Vegan lemon tart — a dairy- and egg-free take on the classic tarte au citron. Tangy, creamy and incredibly lemony, this tart features a crisp pastry shell filled with a baked lemon custard made without eggs or dairy.
Lemon tart (tarte au citron) is a favourite dessert, and this vegan version recreates the bright, silky texture of the original without eggs or cream. I use firm silken tofu and coconut cream for a custardy filling, with cornflour to help it set. The result is intensely lemon-flavoured, smooth, and elegant — perfect for dinner parties, afternoon tea or special occasions.
What You Need for Vegan Lemon Tart
- Silken tofu: Firm silken tofu provides the custard texture without adding flavour. Use the shelf-stable firm silken variety; drain excess liquid but no need to press.
- Coconut cream: Replaces double cream. Use the solid white part of a chilled full‑fat coconut milk tin or coconut cream from a carton. You can substitute other plant creams (soy, oat, cashew) or Elmlea Plant Double if available.
- Cornflour (cornstarch): Thickens and helps the filling set in place of eggs.
- Sugar: Caster or granulated sugar works well. Avoid liquid sweeteners if you want the filling to set properly.
- Lemon juice and zest: Fresh lemon juice and finely grated zest give the best bright flavour.
- Vegan block butter/margarine: Use a solid block (not the tub) for both the pastry and a little melted butter in the filling to improve texture and flavour.
- Optional: A pinch of ground turmeric for colour, and a tablespoon of cold vodka (or water) to bind the pastry without adding too much water.
How to Make Vegan Lemon Tart
(Full ingredient amounts and steps are shown in the recipe card below.)
Begin with the pastry. Combine plain flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt. Cut in cold, diced vegan block butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add one tablespoon of cold vodka (or cold water) and a little ice water as needed to bring the dough together. Chill the pastry for 30 minutes.
Roll the chilled pastry thinly on a floured surface to line a 25cm / 10-inch tart tin. Press the pastry into the tin, trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. Freeze for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / 400°F / gas mark 6.
Line the chilled pastry with foil and fill with baking beans or dried rice, making sure to press them into the corners. Blind bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and beans and return to the oven for a further 10–15 minutes until pale golden and crisp. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / gas mark 4 for baking the filling.
While the shell bakes, prepare the filling. In a blender combine fresh lemon juice, firm silken tofu, coconut cream, cornflour, sugar, melted vegan butter and a pinch of turmeric if using. Blend until completely smooth, then stir in the finely grated lemon zest. Pour the filling into the baked tart shell and bake for 30–40 minutes until the centre is set but still slightly wobbly.
Allow the tart to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours (ideally overnight) to fully set. Serve chilled.
Top Tips
- Weigh ingredients when possible. Gram measurements give the most consistent baking results.
- Use firm silken tofu (shelf-stable) rather than regular tofu. Brands like Mori‑Nu or Clearspring are commonly available.
- Use a vegan block butter (foil‑wrapped) for pastry; the tub spreads contain more water and won’t produce the same texture.
- Keep the pastry cold and avoid overworking it to ensure a crisp crust. Freezing the shell before blind baking helps prevent shrinking.
- Vodka in the pastry can help keep it crisp because it contains less water than plain water; the alcohol bakes off and is not detectable.
- Let the tart cool fully before refrigerating to reduce the chance of cracking.
- Make the tart the day before serving whenever possible — it needs at least four hours to chill and sets better overnight.
Can I Freeze This Vegan Lemon Tart?
Yes. Leftovers freeze well in an airtight container for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
More Vegan Tarts and Pies
- Vegan Bakewell tart
- Vegan pumpkin pie
- Blueberry frangipane tarts (vegan)
- Vegan strawberry tart with coconut pastry cream
- No‑bake chocolate stem ginger tart
- Blueberry pie with coconut oil crust (vegan)
- Starry mince pie tart (vegan)
- Mini vegan apple pies
Vegan Lemon Tart — Recipe Card
Ingredients
Pastry
- 250 g plain (all‑purpose) flour
- 50 g icing (powdered) sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 150 g vegan block butter/margarine, cold and diced
- 1 Tbsp cold vodka (optional) plus ice water as needed
Filling
- Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- 250 ml (1 cup) fresh lemon juice (about 5–6 lemons)
- 225 g firm silken tofu
- 180 g coconut cream (solid part)
- 50 g cornflour (cornstarch)
- 200 g caster or granulated sugar
- 50 g vegan block butter, melted
- A pinch of ground turmeric (optional, for colour)
Instructions
- Mix flour, icing sugar and salt. Rub in the cold diced vegan block butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the tablespoon of cold vodka (or water) and a little ice water to bring the dough together. Form a ball, cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- Roll the chilled pastry to line a 25 cm / 10 in tart tin. Trim edges, prick the base and freeze for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / 400°F / gas mark 6.
- Line with foil and fill with baking beans or dried rice. Blind bake 20 minutes, remove foil and beans, then bake 10–15 minutes more until pale golden. Reduce oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / gas mark 4.
- Blend lemon juice, silken tofu, coconut cream, cornflour, sugar, melted butter and turmeric until smooth. Stir in lemon zest.
- Pour the filling into the baked shell and bake 30–40 minutes until set but still slightly wobbly in the centre.
- Cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Notes
- For best results weigh ingredients using grams rather than cups.
- Firm silken tofu is essential — look for the shelf‑stable variety.
- Use only the solid part of coconut cream from a chilled tin, or coconut cream from a carton; other plant creams can substitute if needed.
- The filling also works well for vegan lemon bars or a vegan lemon meringue pie base.
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