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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
Serious update to instructions is needed. An 8 inch tart pan does not come close to holding the filling volume. Perhaps this should be a springform pan?
Also, best to say you need a 4-6 qt high sided pan for the filling. The spill over onto my stove was a disaster.
I used a 3 qt pan
The crust & filling we’re delicious but it didn’t set for me! Even after a few hours in the fridge and one in the freezer. I had a very tasty but goey mess. Any suggestions?
Would you adjust the baking time/temp for a glass dish? Can wait to make this one!!
Thank you!
Hi Azaria,
No need to adjust anything. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just FYI the recipe says to boil the lemon zest, but the video has it being added afterward with the lemon juice. Does it matter? Waiting for mine to cool now– the filling I tasted was delicious, though!
Hey Laura! You should add the lemon zest before boiling. I just messed the video up (so sorry!). For best flavor boil the lemon zest! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I just made this and it’s been in the fridge for over an hour but it’s still a puddle. I also noticed the crust never crisped up, it was moist even after 15 minutes in the oven. What am I doing wrong?!?
Hi Katy,
So sorry you had issues with this recipe. I am wondering if you adjusted the recipe at all? The crust should be slightly crispy after 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven. As for the filling, it is super important to use heavy cream or coconut cream, if you used anything else the recipe will not workout. Also, the lemon juice needs to be added after the boiling process. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Can i substitute heavy cream for half and half and receive the same results?
Hi Bettania,
So sorry but it is very important to use either heavy cream or coconut cream. I hope love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this over the weekend and the flavor was delicious (a big hit for the family!) but unfortunately I could not get the filling to set properly. I followed the directions really carefully (I made sure the cream boiled fully and everything), but even after leaving it in the fridge overnight, when I cut into it, the filling still came out really soft and way too liquid-y (it fell apart when I cut a slice). Any suggestions or ideas on what I might have done wrong? Would appreciate any advice in case I make it again 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Sam,
So sorry you had issues with the reason. Here are a full things to be sure of…it is important use to heavy cream, make sure to add the lemon juice after boiling, and if needed you can place in the freeze to let it set longer. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Made this today with my girls, perfect summer dessert! Will definitely be making more 🙂
Thank you so much Stephanie! xTieghan
Another great one! Seriously SO easy and delicious. I do not have a tart pan and decided to make little individual tarts in a muffin pan. I halved the recipe because I didn’t have enough cream and it made 12 little muffin/tarts. I used liners and the custard peeled off easily – nice and firm! I will increase the amount of zest next time as I like my lemon extra strong. Thanks!!
Thank you so much Maya!! I am really glad this recipe turned out well for you! xTieghan
This tart was FABULOUS!!! The pretzels in the crust were phenomenal- all together will be saving this recipe for the future!
Love that! Thank you so much Camila! xTieghan
Hi!! Will this still work if I only have half & half? I would be worried about the milk part of it. Thank you & I can’t wait to try it:)
Hi Alex,
Sorry you want to use heavy cream for this recipe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan. For the No Fuss Lemon Tart can I use whipping cream instead of heavy cream? I’m in Canada and we don’t have heavy cream readily available. Love your blog!!!
Hi Ellyn,
Yes that will work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I don’t have a tart pan. Can you substitute a pie plate?
Hi Julie,
Yes that works! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Yum! Could I do this with lime instead of lemon?
Hi Alex,
Check out this recipe! https://fett-weg.today/coconut-lime-tart/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> xTieghan
This recipe looks amazingly easy, it’s hard for me to find lemons is there any way I can substitute it with lime?
Hi Erika,
Check out this recipe! https://fett-weg.today/coconut-lime-tart/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> xTieghan