Our vegan lemon tart is a delicious and easy dessert recipe with a creamy lemon filling and a flakey crust that everyone will love.

It’s sweet, light, tangy, and refreshing, and you can make it with simple pantry staples.

Lemon tart with lemon slices and berries

Check out our Best Easy Desserts

From this easy vegan lemon tart recipe, you can expect a decisive lemon flavor and aroma, both in the crust and in the filling, a flakey crust and a creamy filling.

You can make the crust with little effort in about 10 minutes with sugar, vegetable oil, water, lemon zest, flour, and baking powder. It’s dairy-free and without eggs.

You can make it in a bowl, you don’t need a food processor, and there’s no need to roll it out or to let it sit in the fridge. And your kitchen counter won’t even get dirty!

For the filling, we use our beloved vegan lemon curd that you can whip together in 5 minutes. It’s sweet, creamy, and lemony; we think you’ll love it.

If the lemon curd is too tangy for you, replace it with our lemon custard filling.

Top the tart with fresh berries and lemon slices, and you are good to go! Your beautiful and delicious vegan lemon tart is ready in less than 45 minutes, excellent as a dessert for most meals or a delightful afternoon snack.

PS. In the recipe box below we’ll show you how to make a crunchy base tart, and a soft base one. You pick your favorite; they are both delicious!

Lemon tart with slice and red berries

Ingredients

For the vegan tart crust

Lemon tart ingredients for pie crust

Flour

You can use all-purpose flour or half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour.

We haven’t tested this with gluten-free flour, but we think it should work without problems.

Sugar

We used vegan white sugar.

You can replace it with organic brown sugar, coconut sugar, or other sugar.

Water

Plain cold tap water is best.

Oil

We like to use canola oil or sunflower oil for this recipe.

You can use any other vegetable oil that has a neutral flavor.

We don’t recommend coconut oil or vegan butter for this recipe because it hasn’t been developed for fats that are solid at room temperature.

Lemon

We grate the zest of one organic lemon in the pie crust to give it a wonderful lemony aroma.

Baking Powder

Baking powder helps make a light and flakey crust.

For the vegan lemon curd

Lemon custard ingredients

Milk

We generally use unsweetened soy milk or almond milk.

You can use any plant milk of your choice, such as oat milk, rice milk, pea milk, etc.

You can also use coconut milk; however, in this case, the custard will be richer and have a mild coconut flavor.

Sugar

We use vegan white sugar. You can use any sugar you like including organic sugar.

We have not tried agave or maple syrup.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is used to thicken the custard.

You can substitute potato starch for cornstarch. We have not tested this recipe with arrowroot flour, tapioca starch, or agar agar powder.

Lemon

To flavor the eggless lemon curd, we use the juice of about one lemon and its peel.

Equipment

Tart pan

For pies like this one is best to use a 9.5-inch (24 cm) tart pan with a removable bottom so that you can take the eggless lemon tart out of the pan without breaking.

Alternatively, you can make this in a pie dish; however, you won’t be able to take the tart out of the pan.

You’ll also need a small pot and a whisk to make the lemon curd.

Lemon tart slice

Instructions

For the vegan tart crust

Preheat the oven to 360°F or 180°C. Brush the sides and bottom of your tart pan with oil, then line the bottom with parchment paper.

tart pan lined with parchment paper

To a mixing bowl, add flour, salt, and baking powder and mix them together.

flour and baking powder in a bowl

To a separate bowl, add sugarwateroil, and grated lemon zest and mix them with a spatula.

liquid ingredients in a bowl

Add in the flour mixture, then with the same spatula, mix all the ingredients until they start coming together.

Compact the dough with your hands until you have a dough bowl without working it too much or kneading it.

Lemon tart pie crust

Transfer the dough to the prepared tart pan and flatten it with the palm of your hand to cover the bottom and sides.

Cut off excess dough, if any.

Lemon tart in a pie pan

Pierce the bottom and sides of the tart with a fork.

pie crust before baking

Bake the tart, empty without filling, at 350°F or 180°C for 18 minutes or until slightly golden on the sides and bottom, then take it out of the oven to cool down. Don’t turn off the oven.

