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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
Late to the game, but I just made this and it is SO good! I had a ton of berries in the fridge, but I didn’t want a “berry dessert” per se, so I made this, added puréed blueberries to the mixture and topped it with berries! Sweet and tangy. So great.
Nothing wrong with that! I am just glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much Nicole! I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy! xTieghan
Delicious flavor by sadly mine did not set in the middle. It appeared set and then when I cut through it was very cream and started to slide. Not sure what I could have done wrong.
Hi Jolene! Oh no! I am sorry to hear that. Is there anything that you could have done differently? Please let me know, I would love to help! xTieghan
Hi! I live in Europe and here they have two different types of heavy cream– cream for cooking (used for cream based sauces) and whipping cream.. which would you suggest using?? Thanks!
Hi Katherine,
Use the cream for cooking. I hope you love the recipe! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Looks delicious! Was looking for a key lime pie recipe. Do you think it would work if I replaced lime juice for the lemon juice?
Thanks!
Hi Hannah,
Try this recipe! https://fett-weg.today/coconut-lime-tart/%3C/a%3E xTieghan
I made the tart! It was super easy but I had to go without the pretzels because the store was somehow out. I used heavy cream, but then had to use a cup and 1/2 of heavy whipping cream – I thought it would be fine but after a full night in the fridge covered the cream didn’t set. The tart tastes amazing and it’s set on top but when I slice it all turns to liquid. Didn’t stop me from eating it! I wonder if that whipping cream messed it up.
Hi Karine,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am sorry you had an issue with the cream. If I am understanding correctly you used 1 1/2 cups heaving whipping cream and 2 cups of heavy cream? This could be your issue, whipping cream has a lighter, airy texture due to the lower amount of milk fat which means it won’t hold it’s shape as well. Next time I would recommend just sticking with the heavy cream. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Excellent recipe! Super easy, beautiful and oh so tasty!
Thank you so much Jenny! xTieghan
This is so good! How long would you say the leftovers will keep in the fridge?? Thanks!!!
Hey Beth! The leftover keep for up to 5 days. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I made this today and it is delicious but it’s not fully set after 4 hours.
Thank you so much Donna! Please let me know if there are any questions I could help you with! xTieghan
I meant to comment on this earlier, as I finally made it for a dinner party in August. I followed the recipe exactly as written and it came out amazing. I couldn’t find a tart pan and used a springform pan instead and it worked out fine. The best tip in the recipe was to use a large pot as it was definitely needed. I’m not always the best at desserts but this one will definitely make it into my rotation as it is impressive with not too much work involved.
That is so amazing to hear Karen! Thank you so much for making this! xTieghan
Your recipes are amazing – thank you! Can you freeze this Lemon Tart?
Hi there! Yes, you can freeze, but once thawed the tart does loose some of its creaminess. For best results I recommend just keeping this in the fridge until ready to serve. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This is delicious! Thank you!!!
I’ve used sugar instead of honey 😉
So glad to hear that Isabel! Thank you! xTieghan
this looks amazing! would it work if I used lime juice instead of lemon?
Hey Adel! Yes, I would think that lime juice will work just as well. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this for 4th of July and it was a hit! Making it again this weekend. I used a pie pan and it worked out great!
So happy to hear that Rusha! Thank you! xTieghan
Fabulous! A big hit with my family. I’d write more, but then I’d have to put my fork down . . .
Haha that is too great to hear! Thank you so much Linda! xTieghan
This tart was SO GOOD. I was shocked, it is so simple and but it was so smooth and creamy and delicious. I used meyer lemons because that’s what I had on hand and have had several requests to make it again! Thanks for sharing!!!
Thank you so much Kristi! So glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan