This easy French lemon tart recipe uses only four basic ingredients and has a delightfully rich, mellow lemon flavor that pleases everyone! Tips on how to make shortcrust pastry from scratch are included.

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Lemon tart, or tarte au citron in French, is a classic dessert you’ll find a version of in every bakery and pastry shop in France. The dessert also frequently appears in French restaurant menus, from neighborhood bistros to fine dining restaurants. As ubiquitous as the dessert is, French lemon tart is extremely easy to make at home.

This recipe proves that sophisticated dishes need not be complex to be impressive and memorable! My tarte au citron recipe will teach you how to make a classic French dessert using minimal ingredients and shortcrust pastry from scratch using my expert tips. (You can also use your favorite store-bought crust, too!) Whether new to French baking or a fan of lemon desserts, this simple recipe will soon be a new favorite!

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French pastry has a well-deserved worldwide reputation, treating sweet lovers with sophisticated desserts that feature complex textures and elaborate combinations of flavors. These desserts are not merely dishes: they are experiences that require teams to create.

Fortunately, not all French desserts are difficult to make. Many of the elegant treats in French bakeries or pastry shops can easily be made at home. Financiers are probably the easiest French cakes you can make from scratch. Their rich texture and flavor are unique, yet they’re as easy to make as muffins.

Although I enjoy creating more elaborate desserts, such as French macarons, I love desserts that are deceptively easy to make. Creating a dessert that’s jaw-droppingly beautiful and incredibly delicious in little time and with few ingredients makes me feel like I have a superpower of some kind.

This classic French lemon tart is one of these easy, yet impressive desserts. If you’re a fan of lemon meringue pie, right now you’re probably wondering, Who would want to make or eat a lemon tart without that dreamy meringue on top? I’m a huge lemon meringue pie lover—one of my favorite desserts—so I can attest that French lemon tart is a different dish altogether and that it doesn’t need that extra meringue layer to satisfy lemon dessert lovers.

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What makes French lemon tart different from lemon meringue pie?

The main difference between French lemon tart and lemon meringue pie is how the filling is made.

Lemon meringue pie filling is cooked on the stovetop, like lemon curd , before it is poured into the pie shell and baked for an additional period of time.

French lemon tart filling is quicker and easier to make: you simply whisk together 5 ingredients—eggs, sugar, cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest—pour it into the tart shell, and bake.

The texture and flavor of French lemon tart are also quite different from that of lemon meringue pie. While French lemon tart is indeed assertively lemony, it has a mellower type of lemony flavor because of heavy cream. The cream produces a rich, custardy texture that’s pretty irresistible all on its own! If you know people who find the flavor of lemon meringue pie too sharp or acidic, chances are they’ll love French lemon tart.

Another obvious difference is that, of course, French lemon tart isn’t topped with meringue. But with the smooth, creamy flavor of this classic dessert, I promise you won’t miss it!

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The ingredients you need to make French lemon tart

To make the silky, rich filling of a French lemon tart, you only need 4 ingredients: eggs, sugar, heavy cream, and of course, lemons. Because you’ll be using both the zest and the juice of the lemons, I strongly advise you to use organic lemons if you can find them. Unwaxed organic lemons are the best pick for this recipe, but be aware that not all organic lemons are unwaxed.

In any case, all lemons should be thoroughly washed before you use their zest, so if you use waxed organic fruits or regular lemons, make sure to scrub them extra-vigorously under running water to remove the wax and any chemicals that may have been used to treat them.

Of course, you’ll also need to make a handful more basic ingredients to make the crust for the tart: flour, butter, and an egg. Find out how you can make shortcrust pastry in seconds using your food processor. Once you’ve learned this technique, there’s no return to store-bought pie crusts!

That said, if you’re short on time, you can simply use a store-bought pie crust—I won’t judge! 😉 Find more tips and details about pie crust options below.

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Flavor tip: Using Meyer lemons

While my French lemon tart recipe is delicious when made with regular lemons, if you can find Meyer lemons, I strongly suggest you use them in this recipe. Sweet, flowery Meyer lemons blend so well with rich heavy cream and add a sophisticated touch to the tart’s flavor. Meyer lemons are perfect for this luxurious dessert.

