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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.
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.
Does this recipe truly require 3.5 cups of heavy cream? That seems like a lot.
Hey Danielle,
Yes, that is correct:) I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I think the calorie calculation may be a little off?
Hey there,
Sorry I am not sure what you mean, the calorie count is an estimated amount per serving. I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan
Made this today. It was absolutely perfect and I’m so surprised how easy it was!! 5/5 will make again!!
Hey Vanessa,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
This is definitely, a keeper!! My husband who doesn’t like lemon, loved it!!! I only had a 10” tart but, it was still exquisite and, so easy!!!
Hey Nancy,
That is so awesome this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Happy Friday! xTieghan
As someone who has never made a tart or even used a tart pan before, this recipe… was an unmitigated disaster. I touched the removable bottom on accident taking my crust from the oven, which obviously broke it. Fixed it the best I could and thought it was doing all right, but the second I poured in the filling I found myself witnessing a puddle which spread across my counter like watching a tsunami on the approach after an earthquake. I ended up needing two bath towels to clean up all the mess, and since some of the mess was on me, I have a whole load of laundry to do now, and only the trash can and the disposal can enjoy the fruits of my effort.
Everything smelled great though so I assume it’s all delicious and the issue was, in fact, myself.
Hey Katya,
So sorry this recipe didn’t work out well for you. Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Hello
I was watching the video on how to make the No Fuss Lemon Tart and I noticed you had lined the bottom of our tart pan with tin foil, but I didn’t see anything mentioned about doing that in the instructions. Could you clarify.
Love your recipes!!!
Regards
Cheridan
P.S. I just wanted you to know that I am cook in daycare and feed 90 children each day from infant to Preschool and I have incorporated so many of your recipes into my weekly menus. The kids love them and the parents really appreciate the quality and variety of foods I have been able to introduce to them each day.
Hey Cheridan,
Sorry for any confusion, but I did and never do line anything with tin foil:) You can follow the instructions as is! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
This was surprisingly quick and easy. I love baking but sometimes don’t want to spend a lot of time and this recipe was amazing! So delicious. I couldn’t believe how simple it was because it tastes like it took much longer! The entire fam loved it. Not too sweet. It’s light and creamy… the perfect summer dessert! I’m not even a huge fan of lemons or anything sour but this was very well balanced!
Hey there,
I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed.? xTieghan
Well this didn’t work for me…. I used coconut cream and boiled it for 10 minutes but it never set up. So sad, but my husband is still eating it, so that’s a win!
Hey Hannah,
So sorry to hear this, unfortunately, coconut cream won’t set quite as well as heavy cream. I would recommend popping this in the freezer! I hope this helps! xTieghan
Hi! I’m planning to make this recipe this week but was wondering if you had any suggestions on how to make it individual servings? Could I put the crust Into cupcake tins and divy the filling out? Thoughts?
Hey Catherine,
Sure, I think mini servings in a muffin tin would work well for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Bloody delicious. Thankyou this was a definite cook again. Soooooo easy and delicious ?
Hey Jamie,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it. Happy Sunday! ☀️Tieghan
Could I make this in a spring form pan? I don’t have a tart pan?
I really want to make this tonight looks so amazing!
Hey Alyx,
A springform pan should work just fine for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Instead of a tart pan, can I use a spingform pan??
Hey Michelle,
Yes, that should work just fine! I hope you enjoy the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
What would you use as a sub if you’re allergic to honey?
Hey Stephanie,
You can use granulated sugar in place of the honey. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Great flavor but had to put in freezer to really set. At 4 hours in fridge still runny. Looks messy (not like picture) but tastes good.
Hey Michelle,
Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a go! Have a great day! xxTieghan
Can I use half and half instead of heavy cream? That’s currently what I have in my fridge?
Hey Ariel,
I would highly recommend sticking with the heavy cream or coconut cream for this recipe. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Ok, made this again exactly as written, with heavy cream instead of heavy whipping cream, and it came out prefect. Set up just as it should have, was creamy and luscious. Everyone raved about how good it was. So then I tried it last night using what Aldi calls Raspberry Oranges and it set up about 65%. I’m thinking the oranges didn’t have as much acidity as lemons. So I’m going to try it again, but add a bit of lemon juice in with the juice from the oranges. And I’m going to try it with limes as well 😉
Hey MaryAnn,
I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan