I love a zesty, citrus dessert and this Lemon Meringue Tart ticks all the boxes. Imagine the most delicious refreshing lemon curd, encased in crisp, sweet pastry, topped off with pillowy caramelised Italian meringue. 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.
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 Meringues) are perfect for entertaining as they feel less heavy after a big meal - especially in summer.
Jump to:
- Why you will love this recipe:
- Ingredients:
- Substitutions and Variations:
- Here's how to make Lemon Meringue Tart:
- Cooking Tips for Lemon Curd:
- Cooking Tips for Meringue:
- Cooking Tips for Pastry
- Let's talk about Meringue!
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
- Other recipes you might enjoy:
- Made this recipe and loved it?
- Lemon Meringue Tart
Why you will love this 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.
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.
No meringue: You could serve this tart naked - and by that I mean without the meringue. The lemon tart alone is so good!
Blood oranges - In blood orange season, this tart is so good make with blood orange juice! Seriously delicious
Store bought pastry - To make this even easier, you could use a store bought pastry case. Or buy the shortcrust pastry, either ready rolled or in a block and roll it yourself.
Here's how to make Lemon Meringue Tart:
Here's a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page 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.
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: Roll the pastry and lay into the tart tin
ONE: 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.
TWO: Use the rolled out pastry to line a 25cm (10-inch) loose-based tart tin. Prick the base with a fork.
THREE: Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and just sandy to touch. Allow to cool completely.
FOUR: 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.
Step 3: Make lemon curd
For a more in-depth look at lemon curd, see my lemon curd guide.
FIVE: in a heat-proof bowl, mix together the lemon juice and zest, eggs and sugar.
SIX: 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.
SEVEN: Remove from heat and strain through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.
EIGHT: 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.
Step 4: Make the meringue topping
NINE: in a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Place over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup reaches 118°C on a sugar thermometer.
TEN: 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.
ELEVEN: Continue to whisk the egg whites until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks, and the bowl has cooled to room temperature.
TWELVE: 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 for Lemon Curd:
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. 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.
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.
Cooking Tips for Meringue:
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 the meringue 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.
Cooking Tips for Pastry
Fixing cracked pastry: 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 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.
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!
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 think one of the most obvious things to make is custard (which is then the perfect excuse to make an apple crumble or my Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix!). 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).
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.
You can serve this with meringue piled on top without torching it at all. The Italian meringue has good structure from the hot sugar syrup so it will still look great. If you want to torch it, you can put the tart until a very very hot grill/broiler for a few minutes, watching it the entire time.
Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
You can make the curd ahead of time and transfer to an airtight container. It keeps for a week. Remember that the curd needs a few hours to set as it has to cool completely, and then it goes into the fridge. The pastry can be baked and wrapped tightly in clingfilm up to 4 days ahead. The baked pastry shells can also be wrapped tightly in clingfilm and frozen for up to 3 months. The meringue is best made fresh and served on the day. I would assemble the whole lemon meringue tart on the day.
Any leftovers, keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Make sure it's well covered or in an airtight container.
You can freeze the lemon tart without the meringue topping. Wrap well in cling film and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge until totally defrosted. Then whip the meringue and smooth on before serving.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
My Lemon Posset or Lemon Meringue Tower are ones to try. 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. A simple one to try is my Frozen Berries with Hot White Chocolate Sauce is such a winner or my Blackberry Pie with Cream Cheese.
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!
Lemon Meringue Tart
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 100 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 55 g icing sugar
- 40 g egg approximately 1 small egg
- 1 1 egg yolk
- 170 g 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 isnmore accurate
For the Italian meringue:
- 200 g egg whites approximately 3 large egg whites
- 400 g caster sugar
- 120 ml water
Instructions
- 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 desired.
