Easy Lemon Tarts with a buttery shortbread crust, a zesty lemon curd filling and a red raspberry on top are as pretty as they are delicious! They are the sweetest, cutest, citrusy bite-sized portable treat for Easter, Mother’s Day or any spring event.
These best lemon tartlets are bursting with bright, lemon flavour from plenty of lemon zest and juice. I’m crazy for lemon desserts and these adorable lemon tarts crowned with raspberries are my all-time favourite. The luscious tangy lemon curd made with fresh lemons and zest has a vibrant flavour and the crumbly, buttery shortcrust pastry is crisp and golden. These delightful zesty lemon tarts are impossible to resist.
If you’ve never made a homemade tart or pie before, then read on to see how simple it is to make this mini lemon tarts recipe. Even beginners can master these tarts!
Why This is an Easy Lemon Tart Recipe
- Mix and press in dough. Tart shell dough mixes easily in one bowl and is simply pressed into muffin cups with no rolling required.
- No need to pre-bake tart shells. Unbaked formed tart shells are chilled until frozen then filled with a lemon curd mixture with no blind baking required.
- No pre-cooking of lemon curd required. Whisked lemon curd tart filling gets poured into frozen unbaked shells where it cooks and sets in the oven.
- Guaranteed crisp crust. Lemon tarts bake on the lower rack in the oven which ensures the pastry beneath the curd will crisp and brown while the lemon curd cooks and sets.
Ingredients Needed to Make Lemon Tarts
(Ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post)
- Butter – Use unsalted butter to make the tart shells and also some is needed to melt for the lemon curd.
- Granulated Sugar – Use in both the tart shells and the lemon curd for just the right amount of sweetness.
- Eggs – Room temperature large eggs are needed for both the tart shells and the lemon curd.
- Vanilla – Use pure vanilla extract to flavour the tart shells.
- All Purpose Flour – An unbleached all purpose flour is best for making the tart shells.
- Cornstarch – For thickening the lemon curd.
- Lemons – Both the zest and juice of four lemons is needed to create the zesty lemon curd.
- Raspberries – Fresh raspberries make the perfect garnish, or alternatively use strawberries, blueberries or a small lemon wedge.
How to Make Tart Shells
(Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.)
- In a large bowl blend butter and sugar until smooth then whisk in eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Add flour and salt to the wet mixture and stir with a spatula until a soft dough forms.
- Divide dough into two pieces, form each into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill up to 1 hour.
- Roll 2 tablespoons of dough into balls and place them in muffin cups. Press dough into each cup half way up the sides. Dough may look thin but it will puff up when baked. Place in the freezer to set.
How to Make Lemon Curd and Assemble Lemon Tarts
- In a medium bowl whisk the sugar, cornstarch and lemon zest.
- Whisk in the eggs and cooled butter until smooth.
- Carefully and evenly spoon 1½ tablespoons of lemon curd into each frozen tart shell. Bake on the lower rack of the oven for 15 – 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes in the pan before gently unmolding the tarts.
How to Cool the Lemon Tarts
The tarts are transferred to a cooling rack to cool completely after being baked. Once cooled, the raspberry garnish is placed on top.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No you cannot. You need to use fresh lemons for this recipe. The key flavouring of the lemon curd comes from the generous amount of zest from four fresh lemons and also the freshly squeezed lemon juice from the lemons. With bottled lemon juice you will be missing out on the vibrant, zesty lemon flavour these tarts are known for.
Yes! You can make these lemon thin tarts with limes, navel oranges or blood oranges for a different citrus experience.
No and no! That’s exactly why this recipe is so easy! The crust is mixed in a bowl and gets pressed into individual muffin cups with your fingers and chilled until frozen. The chilled crusts are filled with the lemon curd and the crust and curd cook together in the oven on a lower rack.
This recipe makes 24 individual mini tart sizes. I have never tried making it as one large lemon tart therefore I cannot be confident to say that it would work
Pro-Tips for Making Lemon Tartlets
- Eggs - Make sure the eggs are at room temperature.
