This delicious Lemon Tart has a cookie-like shortbread crust with a sweet and slightly tart lemon filling. A truly special dessert that is easier than pie!
Love lemon desserts? You’ll love my mom’s tried and true Lemon Bars and my absolutely lovely Limoncello Cookies.
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Lemon dessert lovers rejoice!
There is so much to love about this Lemon Tart. Fresh lemon juice and zest create this bright, beautiful, and absolutely delicious dessert.
If you love lemon bars, you’re going to love this easy tart. It’s more elegant but has that familiar taste we all love.
Table of contents
Lemon Tart Recipe Highlights
- Unique – A tart is an impressive and unexpected dessert for any gathering. Everyone expects cake or pie but a tart is something special. You’ll feel like a pro baker!
- Easy Crust – No need to chill or roll out the dough! Just press it into the bottom of a pan and the tart shell is ready to fill.
- Presentation – Using a tart pan with a removable bottom allows you to easily transfer the tart to a platter for serving. Pretty it up with a little powdered sugar and fresh raspberries for a beautiful centerpiece to your holiday table.
- Versatile – A lemon dessert is the perfect way to welcome spring and a delicious choice for your Easter dessert menu. But, with lemons available all year round, this recipe works for any season.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter – Both melted butter for the filling and cubed cold butter for the crust.
- All-purpose flour – For the crust.
- Large eggs – For the lemon filling.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar sweetens the lemon filling. And, I use both granulated sugar and powdered sugar for the shortbread pastry dough. The granulated sugar creates a crumbly, cookie-like crust while the powdered sugar adds a melt in your mouth texture.
- Lemons – A couple of lemons, zested and juiced. I love using Meyer lemons in my lemon dessert recipes when they are available.
- Slivered almonds – Almonds add flavor and a wonderful crunch to the shortbread crust.
- Garnish – I like to dust the finished tart with a little powdered sugar and some fresh berries. It would also be delicious served with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
How to Make a Lemon Tart
This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Easy Almond Shortbread Tart Crust
- In a food processor, pulse the almonds with the granulated sugar until finely ground.
- Add the flour, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and cold cubed butter and process until the mixture comes together (it takes a little while, but it will come together in almost a ball).
- Pull the dough out of the food processor and work into a ball with your hands. Set the dough down in the center of the prepared tart pan.
- Pat the dough across the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom so it is flush with the top edges of the pan. Pat the dough into an even thickness across the bottom.
Lemon Tart Filling
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add the cooled melted butter and whisk vigorously for about a minute, until smooth.
- Place the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the lemon filling into the crust. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and mostly set.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the tart pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Remove a Tart from a Tart Pan
- Once completely cooled, remove the outer edge of the tart pan then slide the tart off the base and on to a serving platter.
- It can help to slide a very thin spatula (like an offset spatula) between the crust and metal bottom to help nudge it off.
Tips for the Best Lemon Tart
- Nonstick Spray – Lightly coat the removable bottom of the tart pan (just the bottom, not the sides) with nonstick cooking spray. Even though tart pans have a nonstick coating, this will ensure easy transfer of the tart to a platter.
- Tart Crust Dough – If you have trouble with the crust coming together in the food processor, scoop it up and work the dough with your hands. The warmth from your hands should help it come together in a ball.
- Baking Sheet – Place the tart pan on a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven.
- Pie Crust Shield – To prevent over-browning, I highly recommend using an inexpensive pie crust shield. If you want to use a sheet of aluminum foil instead, lightly coat it with nonstick spray and set it very lightly over the top once the filling has mostly set up and the crust is golden brown. If you don’t use either, the tart crust will get very well browned but it will still be delicious!
- Let it Cool – The filling will continue to set up as it cools making the tart easier to nudge on to a serving platter. Don’t try to remove the tart from the tart pan until it has completely cooled.
- Make Ahead – Make the tart the day before you plan to serve it and refrigerate it overnight. Garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar just before serving.
Storage Tips
- Refrigerate – The Lemon Tart filling contains eggs so it should be refrigerated. Cover leftovers with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to a week.
- Freeze – Cover the completely cooled tart tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap and freeze for up to three months.
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Lemon Tart
This delicious Lemon Tart has a cookie-like shortbread crust with a sweet and slightly tart lemon filling. A truly special dessert that is easier than pie!
Ingredients
Lemon Filling
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons (I use Meyer lemons)
Crust
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- ½ cup cold butter, cubed
Garnish
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh raspberries, optional
Instructions
- Allow the melted butter and eggs for the lemon filling to stand at room temperature while you prepare the crust.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. with a rack in the bottom third of the oven (one position down from center). Lightly coat a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with nonstick cooking spray (on the removable bottom only).
Make the Tart Crust
- In a food processor, pulse the almonds with the granulated sugar until finely ground. Add the flour, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and cold cubed butter and process until the mixture comes together (it takes a little while, but it will come together in almost a ball). Pull the dough out of the food processor and work into a ball with your hands.
- Set the ball of dough down in the center of the prepared tart pan. Pat the dough across the bottom and up the sides of the fluted edge of the pan so it is flush with the top edges of the pan. Pat the dough with your hands to pat it down into an even thickness across the bottom.
Make the Lemon Filling
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add the cooled melted butter and whisk vigorously for about a minute, until smooth.
Assemble and Bake the Tart
- Place the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the lemon filling into the crust. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and mostly set (very slight jiggle is ok). If the edges of the crust are getting too brown, carefully cover the edges of the crust with a pie crust shield. Alternately, coat a sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray and lightly set it over the top for the remainder of the baking time. Remove from the oven and transfer the tart pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once completely cooled, remove the outer edge of the tart pan then slide the tart off the base and on to a serving platter (don’t do until completely cooled). It can help to slide a very thin spatula (like an offset spatula) between the crust and metal bottom to help nudge it off.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the surface of the tart with powdered sugar. Serve with fresh raspberries, if desired.
- Leftovers should be refrigerated.
Notes
Storage
- Refrigerate – The Lemon Tart filling contains eggs so it should be refrigerated. Cover leftovers with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to a week.
- Freeze – Cover the completely cooled tart tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap and freeze for up to three months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 42g | Vitamin A: 622IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
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