This Eggless Lemon Tart is fresh, zingy, creamy, and super easy to make! The perfect addition to your party or really any occasion! The recipe includes step-by-step photos and lots of tips.
Eggless Lemon Tart Recipe Highlights
When warmer weather comes around, you need a delicious dessert that is simple to create and is served cold, and my Easy Eggless Lemon Tart will be a perfect addition to your outdoor party or really any occasion!
My family loves lemons. The fresh and zingy filling of my Eggless Lemon Tart is the perfect dessert flavor!
The luscious egg-free lemon filling is poured in an eggless tart crust or even a graham cracker crust, and It’s super easy to toss together if you’re on a time crunch.
Top the tart with whipped cream or eggless meringue and some fresh lemon slices for a breathtaking dessert. You can also top it with some berries to add some different colors and flavors—either way, you’ll have a lovely and delicious tart to serve.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Eggless Lemon Tart doesn’t require many ingredients, which is one of the best parts! Here’s a list of what you’ll need to gather (for a full list, scroll down to the recipe):
- One Eggless Tart Crust
- Unflavored Gelatin Powder: You can substitite for agar-agar for a vegetarian version. However, the texture might be slightly different. Gelatin can give a «creamy» texture whereas agar gives a firmer texture. Agar is much more powerful than gelatin. 1 teaspoon of agar powder is equivalent to 8 teaspoons of gelatin powder, so for this recipe, you will need about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons of agar-agar powder.
- Evaporated Milk: You don’t have evaporated milk? No problem!! Check out my post about How to Make Evaporated Milk at home.
- Heavy Cream: Make sure it has at least 35% of fat content.
- Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar o caster sugar.
- Lemons: You’ll need the zest and juice.
- Vanilla Extract: For optimal flavor, reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation. Even better, try homemade vanilla extract!
- Salt: I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe.
STEP BY STEP RECIPE PHOTO TUTORIAL
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
1 – Make the Tart Crust
To make the tart crust, follow the step in this recipe. Alternately you could use a store-bought or homemade graham cracker if you prefer.
2 – Make the Lemon Filling
First, combine the gelatin and the evaporated milk and let it set for 5 minutes.
Then combine the heavy cream, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and gelatin mixture in a large pot. Bring the mixture to a soft boil, over medium-low heat, and let it roll for a few minutes.
Then remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the butter, vanilla, and salt. Strain the lemon filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or a large measure cup. Let it cool for 30 minutes or until just slightly warm.
3 – Assemble
Pour lemon mixture into the crust. Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then cover it.
4 – Chill
Place the covered tart in the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours, or until chilled through and set.
5 – Decorate & Enjoy!
Decorate your tart as your heart desires. I topped it with whipped cream and some lemon slices. Eggless Meringue and fresh berries would be lovely too!
QUICK TIPS & SUBTITUTIONS
Make sure to use fresh lemon for the best results. Since we are using the zest of the lemon, try using organic lemons.
You can substitute gelatin for 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of agar agar powder. In that case, you don’t need to mix with the evaporated milk, just sprinkle over the liquids (step 2) and mix well until dissolved.
A 9 – 10-inch tart pan works best for this recipe.
You can make the tart crust a day or two in advance; just store it in an air-tight container until ready to use. If you are short of time, you can alternately use a store-bought or homemade graham cracker crust.
Make sure to refrigerate your lemon tart for at least 2 hours before slicing.
Frequently Asked Questions
The evaporated milk helps the tart filling to set properly and have a creamy texture. For best results, I recommend following the recipe exactly. Check out my post about How to Make Evaporated Milk at home.
Yes, you can. However, the texture might be slightly different. Gelatin can give a «creamy» texture whereas agar gives a firmer texture. Agar is much more powerful than gelatin. 1 teaspoon of agar powder is equivalent to 8 teaspoons of gelatin powder, so for this recipe, you will need about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons of agar-agar powder.
