Perfectly tart, subtly sweet and all kinds of refreshing, these lemon meringue tartlets are made with a buttery shortbread crust, a creamy lemon curd filling and a toasted meringue topping.
These lemon meringue tartlets are a TREAT.
Featuring a buttery shortbread crust, the zesty freshness of lemon curd and a cloud-like swirl of toasted meringue, these bite-sized desserts pack a flavor punch.
No cutting, no extra utensils, we're skipping right to the good part - eating them with our bare hands.
Ingredients
While it may feel like this recipe calls for a lot of ingredients because they're broken into three lists, many of them are shared across the crust, curd and meringue and it really only works out to7 ingredients in total. Not so bad!
Below are a few tips for key ingredients. A comprehensive list of ingredients is available in the recipe card.
- Eggs: For the crust, room-temperature eggs are best as they'll be more evenly distributed in the batter. I recommend cold egg whites for the meringue as they increase stability.
- Lemon juice: These tarts taste best when made with freshly squeezed lemon juice. You'll need 1-2 lemons.
- Lemon zest: When zesting, be sure to only get the yellow part of the peel.
- Unsalted butter: We're using unsalted butter for this recipe so we can control the amount of salt being added to each part of the process.
All ingredients for the shortbread crust should be brought to room temperature to ensure even distribution.
Step-by-step instructions
First, make the lemon curd.
Whisk together all the ingredients for the curd except the butter.
Place over a pot of simmering water and cook until thick (about 10 minutes).
Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Stir in the butter.
Transfer to a bowl/jar, cover with plastic wrap and cool to room temperature.
Second, make the crust.
Cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg, salt and vanilla. Mix in the flour until a cohesive ball of dough forms.
Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Third, roll out the crust.
Roll dough to ¼" thickness. Cut out circles of dough and press them into tartlet pans, trimming away the excess.
Prick the bottoms, and line with aluminum foil and pie weights.
Fourth, bake the tart shells.
Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.
Remove the foil/weights, and continue cooking for 5-10 minutes.
Cool shells in pan.
Fifth, fill with curd.
Fill the cooled tart shells with lemon curd until ¾ of the way full.
Refrigerate until firm (about 2-3 hours or overnight).
Sixth, make the meringue.
Whisk together egg whites and sugar. Place over a pot of simmering water and cook until hot (160F).
Whip on high until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
Finally, toast the meringue.
Spoon or pipe the meringue onto the top of the tarts.
Use a chef's torch to toast the top.
Variations
- Shell: This recipe makes a shortbread tart shell, but if you'd prefer a graham cracker crust you could use the crust recipe from these s'more brownies (baked per the shortbread crust instructions) or the no-bake crust from this banoffee cheesecake.
- Filling: One of my favorite ways to kick this curd up a notch is by adding ginger. Simply peel and quarter a one-inch piece of fresh ginger. Add it to the curd in step one and cook as directed. Strain the curd, add the butter and continue as directed.
Expert tips
- Softening refrigerated butter: Cut butter into ½ tablespoon squares. Place on a plate and microwave in 5-second increments until softened.
- Bringing cold eggs to room temperature quickly: If you need to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly for this recipe, place them in a bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes.
- Extra thick lemon curd: If you want an extra thick curd, substitute one egg yolk for a whole egg.
- Start with a perfectly clean bowl for the meringue: Grease can ruin meringue, so be sure to thoroughly clean whatever utensils you will use with warm, soapy water.
- Avoid using plastic bowls or utensils as they tend to develop a greasy coating over time that's difficult to remove; instead, opt for glass, metal, or ceramic.
Storage
Once topped with meringue, these tarts are best eaten that day as the meringue will start to form a skin.
That said, you can still store them, meringue and all, for up to two days in the refrigerator. Insert a toothpick into the center and gently drape with plastic wrap.
More lemon desserts
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! I regularly update these posts and feedback from wonderful readers like you help me make them better.
Recipe
Lemon Meringue Tartlets
A buttery shortbread crust, the zesty freshness of lemon curd and a cloud-like swirl of toasted meringue.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Refrigeration: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Shortbread crust:
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Lemon curd filling:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 3 egg yolks
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 egg whites
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
Lemon curd:
- Whisk together the granulated sugar, lemon juice, zest and egg yolks.
