Cool, creamy, and refreshing lemon blueberry tart comes together with 10 ingredients. The simple lemon filling sits in a flaky shortbread crust and is swirled with homemade blueberry sauce. After the first bite of this sweet, tangy, and buttery tart, it’s impossible to put your fork down. Enjoy this beautiful dessert for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, spring or summer celebrations, and more.
I knew a tart or pie version of our beloved lemon blueberry cake would be a hit in my household AND with many of you reading this. I’m always dreaming up ways to use this unbeatable flavor combination such as lemon blueberry muffins or lemon blueberry cupcakes. A beautiful tart with tons of fresh flavor was definitely my imagination’s top choice. I cannot wait for you to try this one.
Lemon Blueberry Tart Details
- Texture: I went back and forth about which type of crust to use for this lemon tart, but shortbread seemed most fitting. It’s pleasantly crumbly with a flaky texture that melts in your mouth. The crust contrasts perfectly with the creamy and lush filling on top, making this one of our favorite spring dessert recipes and Easter brunch recipes.
- Flavor: If I were to describe the taste of pure sunshine, it would definitely be this lemon blueberry tart. The lemon flavor is delightfully fresh and bright, and there’s just enough tang to complement all the sweetness. You really only need a small slice since there’s such a strong punch of flavor, but honestly I’ve never witnessed anyone stopping at 1 serving. (HA!)
- Ease: There are 3 components to the tart and each must be prepared separately, but there’s nothing really complicated about the entire process. Take your time and read through the recipe before you start.
- Time: It only takes about an hour to prep and bake the tart. But you’ll want to cool and chill it before serving, so set aside a few hours to complete the entire recipe. It’s wonderful when made the day ahead, too! Oatmeal lemon crumble bars are another excellent option for an even quicker lemony treat.
3 Parts to This Recipe
- Buttery Shortbread Crust: I make this shortbread crust with a lot of different desserts and it always reminds me of pie crust, but it’s so much easier. There’s no food processor or pastry cutter needed—instead simply combine melted butter with sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour and press into a tart pan or pie dish. You don’t even need to chill the dough before using. You’ll notice we use the same crust for our raspberry streusel bars, apple pie bars, and we double the recipe for our lemon bars. Keep in mind that these other desserts may require different oven temperatures and that’s because the desserts take longer, overall, to bake through. We bake the crust at 350°F (177°C) for this particular tart recipe.
- Lemon Filling: A lot of lemon tarts are prepared with a curd filling, but this one is thick, creamy, and rich. I use a similar lemon filling for our creamy lemon pie. I halved it for this tart, then cut down on the egg yolks. The egg yolks help the filling set, but I wanted the finished tart to remain soft. I think you’ll really love it. We’ll use only 1 egg yolk.
- Blueberry Sauce Swirl: You’ll enjoy pure blueberries without much else in the way. We hardly add any sugar to the blueberry sauce (some is needed to help them break down), so the natural flavor can really shine. Cook it on the stovetop for a few minutes, let it cool a little bit, then swirl some into the lemon filling. Feel free to strain it if you don’t want any blueberry lumps. You can use a toothpick or knife to swirl.
Can I Use a Graham Cracker Crust Instead?
A graham cracker crust will fall apart and crumble under this wet filling, so I suggest sticking with the shortbread crust for this recipe. If you wish to use a graham cracker crust, make these lemon blueberry cheesecake bars instead.
The shortbread crust dough is thick and a little greasy—don’t be nervous if it looks a little wet. Press it tightly into your pan and pre-bake it before adding the filling.
Creamy Lemon Tart Filling
You need one 14 ounce (weight) can of full-fat sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and zest, and 1 egg yolk. That’s it. Fresh lemon juice is best. Here is a wonderful juicer if you don’t have one and if you need a recommendation for a zester, I use and love this one.
Spread the filling into the pre-baked crust.
I recommend making the blueberry sauce first so it’s ready when you need it. The recipe moves pretty quickly once you begin pre-baking the crust.
