This 6-ingredient vegan lemon tart is light, zesty, and irresistibly creamy – with a granola crust and creamy eggless lemon filling. Perfect for Spring & Summer gatherings!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This vegan lemon tart (aka Tarte au Citron) is proof that dessert can be both light and indulgent. Traditionally made with a buttery crust and rich, egg-based lemon curd, this plant-based version removes all dairy and eggs for a creamy, tangy lemon filling (between a vegan lemon custard and lemon curd) baked to perfection over a simple, toasty granola crust. It’s oil and butter-free, gluten-free, optionally refined sugar-free, and looks and tastes gourmet!
Not only is this tart refreshingly bright and zesty, but no one would guess how easy it is to make—no fancy equipment or skills required! With just six ingredients, a blender or food processor, and an oven. It’s the perfect sweet-yet-zesty treat for Mother’s Day, Easter, baby showers, and Spring/Summer get-togethers.
Looking for similar treats to impress a crowd? You might enjoy my vegan mango tart, mini vegan cheesecake tarts, vegan key lime pie, and/or a no-bake chocolate banana pie.
The Ingredients
Granola Pie Crust
- Granola: Use store-bought granola or try out my homemade nut-free granola recipe. Lemon granola adds citrusy depth.
- Maple syrup: Or another liquid sweetener, like agave or rice malt syrup, etc. Granulated sugar may work, too, like coconut sugar, but you’d need more ‘butter.’
- Coconut butter: (or almond butter/cashew butter/sunflower seed butter) This adds healthy fats and moisture for a crisp crust. Melted vegan butter/coconut oil should also work.
Alternatively, use a classic short crust, my vegan gluten-free pie crust, or a pre-made crust.
Vegan Lemon Tart Filling
- Silken tofu: This is a great neutral, low-fat, high-protein cream alternative. Medium tofu works but has a stronger flavor. Thick coconut milk cream is another option but adds more noticeable flavor (though a lemon coconut tart is delicious!).
- Lemon: Meyer lemons are naturally sweetest, though any will work.
- Cornstarch: (or arrowroot flour) To thicken the vegan lemon curd filling. Potato starch will also work but the texture will differ slightly.
- Liquid sweetener
- Coconut butter
Recipe Variations
- Turmeric: A pinch enhances the yellow color of the vegan lemon tart filling without affecting flavor.
- Vanilla: Just a little adds warm depth to the vegan tart.
- Lemon curd: Spread a thin layer of store-bought/homemade vegan lemon curd over the lemon custard filling. Raspberry or cherry curd would also work.
- Berry layer: Simmer berries + sugar + a splash of lemon simmered until thickened, then added beneath the vegan lemon curd filling.
- Vegan meringue: To pipe or spread over the top for easy vegan lemon meringue pie.
- Garnishes: Fresh lemon slices, berries (like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries), mint leaves, toasted coconut, piped vegan whipped cream, powdered sugar, etc.
How To Make a Vegan Lemon Tart
- Prepare the granola pie crust by processing the granola in a food processor to a coarse crumb, then add the sweetener and coconut butter and process until it starts to clump.
- Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing it to evenly spread across the bottom and 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) up the sides. Then, set aside.
- To prepare the lemon tart filling, first zest, then juice the lemon. Then, process all the ingredients (silken tofu, coconut butter, maple syrup, cornstarch, lemon juice, and zest) in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
- Pour it over the crust, then bake the vegan lemon tart at 350F/175C for 30-35 minutes until set with a slight wobble in the middle.
- Let the tart cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate until set. Once ready, slice and garnish (I used thin lemon slices and fresh berries). Enjoy!
Enjoy a slice of this eggless lemon tart alone, with berries, coconut whipped cream, etc.
Storage Information
Store the vegan lemon tart, covered, in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
Tofu and cornstarch-thickened desserts can be frozen, but their texture may change slightly. However, if using coconut cream, freezing works well.
FAQs
Can I make the crust less crumbly?
You could try adding more ‘binding’ ingredients with a chia/flax egg (1 tbsp ground eggs: 2 tbsp water left to thicken for 5 minutes). Reduce liquid sweetener to 3 tbsp.
Alternatively, use sticky Medjool dates as the sweetener, which can help bind everything.
Could I make mini lemon tartlets?
Yes, simply divide the granola pie crust and lemon tart filling between several smaller tartlet pans (or a silicone muffin tray) and reduce the baking time accordingly.
Do I have to bake the dessert?
You could use a pre-made pie crust (or raw pie crust like I use for my no-bake cheesecake) and thicken the filling on the stove, pouring it over the crust, then chilling to set.
