French Lemon Tart (tarte au citron)

The tarte au citron aka French Lemon Tart was my absolute favorite tart in the bakery for a long time. There’s nothing better than the contrast between the creamy lemon curd and the crumbly, buttery shortcrust pastry!

I love making it when I have friends over; it’s always a hit, and I get compliments every time! Today I’m sharing my lemon tart recipe with you, and you’ll see it’s actually much easier than it looks.

3 Tips To Make The Perfect Lemon Tart

Before you start the recipe, I want to share a few tips that truly make all the difference:

• Use Organic Lemons: I recommend using organic lemons so you can safely use the zest. I like to rub the zest of one or sometimes even two directly into the sugar beforehand. This will release the oils and make the lemon curd really intense in flavor.
• Precision: French baking is always about precision. Don’t skip any steps or resting times. And I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients accurately.
• Bake a Day Ahead: The best is to bake your tart the day before and let it rest in the fridge. This gives the lemon curd enough time to set, allows the flavors to intensify, and ensures you can cut beautiful, clean slices later.

You are short in time? A classic French lemon tart isn’t the best choice if you’re short on time. However, if you’re craving that citrus punch but need something faster, you can try my Lemon Loaf Cake (or cake au citron in French) instead!

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Tarte au Citron (French Lemon Tart)

5.00 (12 reviews)

Here is my French Tarte au Citron recipe: a creamy, tangy lemon curd on top of a buttery, crisp shortcrust pastry. A simple and elegant tart!

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Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Resting time 4 hours hours

Servings 8

Kitchen equipment

• 1 Tart pan 24–26 cm/ 9–10 inches

Ingredients 

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For the shortcrust pastry (Pâte Sucrée)

• 140 g butter
• 75 g icing sugar
• 1 large egg
• 25 g ground almonds
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt

For the Lemon Curd

• 150 g sugar
• 4 eggs
• 20 g cornstarch
• 4 large lemons organic, for 3/4 cup (175 ml) lemon juice and the zest of 1-2 lemon
• 100 g unsalted butter cold and diced

US Customary – Metric

Instructions 

Prepare the almond shortcrust pastry (Pâte Sucrée)

1. Take the butter and egg out of the refrigerator an hour in advance. The butter should be soft, like a creamy texture.
   
2. In a stand mixer (using the paddle attachment), beat the butter and icing sugar until creamy.
   
3. Then add the egg and ground almonds, and continue beating until creamy.
   
4. Finally, gently mix in the flour and salt just until a smooth dough forms. Important: do not overwork the dough!
   
5. Shape the dough into a ball (it will be sticky, which is normal; it’s important not to add extra flour!).
   
6. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to about 10–11 inches (26–28 cm) and let it rest flat in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
   
7. Lightly grease the tart pan and place the dough inside. Chill again for 45 minutes (this prevents the edges from shrinking during baking). Prick the bottom with a fork, line with parchment paper, and fill with blind baking weights (or rice/beans).
   
8. Blind bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20–25 minutes until golden brown. (Optional: brush with egg yolk 5 minutes before the end to seal.) Let cool completely.
   

Prepare the lemon curd

1. In a mixing bowl, rub the sugar and the zest of one or two lemons (depending on how “lemony” you want it) together with your fingers. Add the eggs and whisk until it turns pale.
   
2. Then stir in the cornstarch and whisk until there are no lumps left.
   
3. Squeeze the lemons and measure 3/4 cup (175 ml) of juice. Heat the juice in a saucepan until it starts to simmer. Slowly pour half of the warm lemon juice into the egg-sugar mixture while whisking. This gently warms the eggs.
   
4. Return everything to the saucepan and heat the over medium heat, stirring constantly. The curd will start to thicken but it is not done yet! As soon as the mixture starts to bubble (first boil), continue stirring for exactly 30 more seconds, then remove from the heat.
   
5. Then add the cold butter cubes and optionally blend with an immersion blender for a dew seconds to get a smoother texture.
   

Assembling the tart

1. Pour the lemon curd over the cold tart crust and smooth the surface. Let it set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
   
2. Before serving, decorate with small meringues kisses, mint leaves, or lemon slices.
   

Nutrition facts

Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 170mg | Sodium: 161mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 914IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg

How To Make a Smooth Lemon Curd?

Making lemon curd is actually very easy, but it can quickly turn into “scrambled eggs” if you cook too high. To prevent this, I like to use a technique called tempering (the same as for crème pâtissière). Here is how to do it:

1. Infuse: Rub the lemon zest into the sugar between your fingers to release the oils. Whisk it then with the eggs and a little cornstarch (for stability).
2. Temper: Heat the lemon juice until it reaches a gentle simmer, then slowly pour a portion of it into the egg and sugar mixture while whisking constantly. This tempers the eggs so you don’t end up with scrambled eggs!
3. Thicken: Return the entire mixture to the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the curd thickens.
4. The “Spatula Test”: Once your spatula leaves a clear trail and you can see the bottom of the pan, remove from the heat.
5. Butter: Finally, stir in a little butter until it is fully incorporated. It will make the lemon curd glossy,

Tip: If the cream is not completely smooth, you can simply blend it briefly with a hand blender.

The Best Shortcrust Pastry For A French Lemon Tart

In France, a tarte au citron is always made with a pâte sucrée. You could translate this as “almond shortcrust pastry,” but that is not exactly the same. A pâte sucrée contains more butter and a little ground almonds than a traditional shortcrust pastry. This makes the crust more stable and less crumbly.

And, not only the ingredients but the technique to make it is different:

• Pâte Sablée (shortbread pastry): The butter is rubbed into the flour to create a sandy texture before the egg is added to bind it.
• Pâte Sucrée (almond shortcrust pastry): The butter and sugar are first creamed together until light and fluffy (crémer), followed by the eggs and dry ingredients. This “creaming” method gives at the end in a firmer, more cookie-like base, perfect to support the lemon curd without getting soggy.

How To Prevent Your Tart Base From Getting Soft

This is a tip I once learned from a French baker. I don’t always do it, but if you want to be on the safe side, it’s great: seal the crust.

About 5 minutes before the end of the blind-baking time, briefly remove the pastry from the oven, brush it thinly with a beaten egg yolk, and finish baking. The egg yolk forms a wafer-thin protective layer, and the base remains nice and crispy or croquant, as we say in France!

Tarte au Citron – With or Without Meringue?

In France, you will find the tarte au citron meringuée, a lemon tart with a layer meringue on top, in almost every Boulangerie, The meringue balances out the acidity of the lemon curd.

To be honest, I personally like both versions! In spring, I tend to go for the plain lemon tart. It’s fresher, even simpler, and the lemon really comes into its own. Sometimes I decorate it with a few small meringues kisses if I have any. And sometimes I just fancy the version with meringue on top. It really is a matter of taste. Both are great!

FAQ about French Lemon Tart

More French Sweet Tarts

If you’re as big a fan of tarts as I am, then you absolutely have to try these recipes.

• Tarte Bourdaloue, French pear and almond tart
• Apple Tarte Tatin
• Apricot tart with puff pastry
• French apple tart with puff pastry
• Apricot tart with almond cream
• Rhubarb tart with almond cream