving.
Video
Recipe Notes
- A large food processor is essential for making the crust.
- Use the right size tart pan for the recipe to work properly.
- Have pie weights, dried beans, lentils, or rice on hand. After chilling the crust, cover it with parchment paper and fill with weights or beans to prevent bubbling and shrinking.
- Pour the lemon filling through a sieve to catch unwanted bits, ensuring a smooth filling.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I followed your recipe, but the tart would not set properly. Exact measurements for the lemon
juice ingredients would be beneficial as all lemons are not equal. I used lemons from my tree which are enormous here in Califonia.
It does say exact amounts in the recipe card — 1/2 cup juice and 2 tbsp zest
This lemon tart is right up my alley! It looks so gorgeous.
Thank you so much Jessica! 🙂
I’m usually not the biggest lemon fan, but this tart looks soooo good. My mom is a lemon fanatic, so I should definitely make this for her – she’d go nuts for it!