- Place over a pot of simmering water. Whisking occasionally, cook until thickened (about 10 minutes).
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Cube the butter into ½" pieces and stir into the warm lemon curd.
- Pour into a bowl or jar, press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface and allow to cool to room temperature.
Shortbread crust:
- Cream the butter and granulated sugar on medium until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Add the egg, salt and vanilla extract with the mixer on low, mixing until just combined.
- Add the flour and continue beating on low-medium until the dough pulls away from the sides and forms a cohesive ball.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to ¼" thick.
- Cut out circles of dough slightly larger than the tartlet pans.
- Press the dough into pans, working it across the bottom and up the sides. Use a small paring knife to trim the excess from the edges.
- Prick the bottom of each tart generously with a fork. Top with aluminum foil and pie weights (or uncooked rice).
- Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Remove the foil/weights, and continue cooking for 5-10 more minutes or until no longer shiny.
- Let the shells cool completely before removing them from their pans.
- Fill the cooled tart shells with lemon curd until ¾ of the way full.
- Refrigerate until firm (about 2-3 hours or overnight).
Meringue:
- Whisk together the egg whites and sugar.
- Place over a pot of boiling water and cook until the sugar dissolves (3-5 minutes) and the mixture is hot (A candy thermometer should register about 160F).
- Remove from the heat and whip on high until light, fluffy and cool to the touch (4-8 minutes).
- Add the vanilla extract and whip on low until just combined.
- Spoon the meringue into a piping bag with a large, round tip (I used an Ateco 809) and pipe a generous dollop onto each tart.
- Use the back of a teaspoon to spread the meringue to the edges and to create a spiraled groove.
- Toast using a chef's torch.
Notes
- Softening refrigerated butter: Cut butter into ½ tablespoon squares. Place on a plate and microwave in 5-second increments until softened.
- Bringing cold eggs to room temperature quickly: If you need to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly for this recipe, place them in a bowl of hot tap water for 5 minutes.
- Extra thick lemon curd: If you want an extra thick curd, substitute one egg yolk for a whole egg.
- Start with a perfectly clean bowl for the meringue: Grease can ruin meringue, so be sure to thoroughly clean whatever utensils you will use with warm, soapy water.
- Avoid using plastic bowls or utensils as they tend to develop a greasy coating over time that's difficult to remove; instead, opt for glass, metal, or ceramic.
- Storage: Can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Keywords: lemon meringue tart, lemon meringue tartlets, mini lemon meringue tarts
Update Notes: This post was originally published in May of 2016 but was republished with an updated format, photos and tips in May of 2023
Sue says
I love, love, love these! They truly are a taste of sunshine with such a nice contrast of textures.
The Simple, Sweet Life says
I'm SO glad you liked them! 😀
sweetteasweetie (@SweetTSweetie) says
These are so beautiful! I love the lightly toasted meringue on top!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
The Simple, Sweet Life says
Thank you Kari! 😀
Jean Dumais says
I adore both lemon and ginger, although I've never made curd before I might give it a go! I also appreciate a recipe that uses up the whites along with the yolks so I don't end up wasting anything.
The Simple, Sweet Life says
Right?! I feel like I'm ALWAYS left with a bowl of egg whites or a bowl of egg yolks, and I always feel so wasteful throwing them away. Glad this recipe could spare you those feelings! 😉
kristyvmoreno says
Thanks so much for sharing this fabulous recipe! You're one of our features this week at A Little Bird Told Me Link Party. 🙂
The Simple, Sweet Life says
Thanks so much for the lovely feature! 😀
Stella says
What would you do if you didn't have a chefs torch
The Simple, Sweet Life says
Hi Stella! Good question! If you don't have a chef's torch, I would recommend using the broiler in your oven. Just make sure you let it get really hot before sticking each tart under there individually to minimize the amount of time they're exposed to the heat. The meringue top should brown pretty quickly so be sure to watch it closely. 🙂
Sue says
Hands down...one of my favorites!
★★★★★