How to Make the Easiest Lemon Tart

Do you love the taste of lemon? Have you ever made lemon curd? It’s one of my favorites. But sometimes you want a faster way to enjoy a sweet little lemon tart. I have the best way to make the easiest lemon tart.

Lemon curd is often the basis of a lemon dessert, such as easy lemon tarts or lemon bars. This tart filling is smooth and creamy and full of lemon goodness. It’s the perfect balance of tart and sweet.

I understand sometimes you are in a hurry or you just don’t want the hassle of making fresh lemon curd with lemon juice and separating egg yolks and cooking it.

But you definitely want a lemon tart to serve to friends or family, take to a party or enjoy after dinner.

What to do?

Follow my lead and let me show you how to make the easiest lemon tart – one that is delicious, fulfills that lemon flavor craving, and gets you out of the kitchen fast.

The Story Behind these Lemon Tarts

Every dessert has a story, right? This one does.

Last Christmas, my dear friend Valerie gave me a jar of lemon-lime curd as a hostess gift. I love lemon curd and immediately tucked it in our pantry until the right time came to use it.

Fast forward to early March. I’m in a group of nine ladies who occasionally gather for dinner and friendly girl talk.

The occasion was a belated celebration of Valerie’s birthday and I volunteered to bring dessert. I knew that I would use the lemon-lime curd that Valerie gave me.

Although I’ve made countless tarts in my culinary career, my plan was to buy pre-made tart shells at our neighborhood Central Market.

When I saw the price of a package of four shells, I was a little shocked. The price had more than doubled since the last time I bought them. (Thank you, inflation and transportation slowdown.)

I immediately went to Plan B when I spied the Pillsbury Pie Crust package in the next refrigerated section. I can make the tart shells myself.

And I did, and everyone loved them. And they were so easy. Sweet Shark was upset that I didn’t make extra for him.

Then, last week, I hosted my Bible Study group for our last study of the spring. Why not make a second batch of lemon tarts? I bought more pie crusts and more jars of lemon curd.

I served a simple salad but the star of the meal was the lemon tarts. Another round of rave reviews.

This time I made extra tart shells and Sweet Shark had this first taste. He loved them, too.

That’s why I’m sharing this springtime dessert with you – because it’s so easy, fast, and especially delicious.

Easiest Lemon Tart – Ingredients

Do you remember a show on The Food Network from years ago? It was called Semi-Homemade. Think of these lemon curd tarts as semi-homemade.

Besides being the easiest lemon tart, this easy recipe also needs just a few ingredients:

• refrigerated Pillsbury Pie Crust
• lemon curd filling – no need to make it from scratch; I bought this brand because I loved the jar. It was delicious right out of the jar.

• heavy whipping cream
• powdered sugar
• for garnish: mint, lemon zest, or fresh berries, such as blueberries or fresh raspberries

You only need a few tools:

• muffin pan – either standard or mini-muffin size
• round cookie cutters – plain or serrated – I have had these sets for years.

• tart tapper

• cooling rack, optional
• mixer with whisk beater attachment or immersion blender with whisk attachment
• pastry bag
• pastry tip
• two small spoons

Making the Tarts Shells

Usually, tarts are made using a tart pan, which is like a cake pan with a ruffled edge and a removable bottom. For this easy dessert, I’m just using a standard muffin pan.

Step 1 – Unwrap and roll out the pie crusts. You don’t have to use a rolling pin or flour on your counter. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Step 2 – For a standard size muffin tin, use a 4 1/2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the circles of dough. For the standard-size tart shells, I used my serrated cookie cutters. It gives the edge a look like pinking shears. I got 5 circles to each pie crust.

Step 3 – Center one circle over the muffin tin and push down using the large end of the tart tapper.

Story: when I explained to my Bible Study ladies how I made the tarts when I got to the part about tart tappers, they all said “what’s a tart tapper”? So I showed them mine.

In case you don’t know, a tart tapper is a wooden tool with a round, but flat edge at each end. One end is larger than the other end. It’s used to “tap” or flatten dough into a tart pan, muffin tin or pie plate. It does a better job than pushing with your fingers (nails) on the dough.

