Looking for something bright and tangy, topped with a soft meringue? These lemon tartlets get straight to the point: a delicate sweet pastry shell, silky lemon cream, and piped Italian meringue lightly torched on top.
The contrast hits right away: lemony sharpness, a creamy filling, and a shell that shatters delicately as you bite in. Even in a gluten-free and dairy-free version, this dessert keeps everything you want from a classic lemon meringue tart. You’ll find the rest of my gluten-free cakes and desserts in one place.
What are gluten-free, dairy-free lemon meringue tartlets?
These mini tartlets are built around three elements: a gluten-free sweet pastry, a lemon cream, and Italian meringue. The lemon filling is made with fresh lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and zest for a smooth texture and a bright, clean flavor. The zest boosts the citrus aroma even more without weighing the dessert down.
The gluten-free version uses an adapted pastry, while the dairy-free version swaps regular butter for plant-based butter. That change doesn’t throw off the balance: you still get a crisp shell, tart lemon cream, and light meringue. For the most consistent texture, weigh the ingredients in metric.
The main ingredients
The pastry needs a solid blend of gluten-free flours. Schär Bread Mix works well for the tart shells; blends like this usually contain rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca starch.
Depending on the blend, you may also find xanthan gum, psyllium, or guar gum to replace the structure gluten would normally provide.
The lemon cream is the heart of the recipe. It’s made with fresh lemon juice, eggs, sugar, zest, and cornstarch, which thickens the filling. The 4 yolks go into the cream, and the whites are reserved for the meringue.
For the fat, Violife Vegan Block or Miyokos both work well in the pastry and the lemon cream. Add the plant-based butter cold to the still-hot cream to make it perfectly smooth.
Then comes the meringue. Italian meringue works better than French meringue here: the cooked sugar gives it a lighter, glossier texture.
Technical tips and pitfalls to avoid
Success comes down to the pastry temperature, how you cook the lemon cream, and when you make the meringue. The steps are simple, but the order matters.
Keep the pastry thoroughly chilled
Make the pastry ahead of time so it stays very cold when you roll it out. Always work with cold dough, then roll it out to about 2 mm between two sheets of baking paper. This helps you keep an even thickness without warming it unnecessarily.
Then cut out the discs with a round cutter. Shape the shells by draping the pastry over the underside of a mini muffin pan, then pressing it onto the underside of a mini tartlet mold. Once shaped, freeze the shells for 10 to 20 minutes before baking.
Bake the shells
Preheat the oven to 175°C. Bake the shells straight from the freezer; don’t leave them sitting on the counter. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, using one main visual cue: the pastry should be golden.
Cook the lemon cream without rushing it
Mix the lemon juice, zest, sugar, eggs, and cornstarch, then cook everything over a double boiler. Whisk constantly until the cream thickens. Here again, the real cue isn’t an exact number of minutes but the texture: you want a thick, set cream that stays smooth.
Remove from the heat and add the cold plant-based butter. Blend with an immersion blender, or simply whisk until completely smooth. Pour the cream into the baked shells, then let it set in the refrigerator.
Whip the Italian meringue at the right moment
Start by heating the water and sugar in a small saucepan while you begin whipping the egg whites; they should be only partially whipped at this stage. You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer. The syrup must reach exactly 120°C before you pour it in.
When the syrup is ready, pour it into the partially whipped whites in a slow, steady stream. Then switch the mixer to high speed and keep beating until the meringue is firm, glossy, and cool. Use it right away, piping it onto the filled tartlets.
To finish, brown the meringue with a kitchen torch. You can also lightly brown it in the oven. If you don’t have a torch, leave it as is and skip this step.
You’ll find more gluten-free recipes in the same place.
Recipe developed by Chef Rommel Reyes. Find his work on Instagram, his Substack newsletter, and his YouTube channel.
Ingredients
- 1 batch gluten-free sweet pastry dough
- 300 g lemon juice
- 200 g sugar
- 40 g cornstarch
- 3 large eggs
- 4 large egg yolks reserve the whites for the meringue
- lemon zest from 3 lemons
- 60 g Violife vegan butter
- 120 g egg whites about 4 egg whites
- 220 g sugar
- 50 ml water
Instructions
Gluten-Free Sweet Pastry
- Prepare the gluten-free sweet pastry dough by following the recipe instructions.
- Roll the chilled dough out to about 2 mm thick between two sheets of parchment paper, using a rolling pin.
- Cut out rounds with a cookie cutter, then place them over an upside-down mini muffin tin.
- Gently press the dough rounds over an upside-down mini tartlet pan, then freeze for 10 minutes.
- Bake at 175°C for 12-15 minutes, until the pastry is golden.
Lemon Curd
- Whisk the lemon juice, zest, cornstarch, eggs, and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Cook over a double boiler, whisking constantly, until thickened. Remove from the heat.
- Blend in the cold vegan butter with an immersion blender, or whisk until smooth.
- Fill the tartlet shells with lemon curd, then refrigerate until set.
Italian Meringue
- In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Meanwhile, begin whipping the egg whites with a hand mixer or stand mixer until partially whipped.
- When the sugar syrup reaches 120°C, remove it from the heat and slowly pour it into the partially whipped egg whites in a steady stream.
- Increase the mixer to high speed and keep whisking until the meringue is firm, glossy, and cool. Use immediately.
- Pipe the meringue onto the filled tartlet shells, then toast it with a kitchen torch. Skip this step if you do not have one.
