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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 was AMAZING! Soooooo good and soooooo simple! I was amazed how cream and honey firm up like that! Are there other variations on this? Perhaps a chocolate boiled cream tart? Made this for my sister’s birthday and everyone we served it to has just raved about it. I normally don’t make recipes twice because there are so many fun ones out there to try, but I will definitely be making this again and SOON!
Hi Jenna! I am so glad you loved this one!! Thank you so much for trying it and I hope you all continue to enjoy! xTieghan
Just tried this with coconut cream as my fiancé has a dairy allergy and the filling didn’t really set either! However, I did accidentally put some of the coconut water in it and not just the cream.. will have to try again. Otherwise this tastes great!
Thank you so much Cass!! xTieghan
Made this recipe as a trial for a family party next week – it was amazing, but my crust was super crumbly still. Is this how it is supposed to be? Should I have added more honey/butter or baked longer to make it more crust like and less crumble?? Thanks!!!!
Hi Emily,
Thanks for trying the recipe, I am sorry you had issues with the crust. Next time you could add a touch more honey to bring it together more and just be sure to really press it into the tart pan. I hope this helps! xTieghan
THIS! Made this for some friends that came over and received rave reviews!
So simple and so refreshing. It was light, tart and wonderful. I will make again!
Love to hear that! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi! I just tried to make this recipe for the first time but it did not set. What could have caused it not to set?
Hi Vanya,
Sorry you had some trouble. Did you boil the cream for 5 minutes, then add the lemon juice? This step is key as the lemon juice reacts with the cream. If there are any details you can give me in regards to how you made this, then I can better help you probably solve the problem. xTieghan
I made this tart yesterday- I was surprised by how easy it was to put together. The honey adds a subtle sweetness to it and the lemon tang was just amazing! My mom was shocked when I said there was NO egg or gelatine because it set so nicely!! We all loved it so much- light, fresh, sweet and tart!
Thank you Ameera! That is really great to hear! xTieghan
My lemon filling didn’t set, even after waiting several hours. It was boiling pretty hard for 5 min, perhaps it needed longer? What is the consistency you should look for when boiling is done? It was almost just as runny as when I started ?
Hi Sovong,
So sorry you had issues with the tart. Boiling for 5 minutes is enough time and it is very runny once you pour into the tart. Did you use heavy cream and add the lemon juice after the boiling time? This is super important. Please let me know how I can help. xTieghan
I just bought some vanilla beans and was wondering if I could use a vanilla bean instead of the vanilla extract for this recipe? Would one be enough? They are Grade A – Madagascar Vanilla Beans and about 6 inches long.
Hi Jessica,
Yes this should work! I would use one bean. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Loved this!! Super easy and really lemony. Many lemon recipes have just a slight flavor of lemon but this one is perfect. Definitely a new go to!!
Thank you so much Tricia! xTieghan
I noticed that you use 1/3 cup of honey and that you said sugar can be used as a replacement according to a previous comment. Is the honey a prominent flavour in this? Not sure I would like it but I also don’t love changing recipes the first time I make them.
Can I just use a regular spring form pan?
Hello 🙂 Do you think it would also work with coconut cream ?
BTW, you are amazing ! Thanks for all the great recipes !
– Audrey xx
So I had to substitute a cup and a half of homemade almond milk because I realized I only bought 16oz (2 cups) of heavy cream. It seems a little thin after chilling in the fridge so I tossed it in the freezer to see if that helps. Do you think it will be fine with the 1.5 cups of almond milk or is it not thick enough? I’ll let you know the result once I pull it from the freezer. The custard tastes great either way so if it doesn’t solidify we’ll just put it in a bowl over fresh berries. Thank you for the recipe!
I have a little bit of the filling left! do you have any ideas as to how I can use it up? Thanks 🙂
Update to my comments! I most definitely should have stated that the filling tastes incredible! I hope it sets up!