This gluten-free fruit tart is the dessert I make when I need something showstopping without a ton of effort. A buttery shortbread crust with lemon zest, a layer of tangy lemon curd, a whipped cream cheese filling with apricot jam, and fresh fruit piled high on top. The combination of bright lemon curd against the creamy filling is what makes this one stand out.
The crust is press-in (no rolling), and the filling comes together with store-bought lemon curd and whipped topping, so it’s way less fussy than it looks. I make it for everything from Easter brunch to summer cookouts. If you want something smaller for individual servings, my gluten-free mini blueberry tarts use a similar shortbread base.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag) for the shortbread crust. It gives you a sturdy, buttery base that doesn’t crumble when you slice. I can’t verify other gluten-free flour blends will work since I haven’t tested them.
- Powdered Sugar – Used in both the crust and the cream cheese filling. It dissolves easily and keeps everything smooth.
- Lemon Curd – Store-bought is totally fine here and saves a ton of time. I grab mine from the jam aisle. Bonne Maman is the brand I usually use. If you want to make your own, that works too.
- Cream Cheese – Full-fat block-style, not the whipped tub kind. It needs to hold its structure in the filling.
- Apricot Jam – This gets mixed into the cream cheese layer and adds a subtle sweetness that pairs really well with the lemon. Any apricot preserves will work.
- Whipped Topping – I use Cool Whip, but if you’d rather use homemade whipped cream, fold it in gently and assemble closer to serving since it deflates faster.
- Fresh Fruit – Go for a mix of colors and textures. I like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, and mandarin oranges. Pat everything dry before placing on top so the filling doesn’t get watery.
Don’t Skip This Step
Freeze your crust in the pan for at least 30 minutes before baking. Cold butter means a flakier crust, and it keeps the sides from sliding down the pan in the oven. Don’t skip this step.
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Room temp: The baked crust (unfilled) can be wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Fridge: Once assembled, cover the tart and refrigerate for up to 2 days. The filling holds up best with store-bought whipped topping. If you used homemade whipped cream, it’s best served the same day.
Freezer: The unbaked crust can be pressed into the tart pan, wrapped well, and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen, just add a couple extra minutes. I don’t recommend freezing the assembled tart since the fresh fruit and cream cheese filling don’t thaw well.
Serving Suggestions
I make this fruit tart most often for brunch and summer parties, so it usually lands on a table next to savory food. For Easter or Mother’s Day, I’ll pair it with my gluten-free quiche Lorraine and a pitcher of basil lemonade. For a bigger brunch spread, my spinach feta egg muffins are easy to make ahead the same morning. If it’s a summer cookout and the tart is the dessert, I like keeping a batch of cucumber lemonade cold in the fridge for people to help themselves.
Gluten-Free Fruit Tart with Lemon Curd
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- 1 cup gluten-free flour blend - Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (in the blue bag) which contains xanthan gum
- ½ cup butter - softened and cubed
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest - from about half a lemon
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 4 oz cream cheese - softened to room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest - from about half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - from about half a lemon
- ¼ cup apricot jam or preserves
- ¾ cup Cool Whip - or homemade whipped cream topping
Lemon Curd Layer:
- ⅓ cup lemon curd - either homemade or storebought
Fruit Topping:
- 1 kiwi - peeled and sliced
- 6 strawberries - halved
- ¼ cup blueberries
- ¼ cup blackberries
- ¼ cup raspberries
- ¼ cup mandarin oranges - canned and drained
**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- Add 1 cup gluten-free flour blend, ½ cup butter , ½ cup powdered sugar, and 1 tablespoon lemon zest to a food processor. Pulse until the dough forms into a ball.
- Spray a 9-inch tart pan with cooking spray. Press the tart dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
- Poke holes in the tart dough with a fork to prevent puffing. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to chill completely.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the chilled tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the edges are light golden brown. Remove and cool completely.
Make the Cream Cheese Filling:
- Add 4 oz cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to a bowl. Beat with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer until light and smooth, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add ¼ cup apricot jam or preserves and mix until combined.
- Gently fold in ¾ cup Cool Whip with a spatula by hand until just combined. Set aside.
Assemble:
- Spread a thin layer of ⅓ cup lemon curd over the cooled tart shell. Carefully spread the cream cheese filling over the lemon curd.
- Arrange 1 kiwi, 6 strawberries, ¼ cup blueberries, ¼ cup blackberries, ¼ cup raspberries, and ¼ cup mandarin oranges on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Flour: I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, which contains xanthan gum and is designed to be a 1:1 swap for all-purpose flour. Other blends have not been tested with this recipe.
- Don’t overfill: The filling layers look thin when you spread them, but once you add fruit everything adds up fast. Overfilling causes the filling to squeeze out the sides.
- Make ahead: The unbaked crust can be pressed into the pan and frozen for up to 2 months. The baked crust can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days before assembling.
Nutrition
YES! I certainly love chocolate, but come summer time when all this gorgeous fruit is in season, give me all the fruit desserts!
SAME! I can’t get enough right now!
So you bake this 3 times according to the instructions? I’m so confused. Can you help
Hi Tiffany,
You only bake the tart shell once. Nothing else gets baked. I just rechecked the instructions and I’m not sure where the confusion is – let me know and I’ll be glad to help!
Hello, do you press the dough into the pan first and then bake the tart shell? It looks like the instructions say to bake it at 350 then spray the pan, press into pan and then bake again, but I think it means to press the dough into the pan and bake that way and then freeze and then make the filling?
Thanks!
Hi Bethany! You are exactly right! So sorry about that typo! You should spray the pan, press into the pan and poke holes, then freeze for 30 minutes to let the butter chill. THEN bake at 350. Sorry for the confusion 🙂
Best gf fruit tart ever, especially the shortbread crust ? Definitely keeper!
Instead of whipping the cream cheese and powdered sugar, can you take a shortcut by buying already whipped cream cheese and folding in the other ingredients?
You can use whipped cream cheese, but you’ll still want to add in the powdered sugar which may take a minute to blend in. Then, just fold in the rest of the filling ingredients. Hope this helps!
Question. If I make this Saturday afternoon, will it still be stable to serve Sunday morning? Thank you.
If you use Cool Whip for the topping, then yes definitely! Just keep it wrapped in the fridge. If you are using any fruit that browns or deteriorates easily, I’d wait to add that until the day of. If you use homemade whipped cream, I would not add that and the fruit until the day of for best results so the whipped cream doesn’t deflate. Hope this helps!
Hello. I would prefer not to buy store made whipped cream. What could I do instead? Also, do you have a recipe for the lemon curd? thank you so much!
Hi Marina, You can make your own whipped cream instead. It will deflate faster than store-bought whipped topping though, so I’d suggest topping the tart with the homemade whipped cream closer to serving. I whip 1/2 cup cold heavy whipping cream with a tablespoon of sugar and a bit of vanilla extract in a stand mixer fitted with a wire whisk until I get medium-stiff peaks. That should give you roughly 3/4 cup to 1 cup of whipped cream for topping the tart. I don’t have a lemon curd recipe on my site yet, but I like this recipe and have made it many times: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/how-to-make-lemon-curd/
I made this for a birthday celebration and it was delicious. It got many rave reviews. It is a little time-consuming to make, but it is worth it in the final product. I will definitely be making this again and everyone wanted the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed this Jane! Thanks for coming back to leave a review! I really appreciate it!