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This No Fuss Lemon Tart is that go-to dessert…super easy, yet delicious and pretty too. The filling is made with four base ingredients, heavy cream, honey, lemon, and vanilla extract. The crust is a mix of sweet graham crackers, salty pretzels, and just a touch of butter. When combined with the creamy lemon filling it makes for a mouthwatering tart that’s sweet, luscious, super creamy, and a touch salty. Top with an assortment of fresh berries for a tart that’s perfect for both spring and summer.
Happy Friday! What a fun week it’s been here in LA. I have to say, I’m so excited about everything we have been working on. I’m also pretty glad I escaped all the snow in Colorado this week and swapped it for the California sunshine. It’s been a bit cooler than I might like, but I really shouldn’t complain! We’ve been running around the city all week filming some fun new videos. It’s been such a great change of scenery for me!
With Friday here I am beyond happy to be sharing this no fuss lemon tart. It’s a recipe I’ve been really excited to share since the day I made it, and for a few reasons.
First and foremost, this tart is delicious. It’s lightly sweetened, tangy, creamy and finished with sweet berries. The crust has a little (pretzel) twist and is lightly salted, providing a nice balance to the tang and sweetness.
Second, not only is this tart beyond simple to make (just 4 base ingredients in the filling), but it’s almost no bake. I say almost because the crust does need to bake, but trust me, the toasty flavor is so worth it!
And finally, this tart is so pretty, which some of you may not be that concerned with. But you all know me, I love anything that tastes just as pretty as it looks.
Traditionally lemon tarts are made with a ton of eggs, cream, and butter, but this tart is very different. It uses only cream, zero eggs, and is pretty low in the sugar content…no actual sugar, just honey.
Let me back up a bit though, and tell you about the crust. Most tarts call for an all graham cracker crust, but I wanted to do something different and add a little saltiness to the already sweet graham crackers. Instead of using all graham crackers I went for a mix of graham crackers and pretzels. It’s not what you might typically put together, but trust me when I say, this crust is a game changer. It’s sweet and just a touch salty too. The best combo.
While the crust is baking, work on the filling. It’s the simplest thing and you’re going to be shocked when I tell you the ingredients. All you need is heavy cream, honey, lemon, and vanilla. Yep, just four very simple ingredients, zero eggs, and almost zero effort.
All you need to do is bring the cream to a boil, boil 5 minutes, remove from the stove, add the lemon and vanilla…and that’s it! Be sure to use a large pot, bigger than you think you will need. Heavy cream really likes to boil over, so use the largest pot you have to be safe.
When testing this recipe I was concerned that the cream was not going to set up. But shockingly it set up within the first 30 minutes of chilling. Boiling the cream thickens it, and allows for it to set up just like it would if using eggs.
My favorite part though? I find this to be creamier than the usual lemon tart which is so much fancier and use eggs. It’s crazy to me, but I promise, this is one of the best lemon tarts. And the major bonus is that it’s so simple!!
If you happen to be someone who prefers dairy free, I tested this with both heavy cream and coconut cream (no water, just the cream). Both worked really well! If you are using coconut cream, make sure it is high quality and boil the coconut cream for a total of 10 minutes. Personally, I love the flavor of the coconut. But it does change the tart slightly, giving a little more of a tropical flavor. So use what you love most here!
Finally, finish the tart off with a handful of your favorite fresh berries. You’ll have the prettiest dessert that takes almost no effort at all. In the words of Ina Garten, “This looks fantastic. How easy was that?”.
PS. If you’re in need of more than one tart this Memorial Day weekend, try this no bake fruit tart filled with strawberries. It will be a nice compliment to this lemon tart.
If you make this no fuss lemon tart, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
No Fuss Lemon Tart.
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 1847 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 8 full size graham cracker sheets (about 1 cup once crushed into crumbs)
- 1 cup salted pretzel twists
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup honey
- 3 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest + 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups mixed fresh berries
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. To make the crust. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and pretzels into semi-fine crumbs. Add the butter and 2 tablespoons honey and pulse until the mixture holds together when pinched and starts to look like dough. Press the dough into an 8 or 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom to form a flat, even crust. Transfer to the oven and bake until toasted, about 8 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, combine the heavy cream, remaining 1/3 cup honey, and lemon zest in a large pot, bigger than you think you'll need. Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, boil 5 minutes and then remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Let cool 10 minutes. 4. Carefully pour the lemon cream into the baked crust. Cover and chill 1 hour or until set. Before serving, remove the tart from the pan and top with fresh berries.