This Eggless Lemon Tart should be served slightly cold. I recommend taking it out of the fridge 5 minutes before serving it to get a creamier consistency. Don’t leave it out too long, especially in hot weather.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
STORE your Eggless Lemon Tart covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
FREEZE your tart well covered for up to two months. When you’re ready to eat your Eggless Lemon Tart, place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. I recommend waiting to add any toppings until just before you serve it.
More Eggless Tart Recipes You’ll Love!
If you love my Eggless Lemon Tart, then you should definitely try one of my other recipes!
Easy Eggless Lemon Tart
Ingredients
- 1 eggless tart crust (or graham cracker crust)
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) evaporated milk
- 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) heavy cream
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Important
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step photos above in the post—they’ll guide you through the process and make everything super clear!
Instructions
Make the Eggless Tart Crust:
- To make the tart crust, follow the steps in this recipe. Alternately you could use a store-bought or homemade graham cracker if you prefer.
Make the Lemon Filling:
- Mix gelatin and evaporated milk in a bowl. Let the mixture rest for 5 – 7 minutes.
- Combine the heavy cream, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and gelatin mixture in a large pot. Mix until well combined (NOTE: the mixture will look thick; that is okay! It will loosen up while cooking). Bring the mixture to a soft boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 3 – 5 minutes and then remove from the heat.
- Whisk in the butter, vanilla, and salt. Mix until well combined.
- Strain the lemon filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl or a large measure cup. Let it cool for 30 minutes or until just slightly warm.
Assemble:
- Pour the lemon filling onto the tart crust. Let it cool over the counter for 10 minutes. Then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
- Decorate with whipped cream and lemon slices if desired. Cut and serve.
- Make sure to use fresh lemon for best results. Since we are using the zest of the lemon, try using organic lemons.
- You can substitute gelatin for 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of Agar Agar powder. In that case, you don’t need to mix with the evaporated milk, just sprinkle over the liquids (step 2) and mix well until dissolved.
- A 9–10-inch tart pan works best for this recipe.
- You can make the tart crust a day or two in advance, just store it in an air-tight container until ready to use. If you are short of time, you can alternately use a store-bought or homemade graham cracker crust.
- Make sure to refrigerate your lemon tart for at least 2 hours before slicing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
Hi! Could I use cornstarch instead of the gelatin? I am making many tarts and I’m worried if I leave the mini tarts out at room temperature for too long that the gelatin will go back to its liquid form
Hello AC! I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise.The texture will be definitely different if you use cornstarch. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
The nicest Lemon Tart I’ve made without eggs. Smooth and creamy with the tart flavour of lemons and the right amount of sweetness. I added yellow food colour to give it the lemon tart look.
Hello Marilyn! Great to hear that it was a hit. We love this tart too. Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Hi Oriana,
I notice that several eggless (dessert) recipes on this site contain gelatin (like this one). As you may be aware, use of gelatin makes such recipes unsuitable for vegetarians. Can you suggest a vegetarian alternative to gelatin (e.g. agar-agar or china grass) that can be used in such recipes? And, if such substitutions are possible, it would be helpful to know the quantity/measure of such gelatin-alternatives so that vegetarians can also enjoy these yummy (dessert) recipes.
Thank you.
Hello Andy! Yes, you can use agar agar powder. However, the texture might be slightly different. Gelatin can give a «creamy» texture, whereas agar gives a firmer texture. Agar is much more powerful than gelatin. 1 teaspoon agar powder is equivalent to 8 teaspoon gelatin powder, so if using agar agar only use 1/8 – 1/4 of the amount called for gelatin. Thanks for your interest in my recipes. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Hi Oriana,
Great to know that one could use agar-agar powder instead of gelatin – to make this more suitable for vegetarians. And thanks for the gelatin-to-agar agar proportion conversion. A follow-up question though is: do we just use the 1/8-1/4 quantity of agar-agar in the recipe instead of gelatin with the same steps? Or do we need to follow slightly different steps (compared to the above recipe instructions) if using agar-agar?
Thanks again.
Hello Andy – I am not an expert in baking with agar-agar powder, so I recommend looking for more info online. This article seems very helpful: https://food52.com/blog/17465-agar-agar-is-inconsistent-wily-mysterious-but-here-s-what-we-know