- Muffin Tins - Ideally you need two standard 12-cup muffin tins for this recipe so you can bake all 24 tarts at one time.
- Greasing Tins - Greasing the cups of the muffin tins helps ensure browning of the crust and makes for easy removal.
- Pressing in Dough – Make sure you evenly press the dough into the bottom and half way up the sides of the muffin tins so the shells will be deep enough to hold the lemon curd.
- Freeze Shells - The unbaked formed tart shells should be frozen before being filled, and once filled with lemon curd, the tarts should be baked immediately.
- Lower Oven Rack: Adjust the oven rack to the second lowest rungs before you preheat the oven.
- Don’t Overfill Crusts - Do not overfill the formed crusts with lemon curd – the curd should reach just below the top edge.
- Curd Will Set Once Baked and Chilled - Follow the recommended baking time and the curd will almost look set but will continue to set as the tarts cool and chill.
- Garnish with Raspberries: Arrange the raspberries on top of the cooled tarts just before serving.
Serving, Storage and Freezing Tips
- Serve: Lemon curd tarts can be served at room temperature or cold from the refrigerator. Add the red raspberry garnish on top just before serving.
- Store: Keep in the refrigerator without the raspberry garnish for up to five days in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer which keeps them from sticking together.
- Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container without the raspberry garnish with parchment paper between each layer for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove the tarts from the container and arrange them on a rack to thaw at room temperature for 2 – 3 hours then top with raspberries.
If you like lemon desserts then try these:
Recipe
Lemon Tarts
Easy Lemon Tarts with a buttery shortbread crust, a zesty lemon curd filling and a red raspberry on top are as pretty as they are delicious! They are the sweetest, cutest, citrusy bite-sized portable treat for Easter, Mother’s Day or any spring event.
Ingredients
Tart Shells
- ½ cup butter softened to room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Lemon Curd Filling
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 lemons at room temperature, zested
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice zested lemons)
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon butter melted and cooled slightly
Garnish
- 24 fresh raspberries
Instructions
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Make the tart shells: In a large bowl with a spatula, blend softened butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, switch to a whisk and whisk until smooth. Add flour and salt and stir with a spatula until the mixture forms into a soft dough. Form dough into two equal balls and wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes up to 1 hour.
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Lightly grease 24 standard muffin cups. Roll 2 tablespoons of dough between the palms of your hands into 24 balls, and place them in the muffin cups. With your thumb press the dough into the bottom and about half way up the sides of each cup. Flour your fingers as you go if necessary. The dough may seem thin but it will puff up when baked. Place the pans in the freezer to allow the tarts to freeze while preheating the oven and preparing the filling.
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Meanwhile, place a rack on the second rung from the bottom of the oven then preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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Make the lemon curd filling: In a medium bowl whisk sugar, cornstarch and lemon zest. Whisk in lemon juice, eggs and cooled butter until smooth. Carefully and evenly spoon about 1½ tablespoons of the filling into each frozen tart shell. Evenly distribute any remaining filling taking care not to over-fill the tarts.
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Bake on the lower rack for 15 to 20 minutes or until just lightly golden and set. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Use a thin knife to gently lift the tarts from the pan and transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Store tarts in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature. Just before serving garnish each tart with a fresh raspberry.
Recipe Notes
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Eggs should be at room temperature.
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Use two standard 12-cup muffin tins for this recipe so you can bake all 24 tarts at one time.
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Greasing cups of the muffin tins helps ensure browning of the crust and makes for easy removal.
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Evenly press dough into the bottom and half way up the sides of the muffin tins so the shells will be deep enough to hold the lemon curd.
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Unbaked formed tart shells should be frozen before being filled, and once filled with lemon curd, the
tarts should be baked immediately. -
Adjust the oven rack to the second lowest rungs before you preheat the oven.
-
Don’t overfill the formed crusts with lemon curd – the curd should reach just below the top edge.
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Follow the recommended baking time and the curd will almost look set but will continue to set as the tarts cool and chill.
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Arrange raspberries on top of the cooled tarts just before serving.
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