In the meantime, prep the filling.

pie crust after baking

For the vegan lemon curd filling

To a saucepan, off the heat, add milksugarcornstarch, lemon peel (not the grated zest), and turmeric. Whisk until there are no lumps. 

plant milk and lemon in a saucepan

Bring to a simmer on medium heat while whisking until the liquid becomes a thick and smooth custard.

Turn the heat off, add the lemon juice, and remove the lemon peel. Keep whisking for about a minute.

lemon custard in a saucepan

Pour the lemon curd into the tart crust and bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Then, take it out of the oven and let it cool down completely (it’ll take about 1 hour).

Lemon tart after baking

Take the vegan lemon tart out of the tart pan and garnish it with fresh berries and thin lemon slices.

Lemon tart with red berries

Variations

Crunchy lemon tart

This recipe is perfect for summer as it’s light and refreshing. Bake the tart crust empty for 18 minutes until golden brown.

Let it cool down completely, then take it out of the tart pan and fill it with warm lemon curd. Spread the curd with the back of a spoon, then let it cool down for 1 hour and serve without baking the custard.

You can top this one with shapes made with dough scraps.

Lemon tart with stars

Italian lemon crostata

Italian lemon crostata is a lemon tart with a laced top. You’ll need to double the dough recipe to have enough to make the lacing on top.

  1. Make a double batch of the vegan tart crust by using the multiplication in the recipe card below.
  2. Arrange half of the dough in the tart pan and pierce the bottom with a fork.
  3. Fill the tart pan with lemon curd and spread it evenly with a spoon.
  4. Roll out the remaining dough, then cut it into nine strips.
  5. Lace the top of the tart with the strips.
  6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F or 180°C for 40 to 45 minutes.
  7. Let cool down completely – 3 hours – before serving.
Lemon tart

More tart recipes

Apple tart

A tasty and simple alternative to apple pie, our vegan apple tart is super easy to make with a few simple ingredients and plenty of apples.

Check out our apple tart recipe.

apple tart just baked

Blueberry tart

Our blueberry tart is so tasty, tangy, and incredibly easy to make. It’s probably one of the healthiest yet super delicious desserts ever.

Check out our blueberry tart recipe.

blueberry tart sliced on a plate

Ricotta and chocolate chips pie

This ricotta pie is a classic Italian dessert that is creamy, tasty, and fulfilling. It’s the Italian take on cheesecake, and it’s totally worth it!

Check out our ricotta pie.

Ricotta pie sliced

Strawberry tart

A light, bright, and beautiful dessert for the spring and summer when fresh strawberries are in season.

Check out our vegan strawberry tart.

strawberry tart with mint leaves

Italian crostata

Another classic Italian dessert, crostata, is the perfect sweet treat to make with your favorite jam.

Check out our Italian crostata recipe.

Crostata with slice on a white plate

Fruit tart with custard

The queen of summer tarts, this crunchy, creamy, and colorful fruit tart is our favorite tart in the world because it is loaded with plenty of fresh seasonal fruit.

Check out our vegan fruit tart recipe.

fruit tart

Questions

Why is my tart soft?

This tart is quite soft on the bottom due to the high moisture content in the custard. This is ok; it’s supposed to be like that.

If you don’t like it soft and would like it crunchy, then follow the steps to make our crunchy lemon tart in the “variations” chapter above.

What can you use instead of lemon curd?

You can substitute our vegan lemon curd or our vegan custard for lemon curd.

Make Ahead & Storage

Make ahead: we recommend making vegan lemon tart 3 to 4 hours ahead of time for best results. You can also prep the dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours, wrapped in plastic.

Storage: keep the tart on a plate, covered, in a dry corner of your kitchen for the first 24 hours. If you want to store it for longer, keep it in the fridge, covered in plastic. This recipe is not suitable for freezing.

