I don’t know about you, but I LOVE a zesty, citrus dessert and this Lemon Meringue Tart ticks all the boxes. Lemon Meringue Tart is like Lemon Meringue Pie’s dainty friend. Imagine the most delicious refreshing lemon curd, encased in crisp, sweet pastry, topped off with pillowy caramelised Italian meringue. YUM! It is one of those desserts that looks super complicated but, once you break it down into stages, is actually much simpler than one might initially think. Trust me, you won’t regret making this.
There is no doubt that this Lemon Meringue Tart has the ‘wow factor’ - which is why it is one of my go-to dinner party recipes when cooking for friends and family. I also love the way you can prepare ahead (even make the pastry the night before) so you don’t have any last minute panics on the day! I always think lemon desserts (like my Lemon Posset) are perfect for entertaining as they feel less heavy after a big meal - especially in summer. Everytime I make this, my guests always ask for the recipe - I can’t wait to hear what you think.
Why you will love this Easy Lemon Meringue tart recipe:
- It is a stunning dessert perfect for a special occasion or dinner party.
- It can be broken down into stages with the pastry and curd layers made ahead.
- It is full of flavour thanks to the delicious combination of sweet meringue and zesty lemon.
- It is ideal for learning new skills and mastering the perfect Italian meringue.
Ingredients:
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Butter - opt for unsalted so you can control the salt level in this Lemon Meringue Tart.
Icing sugar - this adds sweetness to the pastry.
Eggs - try to use free-range large eggs stamped with the British Lion mark.
Plain flour - also known as ‘all purpose’ flour.
Ground almonds - this adds a delicious nutty flavour to the pastry.
Salt - just a pinch of salt heightens all the other flavours and offsets the sweetness of the meringue. I recommend Maldon Salt Flakes.
Lemons - a non-negotiable ingredient in Lemon Meringue Tart! I love the refreshing, zesty flavour of the curd.
Caster sugar - this adds sweetness to the curd and helps form the meringue.
Gelatine - this helps the curd to have the perfect set, creating beautiful clean slices.
Substitutions and Variations:
Caster sugar - you could use granulated sugar or golden caster sugar which will give you a deeper colour. I love golden caster sugar.
You could serve this tart naked - and by that I mean without the meringue. The lemon tart alone is so good! Obviously I love it with the meringue but it’s good either way.
Blood oranges - In blood orange season, this tart is so good make with blood orange juice! Seriously delicious
Vanilla extract - you could add a couple of drops of vanilla extract to the pastry for a subtle vanilla flavour.
Store bought pastry - To make this even easier; you could use a store bought pastry case. No shame in that at all, they are there to make your life easier and you can get really great ones. Or buy ready rolled shortcrust pastry and use it to line your tart tin as a half way house between making from scratch and buying it ready made. Cooking is meant to be fun, so never worry about taking shortcuts that make your life easier - life’s too short!
Try serving it with - homemade raspberry coulis - it's such a good combination with the zest lemon, and looks kind of amazing served drizzled over the meringue.
Directions:
Here's a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe below for detailed instructions.
I would begin by getting the pastry made as that's the bit that takes the longest with the chilling and baking time. Always think about the part of the recipe that will take the longest and then start with that. You can then make the lemon curd as the pastry is baking.
How to make lemon curd
ONE: in a heat-proof bowl, mix together the lemon juice and zest, eggs and sugar.
TWO: Place over a pan of very gently simmering water, add the butter and stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
THREE: Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.
FOUR: Soften the gelatine in cold water for 2 minutes or until it’s completely soft. Remove from the water, squeeze out any excess liquid, then add to the warm lemon curd, stirring until completely dissolved. Leave the curd to cool for about 10 minutes.
How to lay the pastry crust into the tart tin
To make the pastry - in the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and icing sugar using the paddle attachment until well combined and smooth.
Gradually add the eggs and beat until the mixture becomes light and airy - but not too fluffy.
Sift in the flour, ground almonds and salt. Knead by hand to form a smooth dough. Shape into a ball, flatten into a disc, cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
FIVE: Lightly dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll out the pastry to a large circle, about ½ cm thick and about 10 cm larger on each side than your tart tin
SIX: Use the rolled out pastry to line a 25cm (10-inch) loose-based tart tin. Prick the base with a fork.
