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Home » Recipes » Desserts

By Kaleigh McMordie - April 10, 2020, Updated February 23, 2021

Mini Lemon Tarts with Shortbread Crust

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Pinterest image for mini lemon tarts.

Sweet and tangy mini lemon tarts with buttery shortbread crusts and simple lemon curd filling are delicious and adorable spring and summer desserts!

mini lemon tart with shortbread crust with whipped cream and a lemon slice on top, with lemon tarts in the background.

This post was originally published June 2017 and has been updated.

When life gives you lemons... don't make lemonade?

That's right. Make dessert. Because there's nothing better in the springtime than a bright and cheery lemon dessert! But unfortunately, life does not give me lemons. So I go to my sister's house, because life has blessed her with a whole tree full of gorgeous lemons right in her backyard! And her backyard lemons are just perfect for making mini lemon tarts!

overhead view of a mini lemon tart topped with a blackberry and whipped cream, surrounded by lemon slices and lemon tarts.

Why You'll Love These Mini Lemon Tarts

  • These lemon tarts are simply delicious! With a crisp, buttery shortbread crust with just a hint of vanilla and a smooth, creamy, tart lemon curd filling, they're so cheerful for spring!
  • The tiny size is adorable! Bring these perfectly portioned treats to Easter brunch, showers, or make them just because. 
  • They're a great use for lemon curd. I use homemade lemon curd in this recipe, but if you have a spare jar sitting around, these would be the perfect recipe for using it!
  • They're made with just a few simple ingredients that you probably already have - butter, eggs, flour, sugar, lemons. That's just about all you need!

How To Make Mini Lemon Tarts With Shortbread Crust

collage image showing steps to making shortbread tart crust with a stand mixer.

First, make the crusts. 

  1. Cream butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer). Add the vanilla and mix. Then, mix in the flour and salt.
  2. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes. This will make it easier to press into the pans. 
  3. Press the dough into mini tart pans. I use 3.5 inch pans like these. 
  4. Bake the crusts for 10-15 minutes at 300°F until they are golden.
spoon dipping lemon curd out of a glass jar.

Make the lemon curd. 

  1. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs very well. They should be fully combined and fluffy.
  2. Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and salt in a non-reactive saucepan or pot. Heat over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, then turn off the heat.
  3. Temper the eggs by pouring about ½ cup of the warmed lemon mixture into the bowl of eggs, whisking as you pour.
  4. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the lemon juice, whisking the entire time to prevent curdling.
  5. Turn the heat back on to low and cook, stirring the entire time, until the mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes.
  6. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter.
  7. If you want your lemon curd super smooth, you can strain it by pushing it through a fine mesh strainer, or just leave it as is. Let the lemon curd cool before spreading into the tart crusts. 
hand using a gold spoon to spoon lemon curd onto mini tart crust.

Assemble the mini tarts.

  1. Once tart crusts are completely cooled, carefully pop them out of the pans. 
  2. Spoon lemon curd evenly into the crusts and spread it with the back of a spoon to fill each crust. 
  3. Top mini tarts however you'd like!

Tips For Making The Best Mini Lemon Tarts

  • I like homemade lemon curd best (the flavor is out of this world!), but you can absolutely use premade lemon curd if that's what you have. 
  • Some commenters have experienced a metallic taste due to using a metal saucepan. I've never had this occur with stainless steel, but it may be best to use a non-reactive pan, such as an enameled pot to avoid leaching.
  • When making the lemon curd, make sure the eggs are fully whisked to prevent lumpy curd. You'll also want to make sure you don't skip them tempering step, and then keep the heat as low as possible in the final cooking and thickening step. 
  • Make sure crusts are completely cool before taking them out of the pans and adding the lemon curd to them. If you don't have pans with removable edges, you can gently slide a toothpick between the edge of the crust and the pan to help you pop it out.
  • If you have Meyer lemons, you can make Meyer lemon curd. It's a little sweeter and so delicious!
  • If you like your lemon curd a little sweeter, increase the sugar to ¾ cup.

mini lemon tarts topped with whipped cream, berries, and lemon slices on a cooling rack.