More lemon desserts

Lemon tart with lemon slices and berries

Vegan Lemon Tart

By: Nico Pallotta
4.85 from 32 votes
Our vegan lemon tart is a delicious and easy dessert recipe with a creamy lemon filling and a flakey crust that everyone will love.
It's sweet, light, tangy, and refreshing, and you can make it with simple pantry staples. Below we'll show you how to make one with soft crust and one with crunchy crust.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes
Total Time: 43 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: International

Equipment

  • Tart pan 9 to 10 inches (24 to 26cm) easiest if with removable bottom.
  • Zester or grater
  • Whisk

Ingredients

TART CRUST

  • cup sugar
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 lemon the grated zest
  • cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

LEMON CURD

  • 2 cups plant milk of choice (we use soy milk)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 lemon the peel
  • cup lemon juice (keep it out if you don't like tangy flavors)

Instructions 

TART CRUST

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Brush sides and bottom of tart pan with oil, then line the bottom with parchment paper.
    tart pan lined with parchment paper
  • In a bowl, mix flour with salt and baking powder.
    flour and baking powder in a bowl
  • In a separate bowl, add grated lemon zest, water, oil, and sugar. Mix well with a spatula.
    liquid ingredients in a bowl
  • Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with the same spatula until just combined.
    Now compact the dough with your hands until it comes together, without working it much or kneading it.
    Lemon tart pie crust
  • Transfer dough onto the tart pan and flatten it with the palm of your hands to cover bottom and sides.
    Lemon tart in a pie pan
  • Trim excess dough, if any, then pierce bottom and sides with a fork.
    pie crust before baking
  • Bake the pie empty at 350°F or 180°C for 18-20 minutes or until slightly golden.
    In the meantime, prep the filling.
    pie crust after baking

LEMON CURD FILLING

  • To a sauce pan, off the heat, add milk, sugar, cornstarch, lemon peel (not the grated zest), and turmeric. Whisk until there are no lumps.
    plant milk and lemon in a saucepan
  • Bring to a simmer on medium heat while whisking until the liquid becomes a thick and smooth custard.
    Turn heat off, add the lemon juice, and remove the lemon peel. Keep whisking for a minute.
    lemon custard in a saucepan

FOR A SOFT-CRUST LEMON TART WITH FIRM FILLING

  • Fill the crust with the lemon curd and spread it evenly with a spoon.
    Bake for 5 more minutes at 350°F or 180°C, then take it out and let it cool down for at least 1 hour before serving.
    Top with berries and thin lemon slices.
    vegan lemon tart with berries on top

FOR A CRUNCHY-CRUST LEMON TART WITH CREAMY FILLING

  • Let crust cool down completely, then shortly before serving, fill the crust with the cooled down lemon curd.
    Spread it out with the back of a spoon, and top with fresh fruits and berries or with leftover crust baked into biscuits.
    You can serve immediately or let cool down for 30 minutes.
    Lemon tart with stars

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 slice of vegan lemon tart out of 10 slices.
WHICH ONE SHOULD I MAKE?
It really depends on your preference. The only thing to keep in mind is, the crunchy crust will only stay crunchy for about a day, before it starts absorbing moisture from the air and from the lemon curd.
So, if you want crunchy crust, my advice is to make the base and the custard in advance, but then to build the lemon tart just before serving it. It only takes 2 minutes to build and it will taste so delicious.
TIPS
If your lemon curd gets lumpy as it cools down, you can beat it with an electric beater to make it smooth again. If still lumpy, you can blend it with an immersion blender.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 249kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Potassium: 130mg, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 191IU, Vitamin B6: 0.1mg, Vitamin C: 18mg, Vitamin E: 2mg, Vitamin K: 4µg, Calcium: 76mg, Folate: 60µg, Iron: 1mg, Manganese: 0.2mg, Magnesium: 7mg, Zinc: 0.3mg
Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below or mention @theplantbasedschool on Instagram. We are also on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok.

If you liked this lemon tart, you might also enjoy the following:


Nico and Louise in the kitchen

Hi! We are Nico & Louise

Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with easy, tasty, and wholesome recipes.

Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.

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Recipe Rating




21 Comments

  1. This is delicious!
    It has a little bit of a bitter taste at the end but that’s due to the lemon peel I’d assume. Smooth and creamy.

    1. Hi Grace,
      Thank you very much for your comment, I’m very happy you liked the tart.

      In order to avoid bitterness from lemons, we typically do 2 things:
      – Since the white part of the lemon (the pith) is bitter, we try to avoid this when grating or peeling the zest.
      – Counterpart the bitterness with a pinch of salt.

