Easy Lemon Tart or Fancy Lemon Bars - you decide! No matter how you slice it, it’s the same simple recipe but baked as a tart and gussied up with dramatic sugar stripes.
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Celebrate citrus season with this Easy Lemon Tart. The recipe is the same as basic lemon bars.
Instead of a square tin, the recipe is baked in a round tart pan that instantly elevates this lemony dessert.
The ingredients and preparation for the filling are identical to lemon bars baked in a square pan. It is bright and pure, without any extra fuss. For a bit of added flavor, the crust comes together with almond flour and a pinch of cardamom.
Why You Will Love this Easy Lemon Tart
- bursting with fresh lemon flavor
- celebrates citrus season
- chewy yet buttery texture from the almond flour crust
- the cardamon and lemon flavor pairing is on point!
- a simple recipes get a show-stopping upgrade with its easy sugar design
Ingredients
- Lemons - you'll need about 2 lemons for fresh juice and zest
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Almond flour
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstach
- Confectioners' sugar
- Ground cardamom - optional for the crust
See recipes card for quantities.
Tools and Equipment
Here are some of the tools you will need to make this tart:
- Large mixing bowl
- 8 or 9-inch tart pan
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Rimmed baking sheet
- General kitchen tools (measuring cups, spoons, etc)
Steps for Making Lemon Tart
Prepare the Dough - Mix up the dough by hand and press into the pan.
Bake the Dough - Bake the shortbread-like crust until slightly golden.
Thicken the Filling - Cook the lemon filling in a saucepan until thick.
Bake the Tart - Pre-cooking the filling significantly reduces the bake time.
Chill - The filling will set at the tart cools.
Decorate and Serve
For the Stripes
The dramatic sugar stripes are easy to create and don’t require any extra tools or stencils. Simply lay strips of parchment paper over the baked, cooled tart before giving it a generous shower of confectioners’ sugar.
Peal off the parchment carefully to preserve the stripes and integrity of the lemon tart filling underneath.
Substitutions
For a nut-free alternative, you can use any shortcrust pastry for the base. Use this similar press-in crust.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can press the dough into an 8 or 9-inch square pan and proceed to turn the tart into bars.
The lemon tart can be frozen for up to 3 months (without confectioners’ sugar). After the tart completely cools, wrap it in plastic wrap and place into a large bag to freeze. Thaw the tart in the refrigerator, then dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Serving and Storage
This lemon tart will slice into 8 servings. Store in the refrigerator until about 20 minutes before slicing.
Keep leftover in the refrigerator covered in plastic wrap for up to 1 week.
The lemon tart can be frozen for up to 3 months (without confectioners’ sugar). After the tart completely cools, wrap it in plastic wrap and place into a large bag to freeze. Thaw the tart in the refrigerator, then dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
More Lemon Desserts to Celebrate Citrus Season:
Lemon Poppy Seed Raspberry Cake
Recipe
Easy Lemon Tart
Ingredients
Crust
- ½ cup unsalted butter very soft
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
Filling
- zest of 2 lemons
- ⅔ cup lemon juice
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 large eggs
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter diced
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, sugar, cardamom, and salt in large bowl.
- Add the butter and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
- Press the dough into an 8 or 9-inch tart pan.
- Use a flat-bottomed measuring cup or drinking glass to press the dough evenly into the corners and bottom of the tart pan.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges start to brown slightly. Remove from the oven to cool.
Filling
- Whisk together the lemon zest, juice, sugar and salt in a saucepan.
- Add the eggs and whisk to combine.
- Heat the lemon mixture over medium-high heat, stirring slowly yet consistently so the eggs don’t curdle, until the mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted.
- Strain the lemon filling through a mesh sieve to remove the zest and any cooked egg and pour into the prepared crust.
- Bake for an additional 12 to 13 minutes, or util the edges are slightly puffed and set yet there is still a slight jiggle to the center when given a shake.
- Completely cool the tart before dusting with a generous shower of confectioners’s sugar and cutting into slices.
- Store leftover covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Michele
Hi, can I leave out the almond flour and just substitute it with more all purpose flour? I prefer a tart crust that is crisp and sounds like the addition of the almond flour would inhibit that.
stylesweet
Hi! This should work. You could use any shortcrust pastry. Happy Baking!
Shawn
This reminds me so much of my grandmother’s recipe! The texture was perfect!
Wendy
Fantastic recipe. So easy to follow and very tasty