These lemon tarts feature a creamy no bake filling that is full of lemon flavor. The tarts are easy to make and only require 4 ingredients. The tarts can be made ahead of time and are best enjoyed chilled for a refreshing dessert.
These individual lemon tarts are an easy dessert. I love that the no-bake filling is very lemony, tart and not too sweet. I used a flower cookie cutter to make the tarts flower-shaped for a nice presentation, but you can use whatever crust design you prefer.
Ingredients
- Lemon juice
- Heavy Cream
- Sugar
- Pie crust
Lemon juice: The tart filling is made from heavy cream, sugar and lemon juice. Lemon juice gives the tarts their lemon flavor and the lemon juice will also naturally thicken the tart filling when the acid from the lemon interacts with the milk protein from the heavy cream, without the need for other thickeners.
Heavy cream: Heavy cream is used to give this filling its creamy texture. You do need to use heavy cream and not a dairy alternative. The mixture will not thicken without dairy.
Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is used to sweeten the tart filling.
Pie crust: I used store bought pie crust dough. This is the type that is sold usually in the refrigerated section and is premade pie crust dough rolled up and not the kind that is already preshaped in a pie pan. You will need two pie crusts. Most of the time, the pie crusts are sold in packs of 2.
How to Make Lemon Tarts
- The pie crust dough is first rolled out. Use your flower cookie cutter to cut the dough.
- Place the tart dough into two nonstick muffin pans, pressing the dough into the muffin cavities. Use a fork to prick the bottom of each tart a few times.
- Bake the tart shells for about 15 minutes or until golden.
- While the tart shells are baking, make the filling. Add heavy cream and sugar to a medium saucepan and bring to medium low heat. Stir constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the mixture to come to just a simmer (only a few bubbles on the surface) and allow it to cook for 30 seconds. Do not let the mixture come to a boil.
- Remove the mixture from the stove and let it cool slightly. Then stir in the lemon juice. Your mixture should thicken almost instantly after mixing in the lemon juice. Then strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large liquid measuring cup.
- Pour filling into each tart mold. Then place tarts into the fridge to chill for about 1 hour to allow the filling to fully set.
Texture
The tart filling is creamy, silky and light. It is actually a simplified version of lemon posset. I love that the filling is very tangy and not too sweet, so the refreshing lemon flavor really comes through.
Expert Tips
- Make sure you don’t boil the heavy cream mixture. Doing so will prevent the tart filling from setting properly.
- You can also double the filling to make one large tart instead of making individual tarts.
- You can dust the tart shells with powdered sugar for presentation, but that is optional.
More Lemon Recipes
4 Ingredient Lemon Tarts
Ingredients
- 2 refrigerated premade pie crusts
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/237 ml ) heavy cream
- 3 tbsp (1.5 fl oz/44 ml) lemon juice
- 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Let pie crusts soften to room temperature. Roll out both pie crusts on a pastry board or large cutting board. Use a 3.75 inch flower cookie cutter (see notes for the one I used) to cut 14 flower shapes out of the dough (7 from each pie crust).
- Gently place cut dough into the cavitites of the muffin pans, pressing down to make sure it fits snuggly. You should not need to grease the muffin pans. Use a fork to pierce the bottom of each crust 3 times. See photo in post for reference.
- Bake pie crusts in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and fully cooked. It's normal for the crusts to shrink as they bake. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. If desired, you can also dust the tart shells with powdered sugar after they have cooled.
- While the tart shells are baking, make the filling. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream and sugar. Bring to medium low heat. Stir constantly until sugar is fully dissolved. Stop stirring long enough to allow the mixture to just come to a simmer (just a few bubbles on the surface). Be careful to only let it reach a simmer and do not let it come to a boil, otherwise the filling will not work. Let it hover at just a simmer or just below a simmer for 30 seconds, stirring a few times so that the milk does not curdle. Then remove mixture from the heat (in addition to turning off the stove burner you should move the saucepan to another cool burner so that it cools down faster) and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, add in the lemon juice. Whisk until the lemon juice is evenly incorporated. The mixture should start to thicken. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a large liquid measuring cup (one that can hold a little more than 1 cup of liquid). Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes to thicken a little more. Pour the filling into your tart shells. I filled them up as high as possible without the filling spilling out. Since my tart shells are flower shaped, the filling is only about halfway up the tart shells. I used slightly more than 1 tbsp of filling per tart. You may have some leftover filling. Place tarts into the fridge for about 1 hour to allow the filling to set. Store uneaten tarts in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container. Tarts are best served the same day or next day because the filling will start to crack if stored longer.
Notes
- You can find refrigerated premade pie crusts (the kind that you unroll and bake) at most grocery stores. I tested this with Pillsbury 14 oz refrigerated pie crusts*.
- I used this 3 3/4 inch flower cutter*.
- *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- The crusts are baked at a lower temperature than what the box will recommend. I find this helps prevent too much shrinkage.
- Estimated nutrition assumes 243 grams of pie crust used across 14 tarts. Even though this recipe uses two pie crusts, there are a lot of leftover pie scraps. I weighed the pie scraps and subtracted them from the pie crusts total weight.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
How does this filling in terms of texture and taste compare to your 2 Ingredient No Bake Lemon Pie which calls for condensed milk and lemon juice? Thank you!
Hi! This filling is more light and tart. The condensed milk filling is thicker, richer and sweeter (almost like a custard). I like them both but it really just depends on personal preference!