How To Decorate Mini Lemon Tarts

For a more rustic, understated dessert, top with a dollop of whipped cream and call it good. For something a little more elegant and fun, you can pipe whipped cream onto the tarts and/or top with berries or lemon slices. 

How To Store Mini Lemon Tarts

Store leftover mini lemon tarts in the refrigerator. I don't recommend freezing them and the crust will get soggy as they thaw.

I also don't recommend assembling your mini tarts too far ahead of time, as the crust will get soft, but you can make the crust and lemon curd up to 2 days in advance and leave them separate until just before serving (or a couple of hours before). Store the crust at room temperature in an airtight container, and the lemon curd in the fridge in an airtight container. 

More Spring Desserts You'll Love

  • Gluten Free Lavender Lemon Bars
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Mini Tarts
  • Coconut Cake with 7 Minute Frosting
  • Healthy Hummingbird Cake Banana Bread
  • Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Print

Mini Lemon Tarts with Shortbread Crust

mini lemon tart with shortbread crust with whipped cream and a lemon slice on top, with lemon tarts in the background.
Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.2 from 26 reviews

Sweet and tangy mini lemon tarts with buttery shortbread crusts and simple lemon curd filling are delicious and adorable spring and summer desserts!

  • Author: Kaleigh
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: about 6 tarts (depending on pan size) 1x
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: baked
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 cup white whole wheat (or all purpose) flour
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt (omit if using salted butter)
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup lemon curd (recipe below)

For the lemon curd:

  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ¾ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (omit if using salted butter)
  • 3 large eggs + 4 large egg yolks
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick), cubed

Instructions

  1. In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in vanilla. Add flour, and salt and mix well. Refrigerate dough for 30 min.
  2. Preheat oven to 300° F. Remove dough from refrigerator and press into mini tart pans. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden.
  3. Remove from oven and let cool before removing tarts from pans.
  4. Fill each cooled tart crust with lemon curd. Top with berries or whipped cream (optional).

To make lemon curd:

  1. Whisk eggs and egg yolks very well in a bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a small nonreactive saucepan, heat lemon zest, juice, sugar and salt over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat. Slowly scoop a about ½ cup into the eggs while whisking.
  3. Pour egg mixture into the pan on the stove while whisking to prevent curdling. Turn heat back on to low and cook, whisking, until mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the cubed butter until it’s completely mixed in.
  5. At this point you can strain the zest out and any egg solids that may be in the curd if you’d like, by pushing it through a fine mesh stainer, or just leave it as is.
  6. Cover lemon curd and chill until ready to use.

Notes

  • I like homemade lemon curd best (the flavor is out of this world!), but you can absolutely use premade lemon curd if that's what you have.
  • Some commenters have experienced a metallic taste due to using a metal saucepan. I've never had this occur with stainless steel, but it may be best to use a non-reactive pan, such as an enameled pot to avoid leaching. 
  • When making the lemon curd, make sure the eggs are fully whisked to prevent lumpy curd. You'll also want to make sure you don't skip them tempering step, and then keep the heat as low as possible in the final cooking and thickening step.
  • Make sure crusts are completely cool before taking them out of the pans and adding the lemon curd to them. If you don't have pans with removable edges, you can gently slide a toothpick between the edge of the crust and the pan to help you pop it out.
  • If you have Meyer lemons, you can make Meyer lemon curd. It's a little sweeter and so delicious!
  • If you like your lemon curd a little sweeter, increase the sugar to ¾ cup.
  • You can make the crusts and lemon curd up to 2 days in advance, but wait until a couple hours before serving to assemble them.

