Lovely Lemon Curd Tarts

This Lemon Curd Tarts recipe features a short crust shortcut, along with an incredibly simple homemade lemon curd. It’s an enticing dessert that strikes the perfect balance between puckery tartness and silky sweetness, and a crisp, buttery pâte sablée. Skip the line at the local patisserie and learn how to make your own bakery style Lemon Curd Tarts at home.

Lemon season is here… which means Spring is just around the corner, right?! In the midst of winter, we can always rely on this sunny citrus to brighten our days. From savoury Piccata Pork Chops to classic Lemon Meringue Pie, these delicious lemon recipes are here to turn those frowns upside down!

Lemon Curd Tarts

One bite of these tartes au citron and you’ll fall in love with the sandy yet buttery short crust, or pâte sablée followed by the tart and tangy notes of the creamy lemon curd tart filling. It’s like springtime in Paris for your tastebuds.

Surprisingly, these little lemon tarts are easier to make than you think. I’ve simplified things by using a food processor to make the short crust and creating a lemon curd recipe that uses cornstarch as a thickener instead of egg yolks.

If you don’t plan on serving the tarts immediately, simply store the lemon curd filling and blind baked tart shells separately and fill the shells an hour before serving.

Whether you’re looking for the centerpiece for a spring brunch, afternoon tea, or just a reliable way to use up that bag of lemons sitting on your counter, this lemon tart recipe is a masterclass in simple elegance.

Recipe Ingredients

This lemon curd tart recipe uses fewer eggs and far less butter than most recipes. It all starts with standard pantry ingredients like all purpose flour, salt, granulated sugar, and cornstarch.

• Flour
• Granulated Sugar
• Salt
• Butter
• Egg
• Cornstarch
• Lemon

High quality European style unsalted butter will make a huge difference in the flavour and texture of the pâte sablée, the higher the fat content, the crisper the short crust.

A pinch of salt in the short crust cuts through the sugar and makes the butter flavour “pop” while only fresh lemon juice (not bottled) and zest yields best flavour results in the curd.

Note: Traditionally, egg yolks result in a rich, and creamy curd texture, while cornstarch offers a faster, more stable, and extra-thick set ideal for pastry fillings. Yolks require gentle, precise heating to avoid curdling, whereas cornstarch is more forgiving, producing a stiffer, more opaque, and slightly less delicate curd. If you prefer curd thickened with egg yolks, use this recipe.

Use large eggs in this recipe. There’s one egg in the short crust and one whole egg in the lemon curd.

How to Make Food Processor Pâte Sablée

I always say that my love for pies led me to try every pastry recipe on the internet until I found ‘the one’. I was always nervous baking pies and tarts until I tried making pastry with a food processor. For me, this pastry method works every time, and I’m thrilled to share my discovery with you!

To make food processor short crust pastry, combine flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. On low speed add the cold butter, one tablespoon at a time until well combined. Add in egg and pulse until the dough forms.

Remove the dough from the processor and form into a disc shape. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Make the Lemon Curd

While the short crust is resting, begin making the lemon curd by whisking ½ cup granulated sugar, cornstarch and egg together in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan bring 1 cup lemon juice, remaining ½ cup of sugar and lemon zest to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low then slowly whisk in the egg mixture. Continue to cook on low and whisk until it begins to thicken.

Remove lemon curd from heat and pour it into a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and cut a slit in the top to release the heat while it cools to room temperature.

Make the Lemon Curd Tarts

To blind bake the tart shells, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray six mini tart dishes with cooking spray and set aside.

Dust a flat, clean surface with flour then roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thick. With a small bowl or large cookie cutter, cut out circles that are slightly larger than the tart pans. Carefully fit the circles into the tart pans, pressing down on the edges and removing excess dough.

Use a fork to make air holes in the bottoms of each tart then cut a small piece of parchment paper to rest over the top. Fill each with pie weights, beans or rice then bake for 20 minutes in the oven.

Allow tart shells to cool then remove pie weights and parchment paper. Spoon the room temperature lemon curd into each tart crust. Refrigerate for (at least) one hour before serving.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Garnish Lemon Curd Tarts with powdered sugar, whipped cream, fresh berries or lavender.
• Use store bought lemon curd. However, nothing beats the fresh, tart flavour of homemade lemon curd.
• If you don’t have tart pans, use a muffin pan and just follow the same steps.
• Use a mini tart pan to make bite size lemon curd tartlets.
• Don’t have a food processor? Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut in the cold butter until small balls form. Then add the egg and keep mixing until the dough starts to form.
• Make graham cracker crusts instead of short crusts if you prefer that style.
• Homemade lemon curd is perfect for lemon thumbprint cookies, topping pavlova, or lemon meringue pie!

How to Store Lemon Curd Tarts

Store these tarts in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Freeze them for up to three months and thaw them for a day in the fridge before serving.

Hi! I’m Bernice Hill, the heart and soul behind Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.

If you make this Lovely Lemon Curd Tarts recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in a recipe rating. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe, please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!