How to Make Mini Lemon Blueberry Tarts
Try using this recipe for about 10 mini tarts in mini tart pans. I don’t recommend a muffin pan for turning this recipe into mini tarts. Divide crust mixture between each mini tart pan (bake these in batches if you have less than 10), press firmly into the bottom, and bake for 8 minutes to help set the crust. It’s usually easiest to bake mini tart pans on a larger baking sheet. No need to poke holes in the crust before adding the filling as directed for the full size tart below. Pour filling into warm crusts, drop a few tiny spoonfuls of blueberry sauce on each, then swirl as directed below. Bake for 9-10 minutes or just until the centers no longer jiggle. Cool completely, then chill for at least 1 hour before removing from tart pans and serving. (Or serve in tart pans.)
Lemon Blueberry Tart Variations
If you want to switch up some flavors, be our guest! Here are the variations we tested. We’re unsure of the results outside of these listed changes, so let us know if you try anything else.
- Lime Tart: Switch the lemon juice and zest for lime juice and zest. Feel free to keep the blueberry swirl or skip it. You could also use the strawberry, raspberry, or blackberry swirl.
- Strawberry Swirl: Replace blueberries with 1 cup chopped fresh or frozen strawberries. You can’t really detect the strawberry seeds in the baked tart, but feel free to strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve before swirling into the filling.
- Raspberry or Blackberry Swirl: Replace blueberries with 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries or blackberries and add 1 more teaspoon of sugar to the sauce (for a total of 3 teaspoons). Strain the finished sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds before swirling into the filling.
- We haven’t tested other citrus besides lime or lemon. We do not recommend swapping the lemons for orange zest/juice because the tart will be very, very sweet. You really need the tang from lemons or limes. We haven’t tested this recipe with grapefruit.
See Your Lemon Blueberry Tarts!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
PrintLemon Blueberry Tart
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes chilling)
- Yield: serves 8-10
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
There are 3 parts to this creamy lemon blueberry tart and each are prepared separately before bringing them all together. For best success, take your time and read through the recipe before starting.
Ingredients
Blueberry Sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (or water)
- 1 cup (140g) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Shortbread Crust
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
Filling
- 1 (14 ounce weight) can full-fat sweetened condensed milk
- 6 Tablespoons (90ml) lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (1 lemon)
- 1 large egg yolk
Optional Garnishes
- Lemon slices, blueberries, leftover blueberry sauce, whipped cream
Instructions
- Blueberry Sauce: Using a fork, mix the cornstarch and lemon juice together in a small bowl until the cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside. Warm the blueberries and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally for 3 minutes, mashing the blueberries as best you can against the bottom and sides of the pan to help break them up. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes as the sauce thickens, stirring and mashing the blueberries to break them up as desired. Remove sauce from heat and set aside at room temperature until step 6. Makes about 1/2 – 2/3 cup blueberry sauce and you’ll use about half for the swirl. (Reserve extra for garnish/serving.)
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Crust: Mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. The dough will be a little greasy and very thick. Using a silicone spatula or your hands, press dough firmly into a 9-inch tart pan (no need to grease it), making sure the layer of crust is even on the bottom and all around the sides. It may seem like it won’t fit, but it will. You can use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the crust in too, but sometimes it sticks.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Using a fork, poke a few holes all over the top of the warm crust (not all the way through the crust). This helps the filling stick.
- Filling: Whisk all of the filling ingredients together until combined. Pour into warm crust. Stir up the blueberry sauce because it has likely thickened. It can still be warm when you use it in this step. If it’s too thick, warm it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Drop spoonfuls of blueberry sauce all over the top, using about half of the sauce. Reserve the rest of the sauce for serving. Using a toothpick or knife, gently swirl the sauce and filling together. Shimmy the pan back and forth 2-3 times to let the sauce and filling settle down into the crust a bit.
- Bake for 17-19 minutes, just until the center of the tart no longer jiggles when you give the pan a light tap. It will still be a little sticky on top. Avoid over-baking because the tart will taste rubbery. (Tip: Err on the side of under-baking because the filling also has a chance to set up in the refrigerator. You want a creamy soft filling.)
- Remove tart from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator uncovered for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. If chilling for longer than 2 hours, cover it. After chilling, remove the sides of the tart pan if your pan has removable sides.
- Slice and serve with optional garnishes including any leftover blueberry sauce.