How to Make Shortcrust Pastry without breaking a sweat

If you think you could never make shortcrust pastry from scratch, think again. Thanks to my Foolproof Shortcrust Pastry recipe, you can make pro-quality pastry in seconds. If you’ve always shied away from making pie pastry from scratch, now’s the time to try my recipe: it’s one of the most popular recipes on my site. The reasons why are multiple, yet simple: it’s speedy and easy, it’s reliable, and you can use it for both savory and sweet pies.

My Foolproof Shortcrust Pastry recipe has convinced many pie lovers that they don’t need to buy pastry from the store to make a pie. Now it’s your turn: make shortcrust pastry from scratch and turn it into this gorgeous French lemon tart. You’ll be so proud of your delicious accomplishment!

VIDEO: Make shortcrust pastry IN SECONDS using your food processor

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Using store-bought pie pastry to make French lemon tart

If you’re in a hurry, you can use store-bought pie pastry to make my French lemon tart recipe. Make sure to buy an all-butter variety for the best flavor. Roll it out, then blind-bake using the instructions below.

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How to blind bake a tart shell

This French Lemon Tart recipe requires you to blind bake the tart shell. “Blind baking” means baking a tart shell “naked”—that is, before you pour the filling into the shell. This step is crucial when the tart filling you use is wet, such as that of a quiche or lemon tart. Blind baking ensures the crust will be cooked through and crisp, which would be difficult to achieve under a wet filling.

To blind bake a tart shell, you need pie weights. Pie weights are tiny ceramic beads you fill the tart shell with to prevent it from puffing up while baking. If you don’t have or don’t want to buy ceramic pie weights, you can use dry peas instead. I’ve been using the same jar of dry peas for years: after using them, let them cool completely and store them in a glass jar or a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag in the pantry. They will last forever—know that after using the peas as pie weights, you won’t be able to cook and eat them anymore :)

Here’s how to blind bake a tart shell: After making the shortcrust pastry, roll it out and fit it into a 9-in (23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate the tart shell for 1 hour minutes, or freeze it for 30 minutes.

Using a fork, prick the bottom of the tart shell several times. Cut out a large piece of parchment paper and ease it into the pastry to line it. Fill the pan with pie weights or dry peas. Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, pull up the parchment paper with the weights and set aside, then return the crust to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until it’s golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then prepare the French lemon tart filling as indicated in the recipe.

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What type of pan should I use to make French lemon tart?

You can use any 9-in (23 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom. Classic tart pans are often fluted, but for a modern, pro pastry look (pictured in this post), you can also use a 9-in (23 cm) cake pan with a removable bottom.

Since this tart isn’t a “deep-dish” dessert, you must cut the pastry to the correct height before you blind-bake it. To do so, carefully fit the cake pan with the shortcrust pastry, ensuring the pastry sticks up the vertical ring of the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut off the extra pastry: the pie shell should be 1.5-in (4 cm) deep pre-blind baking. Freeze or refrigerate the tart shell as indicated in the blind baking instructions.

To ensure the sides of the pastry shell stay perfectly straight, ease a large square of parchment paper into the shell, then fill the shell up to the very top with pie weights or dry peas. This will prevent the pastry from crumpling down the sides of the pan while baking. If you decide to use a cake pan to make this French lemon tart, do not skip freezing or thoroughly refrigerating the tart shell before you blind bake it, as this extra step allows the butter pastry to harden and crisp up without melting or shrinking.

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How to serve French lemon tart

French lemon tart is so beautiful and elegant that it can be served alone. Add a light sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving for an extra special touch.

In the summer, you can garnish your lemon tart with fresh berries: the tart looks breathtaking, covered with a layer of fresh raspberries, blueberries, or sliced strawberries.

For an additional indulgent touch, you can also serve French lemon tart with a cloud of Chantilly cream—lightly sweetened whipped cream. See how to make Chantilly cream in the recipe note below.

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More dessert recipes for lemon lovers

If you loved this French lemon tart recipe, I’m sure you can’t get enough lemon desserts, and I get it: they’re so full of sunshine! Get inspired to make more bright and zesty desserts with my collection of 35 lemon dessert recipes.

Here are just a few of the delicious lemon desserts you’ll find in my lemon dessert recipe collection:

• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Glazed Mini Lemon Poppyseed Tea Cakes
• Layered Elderflower Cake
• Lemon Shortbread Cookies
• Limoncello Tiramisu

Get All 35 Lemon Dessert Recipes!

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