Perfectly sweet and perfectly tart, this Shortbread Lemon Tart Recipe tastes like the best lemon bars in pie form.
Looking for more lemon pies? Try this Lemon Chess Pie or this Lemon Meringue Pie.
This Shortbread Lemon Tart Recipe is so good. I actually first made this tart for Thanksgiving years ago, with full intentions to photograph it and post it then. But then on Thanksgiving, I decided that I wanted to take the day off – no photographing, no working. So that’s what I did.
But the tart was so good that I had to make it again, just to share with all of you.
If you are a fan of lemon bars, you will absolutely adore this lemon tart. It tastes just like your favorite lemon bars, but in tart form. This is simple enough for a weekend dessert at home, but sophisticated enough for a holiday dessert. And I couldn’t keep my fork away. I could seriously sit and eat this whole tart myself – that’s how much I love it.
Ingredients
Filling: The filling ingredients are a lot of the same things you’ll find in lemon bars – eggs, lemon juice and zest, sugar, and butter. The one unique ingredient is orange zest, which adds another layer of citrus flavor.
Crust: The crust is a basic shortbread crust, with flour, sugar, and butter.
How to Make This Lemon Tart
- Start by making the filling. You will combine the all of the filling ingredients and process them in a blender until they are smooth. Add the butter and process again until smooth.
- Make the crust by combining the flour and powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks sandy.
- Press the crust into your tart pan in an even layer.
- Pour the filling into the crust, and bake until the center is almost set.
- Let the tart cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar.
Tips and Tricks
- I like to place my tart pan on a baking sheet. Since you are using a tart pan with a removable bottom, this just ensures that you don’t pick it up and have the bottom separate.
- If you use a smaller tart pan, the filling will not all fit.
- The crust will seem dry, but this is what creates a nice, melt in your mouth texture.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can make the crust in a bowl with a pastry cutter – it will just not be as fine.
- Store the tart in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.
More Lemon Favorites
Lemon Poke Cake with Coconut
Yogurt Cake
French Lemon Cream Tart with Meringue
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Shortbread Lemon Tart Recipe
Ingredients
Lemon Filling:
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- powdered sugar for topping
Shortbread Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup cold butter cut into cubes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a blender, combine the eggs, lemon juice, granulated sugar, lemon zest and orange zest. Process on high until smooth. Add the butter, replace the cover, and blend again on high until smooth. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the flour and powdered sugar. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and continue to pulse until the mixture looks sandy and the butter is fully incorporated into the flour and sugar.
- Place an 11-inch tart pan on a baking sheet. Pour the crust mixture into the pan. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
- Pour the filing into the crust, then transfer the tart into the oven. Bake until the center is almost set, 30-35 minutes.
- Cool the tart completely. When ready to serve, sprinkle powdered sugar over the top and cut into slices.
MaryAnn A says
Made this yesterday. Followed the recipe exactly. While cooking, the top got very dark brown and formed a skin across the whole lemon part. I was able to easily remove it. But the lemon looked like it had almost curds like cottage cheese. The butter was liquid but wasn’t warm when I mixed it with the egg mixture, so it didn’t cook the eggs. Maybe the sugar wasn’t fully dissolved? It still tasted great, so I’m going to try making it again.
Monica says
Does anyone know if I can double this and bake in a 9×13 pan?
Joey says
I just doubled this recipe into a tart pan and 9inch pie plate. The tart pan was glass and it came out prettier but both taste lemony….so good!
Lucy Sim Conway says
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Linda R. says
Made this for Memorial Day and it was a big hit! Followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect.
Holly Gregory says
I made this Lemon Tart for Easter dinner and it was a huge hit! I had to make mine Lactose-free though so I substituted Ghee for the butter and had no problems with consistency or taste. I also had to bake mine about 15 minutes longer to get it to set, it was browning on top so I just loosely tented a piece of foil over it and that did the trick.
This will become a new tradition for our family for Easter!
Deborah says
I am so glad to be a new part of your Easter traditions! 😉
Bonnie says
This came out really well. I don’t have an 11 inch tart pan, so I made do with 2 pie plates. The ratio of crust to filling was still good! Cooked for the full 30 minutes exactly and filling was perfect. Covered with foil about half way through cook time.
Tewwy says
Thee.absolute.best.tart.ever. So easy but soooooooooo amazing😋😋😋
Iris Lynn Friesen says
This is excellent! So easy and delicious, My husband squeezed the lemons for me but he REALLY squeezed them and there was a lot of lemon pulp in the juice. It was/is the best lemon tart I’ve ever had!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you loved it!
Erin says
I made this yesterday and it came out amazing! I followed all directions exactly, except I used a 10-inch springform pan since I don’t have a tart pan. I ended up cooking my tart for around 37-38 minutes. At 30 minutes, it was really wobbly in the center. At 35, it had firmed up a little, but still too wobbly. A few more minutes and it was perfect. It might have been my oven, or maybe the pan I used. If yours isn’t done at 30 minutes, don’t be afraid to cook a little longer 🙂
Deborah says
I’m so glad you made it and loved it!
Julia says
The crust ingredients “like sand” are REALLY powdery – You really have to press into the pan as hard as possible. Also, I felt that for our family, there was a little more crust thickness compared to lemon filling. The filling is really delicious – tart and tangy. As others have said, I got a few bubbles on the top that browned a little bit, but it didn’t matter once the powdered sugar was added later.
Maryam Darjazi says
How can I incorporate blueberries into this tart? mix it with the filling or drop them on top of the filling before baking?
Joanne says
My daughter made this in four mini tart pans and it came out perfectly. The Birthday Boy was thrilled!
Cynthia says
Love.. love.. love this perfect and easiest lemon tart ever!!! Just baked! Thank for the recipe 🍋🍋🍋
Deborah says
I do love this one so much – I’m so glad you loved it, too!
Margaret says
Made this exactly as directed but was a bit concerned because I only had a mini food processor for the crust. Lesson learned – trust the recipe because it turned out perfectly! Will be saving this recipe for sure. My curd was quite dark as I used free range eggs. Thank you Deborah!
Felysia says
So good! Just made this last night and will definitely come back to it again. Next time I think I will use a tad more lemon juice/zest and a little less sugar. I like my lemon treats to be a bit more sour than this turned out. Still delicious!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you loved it!
Lisa says
I just made this, and it’s amazing! This recipe is a keeper! Just the right amount of lemon/ tanginess/ sweetness. And it’s quick and easy. I’m taking this everywhere I go! I used a glass tart dish. Worked perfect. It was easy to cut and serve.
KiwiCat says
WOW – I was looking for a lemon tart that didn’t have too many eggs, too much sugar or butter and came across yours. Since I already had sweet, shortcrust pastry in the fridge, I decided to use it up. The lemon mixture was the quickest, easiest, yummiest lemon anything I have ever tasted!! I cooked the pastry for about 5 minutes before I took it out of the oven and filled with the lemon. I have no idea how long I cooked it, but wasn’t long and just watched it till it browned and I felt the topping to make sure it didn’t wobble too much. This is a winner for sure!! I have bookmarked the recipe and am going to pass it on. Thank you from New Zealand. Oh btw, somebody mentioned converting the measurements – I just used what you had here but with our measurements. e.g. 1/3c melted butter in America might be slightly less or slightly more than ours but all measurements together work like a dream.