Meyer Lemon Tart
This Meyer lemon tart is a delicious twist on a classic lemon tart. A silky lemon curd made with Meyer lemons and a touch of cardamom gets layered inside of a buttery tart shell that's impossible to resist. It has a unique flavor and a gorgeous presentation that's impressive enough for special occasions!
I once had a Meyer lemon and cardamom ice cream, and it was one of the best flavor combinations I've ever had. So good, it actually became the inspiration for this great recipe!
The floral sweetness of Meyer lemons combined with aromatic cardamom creates a sophisticated flavor profile that will absolutely blow you away.
I love lemon in all forms, but especially lemon bars, lemon curd and lemon tarts like this one. The filling is silky smooth with just the right brightness, and those candied lemons on top add beautiful decoration and wonderful texture.
It's made with a classic tart shell, but you can also use my Pasta Frolla recipe (Italian sweet shortcrust pastry dough) for a more delicate, slightly sweeter tart crust with a beautiful melt-in-your-mouth texture.
This dessert looks and tastes like it came from a pastry shop, yet it’s easy to make at home and is guaranteed to impress any lemon lover!
Want more beautiful fruit tarts? Try my cranberry frangipane tart with its nutty almond base, this rustic blueberry peach crostata with a flaky crust, or this gorgeous apricot pistachio tart that tastes even better than it looks.
Why This Recipe Works
- Meyer lemons provide a sweeter taste with more depth than regular lemons.
- Cardamom adds an unexpected dimension that separates this from an ordinary lemon tart.
- The candied lemons give a stunning presentation and are surprisingly simple to make.
- It's best made ahead so there's enough time for the filling to set properly.
Ingredient Notes
Meyer Lemons - A cross between lemons and mandarin oranges, Meyer lemons are one of my favorite citrus fruits because they're less tart than regular lemons and have a fragrant, thin skin. They can be hard to find in grocery stores, especially out of season. If unavailable, you can substitute with a mix of half lemon juice and half mandarin orange juice, along with the zest from each.
Cardamom - This aromatic spice gives a unique flavor to the tart. While optional, I strongly recommend including it for that special touch.
Unsalted Butter - Use high-quality, cold butter for the crust. European-style butter with a higher fat content will give you an especially tender, flaky crust.
Heavy Cream - Creates that silky, luxurious texture in the filling. Ensure it's at room temperature before you combine eggs and other ingredients.
*Find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below!
Helpful Equipment
- 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom
- Rolling pin
- Food processor (optional for dough)
- Piece of parchment paper
- Pie weights or dried beans
- Fine mesh sieve
- Medium saucepan
- Wire rack
- Rubber spatula
How to Make Meyer Lemon Tart
Make the Crust
- Whisk together flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cut cold butter into the flour mixture until pieces are pea-sized. Place in freezer for 5 minutes.
- Make a well in the center, add egg and stir until just coming together.
- Pour onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until dry ingredients are incorporated.
Pro Tip: Handle the dough minimally to keep it tender. Overworking develops gluten, making your crust tough rather than delicate.
- Form dough into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Roll out chilled dough until 10-11 inches in diameter. Save any excess tart dough for patching.
- Transfer to your tart pan with removable bottom.
- Seal any cracks, fold overhang to form double-thick sides, then trim with the rolling pin.
- Prick the bottom of the shell and freeze for 30 minutes before blind baking.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line tart shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights.
- Blind bake for 15 minutes, remove weights, and bake 5-10 minutes until golden brown and cool completely.
Pro Tip: Keep the tart crust really cold before adding the filling so the sides of the shells don't slump. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Make the Filling
- In a medium bowl, whip eggs and sugar at medium speed until lighter in color.
- Add heavy cream, cup Meyer lemon juice, Meyer lemon zest, cardamom and salt. Whisk until combined.
- Pour the tart filling into cooled shell, reduce temperature to 300°F, and bake 35-40 minutes until set.
- Let the tart cool completely on a wire rack, then chill for at least 4 hours or next day.
Make the Candied Meyer Lemons
- Heat sugar, water, cardamom pods and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until dissolved.
- Simmer lemon slices 30-40 minutes until pulp looks transparent.
- Cool on a wire rack with something underneath to catch drips.
Assemble and Serve
- Arrange candied lemon slices on the tart, then dust the surface of the curd with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
Tips for Success
- Don't skip chilling the crust. It ensure's a flaky texture and prevents shrinkage.
- Strain the filling through a fine mesh sieve for perfect smoothness.
- Test doneness by gently shaking. The center should barely jiggle while edges remain firm.
Serving Suggestions
This Meyer sweet lemon tart makes a crowd-pleasing dessert for special occasions. The bright citrus flavor is especially welcome during winter months when citrus is in peak season.
Serve it as the finale to a citrus-themed dinner! Start with these citrus marinated olives as an appetizer followed by this Sicilian inspired fennel and orange salad. For the main course, try my citrus herb grilled shrimp with its perfect char and zesty marinade or a simple herb roasted fish served with a Meyer lemon vinaigrette.
Storage Instructions
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep the whole thing covered to prevent absorbing other flavors. Make candied lemon slices up to one week ahead and store in their syrup. Pat dry with the back of a spoon before using.
This tart doesn't freeze well as the filling can become grainy when thawed.
FAQs
Yes, you can use regular lemons, but the flavor will be more tart. As mentioned in the ingredient notes, substitute with a mixture of half lemon juice and half mandarin orange juice, as well as the zests from each, to better approximate the floral sweetness of Meyer lemons. You can also try using a little bit of juice from blood oranges.
It should be set around the edges with only a slight wobble in the center when gently shaken.