This post was originally published on May 24, 2019
This is absolutely Fantastic!
Hey Laura,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, love to hear it turned out well for you!
Can I make the lemon cream in advance?
Hey Marilia,
Sure, that will work nicely for you. I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you give it a try!
Could I use a premade crust and just sprinkle salt on top? I don’t have pretzels
Hi Sam,
Sure, I don’t see why not! I hope you love this recipe!
Happy Holidays!
What would be the best substitute for heavy cream? A liquid whipping cream with 33% fat? or would it be best to use greek yogurt or something else?
For the no-fuss lemon tart, liquid whipping cream with 33% fat is your best substitute for heavy cream—it’ll give you the same rich, smooth texture. Greek yogurt can work in some recipes, but here it may be too tangy and thick. Stick with the whipping cream for the best results! xT
Can you make in a tart pan without removable bottom? Or can you use a spring form pan?
Hi Lori,
Sure, the pan without a removable bottom is just fine, you will just have to slice and serve it from the pan. I hope you love this recipe! xx
I have a very busy weekend ahead! How far ahead can I make this wonderful dessert?
Hi Kay,
I wouldn’t make this more than 48 hours in advance. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I did this recipe multiple times and it was always a hit.
I wish to try and make it in individual containers, do you think it’s ok if I skip the baking of the crust? As not sure if the containers I have can go in the oven…
Hi Roberta,
So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed! I would bake the crust if you are able to:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
What would be an alternative for the graham crackers please as I don’t believe we can get those in England. Thanks
Hi Brittany,
A vanilla wafer cookie would work nicely! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
The filling on its own is called panna cotta.
Almost 1900 calories per serving? 🤔 Looks delicious but 2,000 calories per slice, can this be right? 🥧
Hi Gloria,
My guess is that is for the whole tart. I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
So delicious! Followed recipe exactly and turned out perfectly. I did make ahead so it refrigerated overnight, set beautifully! Wondering if leftovers could be frozen? Thanks!!
Hey Jenna,
Fantastic!! Thanks for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well! Sure, you could definitely freeze the leftovers. Happy New Year! xx
How would i adjust this recipe for an 11 inch tarte pan?
Hey Melinda,
I would adjust the serving size to 10 and follow the measurements that automatically adjust for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Wonderful dessert! I didn’t have pretzels, so I added some salt to the crust to get that sweet/salty combo. I also ended up cooking my cream for closer to 10 minutes like one of the other comments and adding in about 2 extra tablespoon of lemon juice for a bit more tartness. It set great!
Hey there,
Fantastic! Love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you making it! Have a great weekend:)
I made this tart for the first time this weekend. It was for a cookout and after reading the other reviews, I was concerned that it wouldn’t set up. So, I had to leave a review to say that it came out perfectly! I was so happy with it and everyone enjoyed it, love that there were no eggs. I used heavy cream from Costco and let it boil down for 10 minutes instead of 5. By the end of the boiling, most of the foaming had stopped and the heavy cream looked a bit thicker. I poured it into the tart pan and put it in the fridge for about an hour before checking on it. I could tell right away that it was firming up. Glad I gave it a try. Thank you for the recipe!
Hey Christine,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback! Thank you for sharing what worked well for you! Happy Tuesday:)
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times and it’s always a hit. Today for some reason, it did not set and was runny even after being in the fridge for 3 hours. What could be reasons it would not set after a few hours?
Hey Maria,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear that this recipe is always enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it so often! Hmm, that’s weird it didn’t set for you this time. Was there anything you may have done differently? Xx
It didn’t fully set for me either after ~4 hours, but I was in and out of the fridge cooking the rest of dinner. I may put it in the freezer next time. It was all gone even without fully setting though! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Karynne! You could definitely do the freezer next time! xT