Can I make a soy-free filling?
Absolutely! You could use the thick cream from canned coconut milk instead. My preferred option is to blend coconut cream and cashews (recipe & method in recipe card notes).
Pro Recipe Tips
- To adjust the crust texture: I left mine a little chunky, but feel free to process it into even finer crumbs.
- The crust is crumbly: Don’t worry, this is normal. But just be aware it will crumble slightly when cutting the tart into slices.
- Use fresh lemons: It really makes a difference in this tart. Plus, it uses the zest too.
- Taste and adjust: Adjust the amount of lemon juice/zest and sweetener used to personal preference for a sweeter or tangier flavor.
More Vegan Lemon Dessert Recipes
- Vegan, gluten-free lemon cake
- Lemon cheesecake bars
- Lemon blueberry muffins
- Lemon coconut energy balls
If you try this easy vegan lemon tart recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan #elavegan—I love seeing them.
Lemon Cheesecake Tart
Video
Ingredients
Granola Crust:
- 2 cups (240 g) granola (see notes)
- 4 tbsp (80 g) maple syrup or any other liquid sweetener
- 3 tbsp coconut butter (see notes)
Cream Layer:
- 1 (12.3 oz) package (350 g) silken tofu firm (see notes for a soy-free version)
- ⅓ cup (80 g) coconut butter
- ¼ cup (80 g) maple syrup or any other liquid sweetener
- 4 tbsp (40 ml) lemon juice
- 2 ½ tbsp (20 g) cornstarch
- Zest of one lemon
Instructions
- I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. You can watch the video for visual instructions.
Granola Crust
- Prepare the granola pie crust by processing the granola in a food processor to a coarse crumb, then add the sweetener and coconut butter and process until it starts to clump.
- Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch tart pan (with a removable bottom), pressing it to evenly spread across the bottom and 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) up the sides. Then, set aside.
Cream Layer
- To prepare the lemon tart filling, first zest, then juice the lemon. Then, process all the ingredients (silken tofu, coconut butter, maple syrup, cornstarch, lemon juice, and zest) in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
- Pour it over the crust, then bake the tart at 350℉/175℃ for 30-35 minutes until set with a slight wobble in the middle.
- Let the tart cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate until set. Once ready, slice and garnish (I used thin lemon slices and fresh berries). Enjoy!
Notes
- I used homemade granola but you can use your favorite store-bought granola instead.
- You can use any nut/seed butter of choice, for example, cashew butter, almond butter, etc (if not nut-free) instead of coconut butter.
- Please note that the crust will crumble somewhat when you cut the tart into slices. Read the blog post to find out how to make it less crumbly.
SOY-FREE Cream Layer:
- 320 ml (1 1/3 cup) coconut milk, canned
- 30-40 ml (3-4 tbsp) lemon juice
- 32 g (4 tbsp) cornstarch
- 80 g (7 tbsp) light granulated sweetener (e.g. xylitol, erythritol, white sugar)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 112 g (3/4 cup) cashews (soaked) (*see below)
- Zest of one lemon
- Soak cashews in hot water for about 30 minutes until soft.
- Blend all ingredients in a blender until completely smooth and creamy.
- Follow the other steps of the recipe.
- Recipe makes an 8-inch tart. Nutrition facts are for one slice if you cut the tart into 10 slices. Made with my homemade granola recipe.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
„Simple and Delicious Vegan“ Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Hey Ela,
For baking you have a fan oven (with blower and high and low resistances) or a traditionnal oven?
(only low and high resistances)…
For the Soy Free Filling you use Chilled Coconut Milk thick part only?
Many thanks!
Henri 😉
Hi Henri, I have a gas oven.
I shook the can, but the thick part only will make it creamier.
Hi dear Ela,
happy to read you!
Gas oven so you only have low and hiigh resistances?
For the Coconut Milk do you mean it would be a good thing to make it creamier with thick part?
When I see the ingredient list, it would be good RAW and no bake right?
(Almost if I use Coconut Milk thick part…)
Or the texture will be too different?
Please let me know
Many thanks
Friendly
.Henri 🙂
Hi Henri, yes, the heat comes from below only.
Yes, creamier is always better.
Sure, you can make it no bake if using thick coconut milk/cream.
can you verify before I try… do we still bake the soy free version? I’ve never made any thing but raw cheesecakes with coconut milk and cashews!! thanks and I am making this tomorrow!!! : )
Hi Suzi, of course, you still bake it. 🙂
This cheesecake is absolutely sublime. I love the lightness of the tofu and the sour/sweet lemony bite. I made my own coconut butter, and used honey as my sweetener. Thinking of variations now! Thank you for this recipe ❤️
Sounds great, Karin. Thanks for your amazing feedback. 🙂
I have silken tofu but it doesn’t say firm, will that be ok? Thanks
Hi Darlene, it should be okay, but to be on the safer side, I would use 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. 🙂
It was amazing!!!
