This Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Tart has a "buttery", flaky crust and a creamy, tangy lemon custard filling. It's fragrant and fruity, rich and creamy, and refined sugar free too. The perfect elegant dessert for Easter!

This tart is super easy to make as the pastry crust can be pressed in with your fingers, there's no need for a rolling pin or floured surface, you don't have to chill the pastry beforehand, and it doesn't require a blender or food processor!
How is the lemon custard made?
The lemon custard is made using shop-bought custard powder.
This is my favourite custard powder - it's vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free, and contains just 4 simple ingredients!
Not only does this custard powder act as a thickener, making the lemon custard extra creamy, but it also adds a lovely colour without having to use something like turmeric.
What can the custard powder be replaced with?
If you can't get hold of a shop-bought custard powder, you can replace it with the same amount of cornflour (cornstarch) or arrowroot, which will result in a similar texture, though the colour will be considerably less yellow.
To add yellow colour, I would suggest adding a tiny pinch of saffron, which I much prefer to turmeric as it has a much milder flavour.
What type of plant-based milk is used to make the lemon custard?
You can use any type of plant-based milk, though results do vary depending on which one you choose. I like to use unsweetened cashew milk. Cashew, oat or coconut milk make a super thick and creamy custard, whilst almond milk will be less creamy. Rice milk creates a just-set lemon curd-like consistency.
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Combine all ingredients for the pastry dough in a glass mixing bowl.
Tip: Add the water a few tablespoons at a time so that you don’t add too much!
- Place the pastry dough into a greased pie dish and use your fingers to carefully press it across the bottom and up the sides of the dish.
- Use a fork to pierce holes in the surface of the pastry crust (this ensures the crust doesn't puff up when you bake it) - don't forget the sides too. You can alternatively use baking beans.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Measure out the rice milk in a measuring jug.
- Pour the milk into a pan, leaving behind a few tablespoons of milk in the jug.
- Heat up the milk.
- Add the custard powder to the remaining milk in the jug and mix well, ensuring it has dissolved completely.
- Once the milk in the pan is steaming, add approximately half of the hot milk to the bowl with the dissolved custard powder, mix well and transfer the custard powder mixture to the pan.
- Mix well and keep stirring on a low heat for around 5 minutes, until thickened.
- Add the lemon juice and maple syrup.
- Taste and adjust the amount of lemon juice and maple syrup, if desired.
- Once the tart crust has cooled a little, carefully pour the filling into the crust.
- Leave to cool completely before cutting, keeping the tart in the fridge for a few hours to allow the filling to set properly.
Substitutions you can make
- You can replace the gluten-free flour in the pastry crust with rice flour.
- You can replace the gluten-free flour with plain flour if you’re not gluten-free.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- The ground almonds (almond meal) can be replaced with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version, use ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds and use a nut-free milk.
Substitutions to be careful of
You can use any type of plant-based milk, though results do vary depending on which one you choose. I like to use unsweetened cashew milk. Cashew, oat or coconut milk make a super thick and creamy custard, whilst almond milk will be less creamy. Rice milk creates a just-set lemon curd-like consistency.
How long does this keep for?
This Lemon Tart keeps well in the fridge for up to a few days.
More pie and tart recipes
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make it
Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Tart
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 30 g (â…› cup) coconut oil
- 75 g (â…” cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub rice flour, or plain all-purpose flour if not gluten-free)
- 75 g (â…” cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 7 tablespoons water
For the lemon custard:
- 700 ml (3 cups) unsweetened cashew milk ** (see notes)
- 55 g (⅜ cup) custard powder *** (or sub cornflour/cornstarch or arrowroot)
- 16 tablespoons lemon juice
- 9 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
For the pastry:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl along with about 7 tablespoons of water, until it forms a firm dough - add the water a few tablespoons at a time so that you don’t add too much!
 You can keep this pastry dough in the fridge for up to a day if you like, but there is no need to chill it before using.
