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Lemon Curd Puff Pastry Tarts

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These sweet and tangy Lemon Curd Puff Pastry Tarts are an impressive dessert that is quite simple to make! All you need is lemons, eggs, butter, sugar, a touch of salt and pre-made puff pastry to create this incredibly delicious treat.

Puff pastry tarts filled with lemon curd and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

I grew up eating lemon curd, even going to Scottish festivals in Los Angeles where lemon curd was one of the main attractions. California may be a seriously screwed up state, but there is always something fun to do!

At some point in time, I started buying lemon curd in jars, and didn’t really think much of it. I will never purchase a jar again, homemade is so much better…especially when used to fill these amazing Lemon Curd Tarts!

In late 19th and early 20th century England, homemade lemon curd was traditionally served with bread or scones at afternoon tea as an alternative to jam, and as a filling for cakes, small pastries and tarts.

More lemon dessert recipes

What you will need

  • Fresh squeezed lemon juice. No you cannot use those little plastic lemons in the produce section, that juice is too bitter and will ruin your dessert.
  • Granulated sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
  • Eggs add body, thickening, and the gorgeous yellow color.
  • Butter to add richness and a velvety texture.
  • Puff Pastry Shells or sheets to hold the delicious lemon curd!

Check out the printable recipe card below for the complete recipe and detailed instructions.

Lemon curd puff pastry tart on a small dessert plate with jar of lemon curd in the background.

How to Make Lemon Curd Tarts with Puff Pastry

Bring 1-inch of water to a boil in a large pot. Place eggs, egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and sugar in a large stainless steel bowl (or double boiler) and whisk together.

Eggs, lemon juice, salt, and sugar whisked together in a large stainless steel bowl.

Place bowl on top of boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened.

Mixture in the bowl over a pot of boiling water.

Mixture will be ready when it coats the backside of a spoon, and leaves a tunnel when you run your finger through it.

Lemon Curd on the back of a wooden spoon.

It takes about 5 to 7 minutes, and looks thicker in person. Remove from heat and whisk in butter.

Butter added to the lemon mixture.

Continue whisking until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour into a sealed container and chill in the refrigerator.

A jar of homemade lemon curd with fresh lemons in the background.

While the lemon curd is chilling, preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat liner and set aside. Pull puff pastry shells OR 1 puff pastry sheet out of package and place on a floured work surface.

A folded sheet of puff pastry on a flour covered marble board.

I only had puff pastry sheets, but they turn out exactly the same…trust me. 😉  Remove the separators from the puff pastry and fold dough back together on it’s self. Use a 2 and 3/4 inch round cutter to cut out circles.

a sheet of puff pastry cut into 3 circles.

Now use a 1 and 3/4 inch cutter to “mark” the centers of each circle. You don’t want to cut all the way through, you just want to score the dough about 3/4’s of the way through.

Small circles cut into the larger puff pastry circles.

Prick the center’s of each circle 3 or 4 times with a knife so the dough can vent while baking.

Vent holes pricked into the center of the puff pastry circles.

Repeat with the second sheet of dough and place on prepared baking sheet.

Six puff pastry circles on a silicone lined baking pan.

Bake for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

Six baked puff pastry shells on a silicone lined baking sheet.

I gently pushed down that shell int the back corner so it wasn’t tilted. 🙂  The shells will shrink down slightly as they cool, so don’t worry too much about it. Place shells on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Use a sharp paring knife to cut around the inner circle and remove the top.

The center hole cut out of the puff pastry shell with a small knife.

Dust with sifted powdered sugar.

Puff pastry shell dusted with powdered sugar.

and fill with lemon curd.

Puff pastry tarts filled with lemon curd and sprinkled with powdered sugar and jar of lemon curd in the background.

You will have more lemon curd that you need to fill 6 shells, so keep a spoon handy to finish off the leftovers. 😉

A scoop of homemade lemon curd on a spoon over the filled jar.

Cooking with Astrology Scorpio recipes

Cooking with Astrology Meal #Scorpio 2014 cookingwithcurls.com

Rusty Nail Cocktail  –  Split Pea Soup  –  Cornish Pasties  –  Lemon Curd Tarts

More Scorpio recipes

Moroccan Butternut Squash Soup  –  Chicken Tagine with Olives & Lemons

Moroccan Orange Cake  –  Avocado & Date Smoothie

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Enjoy!!

Lemon curd puff pastry tarts on a wood board with an empty jar and lemon in the background.

Lemon Curd Puff Pastry Tarts

These sweet and tangy Lemon Curd filled Puff Pastry Tarts are an impressive dessert that is quite simple to make!
4.17 from 111 votes
Print Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Keyword: lemon, curd, tarts, recipe, puff, pastry, dessert
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 684kcal
Author: Lisa Johnson

Ingredients

Lemon Curd

  • 0.5 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • .67 cups granulated sugar 2/3rds cup
  • 2 eggs whole
  • 2 eggs yolks only
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter
  • pinch sea salt 1/16th teaspoon
  • 1 pound Pepperidge Farms puff pastry sheets or shells 1 package

Instructions

To make the Lemon Curd:

  • Bring 1-inch of water to a boil in a large pot.
  • Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and sugar in a large stainless steel bowl, or double boiler.
  • Place over boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally until mixture thicken and coats the back of a spoon.
  • Remove from heat and whisk in butter, whisking until thoroughly melted and mixture is smooth.
  • Pour lemon curd into a sealed container and place in the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled.

For the Tarts:

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
  • Place on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before filling.
  • Cut out the centers to make shells hollow, and dust with sifted powdered sugar.
  • Fill with lemon curd and serve.

Notes

  • You will have leftover Lemon Curd. You can make more tarts or use it on toast.
  • See original post for detailed instructions to make shells from a sheet of puff pastry.

Nutrition

Calories: 684kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 630IU | Vitamin C: 7.8mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 2.4mg

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19 Comments

  1. Love Gerard Butler — almost as much as homemade lemon curd! I make curd in all flavors under the sun — it makes everything better. And these tarts look amazing, Lisa!

  2. Ummmmm…I’m pretty sure I would love whatever is it you just talked about, but I got mesmerized by Gerard and lost all sense of….everything.

    I think there may have been an egg yolk involved.

    -andi

  3. I just made your lemon curd the other day and it was delicious! How long does it last in a jar in the refrigerator?

  4. Hi
    The recipe doesn’t say the step of how to make the tarts. It just says to line with parchment and next step bake but what do I do with the puff pastry?
    Thanks
    Jan

  5. 5 stars
    We used to call these Lemon Puffs in England and they had the best one’s in a baker’s up the road from where we lived. Have always wanted to make them. Thank you for this lovely recipe.

  6. perfect Debbie! that was my thought too, as I’m planning on these for Christmas eve cocktails and think a single fresh raspberry will add a festive touch (yes, Australia)

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