That’s wonderful! Thanks for reporting back. 🙂
Hi Ella, Liebe Gruesse aus Amerika! Deine Website ist sehr hilfreich.
Concerning the crumbly crust, I have added 1 tsp of Psyllium Husk Powder and processed together with the dry ingredients and added 1 tbsp water/15 grams with the wet ingredients.
I baked the pie crust on 350F about 20 minutes and it did not crumble. I made an no-bake pie using your vanilla pudding recipe and put fresh fruit on top for a vegan customer.
I will be trying to make this lemon cheesecake without pre-baking the crust and will give an update on the result, if the crust needs pre-baking or not.
Sounds interesting, Grace! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
This was so great! I made some soymilk yogurt, so I used that instead of silken tofu and it was great. I also added in a chia egg to the crust because I am tired of crumbly crusts and it worked really well.
Hi Lucas, I am so glad you liked the tart! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Absolutely delicious!
My spouse and I devoured half of the cheesecake in less than ten minutes!(lol!)
There’s some nice gluten free vegan websites on the internet but I have to say that every time I want to be sure a dish will turn out great I check yours and I’m never disappointed. Your recipes and tips are always spot-on and there was never a time something didn’t turn out delicious! I really want to thank you for your hard work and for giving me the inspiration and confidence to try new recipes and techniques in this amazing vegan world! ☺️
Aww, that’s awesome! I am so glad it turned out delicious. Thanks for your kind comment! 🙂
I made this to take to a party and apart from the host who had specifically requested a healthy dessert, nobody guessed this was not normal cheesecake! I used my own homemade granola and cashew butter and added about half a lemon’s more juice and a little extra honey to the filling because I felt it needed it when I tasted it before baking. It came out so great I can’t wait to make it again and actually I had no issue with the crust being crumbly! Thanks for another winning recipe Ela!
That’s wonderful dear Emma! Thanks so much for sharing your experience, I really appreciate it. 🙂
I made this tonight for a family dinner. I usually love lemon deserts but I found this really blank and tasteless.
I wanted a sturdier crust so I added a flax egg as per instructions and used 1 tbsp less maple syrup as directed.
However it wasn’t very tasty, and I think it needed a bit more nappy syrup or some sugar to bring out the lemon flavour. I used cashew butter as per recipe and this was all you could taste. I even added additional lemon zest but still tasted bland. It wasn’t a hit with the family either unfortunately. Such a shame as I’ve made cheesecakes with silken tofu before and they were tasty.
Kelsie, you did change the recipe considerably. First, you changed the crust. If you followed my recipe, the crust would turn out sweet enough because it has the perfect sweetness. Yes, in the blog post I mention: “You could add one flax egg (or chia egg) to the crust as a binder which should make it less crumbly.” However, there is also a disclaimer that I haven’t tried it out because I don’t mind a slight crumbly crust.
Second, the original recipe calls for coconut butter. You mentioned “I used cashew butter as per recipe” however, cashew butter is just a substitute for coconut butter. 🙂 Every change made to the original recipe will of course, slightly change the outcome of the cheesecake. Other readers commented that cashew butter in place of coconut butter worked really well though.
I am sorry you didn’t like it but I hope you will give it another try and follow the original recipe.
Hi Ela, it sounds amazing ! is it possible to use regular tofu and add extra soy milk ? How much would you recomend?
Yes, that’s possible, but it will taste more like tofu (silken tofu has a more neutral flavor). I would just add a little extra milk until the cream has a similar consistency/thickness to the one in my video. 🙂
Me gustaría hacer esta tarta con la. Leche de coco de lata pero sin los Anacardos, estoy libre de soja y nueces, que cantidad tendría que usar de leche y maicena? También se hornear Iá o sería tarta fría?. Gracias sigo todas sus recetas me encantan
Hello, you need to bake the tart. I would suggest using coconut butter instead of cashew butter. If you don’t have coconut butter, maybe try using 1/4 cup of coconut oil instead of cashews. However, I NEVER tried this version, so I cannot tell you how it will turn out! 🙂
Please consider creating recipes that do not use coconut. Coconut milk, oil, and butter are not recommended for anyone with any cholesterol issues (which is most adults). Or, provide substitutions, as you have done with the cashew butter recommendation. Thanks.
Coconut oil is one of the best plant based oil for people with cholesterol issues
best regards