This traditional French lemon tart features a silky lemon custard and a tender buttery crust. A small slice is all it takes to fall in love with this delicate pastry.
What is French-style Lemon Tart and where it comes from?
If you love creamy lemon custard and a melt-in-your-mouth pastry, this recipe is for you. Known in France as tarte au citron, this classic dessert combines a crisp, buttery shell with a smooth, bright lemon filling. It’s elegant yet simple, and you can enjoy an authentic French-style tart at home without traveling to France.
I often post lemon desserts on this blog — if you’ve followed for a while you may have seen my Best Lemon Cheesecake. If you enjoy bright, tangy desserts, this French-style lemon tart will quickly become a favorite.
What tart pan to use
Because the lemon custard is rich, the tart is intentionally shallow so a little filling goes a long way. Use a shallow tart pan 9–10 inches (23–25 cm) in diameter; smaller pans will make the filling too deep. I used a 9-inch shallow ceramic tart pan for this tart.
How to make a sweet pastry crust (pâté sucrée)
Pâté sucrée should be handled quickly to avoid warming the butter and developing gluten, which makes the dough tough. You can make it by hand, in a stand mixer, or in a food processor. The stand mixer or food processor is faster, but the hand method works well if you prefer it. After mixing, the dough must rest in the refrigerator to relax and prevent shrinking and cracking when rolled out.
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Roll the dough 2″ larger than the tart pan -
Line the tart pan and trim the excess -
Use parchment and weights (beans or rice) for blind baking -
Partially bake the shell before filling
Because the lemon custard is cooked separately, the pastry shell is blind-baked first. After chilling, the dough is rolled, fitted into the pan, lined with parchment, filled with baking weights and baked until set. Remove the weights and parchment toward the end of baking so the base can brown evenly.
Sweet pastry dough made by hand
- Sift the flour onto a work surface, sprinkle with salt, and add room-temperature butter. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and the butter is evenly distributed. Mix in the sugar and ground almonds. Make a well in the center and add a beaten egg. Use your fingertips to bring the dough together into a soft mass. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Sweet pastry dough made in a stand mixer or food processor
- Sift the flour and measure the sugar. Beat the egg and set aside. In the mixer bowl, beat the butter until soft, then add sugar, ground almonds, and salt. Add the beaten egg, then the flour and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together. Don’t overmix. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Blind-baking the pastry shell
Cut a parchment circle to fit the tart, fold and trim the edges if needed so it sits flat. Fit the chilled dough into the tart pan, line with the parchment disc and fill with dried beans, rice, or baking weights. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 18–20 minutes, then remove the weights and paper and return to the oven for another 5–6 minutes until golden and fully set.
How to make the lemon custard
Cooking the lemon custard requires patience. The mixture needs to be warmed gently over a bain-marie (double boiler) and whisked until it thickens, which can take 15–20 minutes. An electric hand mixer or immersion blender will make finishing the curd easier and create a very smooth texture.
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Fresh lemon zest -
Rub zest into sugar
Zest the lemons into a heatproof bowl and rub the zest into the sugar to release the essential oils. Add the eggs and whisk together, then stir in the lemon juice. Place the bowl over simmering water and whisk on low speed until the mixture reaches about 82–83°C (180–181°F), about 15 minutes, and thickens into a custard.
Strain the custard into a clean bowl and cool it to about 60°C (140°F). Add the butter in small pieces, blending each addition until fully incorporated; using an immersion blender yields an exceptionally smooth, glossy curd. Pour the lemon filling into the baked pastry shell, smooth the surface, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set.
Tips & Tricks
- When making the dough by hand, work on a marble or wooden board and handle the dough as briefly as possible.
- Always chill the dough for at least 2 hours to prevent cracking and shrinking during rolling and baking.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best, brightest flavor in the custard.
- Do not add butter until the curd has cooled to about 60°C (140°F), or the mixture may separate and become watery.
- For an airy, smooth curd, blend the cooled mixture with an immersion blender for several minutes.
- For clean slices, dip your knife in hot water and wipe it between cuts; finish with a light dusting of confectioners’ sugar if desired.
You might also like these recipes
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Glazed Lemon Scones With Poppy Seeds
- Key Lime Cheesecake Tart
- Best Lemon Cheesecake
LEMON TART
Equipment
- Tart pan, 9 inch
Ingredients
Sweet pastry crust
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 pinches salt
- 3/4 cup (150 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (95 g) sugar
- 1/3 cup (30 g) ground almonds
- 1 large egg
Lemon cream (custard)
- 5 large lemons (zest and juice)
- 1 1/4 cups (240 g) sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup (160 g) fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/3 cups (300 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
Instructions
Sweet pastry crust
- Sift the flour and measure the sugar. Beat the egg and set aside.
- In a stand mixer bowl with the paddle, beat the butter until soft. Add the sugar, ground almonds, and salt, then the beaten egg. Finally add the flour and mix on low until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Roll the chilled dough on a floured surface to 3–5 mm (1/8–1/4 inch) thick and transfer to the tart pan, pressing it into the edges. Trim the excess by rolling a rolling pin across the rim.
- Cut a parchment disc to fit the pan, line the shell, and fill with dried beans, rice, or baking weights. Blind-bake at 180°C (350°F) for 18–20 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment and bake another 5–6 minutes until golden.
Lemon cream (custard)
- Zest the lemons into a heatproof bowl and rub the zest into the sugar to release the oils.
- Add the eggs and whisk together, then stir in the lemon juice. Place over a pan of simmering water and whisk on low until the mixture reaches 82–83°C (180–181°F), about 15 minutes, until thickened.
- Strain the curd into a clean bowl and cool to about 60°C (140°F). Add the butter, a few pieces at a time, blending each addition until smooth — an immersion blender works very well.
- Pour the lemon cream into the baked shell, smooth the surface, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving if desired. For clean slices, dip a knife in hot water and wipe it between cuts.
Notes
- Work quickly and handle the dough as little as possible to avoid a tough crust.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours to prevent cracking and shrinking.
For the lemon curd
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Wait until the curd cools to about 60°C (140°F) before adding butter to prevent separation.
- For an airy texture, blend the finished curd with an immersion blender for several minutes.
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