You might be asking yourself, Deb, why are you publishing a lemon tart recipe when the greatest lemon tart of all time already exists on your site? Okay, I’m embellishing a little, but I do really love the whole lemon tart and its sister recipe, the whole lemon bars in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook every bit as much as you — the simplicity, the complexity, the surprise of it all.
But that doesn’t stop me from ever being able to resist a classic lemon curd tart (tarte au citron) in a pastry shop case. Ideally somewhere in Paris, where it’s a staple. Give me a crisp, buttery shell with a beaming puddle of silky lemon curd inside and I’m going to dive right in every time, and especially in winter when we’re crying out for more daylight and warmth.
What I didn’t have is my own go-to recipe for a classic lemon tart. Yes, the internet is full of great ones; so are my cookbook shelves. It wasn’t for a lack of options. It’s that I have a minor quibble with most. So many lemon curd tart recipes come from famous pastry shops and pastry chefs and that’s wonderful — for them. Or for me when I’m lucky enough to eat one they have presented.
But I am a home cook in a very basic kitchen with only a moderate amount of patience. I don’t want to have to figure out what to do with six egg whites when the filling only uses yolks. I don’t want to roll out a tart crust if I can just press it in. I don’t want to use pie weights, ever. I don’t want to use a thermometer to check the filling temperature. And I want to use butter in the amounts it’s packaged in — here, that’s 4-ounce sticks. Finally, I want the filling to fill out the shell, so it’s just as brimming with joy and skill as the ones the professionals make.
It took a few citrus seasons of tinkering but it’s ready and I couldn’t wait any longer (like, perhaps, for egg prices to come down) to share it with you because this is the One: a lemon tart for home cooks like me. It uses whole eggs, whole sticks of butter, no rolling pins, no pie weights, and you can skip the thermometer if you trust your eyes to know when the filling has thickened — or your wrist, as the whisk begins to drag. It’s fancy enough to be served to the fanciest people at the fanciest brunch, but simple and sunny enough to make a gusting, icy winter day feel at least briefly endurable. It’s zinging with lemon and just looking at it makes me happy. Having a slice with a dollop of cream and a handful of fresh berries? It’s an assignment.
Video
Classic Lemon Curd Tart
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) powdered sugar or 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine, diced
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (225 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large or 5 medium-large lemons
- 5 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
- Whipped cream and berries, to serve (optional)
Crust
Filling
Make the crust: Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and blend until the mixture forms large clumps — just keep running it; it might take another full minute for it to come together, but it will. Set a marble or two of dough aside, and transfer the rest of it to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom [I’m using this one] set on a large baking sheet (for drips and stability). Press the dough evenly across the bottom and up the sides. Transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes, until solid.
Parbake crust: Once firm, prick all over with a fork. Coat a piece of foil with nonstick spray and press it oiled-side-down tightly against the frozen crust, so it is tightly molded to the shape. Bake tart with foil (no pie weights needed) for 20 minutes, then carefully, gently, a little at a time, peel back foil and discard. If cracks have formed, use the marbles of dough you set aside to patch it. Return the crust to the oven for 5 minutes, until golden at edges and dry to the touch. Set the crust aside.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Place sugar and salt in a medium-sized pot and fine grate the zest of four lemons over it. Use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar and salt, releasing as much flavor as you can and breaking up the zest strips a little. Add eggs and whisk until evenly combined. Squeeze the lemons to make a strained 2/3 cup of juice and whisk juice into egg-sugar-zest mixture.
Transfer the saucepan to the stove and heat over low-medium, stirring constantly once the mixture begins to warm, until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes. [It will thicken at about 175°F, or just below a simmer, but it should both look thicker and feel thicker, as your whisk will drag a little.] Add butter, a piece or two at a time, and stir until melted. Remove from heat and pour into the tart crust. (It’s fine if the crust is still hot from the oven.)
Bake the tart: For 15 minutes or until the filling is mostly set. Chill the tart completely in the fridge; it will finish setting once cool.
Serve: Gently push up on the bottom of the tart pan to pull down the sides of the pan. Transfer the tart to serving plate and cut into wedges. Serve with dollops of whipped cream and fresh berries.