Absolutely! It actually benefits from being made a day ahead, allowing the flavors to develop and the filling to set perfectly.
Crust shrinkage usually results from overworking or insufficient resting or chilling. Using the right tart pan with straight sides also helps maintain shape during blind bake.
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Meyer Lemon Tart
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon), cold
- 1 large egg cold
For the Filling
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅔ cup Meyer lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt
For the Candied Meyer Lemons (optional)
- 3 Meyer lemons thinly sliced, all seeds removed
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 5 green cardamom pods crushed, optional
- pinch salt
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Whisk together the flour, powdered sugar and salt in a large bowl.
- Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, fork or your fingers, until the biggest pieces are the size of peas. Place mixture in the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Make a well in the center, then add the egg and stir with a for until it just starts to come together.
- Continue stirring until the dough starts to form clumps, then pour it out on to a lightly floured surface and knead ever so gently until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Form into a disc, being careful not to overwork, wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
- Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface until it reaches 10-11 inches in diameter.
- Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Seal any cracks that occurred in the transfer, then fold the overhang in to form double-thick sides, then run the rolling pin over the top to trim off any excess and make them an even height all around.
- Prick the bottom with a fork, then transfer to the freezer for at least 30 minutes prior to baking.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F degrees and butter the dull (not shiny) side of a piece of tin foil and press it firmly against the crust.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for another 5-10 minutes until its just starting to turn golden blonde. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
To make the filling
- Whisk together the eggs and sugar until it turns lighter in color.
- Add the cream, lemon juice, zest, cardamom and salt and whisk until totally combined and the sugar is mostly dissolved.
- Pour into the cooled tart shell, reduce the oven temperature to 300°F degrees, and bake for about 35-40 minutes until set (not wiggly in the middle).
- Allow to cool completely, then chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Make the Candied Meyer Lemons
- Heat the sugar, water, cardamom pods and salt in a medium saucepan until the sugar is dissolved.
- Carefully submerge the lemon slices, then simmer on low heat for about 30-40 minutes or until the pulp starts to look transparent.
- Remove the slices and allow to cool on a wire rack. Be sure to place something underneath to catch the drips.
Assemble and Serve
- Arrange the lemon slices around the chilled tart, then dust with powdered sugar right before serving (otherwise it will absorb into the tart and disappear). Best served chilled.
Notes
- The leftover syrup from candying the lemon slices is full of flavor. Strain out any solids and store in the refrigerator - perfect for making cocktails!
- Don't skip chilling the crust – cold butter creates flaky texture.
- Strain the filling through a fine mesh sieve for perfect smoothness.
- Test doneness by gently shaking – the center should barely jiggle while edges remain still.
- Substitute my Pasta Frolla recipe (Italian sweet shortcrust pastry dough) for a more delicate, slightly sweeter tart crust with a beautiful melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Nutrition
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Hi! I’ve made the tart twice and it is delicious! However, the curd cracks a lot as soon as it starts to cool down, even if I don’t touch it nor do I attempt to take it out of the pan before it’s cooled off. What am I doing wrong? 🙁
So glad you like the recipe! As for the cracking, it sounds like the curd may be overbaking a bit. Try baking it for slightly less time or try lowering your oven temperature a smidge. All ovens cook differently and in fact most ovens are not calibrated correctly - buying a separate oven thermometer will tell you how hot your oven actually is - it may be running hotter than it says. The curd should still have a little jiggle to it when removing from the oven. Let me know if this helps!
Hi! I'm making your tart today, can't wait til its done! I did run into something. My candied lemon slices are more like caramlized lemon slices. How can I avoid this next time? Thanks!
Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like your heat was too high and/or they were cooked too long. Next time just keep a close eye and if you notice them starting to dry out and caramelize, just add a little bit of water to keep the sugar from burning. Hope this is helpful and that you enjoyed the tart!
Beautiful! Looks amazing!
Thanks!
I made this yesterday (found on Pinterest). Amazing! I love lemon bars but the ones I've eaten recently taste like jellied eggs. So I set off on a mission to try to make my own. This was my first time making a tart and the recipe was easy to follow. I loved that the ingredients are so simple (who needs 7 eggs in a lemon tart?) and the flavor is balanced. It's a real treat! My mission has been accomplished way earlier than expected. Thanks!
Hey Miranda, thank you so much for your comment! I'm so glad you loved the tart! It's one of my all time favs, and it's perfect for this time of year. Yay!
When do you add the powdered sugar and salt when making the crust?
Whoops! Thanks for pointing out that I left out a crucial little bit of information in the recipe. The salt and powdered sugar get added to the flour at the very beginning, before cutting in the butter. I've adjusted the recipe so that it includes it now. Sorry for the confusion!
No worries! Can't wait to try this for my Easter brunch!
Hope it came out awesome!
Spices are much cheaper at Indian grocery stores. This tart looks heavenly 🙂
Soo yes, I will invest in that $10.00 bag of cardamom pods and I am definitely making this. I Love lemon too!
Awesome! You can find cardamom pods way cheaper at the Indian market in Absecon, and I believe they're sold at the Asian market as well. I've also gotten them in bulk from Wegmans and Whole Foods for a lot cheaper - plus you don't have to commit to a whole bag! You're going to LOVE this tart!!
This is one beautiful tart. I just love citrus tarts like this.. and the addition of cardamom is a nice touch too!
Thanks!! The cardamom really brings out a nice flavor in the meyer lemons. Hope you make it and report back! 🙂
That looks gorgeous! I want the whole thing!!!
Thanks! You should totally make it, it's become one of my favorite flavor combos!
Before I even got to the 2nd paragraph I thought "Nicole likes tomatoes more!"
You know me too well!! 🙂