The dough will form a cup and fit the sides of the muffin tin. If the sides of the dough curl, just push them against the side of the muffin tin.

NOTE: the dough will shrink in baking, so it needs to start bigger than you think it should.

Step 4 – Using a fork, prick the bottom of the shell a few times. This lets steam escape while the shells are baking.

Step 5 – Place the muffin tin in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes. Ideally, you want just a little golden color on the edges of the tart shells.

Step 6 – For best results, allow the tart shells to cool thoroughly before removing them from the muffin pan. They come out very easily. You almost don’t need to wash the muffin pan.

Making the Whipped Cream

I assume everyone knows how to make whipped cream, but just in case . . .

Step 1 – Attach the whisk attachment to your stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer or an immersion blender).

Step 2 – Pour a cup of cold heavy whipping cream into the bowl of the mixer. Mix on low speed for about a minute, then raise the speed to medium-high. When soft peaks start to form, add a few tablespoons to the whipped cream. When stiff peaks form, stop the mixer, and taste for sweetness.

Step 3 – Place a fluted pastry tip inside a pastry bag and cut off the end of the bag. Place the bag in a tall glass or container.

Step 4 – Use a rubber spatula to spoon the whipped cream into the pastry bag.

Step 5 – Place the whipped cream in the refrigerator until you are ready to finish the tarts. I also placed the jar of lemon curd in the refrigerator to chill it.

Finishing the Lemon Tarts

Step 1 – Using two small spoons, fill the tarts with the lemon filling to the top of the tart shell. Use the back of one of the spoons to smooth the curd down.

Step 2 – In a circular motion, pipe the whipped cream on the entire top of the lemon curd.

Garnishing the Lemon Tarts

Since our mint is coming back, I had plenty. Mint works so well in desserts, especially chocolate and lemon flavors. Raspberries are also one of my favorite dessert garnishes, like this Best Brownies with Raspberry Garnish recipe.

I used one small mint leaf tucked into the whipped cream. I love the contrast of the green mint with the yellow lemon curd.

You could definitely use lemon zest (a Microplane is my favorite tool) as a garnish. A thin lemon peel would also be pretty.

I have used fresh fruit, especially berries for garnishing tarts and it’s a pretty look.

Lemon Tarts 2.0

Sweet Shark was begging for more lemon tarts over the weekend. I had one pie crust left, plenty of lemon curd and enough whipped cream left over to make some more tarts.

This time, I decided to make mini-tarts, using my mini-muffin pan. I have several of these because I love mini-desserts.

Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, I got 13 dough circles.

Also, I used the small end of the tart tapper to press the dough into the muffin tin.

To use all the pie crust, I rerolled the pie crust and got 4 more pie circles for a total of 5 extras.

To store them, I folded a piece of parchment paper and stacked the pie crusts between a piece of parchment paper.

Then I wrapped the stack in plaster wrap and foil. Always label packages that you place in the freezer.

Bake the mini-tarts in the same way as you did the larger tarts.

Use the same procedure to fill the tart crust and add the whipped cream. I love mini-desserts.

I love mini-tarts for cocktail parties. You don’t even need a fork – just pop them in your mouth.

Would you like other dessert recipes? Try one of these (they will work for any event):

12 Awesome Valentine Desserts for Your Sweetheart
3 Christmas Desserts from 1 Fudgy Brownie Recipe

Tips for Saving the Lemon Tart Shells

• Fill the tart crusts as close to serving them as possible. The crust can get soggy if the lemon curd sits too long.
• Save any unfilled tart shells in an air-tight container.
• Don’t place unused tart shells in the refrigerator. They can dry out.
• For longer-term storage, place unused tart shells tightly wrapped in the freezer.

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Are you happy you now know how to make the easiest lemon tarts? I know that you’ll love them. Grab the kids and get them to help you make these easy lemon tarts.

Be sure to PIN this lemon tart tutorial so you have it handy. Enjoy?