Previously
6 months ago: Salted Caramel Peach Crisp
1 year ago: Crispy Potatoes with Mushrooms
2 year ago: Cauliflower Salad with Dates and Pistachios
3 years ago: Spanakopita
4 year ago: Parmesan Oven Risotto
5 years ago: Roasted Squash and Tofu with Ginger
6 years ago: Plush Coconut Cake
7 years ago: Sheet Pan Meatballs with Crispy Turmeric Chickpeas
8 years ago: Chocolate Dutch Baby
9 years ago: Blood Orange, Almond, and Ricotta Cake and Cabbage and Sausage Casserole
10 years ago: Key Lime Pie and Make Your Own Vanilla Extract
11 years ago: Pear and Hazelnut Muffins and Warm Lentil and Potato Salad
12 years ago: Lentil Soup with Sausage, Chard, and Garlic
13 years ago: Buttermilk Roast Chicken
14 years ago: Baked Potato Soup
15 years ago: Black Bean Soup + Toasted Cumin Seed Crema and Cranberry Syrup and an Intensely Almond Cake
16 years ago: Clementine Cake and Mushroom Bourguignon
17 years ago: Chicken Caesar Salad and Fried Chicken
18 years ago: Grapefruit Yogurt Cake
This looks amazing! Just curious- what are the key differences between this tart and the whole lemon tart in your archives? Flavor, technique, other elements?
The whole lemon tart has a thicker filling and much more complex flavor, with bitter notes from the rind. This filling is closest to a classic lemon curd.
Hi! I’m genuinely curious – why does it work to use whole eggs when most curd recipes call for just the yolks?
Yolks give you a brighter, richer curd. But it doesn’t change the flavor. Leaving the whites in makes this slightly less translucent and maybe a touch more pale but the flavor will be just tart and lemony.
Good to know – I always feel bad throwing whites out! Thanks, looking forward!
Though I’d definitely be happy for a link to all your favorite recipes that use up whites (and aren’t meringues or diet bread!)
I’m not Deb, but one of my favorite recipes that uses an egg white (and is super adaptable) is her granola-crusted nuts. It’s really easy to scale that one up too!
Also, a bit of a time investment but homemade marshmallows are delicious. Though that one is pretty much a meringue.
leftover egg whites can be kept for a few days in the fridge (I just put them in a small jar or a small bowl covered with cling plastic wrap). I simply make egg-white omelettes with them, or mix them with additional eggs to add volume to regular omelettes – just without the added fat/cholesterol from the yolks :)
Make the French little cakes Financiers – they use only egg whites and are gluten free. And delicious.
I’m very excited to try this – I have been on a quest for the perfect lemon tart recipe for a long time. I must admit I didn’t like your whole lemon recipe – too bitter- but that is probably the only SK recipe that I haven’t liked out of the dozens we have made throughout the years.
To tell the truth I thought the whole lemon tart recipe was too sweet- after at least 3 trials with different size lemons, cutting back the sugar, etc. Are we doing something wrong?? But, like you that’s the only SK recipe that has ever not worked for me. Just made this today and it’s fantastic!
Oh my word, I can hardly wait! We don’t have a two-part tart pan. Can I make do with a pie plate?
Yes. The two-part pan is just for easier removal.
Looks amazing!!! Will make immediately. Can I use a regular springform pan for this? Or is a pie pan preferable in the absence of a tart pan?
Either will work. Removable sides and bases are just about ease of serving it outside the pan.
I just made mine in a standard pie plate and I would suggest putting a disc of parchment paper at the bottom – the crust released from the sides just fine but definitely not from the bottom. Still delicious!
This looks great, perfect for the winter doldrums. Do you have any idea how it more with vegan butter? Will the custard filling translate well? Thank you!
I make lemon curd from an old BA recipe for my family(and leave in the zest). It freezes well and they love it. One DIL couldn’t eat dairy on year while breastfeeding. So I made 2 separate batches using butter vs vegan butter and I was suprised by the vegan butter one, because there was virtually no difference! Love Deb’s recipes and I can’t wait to try it.
Thank you! I can’t eat dairy right now while breastfeeding and I really want to make this!
I’m so excited that someone answered this!! Also breastfeeding and dairy free but I don’t have to be dessert free!
Are Meyer lemons a workable substitution?
Yes, you might drop the last 2 tablespoons sugar in the filling, as they’re less tart.
Made this last night with Meyer lemons and it was perfect as written!! Was lovely!!
