This Paleo Lemon Tart has a soft almond flour crust that's filled with a creamy and tart lemon curd. Top this easy dessert with fresh berries and enjoy a healthier sweet treat! The recipe is SCD, paleo, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and refined sugar free.
I don't know if anyone else is a fan of The Great British Baking Show, but I'm obsessed!
I stumbled upon it one night on Netflix and now I can't get enough of their British accents, affinity for tea or the delicious looking baked goods they make.
They're genuinely nice to each other throughout the competition, which is really refreshing to see.
One of the episodes had the contestants making lemon tarts, and they looked SO good that I knew I had to make a healthy version!
Almond flour crust ingredients
- Blanched Finely Ground Almond Flour
- Honey
- Coconut Oil
- Lemon Juice
How to make the almond flour crust
The gluten free crust for this tart has a soft, almost buttery flavor even though there's no butter in sight! It's so good!
Add the ingredients to a large bowl and mix until well combined. The dough will resemble damp sand but should stick when pressed together.
Grease your tart pan well then place the dough in the center of the pan and evenly press the dough into the bottom and up the sides.
Use a fork to gently prick holes into the crust. The almond flour crust bakes for just 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown.
Allow the crust to cool completely before adding the lemon curd.
How to make the paleo lemon curd
This lemon curd is sooooo creamy and tangy that I always end up eating a few spoonfuls before actually pouring it into my tart crust!
Lemon curd is pretty easy to make but it does require patience. A lot of patience. Like you're going to be constantly whisking the mixture over the stove for at least 10 or 15 minutes kind of patience!
Begin by pouring freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, and honey into a small saucepan. Whisk until everything is combined and smooth.
Add the coconut oil to the saucepan and place the whole thing over low heat on the stove.
What I'm going to tell you now is super important...you need to whisk the mixture the ENTIRE time it's over the heat! If you don't continually whisk then the mixture will turn into scrambled eggs!
Once the coconut oil has melted into the mixture, increase the heat to medium-high and continue to whisk.
And whisk.
And whisk.
Remember, patience!
Pay close attention while whisking and you'll be able to notice a subtle thickening of the curd. It will also turn slightly lighter in color.
It will take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes for this to happen.
At this point the curd will have little lumps in it. That's ok! Those lumps are the lemon zest and little tiny pieces of egg that might have cooked while you were whisking.
Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the curd into a bowl, what you'll be left with is a smooth lemon curd!
Allow the curd to cool for about 30 minutes before pouring it into the almond flour tart crust.
Transfer the tart to the refrigerator and allow to set for two to four hours.
Give the tart a little jiggle, if the curd doesn't move then it's set and ready to be enjoyed!
What can I use to decorate the top of the tart?
This dessert is tasty without anything on top, but if you want to get a little fancy here are some options;
- fresh berries
- Whipped Coconut Cream
- Honey Italian Meringue
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to enjoy a large slice and the next episode of the Great British Baking Show!
Here are more tarts and pies for you to try!
- Banana Cream Pie
- Vanilla Custard Tart
- No Bake Strawberry Gelatin Pie
- Pear and Havarti Tart with Cinnamon Honey Drizzle
If you’ve made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below! It's the best way you can help support me and this blog!
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Updated on 3/1/18 to refine the directions!
Paleo Lemon Tart
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted but not hot
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
Lemon Curd Filling
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- ½ cup honey
- 2 large eggs (room temp)
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
Topping
- fresh berries optional
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease the sides and bottom of a tart pan with coconut oil.
- Place the crust ingredients into a small bowl and use a rubber spatula to mix and press the dough, ensuring that all of the almond flour is damp.
- Use your hands to evenly press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Use a fork to gently prick holes into the dough.
- Place the tart pan on the center rack of the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
- Allow the crust to cool completely before adding the filling.
Lemon Curd Filling
- Place all ingredients for the filling, except the coconut oil, into a small saucepan and whisk until well combined.
- Add the coconut oil to the saucepan and place on the stove over low heat.
- Whisk the mixture continuously while it's over the heat. Once the coconut oil has melted, increase the heat to medium-high.