- Cover leftovers tightly and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can bake, cool, and chill the tart 1 day in advance. See step 7. The filling must be poured on a warm crust so it will stick, so I don’t recommend pre-baking the crust ahead of time. You can prepare the filling and blueberry sauce in advance though. Cover both and refrigerate until ready to use. The blueberry filling will be quite solid after refrigerating, so warm it up on the stove or in the microwave until thinned out again. (It can be warm when you swirl it into the filling.) Baked and cooled tart freezes well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | 9-inch Tart Pan | Cooling Rack
- Tart Pan: A 9-inch tart pan with or without removable sides (it doesn’t matter) is ideal for this recipe. If you use other size tart pans, the bake times and thickness of the tart will differ. You can also use a 9-inch pie dish, but slicing the tart isn’t quite as neat. The bake times are the same. For mini tart pans, see post above. I don’t recommend a springform pan because the crust leaks. We haven’t tested this recipe in a round cake pan or as bars.
- Blueberry Sauce: If you don’t want blueberry lumps in your tart, feel free to run the blueberry sauce through a fine mesh sieve.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Make sure you are using sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk. There are no successful replacements for sweetened condensed milk in this particular recipe– it’s really the key ingredient. (Sometimes half-and-half or heavy cream works as a substitution, but then you’ll have to test with varying amounts of sugar since both are unsweetened.) Use one 14 ounce can full-fat sweetened condensed milk. Do not use fat free because the tart will not set. Keep in mind that 14 ounces is the listed weight on the can. 1 standard 14 ounce can is a little over 1 liquid cup.
Absolutely loved these! I made them into mini tarts to share with my co-workers. They are already asking for more. Thank you for sharing this!
This was a perfect spring recipe. I subbed raspberries for the blueberries and it was perfect. I will definitely be making this again with blueberries because that is one of my favorite combos. Thanks for another great recipe and challenge
I decided to bake a lime raspberry version. The filling tasted like key lime pie! the lime overpowered the raspberry sauce which was fine flavor wise, but after the effort to make it and push it through a sieve to remove the seeds, I’d like to be able to taste the work.
This was so flavorful and delicious! I did raspberry instead of blueberry and it was loved by everyone. The recipe itself was not too difficult at all. I highly recommend and will make again.
So good and so easy to make! I couldn’t even take a good picture before my family helped themselves to the tart. The sweetened condensed milk makes this a very sweet tart. I think next time I might put less sugar in the crust. I can’t wait to try different flavor combinations.
This tart was tangy and delicious! I modify the recipe a bit because I found in the past when I used a full can of condensed milk it turned out to be too sweet for me. I used only 1/2 can of condensed milk and mixed in 1/2 cup of sour cream. It was the perfect balance for me! I also love the texture of the tart crust, it was super buttery and crispy.
Perfect instructions, as always. A little too sweet for me but a winner nonetheless. I have many occasions I can make this for and will keep it in my recipe file. Looking forward to the May challenge!
Love this recipe! It’s the first time I made a tart! Despite there being 3 separate parts, it was very quick, and I really appreciated not having to drag out the Kitchen Aid Definitely will try playing around with flavors, too!
It’s a success baked it for our Wedding anniv and my foamily love’s it . and I learned to make blueberry filling from scratch. this is perfect pie for me combination of lemon bars and blueberry is AWESOME. Now a I can make it anytime I want to no need to buy. Sent my Baking challenge entry. Looking forward for more . Thanks !
Very good! I put about 1/2 tsp of sugar in the crust instead of the actual amount. Next time I make this, I think I’m going to try no sugar and possibly use something different than sweetened condensed milk, because it was way too sweet. But otherwise it was good! My sister really enjoyed it!
This is husband and kid approved! I can’t wait to try a key lime version… and probably several others. This is a repeat recipe for sure. I only had a 9.5” tart pan, and the crust stretched enough to cover. Same baking times. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool… we made it 1 hr. in the fridge.
I made this with my mini tart pans and it made 12 tarts. I needed all the crust but only half the filling. I just watched it in the oven to make sure I wasn’t overcooking them and they came out great! I made the blueberry sauce a few days in advance and strained it so it would be smooth. Thanks for a great recipe!
This was a delicious and incredibly easy-to-make recipe that will please anyone who loves lemon desserts! I made it exactly as written and found the flavour perfect – neither too sweet, nor too tart. The only change I would make next time would be to press the dough a bit higher up the sides of the tart pan, since the crust did shrink a bit in the oven. Fortunately, all of the filling was still able to fit into the crust. I also appreciated the tip about sweetened condensed milk being 14 oz by weight – this is equivalent to one 300 mL can in Canada.
