If you love traditional pastries with a twist, this dairy-free and eggless lemon tart is a must-try!
Note: This is a new and improved version of my original vegan lemon tart recipe. It has a delicious cheesecake-style creamy lemon filling and a crisp flakey pastry shell and uses my popular super tangy homemade lemon curd for both the filling and the topping.
And it's made without coconut milk, silken tofu, or agar-agar!
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If you love fresh desserts like this tarte au citron there is no shortage of lemon recipes here on the blog! Try my vegan recipes for lemon cake, lemon meringue pie, blueberry lemon loaf, and lemon muffins next!
🧾 Ingredients Needed
The best thing about this lemon tart (other than the incredible flavor, of course!), is that you can prep some of the elements ahead of time! Here's everything to prepare ahead/grab:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Vegan Sweet Shortcrust Pastry - This is known as Pâte Sucrée in France. Quick and easy, it comes together in a food processor with a handful of ingredients (all purpose flour, vegan butter, sugar, non-dairy milk, salt, and an optional hint of vanilla extract). You can make the shortcrust dough up to 2 days in advance, then store it in the fridge in some plastic wrap.
- Vegan Lemon Curd - This is used to flavor the filling and as a topping. Again you can make this up to 2 days ahead, and it uses minimal ingredients. You'll need fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, cornstarch, sugar, soy almond or oat milk, and vegan butter. I also add a pinch of turmeric powder to give it a vibrant yellow color. Full ingredients and instructions are in my lemon curd recipe.
- Non-Dairy Cream Cheese - Make sure you use firm cream cheese to help the tart to set properly when chilled. I use violife.
- Vegan Greek-Style Yogurt - You want thick Greek-style yogurt such as Alpro protein skyr. You can also use thick coconut yogurt or vegan sour cream.
- Fresh Lemons - These are used to garnish the top of the tart. I actually ended up using fresh limoneros (a cute miniature variety) from my own lemon tree!
- Dairy-Free Whipped Cream - This is optional, but adds a lovely touch. I like to pipe just a little on top, and then serve the rest on the side as a way to cut through the acidity of the lemons.
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🥣 How To Make Vegan Lemon Tart
Here are step-by-step images of making this easy vegan French lemon tart. Remember, the detailed printable recipe card is at the end of this page:
Step 1: Prepare and blind bake the shortcrust pastry up to step 5 in the recipe instructions. It should be crisp and evenly golden brown once fully baked.
Step 2: Whisk the vegan cream cheese and yogurt until light and fluffy using an electric mixer in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Whisk the lemon curd into the filling until smooth. I recommend adding it in 2 parts, whisking between each increment until incorporated.
Step 4: Transfer the filling into the tart shell and smooth the top using an off-set spatula. If you own a cake turntable this is ideal for smoothing out the top as it spins! Chill the tart for a minimum of 6 hours until set.
Step 5: Once the cake is set you can add the remaining lemon curd. If the curd has been resting in the fridge, gently warm it in the microwave in 30-second bursts until it loosens up. Make sure the curd is not hot when adding it to the pie.
Step 6: Smooth out the curd with your offset spatula, then decorate with fresh lemon slices and pipe some vegan whipped cream on top if desired.
🍋 Variations
While I do not recommend switching out the ingredients unless mentioned in the recipe notes section above, there are plenty of ways you can adapt the presentation of this tart. Here are just some ideas to get you started:
- Fresh Fruit - You can garnish it with any fruit of your choice. Fresh berries like strawberries or raspberries would be lovely!
- Individual Tarts - While this recipe fills a 9-inch tart tin, you could also divide it into 6 mini lemon tarts for individual servings.
- Meringue Tart - Add a layer of eggless Italian meringue on top, similar to the one on my lemon meringue pie.
💡 Recipe Tips
Prep ahead. As mentioned, the lemon curd and shortcrust pastry dough can be prepped a couple of days ahead. This is great if you want to save time on the day of serving or want to prep ahead for a dinner party. Then, simply prepare and chill the tart the night before serving for best results.
Use a tart tin with a removable bottom. This will make it easy to release the pastry from the tin once cooled.
Make sure the tart is fully cooled before adding fillings. Otherwise, the filling could melt into the crust leaving it less than crisp!
Ensure the vegan cream cheese, yogurt, and lemon curd are at room temperature. Cold ingredients do not emulsify as well and you could end up with a lumpy filling.
💬 FAQs
Firstly, it's important to use firm vegan cream cheese, it should be similar to the consistency of a Philadelphia block. I use violife which comes in a tub but is firm when chilled.
Secondly, allow enough time for the filling to set properly. If the surface of the tart feels slightly soft before adding the lemon curd, place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.
Yes, because the filling is based on fresh products like dairy-free cream cheese and yogurt. Place the tart in an airtight container, or on a plate covered with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. It will keep for up to 4 days.
Absolutely, this tart freezes beautifully. Place it in an airtight container and freeze. For the best results, I recommend using it within 2 months. To defrost, place the tart on a plate in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a couple of hours.
🥧 More Vegan Tarts
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Lemon Tart
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 batch (580 g) vegan lemon curd room temperature, prep-ahead option *see note 1
- 1 batch vegan shortcrust pastry prep-ahead option *see note 2
- 300 g (10.6 oz) vegan cream cheese room temperature
- 120 g (½ cup) vegan Greek-style yogurt room temperature
- ¼ batch vegan whipped cream optional, for garnish
- fresh lemon optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Divide the lemon curd: Prepare the lemon curd and divide it into 2 parts - 1 for the filling and 1 for the topping.
- Bake and cool the pastry: Make a batch of this vegan shortcrust pastry and blind-bake it as per step 5 of the recipe instructions. Allow the pastry to cool to room temperature before the next step.
- Whisk the filling: Add the vegan cream cheese and yogurt to a large mixing bowl and whisk for a couple of minutes until light and fluffy.Add half of the lemon curd and whisk until smooth.
- Fill the tart: Pour the filling into the tart base and smooth out the top using an offset spatula. A turntable is helpful here if you have one.
- Chill: Place the tart into the fridge to set for 6 hours (or overnight if preferred). The top of the tart should be firm to the touch. If it feels soft, place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour before adding the topping.
- Lemon Topping: Very gently warm the other half of lemon curd over a double-boiler or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring each time. You want to loosen it up so it becomes spreadable, but not hot!
- Pour the topping over the set tart and use an offset spatula to smooth it out. Place back in the fridge for 30 minutes or until ready to serve.
- Garnish: Optionally, you can decorate the top with fresh lemon slices and pipe some whipped coconut cream before serving.
- Storage: Place the tart in an airtight container, or on a plate covered with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. It will keep for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Lemon Curd: This can be prepped a couple of days in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Shortcrust Pastry: The uncooked dough can be prepped a couple of days in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Vegan Cream Cheese: Use firm cream cheese to help the tart to set properly when chilled. I use violife.
- Vegan Greek-Style Yogurt: Use thick Greek-style yogurt such as Alpro protein skyr. You can also use thick coconut yogurt or vegan sour cream.
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*This recipe was originally published in August 2022. The recipe has since been improved with simplified and updated.