- Place the pastry dough into a greased pie dish and use your fingers to carefully press it across the bottom and up the sides of the dish - I used a 22.5cm/9inch pie dish.
- Use a fork to pierce the surface (remember the sides too!) of the pastry, so that it doesn’t puff up in the oven. Alternatively, you can use baking beans.
- Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes, until the pastry crust is firm to the touch and golden brown.
- Leave to cool slightly before pouring in the filling.
For the lemon custard:
- Measure out the milk in a jug or measuring container.
- Pour the milk into a pan, leaving behind a few tablespoons of milk in the jug.
- Heat up the milk in the pan.
- Add the custard powder to the remaining milk in the jug and mix well, ensuring it has dissolved completely.
- Once the milk in the pan is steaming, add approximately half of the hot milk to the bowl with the dissolved custard powder, mix well and transfer the custard powder mixture to the pan.
- Mix well and keep stirring on a low heat for around 5 minutes, until thickened.
- Add the lemon juice and maple syrup.
- Taste and add extra lemon juice or maple syrup if desired.
To assemble:
- Once the tart crust has cooled a little, carefully pour the filling into the crust.
- Leave to cool completely before cutting, keeping the tart in the fridge for few hours to allow the filling to set properly.
- Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
June Walker
Really tangy and so easy to make
Love it
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!
t rex game
I felt very happy while reading this site. This was a really very informative site for me. I really liked it. This was really a cordial post. Thanks a lot!
Katie
Hi! This recipe looks so simple and delicious! Just wanted to check, what size pan do you use? I don't have a pie dish but I have a 9inch springform, would that work? I'm making it for my husband's birthday today, he's not a cake person but he loves all things lemon!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much! I used a 22.5cm/9inch pie dish. Not sure if it would work in a springform pan to be honest, probably best to stick to a pie dish!
Katie
I found a 9inch flan tin which worked well for the pastry. However, I had an issue with the filling. I followed the instructions and had a lovely thick custard but then when I mixed in the cup of lemon juice and the maple syrup it went all runny. I poured it into the pastry case and put it in the fridge hoping it would thicken up and set but it didn't. Any thoughts?
Rhian Williams
So sorry to hear that! What custard powder did you use? And what type of plant-based milk?
Katie
It was Birds custard powder and Alpro oat unsweetened.
Rhian Williams
Hm that's strange. It does take quite a long time for the custard to set - did you leave it to set overnight?
Gerry
I made this tart for my daughter’s partner who is vegan. Worked out really well. The only thing I had to do was work out the tablespoons, as I realised that UK is different to Aussie. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so glad you liked it!
Elliot
A disaster! Although great looking recipe and delicious flavor, I ended up with a puddle of liquid that refused to solidify.
I saw similar experience on a previous message. I even made a slurry with arrow root and added in after my filling had cooled to try and save it. It helped a bit but still not firm.
For the recipe used 3/8 cup organic cornstarch and Silk in sweat creamy cashew milk. Really no idea what to do with my liquid tart. Wondrring if I put the whole think in oven for while could help?
Rhian Williams
Hi - I'm sorry to hear that. Did you make any substitutions at all? Putting it in the oven would work actually...would love to hear how you get on with that if you try it.
Elliot
No other substations - the only ingredients being maple syrup and Meyer lemon juice. The only thing I can think of is my cornstarch was too old? Not sure what lifespan for that. Once I added the lemon juice it really seemed to put an end to any firming that had been going on. If it works for other people, I'd like to try it again. I love the pureness of the recipe.
I did put in the oven at 350 for about 25-30 mins. It did firm it up enough to make it edible as a moist tart, but all the motion of removing the liquid to add in Arrow root mixture kind of undid the crust and the end result out of the oven was kind of a firmed up mix of crust and the lemon liquid.
Anyway, thank you for your previous response!
Rhian Williams
I'm sorry to hear that! It might have had something to do with the cornstarch being past its expiry date - I think it gets less effective when it has expired. If you can get hold of the custard powder, I'd really recommend using that!