Keywords: mini lemon tarts, mini lemon tarts with shortbread crust, lemon tartlets, mini meyer lemon tarts

Did you make this recipe?

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About Kaleigh McMordie

Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN, LD, is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian in Abilene, Texas, as well as a member of the Baby Led Weaning Dietitians Network. Kaleigh can be found at kaleighmcmordie.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Karla says

    December 01, 2024 at 1:43 am

    I made these for Thanksgiving and they were delightful! After reading the reviews from others I wanted to share a few things that helped me.
    For those who didn’t know how much dough to use per tart here is what I did. I weighed the total amount of dough (284 grams) and divided that by 6 for the number of tarts in a single recipe. This came out to 47.3 grams per tart. I found it easier to roll chilled portions between layers of parched paper rather than just pressing the dough into the pan. I baked them off for 15 minutes at 300. Removing the shells is easier if they have cooled but not completely. They will continue hardening as they cool.
    For those who encountered a metallic taste to the curd, in addition to cooking in a non-reactive pan, I store the curd in a glass bowl covered tightly with press and seal plastic wrap.
    I hope this helps and thanks for a great and versatile recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Erin says

    April 08, 2023 at 7:09 pm

    I'm making these now and wow, the filling is amazing! I'm making 12 mini tarts so it was doubled and still went awesome. My only complaint at all is I was unsure how thick to make the dough in the tins and I'm assuming I made it too thick as I had to bake them over 30 minutes before I was getting browning. Other than that though, the crust is amazing, curd is amazing, super great recipe overall!

    ★★★★

    Reply
  3. Shelley says

    March 09, 2023 at 4:50 pm

    I was wondering if I could use a mini muffin pan for this recipe?

    Reply
  4. Clark says

    February 11, 2023 at 5:03 pm

    Excellent recipe, I used a mini muffin pan to make micro tartlets. They turned out perfectly. The curd took longer than 5 minutes to thicken (possibly since I'm at high altitude /shrug). Just cranked the heat a bit and cooked for a few minutes longer. Really tasty.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Lisa says

    June 26, 2022 at 3:50 pm

    Made this for a little “Finer Things Club.” I have few cooking/baking skills and these turned out great for me! I was so proud of the result! Thank you for the recipe. Every other one I found was a 4.5 hour process. I needed these for a 10am party that we planned the night before and I totally pulled it off and still had time for a run and a shower. 😅

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      June 27, 2022 at 6:53 am

      So glad they worked well for you, Lisa!

      Reply
  6. Jay says

    April 14, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    Similar to another commenter I had a metallic after taste in my lemon curd as well. My lemon mixture also didnt thicken and i followed the instructions exactly. Disappointing as this was going to be my Easter dessert to bring to a gathering and a waste of ingredients. Oh well.

    ★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      April 15, 2022 at 11:59 am

      So sorry it didn't work out for you! I've had many people make this recipe with success. What kind of pan did you use? I have just added a note to use a nonreactive pan to avoid leaching.

      Reply
  7. Catherine says

    April 14, 2022 at 4:26 pm

    I had to come back and read through comments to try to figure out why mine was a disaster. The recipe is missing important info. I tried making small mini tarts - I used too much dough because there was no guidance about it. I was not told to prick the bottom with a fork or put pie weights in it so it rose and the cooking time was way off. Baked it for 30 mins at least. Regarding the curd - I am really disappointed. The recipe says 3 whole eggs + 4 egg yolks. That is a plus sign, right? As in - in addition to? My curd had 7 egg yolks and 3 egg whites. No wonder it is a runny mess! That’s completely wrong! This was only my second time making a lemon curd, the other was a vegan recipe, so I just followed your instructions not knowing any better. I hate that I wasted all that time and all those ingredients.

    ★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      April 15, 2022 at 11:58 am

      I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. I've never needed to use weights on my crust. The amount of eggs plus yolks is correct. Many people have made this recipe with success, so I'm not sure what went wrong for you.