As others have said, I’ve made the whole lemon tart and was surprised that I didn’t like it. I always wondered if it was because I always use Meyer lemons from my tree and not the traditional eureka lemons from the grocery store. I would be curious if others have tried with both types of lemons.
I only used regular lemons following her instructions about the lemon size. Never tried Meyers! But following in case someone has other intel. I tried the recipe several times with different amounts of sugar.
this is beautiful! just looking at the colour made me happy :)
Dear Deb,
Would you mind adding grams to the description of the filling? “Squeeze the lemons to make a strained 2/3 cup of juice” – that should be 153 g if I did my math correctly and all other continentals wouldn’t have to convert too.
Today, we had our lemon curd with galettes but there’s lemons left for tomorrow.
The metric equivalent for a liquid would be in milliliters, not grams. You’d measure it in a glass measuring cup, not on a scale.
You’re correct that it could be measured with a measuring cup, but a lot of liquid ingredients can also be measured in grams! It surprised me at first to see some recipes written with weights for liquid ingredients, but it’s pretty convenient if you’re using a scale.
Actually, no, Fiona was correct. If I am weighing the dry ingredients, I also want a weight for the wet ones.
Telling me the ml volume is obviously a thing people who don’t weigh ingredients believe is a conversion, but it isn’t a useful one. You could also convert it to micrograms or % of a ton, but those aren’t useful either.
Yes, the reality of cooking with a scale is measuring as many ingredients as possible on it! Most liquid ingredients are close enough to water that 1ml = 1g. The exception is things like cream or oil, which are significantly more dense.
It’s going to be 155 grams or 155 ml. (Like water, lemon juice is about the same in ml and grams.)
I think you have a typo in this reply.
Yes I do! Now edited.
Yum. I have a lot of frozen homemade curd–can this be made with pre-made curd?
I haven’t tested it with pre-made curd so I cannot say for sure.
I don’t have a food processor. Any tips on how to make the crust without one?
Hi Sarah. I don’t have a food processor, either, so plan to make the crust using a pastry blender, which is how I make pie crust. (And two dinner knives slashing through the ingredients can sub for a pastry blender, too.) Bon appetit!
This looks so delicious!!. Will this still work if I poured the filling in a store bought graham crust pan? Has anyone in the comments section tried graham crust? How did it go? Thanks
I have used store bought graham cracker and flour crusts. Both worked and tasted great. I’ve also used all regular lemons and a mix of Meyer and regular lemons. This is a wonderful recipe. Quick and delicious.
It should be just fine with a graham crust.
Thank you Deb. Thank you Valzora. I appreciate the update. Thanks
You can use softened butter in a stand mixer. You can also melt the butter and just pour it over the dry ingredients. I wouldn’t recommend a pastry blender here. We’re not trying to keep the butter bits intact or anything.
I melted the butter to make the crust as I don’t have access to a food processor – I added a bit more flour to make the dough a bit easier to press in- maybe a tablespoon or two. Followed the rest of the recipe as written. My family absolutely adored this tart! Tarte citron is one of my husbands’s favourites and he was very happy with this one! The curd is superb. Thank you for making a recipe simpler AND better!!!
Ha ha ha. I guess I should have read the comments first. Pulled out my pastry blender to make the crust. Now I get it. Ended up using my hands to work it. Wish me luck!
Reporting back… the crust was a disaster. It completely stuck to the nonstick tart pan. I was pretty much hacking off pieces to serve. It was still well received because the lemon curd was delicious.
I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a tart pan. Found it.
This is my favorite line of yours, possibly ever: “I don’t WANT to have to figure out what to do with six egg whites”. I mean, exactly. This is why I’ve been coming to your site for years (um, since my 15yo was tiny, so…a while?). Your writing and your recipes are always pitch-perfect. Thank you.
Separately, your timing is impeccable: my younger child was just asking earlier today about making lemon curd. We’ll try this ASAP!
Could I use passion fruit and get the same result. If so, should I still zest a lemon or two to go with it?
Good question, I would like to have a passion fruit curd recipe too. Occasionally I would see passion fruits, though expensive, it would be a fun bake.
I’d like to make this for a dinner I’m hosting on a workday. I’m assuming I could leave the crust in the freezer for a few days. How far ahead could I complete the tart, since it has to chill?
Yes, you could also just leave the crust, once par-baked, at room temp. It’s like a cookie. The tart can be made several days (up to 5) in advance. It keeps.