EIGHT: Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and just sandy to touch. Allow to cool completely.
NINE: Pour the curd into the baked tart shell in a smooth and even layer. Leave to cool completely before chilling for 1 hour, or until set.
How to make the meringue topping
TEN: in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Place over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup reaches 118°C on a sugar thermometer.
ELEVEN: Meanwhile, in a clean, dry bowl, begin whisking the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
Once the sugar syrup has reached the correct temperature, slowly pour it into the egg whites while continuing to whisk - take care to pour the syrup down the side of the bowl (not onto the whisks) to avoid splattering.
TWELVE: Continue to whisk the egg whites until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks, and the bowl has cooled to room temperature.
THIRTEEN: To assemble: remove the tart from the tin and set onto a flat plate. Spread or pipe the Italian meringue over the set lemon curd. Use a blowtorch to lightly brown the meringue, or place under a grill for a few seconds - watch closely to prevent burning.
Cooking Tips:
Gentle heating: whilst making the lemon curd, make sure the water in the pan underneath is just gently simmering and that you are stirring constantly - if it overheats or you leave it too long, you will end up with sweet lemon scrambled eggs (which could be delicious, but isn’t quite the vibe we’re going for here!). If you are worried it’s scrambling - remove from the heat and gently pour through a sieve set over a bowl, pushing it through with the back of a spoon to remove any lumps.
Avoiding a soggy bottom: make sure you cook the base until golden and slightly ‘sandy’ to touch to ensure a crisp pastry base - if it is undercooked, you will end up with a soggy bottom!
Room temperature egg whites: using egg whites from room temperature will help your Italian meringue whisk up faster and give them a better volume.
A clean, dry bowl: It is really important to make sure your bowl is completely clean and dry before you add the egg whites. Any traces of liquid or fat will stop them whisking up.
Pouring in the sugar syrup: take care when pouring the sugar syrup into the meringue - you want to trickle down the side of the bowl, avoiding the beaters to prevent the hot syrup from splashing everywhere.
Let's talk about Meringue!
How is Italian meringue different from other meringues?
Most people think of meringues as those dainty kisses or swirled nests that look like mini pavlovas, but that isn’t the only way you can make and enjoy them. There are several different types of meringue, all using slightly different techniques. The 3 main ones are:
French meringue - this is the most commonly used meringue as it is super simple. You just add sugar to whisked egg whites whilst continuing to whisk into a stiff meringue. However, it isn’t the most stable.
Italian meringue - this is the type I use in my Lemon Meringue Tart. It involves making a hot sugar syrup and slowly adding it to whisked egg whites to create a smooth and glossy meringue. It is rather popular with professional bakers and patisseries because it is super shiny (so looks very pretty) and is the most stable type.
Swiss meringue - here the egg whites and sugar are whisked over a pan of gently simmering water until they reach 60C, then they are whisked until they reach stiff peaks. It has a deliciously smooth and silky texture that is often used in buttercream.
Frequently Asked Questions
I happen to think Lemon Meringue Tart is one of those desserts that is so delicious, it can be served all on its own. However, it is also lovely with whipped cream, some seasonal berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and/or cherries are all good options), a berry coulis or even a scoop of ice cream.
I love this question! There are so many things you can make with leftover egg yolks - both sweet and savoury. I think one of the most obvious things to make is custard (which is then the perfect excuse to make a crumble or my Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix!), but you could also make a soft and sweet loaf of brioche, beautifully buttery Gâteau Breton or custard tart. There are also plenty of savoury dishes to try… egg yolks are ideal for creating creamy pastas like my Buttery Lemon Pasta and Carbonara with Guanciale (not forgetting my Udon Carbonara), as well as homemade mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce. You can also freeze them, although they can go a little weird if you freeze them just as they are, so I tend to mix them with just a little pinch of sugar before freezing and then use them for baking etc. Adding the sugar before you freeze them means they keep their texture when you defrost them.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
If you liked the sound of this Lemon Meringue Tart, I have lots of other delicious desserts for you to try. My Lemon Posset is the perfect super simple, but incredibly tasty, dessert recipe which needs just 3 ingredients - I like to serve them with some fresh raspberries and a homemade biscuit. Also take a look at my show stopping White Chocolate and Passion Fruit Cheesecake - it is the most incredible combination of sweet white chocolate and tangy passion fruit in one creamy cheesecake with a rather irresistible buttery ginger nut biscuit base. Yum! Speaking of irresistible chocolate desserts, my Frozen Berries with Hot White Chocolate Sauce is such a winner. It uses just 3 ingredients you are likely to already have and takes minutes to put together. Honestly, you have to try it…
Made this recipe and loved it?