- Continue to whisk the mixture until it has thickened, which should take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and use a fine mesh sieve to strain the curd into a bowl. Do not skip this step! Straining will remove the lemon zest and any pieces of egg that may have cooked.
- Allow the curd to cool for 30 minutes before pouring it into the tart crust.
- Place the tart in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours to cool and set. If the curd does not jiggle when moving the pan, then it's ready!
- If desired, decorate the lemon tart with fresh berries just prior to serving and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to whisk the entire time your filling is over the heat or you'll end up with scrambled eggs!
- Cover leftovers with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
- Whipped Coconut Cream or Honey Italian Meringue are both great toppings for the tart too!
Nutrition
Pin for later!
Cara
What can you use instead of a tart maker? I don’t have one too make it with!
Jennifer Brown
You can use a pie dish, just be sure to grease it really well!
Nushi
Super delicious- creamy and lemon zesty- a beautiful yummy alternative to a fatty sugary cake. Happy
Andrea
Finally I decided to make this tart and I have no idea what took me so long. Maybe the patience part intimidated me a little.
It turn out delicious! I used butter for the crust since I’m not a fan of coconut oil on too many things. I didn’t have a non stick pan so I used a very well buttered glass pie and I’d got stuck anyways, I’m not sure now if it’s crumbling because of the butter or the pan! Also the curd it’s not the pretty pale yellow color you have on the picture but more orange, but the flavor was amazing!!!!!
Thank you.
Jennifer
Great to hear you enjoyed the flavor of the tart!
Kim
Do I take the crust out of dish/ pan before filling with curd mix or will it break? Wanting to make for a birthday party this weekend. This looks so delicious. Hope mine turns out.
Maria
Hey ! I just find this recipe and tried it. My curd was so oily and when I strained it , the oil got separated from the curd so i was straining the oil. Do you have any suggestions on how to make it better ? Thank youu
Jennifer
When you stirred the curd did the oil incorporate back into it? I haven't had this happen to me so I'll need a few more details from you! Did you make any changes to the ingredients or the directions? Did you use coconut oil or sub a different oil? Did you use large eggs? The more detailed info you provide the better chance I can help you figure out what went wrong.
Maria
I didn’t substitute any ingredients and used large eggs but the oil stayed separated when i stirred the curd. Yesterday i made these again but i only used 2 tbsp of oil for the curd and it turned out perfect. Thank you for the recipe my family loved it !
Jess
Hi! Just wondering if I can use egg substitute for this. Thanks!
Jennifer
I haven't tried it with an egg substitute so I'm not sure. If you decide to test it out I'd love to hear how it turned out!
Jess
Will do 🙂
Sue
Per your suggestion I used 2 cups of almond flour and 1/2 cup of coconut oil for the crust for a 9" round tart pan. It was buttery and delicious. The curd was cooked on the stove for 15 minutes and looked thick enough. I strained it into a bowl and cooled it before pouring it into the crust. Unfortunately it was still so soupy when I cut it after chilling it (with no fruit on it) that it poured all over the plate. It was perfectly tart and delicious but too loose. Suggestions?
Jennifer
Glad to hear you enjoyed the crust! It's a shame the lemon curd didn't set for you. Did you use large eggs? If you did then the curd more than likely needed more time over the stove and/or more time in the fridge to set. When whisking it over the heat the curd should have had a subtle thickening and a slight change in color.
Kay
Wow this is such a simple, low ingredient but delicious tart! Thank you. I made this for my non paleo family who loved it so much. I greased the tray really well woth coconut oil and didn't have any problems removing the tart. I was worried that the curd wouldn't set but at the 11min mark - magic. Will definitely make this again
Tammy
I am making this as we speak . I’m actually making three of them. The first crust came out of the oven and I let it cool. When removing it from the pan a couple pieces on the sides broke off. Do you have any suggestions as to how into retrieve it form the pan without breaking? I would greatly appreciate it.
Tammy Hanlon
Jennifer
I apologize for the late response, I took a little social media/website break this weekend so this suggestion is probably too late but you could try greasing the sides and bottom of the tart pan with more coconut oil. I'd also suggest placing the crust into the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to help the crust harden up a bit before removing from the pan. Since almond flour has no gluten to help bind it together, baked goods are VERY fragile.