      Have a great weekend! Kindest,
      Louise

      1. 5 stars
        Looks perfect and delicious.
        I bought mini tart crusts and was wondering do you know how much cream I need for 10 pcs of 8cm tartlets?
        Thank you 🥳🥳

        1. Hi Petra,

          You’ll need almost exactly the same amount of cream written in our recipe for 10 pcs of 8cm each. So you can use the recipe without making any changes.

          I hope this helps!
          Nico

  2. 5 stars
    My 16 year old son has made this today as practice for his GCSE food exam. The theme he is working to is ‘lactose free’, so anything vegan is perfect. He served the tart with a raspberry coulis and a sprinkling of icing sugar. Absolutely delicious! Thanks for this amazing recipe.

    1. Hi Sarah,
      I’m super happy to hear that your son used this recipe for his GCSE exam, it sounds FANTASTIC with the combination of lemon and raspberry coulis!
      I just wish we could have seen a photo of his masterpiece. All the best of luck to him!
      Have a wonderful week ahead.
      Kindest,
      Louise

  3. Hi, I love your recipes but I am afraid there is something wrong with this one. I make crostates all the times and they are always great. I noticed the ingredients for this one are different. The dough came very hard and impossible to roll. The lemon cream will not thicken either.

    1. Hi Felicia,
      Thanks so much for your message and for letting us know! We will redo this recipe first, and get back to you in a few days.
      So sorry the recipe did not turn out well, we promise we’ll update the recipe and let you know as the first person.

      Thanks so much again, and have a wonderful week ahead. Kindest, Louise

  4. 5 stars
    This tart…..I’m simply lost for words. I wonder, could the lemon filling also he used as a lemon curd? To spread on toast, bread, croissants etc. It’s so creamy and smooth and divine! Thank you 🙂

    1. Hi Maia, thanks for commenting. The cream in the tart is a lemon custard, I use it in croissants and cakes, mostly. With that being said, you can use the custard in your favourite pastries or really wherever you want. It’s pretty delicious in layered cakes too, haha.

        1. Hi Sophie,

          1 teaspoon of baking powder for the tart base.

          Thank you for your message, I corrected the recipe box now.
          Nico

  5. Hi! I was wondering whether anyone here tried this lemon filling with a no bake base, like a graham cracker one? I’m just wondering if the lemon custard would taste ok without baking it.
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Yumi, I haven’t tried, but that seems like a good idea. I think it would work. The custard tastes great without baking it 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    The only problem with this recipe is that the custard is so delicious that you might eat it all before it gets in the crust – especially if you make it with oatmilk because “it’s healthy, I’m just eating oatmeal”! – yeah – be careful.

  7. 5 stars
    great recipe! the custard was perfect and smooth. the crust was also surprisingly easy to work with and turned out really well! i tried the soft baked method but the tart was pretty overbaked at 35 minutes so i recommend checking for doneness at 30 minutes and adjusting the bake time from there 🙂

    1. That’s awesome! Thank you sooo much for your message Erin. We are very happy the custard and the crostata turned out well. Thank you for the baking tip! Good one 🙂

  8. Hi Maddy, thanks for your message. Not sure what might have gone wrong. It is possible that depending on the type of flour, altitude where you live and humidity, you might need to add a bit more or less water (but not a lot more).

    Just to make sure, did you use a scale or measuring cups? We noticed that our recipes turn out a lot better using a scale, especially the custards. Also, for the custard we noticed that some plant milks require a tad less corn starch. Which plant milk did you use? Let us know and we’ll try to trouble shoot. Thaaaank 🙂

    1. Would like to try this, Love 🍋 LEMON.
      But, I’m from NYS, don’t do metric, and I’ve never seen 0.6, or 0.3, etc. Usually it’s 1 1/2c, 1 tblsp, 1/3c, etc
      How do I do this, please ? ?

      1. Hi Roxann, thanks for your message and for the feedback. Yeah you’re right, we are now going through all our posts and making them more US/cups/tbsp friendly 🙂 I just updated the lemon tart recipe, it should be easier to understand the measurements now, but let me know if it can be improved further. We are learning from your comments every day 🙂
        Thaaanksss so much and happy cooking.