Deb,
Have you ever tried a melted butter tart crust? This one from Alice Medrich changed my life! This is not my website, but it is outlined here: https://www.bonniejomanion.com/blog/best-sweet-tart-dough-recipe-ever?format=amp
I have, and you could melt the butter here too.
Made this last night, it is delicious and very easy to make. Much easier than the typical lemon curd recipes.
Definitely grease the tart pan and line with parchment for easier removal! I didn’t think about it until after and the crust stuck to the pan quite a lot.
The crust was SOOOOO sticky to work with, nearly impossible to press into the pan, had to keep adding flour to the actual pan and my hands. Would have been way better to just have added more flour (minimum of 1/4cup more) to begin with. Curious if you are making this recipe with a scale Deb or measuring cups? I use a kitchen scale for everything, so followed the grams of the recipe and the the crust just seemed way off. Like no where near a workable shortbread crust. Not sure where I went wrong. That all said, the end result was lovely. I only used 200 gram sugar in the filling and used Yuzu and Lemon zest/juice and the freaking curd is excellent! Sour, lively, bright, just sweet enough! I could eat this all myself hahahaha!
I’m also not totally sold on the crust. I used a glass pie pan and the crust was wafer thin, it was very difficult to get even, and it was difficult to get a slice out without the crust shattering everywhere. It also slumped a bit in the oven too. I think I would use pie weights next time, maybe that will help? It’s overall delicious, and the curd is excellent but I might use a different crust recipe next time.
This looks amazing! I’m looking forward to trying it as-is, but I’m very tempted to replace a tablespoon or two of flour in the crust with cocoa powder as I love a chocolate-lemon combination (or make it even easier with a chocolate cookie crust).
From the moment you posted this I was thinking about it – returned to the grocery store again today to purchase lemons and more eggs. The crust is AMAZING. Best and easiest tart dough that I’ve ever made. I did not have any problems with it sticking to the tart pan, even ungreased. The filling was great, but admittedly a little too sweet for me. My partner said it was perfect. I think that I may revisit your “whole lemon tart” and see if I prefer it now – years ago I thought it was a little too tart. Regardless, this recipe is outstanding and the perfect antidote to yet another terribly cold winter day.
(and for the passionfruit curd questioners, I think that this recipe would work well with any other type of curd.)
You might like it with just 1 cup sugar instead of 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons in the filling. I tested it both ways. My husband actually likes the 1 cup but I found it was almost mouth-hurting sour. But, some lemons will be punchier than others.
Thanks, Deb. I tried it again last night with lime juice and only 3/4 cup of sugar. Delightful! Again, this is a remarkably simple/practical citrus tart recipe. Thank you!
Deb- could you please let us know how many cups of lemon juice we should be approximately adding? I have a lemon tree with lemons that give a ridiculous amount of juice and as I’ve discovered with other recipes, If I use the number you suggest I will end up with a liquidy tart. Thank you!
The recipe calls for 2/3 cup lemon juice in the “Meanwhile, make the filling:” section.
Instead of grating the zest, I take the zest off with a vegetable peeler and blitz it in the food processor with the sugar. Much easier than trying to rub it in to the sugar.
That’s what I always do to get zest
Looks divine! Possible to freeze the finished product if wrapped well? Thank you for yet another amazing recipe!
I made this last night and it is fantastically delicious! Make it and your taste buds will love you. I used a frozen pie crust I had and it worked great.
An idea to consider: with my Lime Curd Tart that is deliciously limey, I make a Graham cracker crust and OMG it’s the perfect complement to that almost-puckery citrus sharpness.
(This my favorite Thanksgiving dessert.)
I’m curious to know if others use a Graham cracker crust with citrus.
Key lime pie is traditionally made with a graham cracker crust and it’s always delicious.
Yes! I have also found that Key Lime pie with a gingersnap crust is absolutely delicious.
Super delicious! I used Meyer lemons from a neighbor’s tree and they were perfect. My husband said it was good because it was lemony without being too acidic and strong. I love Meyers in pretty much everything though! Followed directions exactly and came out perfect!
Am on vacation but I can’t wait to make this! One of my favorite desserts made by my favorite recipe writer! What a treat, thank you for sharing!
Five whole eggs… Does that make this a quiche?