      Reply
  8. Sara says

    March 30, 2022 at 10:51 am

    I followed this recipe to a T and unfortunately the lemon curd came out tasting metallic. I checked online for possible causes and aparently the high acidity of the lemon may leach the metal from the saucepan when it's being whisked over low heat. Apparently this happens a lot with lemon curd recipes, so it's almost impossible to know how it'll turn out until the end. Perhaps it would be possible to whisk the mixture over a bain-marie, to thicken it without using any metal whatsoever, but I will leave that experiment for the future.

    ★★

    Reply
  9. Suzanne says

    November 25, 2021 at 12:52 am

    I never had luck making lemon curd…until now! Worked beautifully! (Yes, tempering is key!) I made one big tart today, instead of mini tarts, just out of convenience. In this case, the crust needs to stay in the oven a little longer, and I baked it at 325 instead of 300 degrees. I also substituted powdered sugar for regular sugar in the crust, just as I would use for making shortbread cookies. I love the ease of making the curd and crust the night before dinner and assembling right before serving! Thank you so much for this recipe!! Will add some variety to the dessert table this Thanksgiving, and add an appropriate injection of sunshine into our Southern California gathering.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      November 27, 2021 at 10:31 am

      So glad this recipe works out great for you! Thanks for sharing your tips.

      Reply
    • Deanne says

      May 01, 2023 at 12:16 am

      Thank you for your comment. I discovered a big tart pan I’ve never used in my cupboard. I have cooked the base but the curd turned out fantastic and it was my first time making anything like this!

      Reply
  10. Jade says

    November 03, 2021 at 1:52 pm

    What would you suggest when using store bought lemon curd? Should I put it straight into the done pastry from the jar? I’m so lost haha!

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      November 03, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      Hi Jade, Yes you can scoop it straight from the jar into the baked crust!

      Reply
  11. Georgia says

    September 21, 2021 at 1:13 am

    Hi, I have made these before and they worked out perfectly! I am wanting to try these on a larger scale, do you think I could use this recipe for a single large tart instead of mini ones?

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      September 21, 2021 at 6:29 am

      Hi Georgia, I have tried making the crust in a larger pan before and it was too crumbly, maybe because there wasn't enough dough? You might try looking for another crust recipe specific to a large pan.

      Reply
    • lana says

      February 15, 2022 at 7:25 pm

      Big daddy dave loved this!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Jk says

        February 12, 2023 at 3:48 pm

        Ok Lana 👀

  12. Ja says

    August 08, 2021 at 5:14 am

    Hello, I don't understand the amount of eggs for the lemon curd. Is it 7 eggs total with only the yolk in 4 of them? 4 eggs total with one of them yolk only? Something else? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      August 08, 2021 at 8:08 am

      Yes, 7 eggs total with only yolks for 4.

      Reply
  13. Roxanne says

    July 22, 2021 at 3:34 pm

    I made more lemon filling than i needed. How long does it keep in the fridge?

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      July 23, 2021 at 7:32 am

      Hi Roxanne,
      The filling will last up to a week in the refrigerator, but it can also be frozen!

      Reply
  14. Tammy says

    July 21, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    Great recipe. Everything went as planned just as you described.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      July 22, 2021 at 9:38 am

      Glad to hear it! Thanks for the review, Tammy.

      Reply
  15. Melanie Valenzuela says

    July 16, 2021 at 3:31 pm

    Hello what are the measurements for the shortbread crust?

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      July 18, 2021 at 1:01 pm

      Hi Melanie, do you mean how big are the tart pans? Mine were 3.5 inches across.

