If you love tangy desserts, these Easy Vegan Lemon Tarts are a must-try. Featuring a crispy shortbread crust made with coconut oil and a smooth, zesty lemon filling, these tarts are sure to become a favorite.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make: Simple ingredients and straightforward steps.
- Tangy and refreshing: The perfect balance of lemony zest and sweetness.
- Crispy coconut oil crust: Delightfully crunchy and flavorful.
Tools
To make these yummy tarts, you’ll need the following tools:
- Mixing Bowls: For combining ingredients.
- Pastry Cutter/fork or Food processor: To make the crust.
- Tart pans: Preferably with removable bottoms for easy tart removal.
- Rolling pin: To roll out the dough.
- Blender: To achieve a smooth and creamy filling.
- Medium-sized pot: For cooking the lemon filling.
- Basic measuring cups and spoons and a kitchen scale: Properly measuring ingredients is key for success in the kitchen.
Substitute: If you don't have tart pans, you can use a muffin tin to create mini tarts.
Ingredients
As usual, you'll find the complete recipe card, including ingredient amounts and instructions, at the bottom of this post! Keep on reading for more details, or jump straight to the recipe.
- All-Purpose flour: Forms the base of the shortbread crust.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness to both the crust and filling.
- Coconut oil: Provides a rich, buttery flavor and helps bind the crust.
- Salt: Enhances the overall flavor.
- Ice-cold water: Helps bring the dough together without making it too sticky.
- Coconut cream: Makes the filling creamy and smooth.
- Lemon juice: Adds a tangy flavor to the filling.
- Lemon zest: Intensifies the lemon flavor.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the filling to the perfect consistency.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a hint of sweetness and depth of flavor.
- Turmeric (optional): Provides a natural yellow color without affecting the taste.
How to make these Easy Vegan Lemon Tarts
SHORTBREAD PASTRY
Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
Add coconut oil: Add the cold coconut oil to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the oil into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to achieve this consistency.
Add water: Add ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough comes together. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
Roll out dough: Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and press it into tart pans. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork to prevent puffing. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Prepare oven: While the shortbread pastry crusts are in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C).
Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 21-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
FILLING
Mix ingredients: Once the tarts are ready and have cooled down, add all the ingredients for the filling to a medium-sized pot.
Cook filling: Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture gets really thick.
Blend: Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend it to make it super smooth and creamy.
Fill tarts: Pour the filling into the tarts, let it cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Substitutions & Variations
- Gluten-Free: Substitute with a gluten-free flour blend.
- Citrus twist: Replace lemon juice and zest with lime or orange for a different flavor.
- Sweeteners: Use maple syrup or agave instead of sugar for a different sweetness profile.
Storage & Freezing
To keep your lemon tarts fresh and delicious:
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-6 days.
- Freeze: Freeze the tarts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container. They can be stored for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
Tips for success
- Chill ingredients: Ensure the coconut oil and water are very cold to achieve the perfect shortbread texture.
- Don’t overwork dough: Mix the dough just until it comes together to keep the crust tender.
- Consistent stirring: When cooking the filling, stir constantly to prevent lumps and ensure a smooth texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can prepare them a day or two in advance and store them in the fridge.
For best results, use only the thick, solidified part of canned coconut milk.
Prick the base of the crust with a fork before baking.
Coconut oil is recommended for its flavor and texture, but you can experiment with vegan butter or other solid oils.
Arrowroot powder or tapioca starch are good alternatives.
Yes, they freeze well. Just thaw them in the fridge before serving.
Recipe
EASY VEGAN LEMON TARTS
INGREDIENTS
SHORTBREAD PASTRY
- 240 g all-purpose flour, (2 cups)
- 45 g sugar, (3½ tbsp)
- 140 g coconut oil*, solid and cold, (10 tbsp)
- Pinch of salt
- 2-4 tablespoon ice-cold water, added one at a time
FILLING
- 1 ½ cups coconut cream*, (260 g)
- ½ cup sugar, (100 g)
- ⅓ cup lemon juice, (80 g)
- 1 ½ tablespoon lemon zest, make sure to get just the zest and not the white part
- 5½ tablespoon cornstarch, (50 g)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, (14 g)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of turmeric, optional for color
INSTRUCTIONS
For the shortbread pastry
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
- Add coconut oil: Add the cold coconut oil to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the oil into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to achieve this consistency.
- Add water: Add ice-cold water, one tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough comes together. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
- Roll out dough: Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and press it into tart pans. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork to prevent puffing. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Prepare oven: While the shortbread pastry crusts are in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 21-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
For the filling
- Mix ingredients: Once the tarts are ready and have cooled down, add all the ingredients for the filling to a medium-sized pot.
- Cook filling: Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes or until the mixture gets really thick.
- Blend: Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend it to make it super smooth and creamy.
- Fill tarts: Pour the filling into the tarts, let it cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
NOTES
- Coconut cream is the thick, white part of full-fat canned coconut milk that separates and solidifies when you chill it in the fridge. To get coconut cream, simply refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight and then scoop out the solidified cream from the top, leaving the liquid behind. Generally, you will need 2 cans to get the required amount for the recipe (don't throw away the clear liquid; add it to your smoothies or other preparations).
- Coconut oil: Ensure you use coconut oil that is solid at room temperature. If it's a hot day and the coconut oil has melted, spread it on parchment paper and freeze it until solid before chopping it into small pieces.
- If you haven't already, be sure to check out the 'How to make this recipe' section above for a visual walkthrough of each step.
- Nutrition facts were calculated considering there are leftovers from the shortbread pastry dough.
NUTRITION
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