Nope. A quiche is defined as an unsweetened, usually savory custard. This is neither unsweetened nor a custard. (It is a lemon curd tart.)
YES! And that makes it health food! :D :D :D
I will have to make this. If you replace the sugar with allulose and skip the crust – just spoon it into serving cups – it can be a good keto dessert.
I made this yesterday, it was very delicious. I will note that it took me at least thirty minutes to get the filling to 175 and to thicken in the pot at medium/low heat. Next time I will up the heat, I am not sure if this is an issue as I have a stove with elements and not a gas range, but thought I would share my experience. But otherwise this turned out great.
I love the platter it is on! Where did you get it?
I love it so much, too! It’s from Marian Bull, a food writer, but she doesn’t appear to be selling ceramics much these days.
So easy and delicious–my husband who hates dessert could not stop eating this! next time, I’ll put some parchment in the bottom of my (non-stick) tart pan, though; removing pieces was messy, even after refrigerating!
Made this exactly as a written. Turned out great – easy and delicious. Thanks as always.
Yum! There’s a fantastic French bistro in our neighborhood that makes a tarte like this, but with a hazelnut crust! Can’t wait to try this one!
Can I make a ginger cookie crumb crust? Would it be firm enough to work?
My kids and I made this today with oranges, as we were out of lemons. We reduced the sugar by a quarter. Of course, it wasn’t as nicely tart as it would have been with lemons. It was still nice and sunny and we loved it.
Thanks Deb, for keeping the recipe so nicely straightforward.
Next time we’ll try its original form with lemons.
“I don’t *want* to use pie weights, ever.” You get me.
I made this over the weekend as written. It is perfection. My curd took longer than Deb’s instructions to thicken but be patient, its worth it. I had to stop myself from eating all of the curd with a spoon. The curd is the perfect balance of tart and sweet and the colour is gorgeous. I very much appreciate not having to use pie weights and being left with 5 egg whites.
Can the curd or tart be frozen?
I’ve never actually frozen it but Google tells me that lemon curd freezes fine, so this should too.
I have frozen lemon curd successfully in the past, very handy to have a batch in the freezer!
This was delicious! Admittedly, I am a lousy baker so I lean towards recipes with ‘minimal baking’ – Lol. This tart turned out perfectly! Lemon is my favorite flavor and this did not disappoint. Thanks Deb, for another wonderful recipe.
Made 2 of these on Saturday for some weekend dinner parties! Used the butter frozen in my weak little food processor and it stayed breadcrumb consistency in the bowl, but worked perfectly pressed into the tart tin- excellent crust. First one came out no issues, second a small section stuck, perhaps I didn’t grease enough. Beautiful flavour. Scaled up to an 11 inch tin using some maths (calculating the difference in area between 9 inch and 11 inch then multiplying the ingredients) – worked perfectly! I was super impressed with this recipe and my friends loved it.
Can you make this a day early and keep it in the fridge?
Everything looked great until the end- I put the lemon curd in the crust and then in the oven. 350. Oven thermometer was right on. After 15 min it started to bubble up and now looks like it is separating as it cools. What did I do wrong?
Tart looks delicious! Can we discuss that gorgeous plate in the top photo, though? Where is it from? So cute!!
I made this tart at a VRBO rental house at 7000 feet altitude , so I was looking for something that required relatively few ingredients. The house had measuring spoons, but only a 1/3, 2/3 and one and three-quarter cup measuring cups. I didn’t expect a tart pan, but there was not even a pie plate. I ended up patting the crust into two 4x 7 aluminum foil pans that I think are intended to catch the grease from a grill. Used melted butter and regular sugar. Despite these limitations, the tarts were fantastic! Great and forgiving recipe!
I made this a day ahead of a dinner party. I worried about a soggy crust cooking it ahead of time but there were no issues. It was delicious – and so easy to make. I did have to cook the curd longer/hotter than what Deb specified. The first two slices were hard to get out, but it got easier after that. I had buttered the pan beforehand, next time would definitely use parchment paper. I know I will come back to this recipe again and again, it was so good.
I struggled with the tart crust. It came together fine in the food processor, and pressed into the tart pan well, I then froze for 15 minutes and applied greased aluminum foil and baked for 15 minutes. The crust stuck terribly to the foil, despite all attempts to remove slowly and gingerly. Should I have let it cool down for a while before removing the foil? I don’t have non stick spray, and just used canola oil spread onto the foil; was this my mistake? I know I coated it evenly.