      Reply
  16. Mary Fontanazza says

    June 30, 2021 at 5:07 pm

    While these looked and sounded delicious, they were a disaster for me. I could not serve them. I had problems with both the tart crusts and the lemon curd. I made them as well as mini cheesecakes for a baby shower. The cheesecakes were no problem so I know it was not my oven. The crusts were difficult to get out of the tartlet pans and crumbled. I baked them longer than 15 minutes because they did not seem to be getting done and still they tasted like they had not baked long enough. I also had a problem with the lemon curd. It did not thicken very much. It was the consistency of a thick cream soup. It did taste delicious though.

    ★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      July 01, 2021 at 7:54 am

      I'm so sorry the recipe didn't work out for you, Mary. It has worked well for many other readers, so I'm not sure what went wrong.

      Reply
  17. Kavya says

    May 23, 2021 at 2:46 am

    Can i substitute eggs with plain curd.

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      May 24, 2021 at 7:06 am

      Hi Kavya, I'm not sure what you mean by plain curd.

      Reply
  18. Kate says

    May 09, 2021 at 6:43 pm

    Hello! How much dough (even a rough guesstimate is appreciated) should be put in each pan? I'm not quite sure how thick they should be/if i should roll out and cut rounds or what lol. Thank you!

    Reply
  19. Tavisha says

    May 04, 2021 at 6:02 am

    Hiiii! It was very bery tasty

    Reply
  20. Zoe says

    May 03, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    I LOVE the curd filling... I made these for a wedding and I got so many compliments. The crust though did not hold for me and fell apart after taking them out of this so I had to buy shells.

    ★★★★

    Reply
  21. Rebecca Simpson says

    April 21, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    Looooooved this lemon curd filling! I especially like how I can make it ahead of time, keep it in the fridge and spoon it into my tart shells when I'm ready, and no baking required!
    How long do you think I could keep these lemon tarts out of the fridge for, before they are consumed? I am hoping to use them for an event where they won't be refrigerated during the day.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      April 22, 2021 at 3:45 pm

      I'm so glad you like them, Rebecca! You can probably keep them out for a day or so before needing to refrigerate them as long as it's not too warm.

      Reply
  22. Trish says

    April 18, 2021 at 8:29 pm

    So delicious!! Could I use the same curd recipe and just use different fruit? Raspberry in place of lemon for instance, or would the recipe change?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      April 19, 2021 at 5:39 am

      Hi Trish, I'm so glad you loved it! I haven't ever tried with other fruit so I can't say, but I'd think that other citrus would be the same. I'm not sure about other fruits.

      Reply
  23. Natasha says

    April 05, 2021 at 6:48 am

    Wow the lemon curd turned out divine! ✨and the tarts came out beautifully! Thank you for such a tasty yet simple recipe to follow 😊

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      April 05, 2021 at 7:54 am

      Thanks Natasha! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  24. Rebecca Van Dam says

    March 19, 2021 at 6:04 pm

    Hi, planning on making these this afternoon and wondering if the butter should be melted, or softened.

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      March 20, 2021 at 5:33 am

      Hi Rebecca, The butter should be softened to room temperature.

      Reply
  25. Rachel says

    March 12, 2021 at 8:12 pm

    I love this lemon curd and I'm going to use it for everything. I already tried mixing it in to a buttercream for macarons and it's soooo good.
    A tip for those reading the comments. When she says mix well for the shortbread that means mix well! My first batch was crumbly and I thought it was just like that but I got distracted when making my second batch and left the mixer running and it's so much easier to work with!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      March 14, 2021 at 1:57 pm

      I'm so glad you like it, Rachel! Thanks for sharing your tips.

      Reply
  26. Mary says

    January 28, 2021 at 7:01 pm

    I was given fresh lemon curd so made the tarts. Absolute disaster. Thought I’d followed the instructions well but mix was wet and sticky. Bubbled. Way too sweet and a right old mess. Gave me a laugh and I have a photo 🤣🤪🤦‍♀️

    ★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      February 01, 2021 at 12:10 pm

      Sorry it didn't work out for you, Mary. Many people have made them with success, so I'm not sure what went wrong.

      Reply
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