I would love love LOVE if you could leave a review in the comments… I love hearing what you thought, any changes you made, the stories behind what made you try my recipes. Also, if you share a photo on Instagram, please tag me @desertislanddishes, it makes my day to see you making my creations!
PrintLemon Meringue Tart
This stunning Lemon Meringue Tart is the perfect ‘wow factor’ dessert for a special occasion. Imagine golden, almond-infused pastry topped with a layer of zesty lemon curd, finished with sweet caramelised meringue… it is just too good to resist!
- Prep Time: 20 mins plus chilling
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 80 mins
- Yield: 8-12 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
For the pastry:
100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
55 g icing sugar
40 g egg (approximately 1 small egg)
Plus 1 egg yolk
170g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
20 g ground almonds
3 g salt
For the lemon curd:
500 g lemons (approximately 3-4 lemons for zest and juice)
167 g butter, diced into cubes
250 g eggs (approximately 5 large eggs)
250 g caster sugar
6 g gelatine sheets (3.5 sheets but weighing it is a bit more accurate)
For the Italian meringue:
200 g egg whites (approximately 3 large egg whites)
400 g caster sugar
120 ml water
Instructions
Method:
For the pastry: in the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and icing sugar using the paddle attachment until well combined and smooth.
Gradually add the eggs and beat until the mixture becomes light and airy - but not too fluffy.
Sift in the flour, ground almonds and salt. Knead by hand to form a smooth dough. Shape into a ball, flatten into a disc, cover with cling film and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan.
Lightly dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour and roll out the pastry to a large circle, about ½ cm thick and about 10 cm larger on each side than your tart tin
Use to line a 25cm (10-inch) loose-based tart tin. Prick the base with a fork.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and just sandy to touch. Allow to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the lemon curd: in a heat-proof bowl, mix together the lemon juice and zest, butter, eggs and sugar. Place over a pan of very gently simmering water, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.
Soften the gelatine in cold water for 2 minutes or until it’s completely soft. Remove from the water, squeeze out any excess liquid, then add to the warm lemon curd, stirring until completely dissolved. Leave the curd to cool for about 10 minutes.
Pour the curd into the baked tart shell in a smooth and even layer. Leave to cool completely before chilling for 1 hour, or until set.
Once the curd has set, prepare the Italian meringue: in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Place over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup reaches 118°C on a sugar thermometer.
Meanwhile, in a clean, dry bowl, begin whisking the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
Once the sugar syrup has reached the correct temperature, slowly pour it into the egg whites while continuing to whisk - take care to pour the syrup down the side of the bowl (not onto the whisks) to avoid splattering.
Continue to whisk the egg whites until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks, and the bowl has cooled to room temperature.
To assemble: remove the tart from the tin and set onto a flat plate. Spread or pipe the Italian meringue over the set lemon curd. Use a blowtorch to lightly brown the meringue, or place under a grill for a few seconds - watch closely to prevent burning.
Serve chilled or at room temperature decorated with lemon zest, if wished
Notes
Serving suggestions: this is also delicious served with seasonal berries, berry coulis and/or whipped cream.
If you want to use baking beads when you blind bake it, you can! But in all honestly I don’t tend to and as long as you prick it really well all over with a fork you should be fine. A good tip is if your pastry cracks when you bake it, brush it with a whisked egg and then pop it back in the oven to seal it in. Leave it cool and it will create a seal. You need it to be in great condition before you add the lemon mixture - because if it’s cracked, all the lemon mixture will leak out
Gelatine - I always tend to use the sheets as I just find them the easiest to work with. Soak them for a few minutes until they're soft and then squeeze them out and melt them into a little hot liquid in a pan. If you prefer to use the powdered kind, you can use the equivalent of course.
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