The curd came together beautifully, and tastes divine, I had a couple of tbsp leftover as a snack. The tart is cooling now.
The recipe doesn’t indicate whether one should cover the tart in the fridge. I’m guessing no, as it would produce a lot of condensation, but unsure if a skin will form on top.
Some thoughts after baking, chilling, and eating:
– I’m still not sure how I could have prevented the foil from sticking so badly to the crust while blind baking. I’ll maybe try parchment paper and rice/beans next time, though I expect that the crust may slump much more. I did notice that the crust was very pale at 15 minutes, so it’s also possible it stuck so badly because the crust was underdone.
– Next time I won’t make the curd while the tart bakes, because trying to deal with carefully removing the foil while the curd reached temp was juggling a lot at the same time. I saved 10 minutes but gained a lot of stress.
– I let the tart cool for maybe 20 minutes on a wire rack in the tin, then moved the tin into the fridge and chilled uncovered. No problem with a skin forming.
– The crust adhered very firmly to flutes of the non-stick tart pan when I went to remove the ring several hours later; I chiseled around the edges with a small offset spatula to loosen as I was afraid trying to pop the tart off would further rip apart the crust I damaged when removing the foil.
– I didn’t have any issue with the bottom crust sticking to the disc, happily, and the crust was not difficult to cut through with a plastic knife (I didn’t want to damage the non-stick coating on the disc).
I thought the tart was fantastic; the curd was superb, I loved the zest which added just a bit of interesting texture, and the crust was delicious too. I got comments like, “This is like the best lemon bar I’ve ever had.” I’ll definitely be making this again.
Nice recipe, very tasty curd, just like at the French bakery! Pressing the dough into the tart pan was a bit of a pain, but it kept its shape nicely with the suggested baking method (no cracks). I did have to up the oven temperature to 200 degrees Celsius rather than 175, and it needed extra time to turn golden at the edges. Baking the filling again required a higher temperature and quite a lot of extra time. In the end the bottom also was very pale still, I will try to let it brown more next time. I don’t think the issue is with my oven, as other recipes from this site work fine with suggested baking temperatures en times. But the overall the taste was nice enough, and very convenient to be using the whole eggs. Will be making again!
Hello Deb,
How would I modify the recipe if I have a 10 inch tart pan?
thanks!
Leslie
Technically it’s going to hold 25% more so you could bump everything up by a 1-egg level.
Made this this weekend in need of tart redemption, made an Icelandic skyr tart previously and the directions were not near as clear as this one. This one took from start to finish cooking time a couple of hours. Was super easy. I made it gluten free and the cup by cup flour worked fine no major alterations needed. Was surprised at first that the crust had no eggs but it worked.
Holy smokes! I made this on March 4th, 2025, and I was thrilled with the result. Much of this recipe was trusting the process and not rushing things. I was worried that the crust wouldn’t come together; I kept running the food processor like the recipe said, and it came together perfectly. My tart pan is larger than recommended, so the crust didn’t go high up the sides. I was concerned about filling sticking to the tart pan but didn’t have issues. If you are a lover of tart lemon flavor, I cannot recommend this highly enough.
This came out perfect and was delicious. Made in springform bc could not find my tart pan. Bc of that I used all of the crust on the bottom which made it thicker than it would have been otherwise which was still delicious. Other than that I followed recipe and did not grease pan or use parchment. It slid right off bottom onto my platter.
I noticed you used a metal pot and whisk. My last batch of lemon curd had a slight metallic aftertaste and after some quick online research it seems like it could be from the lemon juice reacting with metal cookware. Wondering if you’ve experienced this?
It should not react with stainless steel — only reactive metals such as aluminum, copper, cast iron.
Just curious, how come this one is baked, albeit briefly, but the lime curd tart from 2006 (https://smittenkitchen.com/2006/09/lime-curd-tart/) is not? The ingredients appear to be very similar.
Actually, please don’t yell at me but I should add a baking step to that one too. It’s fine without but sets better with.
Good to know! I went down a rabbit hole the other day – baked or not? and there was so much conflicting information out there it was crazy. I sort of figured that it might work either way. Thank you!
