An easy recipe for lemon tartlets with lemon curd. Sweet pastry shells make the perfect container for the best lemon curd ever – it’s so silky and smooth.
As Spring approaches, I just wanted to squeeze (no pun intended!) in one more lemon recipe! This was another recipe that I shared at a recent dessert night (remember those lemon curd pavlovas?).
You’re telling me you don’t have dessert nights? You should definitely make them a regular thing – there’s nothing better than catching up with friends over sweet treats.
With our backyard lemon tree making meyer lemons faster than we can pick them, everyone also got a handful of lemons as a parting gift. With multiple lemon desserts and these parting gifts, I probably overdid it a bit. Luckily I didn’t hear any complaints!
This recipe is so versatile – tartlets make a great (two) bite-sized appetizer, a fun dessert, or a good dish to pass at a potluck. Its sweet pastry dough is the perfect vessel for the best lemon curd you’ll ever have.
Making the Best Lemon Curd
There are lots of recipes out there for lemon curd, but I’m hear to tell you this is the best one, and it’s so easy to make. Even if you mess up a step, there are ways to troubleshoot it to almost guarantee success every time.
Overcook the curd so small chunks start to form? Just strain it through a fine mesh strainer. Undercook it and it doesn’t thicken when you add the cream and butter? Just put it back on the stove and cook it until it does. Was it too damn delicious and you ate the whole thing before you made the tartlets? I recommend always starting with a double batch. 🙂
Easy Make Ahead Dessert – Lemon Tartlets
As with so many of my recipes, these tartlets can be made ahead of time. The shells will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. The lemon curd will keep in a sealed contained in the fridge for a week. When you’re ready to serve them, just spoon the lemon curd into the shells and you’re good to go!
Looking for other lemon recipes? Try these:
Tartine Lemon Shaker Pie
Mini Pavlovas with Lemon Curd
Fig & Chèvre Appetizer Bites with Candied Lemon
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Dried Lemon Slices
Thanks so much for reading! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts and musings from me.
Follow my adventures and see more recipes on Instagram!
[wdi_feed id=”1″]
PrintLemon Tartlets with Lemon Curd
Pretty lemon tartlets with the best lemon curd you’ve ever had! Definitely a crowd pleaser as an appetizer or dessert at your next party!
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 20-24 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
For the tart dough:
- 1 1/3 cups (166 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 stick (115 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 large egg
For the lemon curd: (makes extra, about 1 1/2 cup in total)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, about 2 lemons
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch table salt
- Berries for serving (optional)
Special supplies:
Instructions
Make the tartlets:
- Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles course breadcrumbs.
- Stir in the sugar and salt, then add the egg and stir with a fork until just combined. Use your hands to work the mixture into a dough. It might seem too dry at first, but as you mix it it will start to come together.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 1/8-inch thick*.
- Cut the pastry into rounds with a cookie cutter** and press into mini muffin tins. Freeze for 30 minutes prior to baking to prevent shrinking.
- Bake at 350° Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until golden. Set aside to cool.
Make the lemon curd:
- Heat lemon juice over medium heat until hot but not boiling.
- Meanwhile, whisk eggs and yolk in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the sugar. While whisking, slowly pour hot lemon juice into the eggs. Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture registers 170° Fahrenheit and coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in butter. Once melted, stir in cream, vanilla, and salt. If the curd didn’t come together and thicken, simply return to heat and cook a bit longer, stirring constantly, until it thickens.
- Curd can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, just cover with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.
Assemble the lemon tartlets:
- Spoon the lemon curd into each tartlet shell.
- Top each tartlet with a berry (optional) and serve.
Notes
*If you re-roll dough scraps you can get about 3 extra tarts.
** Size will vary depending on your tart pan size but typically 2.5-3″ diameter will work.
Keywords: lemon tartlets, mini lemon tarts, lemon curd tarts, mini tarts, mini tartlets with lemon curd
P.S. – This recipe is an update from a recipe I first published in March 2015. Wondering what my photos looked like from two years ago? Here’s one from the original post:
P.P.S. – Craving these lemon tartlets stuffed with the best ever lemon curd? Pin them for later!
Also are you using meyer lemons or the tarter variety. If specifically one or the other have you tried the other or a mix?
I use Meyer lemons because we have a tree. Others should be fine, we just have the Meyers available and they are a bit sweeter than other lemons!
★★★★★
Do you put the lemon curd in the oven with the crust???????????
Haha nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!! Add it after they bake.
★★★★★
I hope they turned out! I never have to add water but I’m sure a little wouldn’t affect the flavor too much.
★★★★★
The lemon curd tastes amazing! Should I wait for it to cool down before filling it into the pie crusts? and also, should I wait for the pie crusts to cool down before filling them? Thanks!
It’s so good right!? I think you could put warm curd into the shells but I would let the shells cool at least for 20-30 minutes before filling!
★★★★★
Thanks for your reply 🙂 I ended up waiting until both cooled down almost fully, and they turned out delicious!
Hooray that’s great news! Glad you loved them!
★★★★★
These look delish. If I make them the night before my party, I should refrigerate them, right? thx!
If you have time to assemble them the day of (which should only take a few minutes), make the shells and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. You can make the lemon curd and keep it in the fridge for a few days.
If you don’t have time the fridge for the assembled tarts works too. I wouldn’t do more than overnight because I think they will start to get soggy.
★★★★★
Could I make the shells ahead of time and freeze then for a week or two? Then assemble the day of?
I frequently make the dough in advance and freeze it, but I’ve never frozen the shells, sorry!
★★★★★
The lemon curd and the shells taste amazing! I love them!
But my shells got puffy and weird when baking, so they are more blobs than shells.
Not sure what happened. But I’m going to try again. Maybe I’ll freeze them for an hour before baking.
★★★★★
Hi Emily – I’m sorry that you had that experience! I bet if you put a dab of lemon curd on them they will still taste delicious!
★★★★★
Do you butter the tartlets before putting in the oven?
I don’t!
★★★★★
Is the curd a little tart or mostly sweet. We love really lemony, slightly tart desserts!
Definitely a little tart – perfectly tart in my opinion!
★★★★★