This French lemon meringue tart recipe is made with a crisp pâte sucrée crust, smooth lemon curd filling, and toasted Italian meringue.
As a French baker, I grew up with tarte au citron meringuée, a classic French lemon meringue tart known for its crisp buttery crust and tangy lemon filling.
Made with traditional pâte sucrée, homemade lemon curd, and Italian meringue, this recipe gives you a smooth, balanced citrus dessert with a clean bakery-style finish..
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Authentic French recipe: Made with classic pastry techniques from French baking.
- Perfect texture contrast: Crisp tart shell, silky lemon curd, and light meringue.
- Bakery-style result: Elegant finish with a reliable step-by-step method.
Ingredients you need
Here’s what you need to make this French lemon meringue tart with a crisp pâte sucrée, smooth lemon curd filling, and Italian meringue:
- Flour: all-purpose flour for the tart crust structure
- Almond flour: adds a delicate texture typical of French pâte sucrée
- Butter: unsalted, for a rich and buttery tart shell
- Powdered sugar: gives the crust a fine, melt-in-the-mouth texture
- Salt: enhances and balances the flavors
- Eggs: used in the crust, lemon curd, and meringue for structure and richness
- Granulated sugar: for the lemon curd and Italian meringue
- Lemon juice and zest: fresh lemons for a bright, tangy citrus flavor
Tips before you start
- Use fresh lemons: For a bright, tangy lemon flavor and better aroma.
- Chill the dough: Keeps the pâte sucrée crisp and prevents shrinking.
- Cook gently: Heat the lemon curd slowly to avoid curdling the eggs.
- Strain the filling: For a smooth, silky lemon curd with no lumps.
- Toast before serving: Gives the Italian meringue a clean golden finish.
How to make French lemon meringue tart
This tart is made with my classic pâte sucrée for a crisp and buttery base.
Beat the butter, powdered sugar, almond flour, egg, and salt until smooth and creamy, then add the flour and mix just until combined.
Form the dough into a ball, wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough to 3 mm thickness, then line a tart pan or ring.
Freeze for 1 hour, then bake at 347°F (175°C) for about 20 minutes until golden. Cool completely.
Whisk eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and zest, then cook over a double boiler, stirring until thickened.
Remove from heat, add butter, and mix until smooth, then strain for a silky texture and chill completely.
Fill the tart shell with this homemade lemon curd and smooth the surface.
Whisk egg whites on medium speed while heating sugar and water to 244°F (118°C).
Pour the hot syrup over the egg whites, then whip on high speed until glossy and firm.
Pipe the Italian meringue over the tart, then torch until lightly golden and serve.
Storage
Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 3 days. Best enjoyed the same day for a crisp crust and fresh meringue.
Recipe variations
- Classic lemon tart: Skip the meringue for a simple lemon curd tart.
- Mini lemon meringue tarts: Bake in small tart pans for individual servings.
- Citrus tart: Replace lemon with lime or orange for a different flavor.
- Berry lemon tart: Add fresh berries for a fruity twist.
For a smaller version, try my mini lemon meringue tartlets for individual servings.
More lemon meringue recipes
Recipe Questions
What is the difference between lemon meringue tart and pie?
A tart uses a crisp pâte sucrée crust and torch-toasted meringue, while pie has a softer crust and baked topping.
How do I get a smooth lemon curd?
Cook gently and strain the filling to remove zest and any lumps.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, prepare the tart base and lemon curd in advance, then add meringue before serving.
Why did my meringue weep?
It can happen if undercooked or added on a cold filling—use Italian meringue for stability.
More tart tecipes
I hope you’ll love this recipe. If you try it, feel free to leave a comment. Happy baking!
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French Lemon Meringue Tart
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
Description
Delicious lemon meringue curd tart recipe with meringue topping made easy with 3 preparations, a sweet tart crust, lemon cream, and an Italian meringue (for a 10 inches / 25 cm tart - about 10 slices)
Ingredients
Sweet shortcrust pastry
- 150 g (⅔ cup) Butter - unsalted and softened
- 80 g (¾ cup) Powdered sugar - icing sugar or confectioner's sugar
- 50 g (½ cup) Almond meal
- 1 egg - room temperature
- 2 pinches of salt
- 250 g (2 cups) Flour - All-purpose
Lemon curd
- 150 g (¾ cup) Sugar - granulated
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) lemon juice - approx. 2-3
- 100 g(½ cup) Butter - unsalted
- 3 eggs
- 1-2 lemon zest
Meringue frosting
- 2 egg whites - room temperature
- 100 g (½ cup) Sugar - granulated
- 34 g ( 2 tbsp) water
Instructions
Sweet shortcrust pastry
- Place the softened butter with the powdered sugar, almond meal, salt and egg in the bowl of the stand mixer and mix at medium speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add the flour and mix again at medium speed just enough to incorporate it and have a homogeneous dough.
- Gather the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper or on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 3 mm.
- Line a tart ring with the dough and place the tart shell in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 347°F / 175°C and bake the tart shell for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Let the pastry cool down a bit before removing it from the pastry ring and letting it cool completely at room temperature (you can brush the pastry with egg wash and bake it again for 10 minutes to get a golden brown and waterproof pastry)
Lemon curd
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon juice and zest.
- Then place the bowl in a saucepan containing a little water to cook the mixture in a double boiler.
- Heat the saucepan over medium heat and whisk until the cream thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the butter pieces into the cream.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until completely cooled.
- Fill the cooled tart shell with the lemon curd and smooth the top with an angled spatula.
- Place in the refrigerator while preparing the Italian meringue.
Meringue frosting
- Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at medium speed.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sugar syrup by mixing the granulated sugar and water in a saucepan.
- Heat the saucepan over medium heat and check the temperature with a food thermometer, which should read 244°F/118°C.
- Lower the speed of the mixer and drizzle the sugar syrup over the whites, which should be just frothy.
- Then continue at high speed until the meringue is shiny, cooled and firm.
- Fill a piping bag with the meringue and decorate the top of the tart, finish by using a blowtorch to burn the meringue.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Storage: Up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer without the meringue frosting.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: tart,pie
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 552
- Sugar: 34.2 g
- Sodium: 508.3 mg
- Fat: 31.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 57.7 g
- Protein: 10.9 g
- Cholesterol: 128.1 mg
LadyMilonguera
This lemon tart is really pretty!
Fadela
Thank you very much
Ghislaine
Delicious and the lemon filling is really mild and not too tart, perfect.