Wow, we were having the same discussion when I made this last night! I honestly didn’t notice a huge different in the set between the two. (This one seemed smoother/more buttery, and I found the lime sharper, but attributed that to the fruit and different number of eggs?)
This was a big hit – I liked it better than the lime curd tart (maybe recency bias), but my partner liked the lime curd better. (We always make the lime curd tart with this crust, which appears to be the same as the peanut tart recipe?)
In case helpful for anyone, we really like things tart, so I used 30g sugar in the crust and only 150g of sugar in the filling – delightfully tart and still set wonderfully!
Is it possible to just make the curd and put it in a jar for other things or is it specific to this tart because it’s sets up in the oven bake?
I tried that. I made the curd and poured it into clay yogurt pots. I did not bake it. The curd was delicious but more of a thin pudding or yogurt texture. I will make it again but bake it and see how that works.
You can but you can also just make this one for jarred curd.
https://smittenkitchen.com/2022/04/lemon-cream-meringues/
We have an over producing lemon tree, so my husband has been asking for a lemon tart like one he once had in Italy. It was extra fluffy because it had the whipped egg whites folded in.
Will it work to do everything as you have presented, but separating the eggs, only cooking the yolks and then folding in the whipped whites before baking?
Not as easy I know, but he’s a good husband so I’d like to try. Otherwise I’ll make this one and I’ll dare him to complain. ;-)
I just made it with whole eggs and whisked quite furiously the whole time. My arm is tired but my filling is very fluffy!
Would love adapt this for Passover! Do you have a crust recipe that doesn’t use flour that you could recommend here?
Just wondering if you ever tried Cook’s Illustrated’s lemon tart made completely with olive oil. I use a neutral olive oil and this particular recipe is one of my favorites because it comes together so fast and is so delicious. Might I say, a show stopper? Everyone is so impressed with a tart! They do instruct you to pour the lemon filing through a sieve, which I always do because otherwise I manage to get bits of cooked egg white in the filling plus I do not like the texture with lemon zest in the filling.
No, haven’t tried it but I’m sure it would be delicious!
Hi- just made this and loved it! I strained the filling before pouring in to the tart- kind of a pain, but removed alot of zest solids and made the filling perfectly smooth and creamy. Love!
I made this recipe with a tart, bright purple plum sauce I’d made from too many summer plums last year. I cut the sugar to 2/3 c because I figured the plums would be a little less tart than lemons (barely, though!!!). I added cardamom. It was an unusual dessert and quite a treat!
Like another commenter, I had trouble with the initial crust baking; the crust stuck to the well-oiled tinfoil. I might seek out another crust, but even with the damage it was great.
Hi Deb,
I see that I can save an individual recipe to Pinterest, but for someone who doesn’t use Pinterest is there a way to save recipes within your site? I love the way the NYT recipes site presents similar recipes above the listings of similar recipes when I search. For example, if I favorite (by clicking a symbol present in every recipe) for Lemon Curd Tart, even when later searching for lemon pastry recipes, Lemon Curd Tart recipe will appear first, reminding me that I loved that recipe. I guess I am looking for smitten kitchen memory. There seems to be no way for me to pull up smitten kitchen recipes I have cooked and loved. Am I missing something?
Yes, we will be adding a recipe box feature soon!
I have made your lemon tart 2x in a month and I swear I could eat a slice of it every single day. It is pure sunshine in my mouth!
The MOST delicious lemon dessert I have ever made or eaten.
This is my new “go to” staple when I need to impress dinner guests or when I’m invited over and I volunteer to bring dessert.
Has anyone tried freezing this? Made it once and it was incredible but I’m wondering if I can make it ahead. Concerned freezer might destroy texture and all my hard curd making work!
Oh my gosh! This is such a forgiving recipe. I put the tart in the oven for about 3 minutes and realized I didn’t add the butter. I pulled it out, cooked the curd, added the butter, returned it to the tart pan. It’s absolutely delicious!
Holy smokes! This was amazing. The technique is so simple yet the results are dinner guest worthy. I made my crust in the morning and left it in the freezer until the afternoon in the tart pan. It baked perfectly following the directions. After baking, I added a meringue topping using 2 egg whites, 1/8 tspn of cream of tartar, and 2 tblspn sugar. Piped the meringue on and then baked at 350 for about 10 mins until lightly toasted. It was sheer perfection.
This looks delicious!
Would it be possible to make this in a pie dish instead of a tart pan?