These irresistible bite-sized gluten-free lemon tarts are filled with a tart and tangy vegan lemon curd. Try them for your next brunch or dessert table!
There’s something about lemon desserts that always says springtime to me. From the sunshine-like color to the bright and tangy taste, lemons have a way of livening up any sweet treat they meet, and these little gluten-free lemon tarts are no exception.
Filled with zesty citrus flavor, the two-bite treats are like little bites of sunshine. Regardless of the season, these mini lemon tarts make an excellent addition to a brunch or dessert table. The tarts feature a tender shortbread crust with a tangy lemon curd filling, and their diminutive size means no forks necessary! They’re the perfect contrast of sweet and tart, crisp and creamy and everything a good lemon dessert should be.
The shortbread crust is based on this recipe and it couldn’t be easier. No need to roll it out, it’s one of those you just press into the pan with your fingers. Speaking of pan, I’ve used a mini-muffin pan to make bite-sized lemon tarts but you could easily make slightly larger ones using a regular muffin pan. As with many tart recipes you can make the shells ahead of time (store the baked shells in an air-tight container at room temperature for a few day) and just fill the tassies with the lemon curd when you’re ready to serve.
The curd comes together rather quickly and easily in one saucepan. And since there are no eggs or dairy in this recipe there’s isn’t any need to worry about your curd scrambling. Best of all the vegan lemon curd filling is just as rich and tart as the traditional kind!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
For the Crust:
- Maple Syrup – Use a light colored maple syrup.
- Palm Shortening - Use palm shortening or vegan butter.
- Almond Flour – Use a fine blanched almond flour, not almond meal.
- Arrowroot - Arrowroot flour (also called arrowroot starch) helps gives the crust it’s light, melt-in-you-mouth texture.
For the Vegan Lemon Curd:
- Lemon – You’ll need both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Maple Syrup – Use a light colored maple syrup.
- Arrowroot - Arrowroot helps to thicken the lemon curd.
- Agar Powder - Agar powder is the secret to making great vegan lemon curd. It helps the curd to set and gives the filling the same heft and soft wobble as an egg-based curd.
- Coconut Yogurt – You can use either coconut yogurt or coconut cream but coconut yogurt will give the curd a nice tang.
- Palm Shortening - Use palm shortening or vegan butter to give the curd a silky mouthfeel.
How to Make Gluten-Free Lemon Tartlets:
(Here are the basic steps and some helpful tips on how to make the recipe. Find the full directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- You’ll start by making the crust. In a large bowl you’ll cream together the maple syrup and palm shortening until smooth, then add the almond flour and arrowroot with a fork adding 1 teaspoon of water until a soft dough forms.
- Next you’ll press the dough into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a greased 12 cup mini muffin pan with your fingers, prick the bottom of dough with a fork and place the pan into the freezer or fridge to chill.
- Bake the shells for 10-12 minutes or until golden around the edges and set them on a wire rack to cool completely while you make the filling.
- To make the lemon curd, you’ll whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, arrowroot and agar powder in a small sauce pan over medium heat, whisking continuously until the mixture starts to thicken. Then turn off heat, whisk in the coconut yogurt and palm shortening and pour warm lemon curd into cooled shells. Let the tarts set until firm and serve.
And because these are gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, and vegan, these lemon tarts will suit just about everyone’s diet!
More Tartlets:
Gluten-Free Lemon Tartlets
These bite-sized gluten-free lemon tartlets are filled with a bright and citrusy vegan lemon curd.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons/36g palm shortening or vegan butter
- 1 ¼ cups/140g almond flour
- ¼ cup /36g arrowroot
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1-2 teaspoons/5-10ml of filtered water
For the Lemon Curd:
- ¼ cup/60ml fresh lemon juice
- The zest of ½ a lemon
- ¼ cup/60ml maple syrup
- ½ Tablespoon/5g arrowroot
- ¼ teaspoon agar powder
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml coconut yogurt or coconut cream
- 1 ½ Tablespoons/27g palm shortening or vegan butter
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- In a large bowl cream together maple syrup and palm shortening until smooth. Add almond flour, arrowroot and salt and work into the mixture with a fork adding 1 teaspoon of water until a soft dough forms.
- Pinch and press dough firmly across the bottom and halfway up the sides of a greased 12 cup mini muffin pan with your fingers. Prick bottom of dough with a fork and place pan into freezer 10 minutes to chill or in fridge until needed.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake shells for 10-12 minutes or until golden around the edges. Set on a wire rack to cool completely. Meanwhile make the filling.
Make the Lemon Curd:
- Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, arrowroot and agar powder in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk continuously until mixture starts to thicken. Turn off heat and whisk in coconut yogurt and palm shortening.
- Pour warm lemon curd into cooled shells. Let set until firm and serve. Refrigerate leftover curd and/or tassies in an airtight container.
Notes
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 118Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 9mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Susan says
these are so beautiful and perfect. I am adding them to my "to-do" list!!