Gluten-Free Fruit Tart with Lemon Curd
I’m feeling the fresh fruit love lately. I’ve always been a fruit > chocolate kind of girl. Fresh, bright, naturally sweet. What’s not to love? I just can’t seem to stop making desserts with fresh fruit starring as the main component. From blueberry mini tarts to these vegan lemon scones, I’m ready for all things fruit!
If you love fruit as much as I do, this gluten-free fruit tart with lemon curd certainly won’t disappoint! It’s made with a buttery gluten-free shortbread crust, filled with silky lemon curd and an apricot lemon cream cheese filling, and topped with fresh fruit. Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mandarin oranges and kiwi. Bright and fresh flavors with a variety of colors and textures.
The shortbread crust is studded with fresh lemon zest to bring out the citrus flavor in this tart. We also use lemon zest and lemon juice in the cream cheese layer. Mixed with apricot jam and folded with whipped cream topping for a light and fluffy filling. Lemon curd is added to give a nice touch of tartness that balances the sweet fruit so well.
While it may seem like there are a lot of components to this dish, the ingredients are simple and it comes together rather quickly. Plus, we use store bought jarred lemon curd and whipped topping (like Cool Whip, Tru Whip or even Cocowhip), which cuts down on recipe time. Of course, if you’re so inclined, you can make your own lemon curd and whipped cream from scratch. Another great thing about this recipe is you can make the dough for the crust and freeze it until you’re ready to use it. This makes the fruit tart great for entertaining this summer!
I’ve made this tart 8 times now before sharing this recipe and I’ve got to tell you – it’s perfect! I’ve played with the ratios in the tart dough, the addition of lemon curd (which it still tastes amazing without the lemon curd if you’re not a fan!), the whipped cream cheese layer and the different fruits used to top this beautiful tart. Each test recipe came out more delicious than the last, though I will happily admit we ate them all! I could have probably tested this tart all summer just to keep eating it. Why? Because everyone who tries this fruit tart absolutely loves it!
Use your favorite fruits and berries on top of this tart to make it truly special! If you love the flavor of the lemon curd, something like these candied lemon slices would be so good on top, too!
Tips for Making Gluten-Free Fruit Tart with Lemon Curd
- When choosing which fruits to place on top of your fruit tart, try to go for a variety of colors, shapes and textures to get that “WOW” factor. I really wanted my fruit tart to look like a rainbow so I included orange and green to offset the typical reds and blues from the berries.
- Make ahead! You can make the tart dough ahead of time and freeze it until ready to use. I like to press it into my tart pan, wrap it up and freeze it until I’m ready to make my tart. You can also bake the tart shell and keep wrapped at room temperature for 2 days before assembling.
- Speaking of freezing… you definitely want to chill your tart dough in the tart pan before baking. This helps keep the butter cold, resulting in a flakier crust. Also the sides of the tart won’t slide down the pan as much if the tart dough is cold before baking.
- DON’T overfill. While it may not seem like a lot when you’re putting in the lemon curd and cream cheese layers, once you add the fruit it will be. If you overdo it with the fillings, they will slide off the sides once you place the fruit on top, which is never appealing. I’ll admit I definitely overfilled one of my tarts and had quite the mess to clean up!
- Place the tart pan on top of a baking sheet before baking. The way a tart pan is structured, butter can easily leak into your oven giving off an unpleasant smell. Don’t ask me how I know this.
Want More Fruit Filled Treats? Try these Gluten-Free Berry Recipes!
- Raspberry Crumb Bars – Gluten-Free and Vegan
- Dairy-Free Yogurt and Granola Breakfast Popsicles
- Vegan Blueberry Basil Cheesecake
- Triple Berry Sunbutter Bars
- Gluten-Free Mini Fruit Pizzas
Gluten-Free Fruit Tart with Lemon Curd Recipe
Whether you need a dessert recipe for a summer bash or a morning bridal shower, this gluten-free fruit tart with lemon curd is a definite show stopper. With this gluten-free shortbread crust, lemon curd and cream cheese fillings and fresh fruit topping, you really can’t go wrong! The best part is that it’s easy to make, too!
Gluten-Free Fruit Tart with Lemon Curd
Ingredients
Tart Dough:
- 1 cup gluten-free flour blend
- 1/2 cup butter (softened and cubed)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (from 1/2 lemon)
Filling:
- 1/3 cup lemon curd (either homemade or storebought)
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (from 1/2 lemon)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup apricot jam or preserves
- 3/4 cup whipped topping (such as Cool Whip, Truwhip or CocoWhip)
Fruit Topping:
- 1 kiwi (sliced)
- 6 strawberries (halved)
- 1/4 cup blueberries
- 1/4 cup blackberries
- 1/4 cup raspberries
- 1/4 cup mandarin oranges (canned and drained)
Instructions
- Add gluten-free flour blend, butter, lemon zest and powdered sugar to a food processor. Process until the dough forms into a ball.
- Spray a 9-inch tart pan with cooking spray. Press the tart dough into the tart pan and up the sides.
- Poke holes in the tart dough with a fork, to prevent the tart from puffing up in the oven. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, to chill completely.
- Preheat oven to 350F. When the tart dough is chilled, place on a baking sheet to prevent butter from spilling in your oven (You'll thank me later). Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the edges are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
- While the tart is cooling, prepare the cream cheese filling. Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a bowl.
- Mix with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, until the cream cheese and powdered sugar are blended and light, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the apricot preserves and mix until combined.
- Carefully fold in the whipped topping with a spatula (by hand), until combined. Set aside.
- To assemble, spread a thin layer of the lemon curd on top of the tart shell. Then, carefully spread the cream cheese layer over the lemon curd. Place the fruit on top of the cream cheese layer in whatever manner you choose. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- When choosing with fruits to place on top of your fruit tart, try to go for a variety of colors, shapes and textures to get that "WOW" factor.
- Make ahead! You can make the tart dough ahead of time and freeze it until ready to use. I like to press it into my tart pan, wrap it up and freeze it until I'm ready to make my tart. You can also bake the tart shell and keep wrapped at room temperature for 2 days before assembling.
- Chill your tart dough in the tart pan before baking. This helps keep the butter cold, resulting in a flakier crust. Also the sides of the tart won't slide down the pan as much if the tart dough is cold before baking.
- DON'T overfill. While it may not seem like a lot when you're putting in the lemon curd and cream cheese layers, once you add the fruit it will be. If you overdo it with the fillings, they will slide off the sides once you place the fruit on top, which is never appealing.
- Place the tart pan on top of a baking sheet before baking. The way a tart pan is structured, butter can easily leak into your oven giving off an unpleasant smell.
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/