So tasty! Easy to make and the crust is simple and so good!
So, so good! I was surprised how easy this was for something that looks so grand. First, the shortbread crust is the best I’ve ever tasted…. it will be my go-to crust for all of my tarts! It maintained it’s crisp texture even after putting a wet filling on it. NO SOGGY BOTTOM!! 🙂
Second, the filling was so smooth and creamy. Condensed milk?! You can’t go wrong with that!
Last, but definitely not least, the blueberry topping was so easy and delicious. I love that it’s not cloyingly sweet… a nice bit of tartness to the sweet and tangy filling.
Again, another winner from Sally!!
Absolutely delicious!! I added 2 extra tablespoons of lemon and it’s delicious!
Definitely recommend baking this on the shorter time.
I made the lemon blueberry mini tarts and they were amazing! So delicious and the recipe was very easy to follow! Can’t wait to make them again!
Rave reviews from everyone who tried!
Two nitpicks:
1. The lemon really overpowered the blueberry. This could be because I strained the sauce to make a lacy pattern. Next time I will do pools as shown, or perhaps reduce the lemon juice.
2. I really did not get enough dough to comfortably fill the pan. I imagine it’s written with one stick of butter for convenience, but next time I would 1.25 or 1.5 the crust recipe – if I end up with extra shortbread, no big deal 🙂
Maria, I had the same experience with the crust. Glad to hear it wasn’t just me!
Even though there are a few elements to this tart Sally always makes it easy. Thanks for another great recipe!
I made this with the strawberry swirl and I can’t even begin to tell you how beautiful and delicious this tart was! Although I was worried at first about using a 10 inch tart pan, everything turned out allright and everybody loved it! I’m still getting messages for sharing the recipe and tons of complements. All thanks to Sally, for creating yet another amazing recipe!
This was absolutely delicious. I ended up making it for my friend’s birthday dessert along with the April Baking Challenge, then made it again for my boyfriend and I. We inhaled it.
A few steps but all very straight forward & easy and the end result was just so zingy & creamy! You can never go wrong with Sally’s recipes, another winner
I would like to make mini tarts would this recipe work?
Hi Di, absolutely. See section on How to Make Mini Tarts in the blog post above. Enjoy!
Easy to make and tasty! I doubled the lemon zest because I love all things lemon. Blueberry is subtle. My dad liked it he had two slices! Loved the shortbread crust. Thank you Sally!
Absolutely amazing!!! my 5 year old insisted on picking blueberries at the local farm and when we got home I did not know what I was going to do with so many blueberries until I found this recipe. It came out so good my mom and neighbor asked me to make them one each. totally recommend it!
This is a winner. The shortbread crust is wonderful. Here are my suggestions/changes: It is very lemony, if this works for you, use the amounts specified. I think I’ll go to 4 tbps. of lemon juice next time. My sweetened condensed milk was really sweet, taste it and cut it with evaporated milk if it’s too sweet for you. I put a handful of frozen blueberries on the bottom before pouring in the filling. I wanted a little more blueberry POW and I got it. They did cook and sweat out juice which made a lovely blue/purple layer on the bottom. I used frozen small wild boreal blueberries (Trader Joe’s) and their tiny size facilitated this bottom blueberry layer well. My cook time was 19 minutes, started checking at 16 minutes. Do smaller blueberry sauce blobs on top spaced fairly far apart so you can really work the swirls (toothpick in my case). You can always add more if you need to. The swirls are really pretty. The tart holds its shape well when cut revealing the layers and colors but is still very creamy and delicate in texture contrasting with the “crunch” of the crust – a great combination.
Very, very nice work Sally!
Easy to make and delicious. this is a keeper. Cant wait to try with strawberries
Could you make this with jam instead of the fruit? I’ve got so much jam! Could you warm it with some of the fruit?
Hi Sandra! I haven’t tested it, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Jam is sweeter than this blueberry mixture, so the sweetness will change.
Easy, delicious and beautiful!
My family loved this tart! It was so easy to make! I loved how vibrant the lemon flavor was. It tasted so fresh! Loved how the crust melt in your mouth. I can’t wait to make this again with one of the flavor variations.