Mini Keto Lemon Tarts
Published June 20, 2023 • Updated February 26, 2026
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I make these mini keto lemon tarts with fresh lemon curd and a flaky, buttery crust that shatters when you bite in. At 0.5g carbs per tart, they're my go-to when I want something bright and lemony without the sugar.
I started making these in mini form because I wanted something I could set out at a party without slicing a full pie. The mini muffin tin turned out to be the better format in every way: the crust-to-curd ratio is spot on in each bite, they’re easy to grab, and they look like they came from a French patisserie. If you’ve made my mini cheesecakes, you know the appeal of this format.
The crust is a flaky dough made from almond flour, coconut flour, cold butter, and cream cheese. I use rice vinegar and xanthan gum to give it enough structure to roll out and cut clean circles without cracking. The dough needs to stay cold while you work, so I roll it between two sheets of parchment and refrigerate it if it starts getting soft. When it bakes, the edges turn golden and shatter when you bite through to the curd underneath.
What makes this recipe worth the effort is the curd. I use the zest and juice of 4-5 fresh lemons, cook it with egg yolks over medium heat until it thickens enough to coat a spoon, then stir in cold butter off the heat two tablespoons at a time. That step is what gives it the silky, rich texture that tastes like the center of a lemon meringue pie without any sugar. I’ve made this curd dozens of times and it’s the part people always ask me about. A reader named Dana made these for a snow day and said they looked ‘like something from an actual coffee shop.’
At 0.5g carbs per tart, eating three or four doesn’t derail anything. These sit well alongside other keto desserts if you’re building a spread. I like them next to something rich like chocolate trifle or coconut cream pie, and strawberry pie adds a fruity contrast on the same table.
One batch makes 44 mini tarts, which sounds like a lot until you watch them disappear. I usually make the crust and curd on separate days (the curd benefits from an overnight chill) and assemble on day three. For another low carb crowd-pleaser at the same gathering, my banana pudding always goes fast.
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Keto Crust Ingredients
1 cup almond flour -
3 tablespoons coconut flour
-
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
-
1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed & chilled
-
1 oz cream cheese, softened
-
1 egg
-
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
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2-inch biscuit cutter
-
mini muffin pan
Keto Lemon Curd Ingredients
-
5 lemons
-
1 cup powdered allulose
-
pinch of salt
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5 egg yolks
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8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare muffin pan
Preheat oven to 350 °F and spray a mini muffin pan with cooking oil. Set aside.
Make pie crust: dry ingredients
In a food processer, pulse together almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum and salt.
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Make pie crust: cut in butter
Add cubed, chilled butter and softened cream cheese. Pulse until coarse crumbles form. Do not over mix. Butter needs to stay cold and chunky in order to get flaky crust.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 1 oz cream cheese, softened
Make pie crust: finish the dough
Add egg and rice vinegar. Pulse until dough comes together. Do not over mix. You want chunks of butter.
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Roll out dough
Lay down a damp paper towel on the counter. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of the towel. (This will keep the paper from sliding as you roll out the dough). Place the dough ball on the sheet of parchment followed by a second sheet of parchment paper on top. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough in between the two sheets of parchment paper until dough is about 1/2 centimeter thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper.
Cut out circles
Using a 2- inch biscuit cutter, punch out circles from the dough and place each circle into the cavity of the muffin pan. Press the dough into the cavity using your fingers or a blunt object like a pestle.
Bake the crust
Bake in a 350 °F for 5-7 minutes or until the crust starts to turn golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Zest & juice
Using a zester or cheese grater, zest 4 of the lemons. Using a hand juicer squeeze the juice from 4-5 lemons until you get 1/2 cup lemon juice.
- 5 lemons
Make low-carb lemon curd
In a medium saucepan, add allulose, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and egg yolks. Stir to combine. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat. While mixture is still hot, stir in cubed butter adding 2 tablespoons at a time until incorporated. Refrigerate curd for 2 hours. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
- 1 cup powdered allulose
- pinch of salt
- lemon zest
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 5 egg yolks
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make one large tart instead of mini tarts?
I've done this with a standard 9-inch tart pan and it works. Press the crust dough into the pan, bake at 350 degrees F for about 12-15 minutes (longer than the minis since it's thicker), and pour the curd in after it cools. The only difference is you lose that crust-to-curd ratio you get with the mini format. I prefer the minis because every bite has flaky edges, but a full-size version looks impressive if you're serving it sliced.
Why did my lemon curd curdle, and how do I fix it?
This usually happens if the heat is too high or you stop stirring. The egg yolks cook into little scrambled bits instead of thickening smoothly. When I first made this curd, I walked away for 30 seconds and came back to lumps. The fix: strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve while it's still warm. You'll catch the curdled bits and the rest will be smooth. Going forward, keep it on medium heat and stir constantly. If you're nervous about it, a double boiler gives you more control since the indirect heat is more forgiving.
Can I make the crust and curd ahead of time?
This is actually how I prefer to do it. I make the crust dough on day one, refrigerate it overnight, then roll and bake the shells on day two. The curd I usually make the same day as baking since it needs at least 2 hours in the fridge anyway, but it keeps for a full week refrigerated. I've assembled the tarts up to 3 days before serving and they held up. The crust stays flaky even after sitting with the curd.
What does xanthan gum do in the crust, and can I skip it?
I use it as a gluten substitute to hold the dough together so you can actually roll it out and peel it off the parchment paper. Without it, the dough crumbles when you try to handle it. If you skip it, press the dough directly into the muffin pan with your fingers instead of trying to roll and cut circles. It'll still taste the same, you just lose the clean circle shapes. At the shaping step, the dough should feel soft and pliable, almost like playdough.
Can I substitute the coconut flour for something else?
I've had readers with FODMAP sensitivities ask me this. Replace the coconut flour with about 6-8 tablespoons of additional almond flour. The texture shifts slightly since coconut flour absorbs more liquid, but the cream cheese compensates. Oat fiber is another option I've seen work, though I haven't tested it as extensively myself. My first choice would be extra almond flour since I know it holds up.
What can I use instead of rice vinegar?
Any mild vinegar works. I've used white vinegar and apple cider vinegar with no difference in the final flavor. The vinegar reacts with the other ingredients to create a more tender crust. You need so little (2 teaspoons) that the type doesn't matter.
How many tarts does one batch make?
I get exactly 44 mini tarts using a standard 24-cavity mini muffin tin, baked in two batches. The nutrition info is calculated per tart based on that yield. If you're using a regular-sized muffin pan instead, cut 3-inch circles and expect about 18-20 tarts.
I've never made anything with an actual pastry crust before and was kind of terrified going in, but the food processor did most of the work and the dough came together way faster than I expected. Cutting little circles and pressing them into the muffin pan felt weirdly satisfying. They came out looking like something from an actual coffee shop. I ate four in one sitting on a snow day and I'm not apologizing for that.
Snow day snacks hit different. And yeah, the circle-cutting thing is oddly satisfying. I still do it even when I could just press the dough straight in.
The xanthan gum is what I keep getting hung up on. I've done some keto baking before, cookies and muffins mostly, but never anything with a crust, so I genuinely don't know what it's doing in there. Is it replacing the gluten and holding the dough together so you can actually roll it out? My real concern is that if I go short on it or leave it out, the shells will just crumble when I try to pop them out of the mini muffin pan. And on the shaping step, when you cut the rounds with the biscuit cutter and press them in, should the dough still feel soft and pliable at that point, or is it firmer than I'm imagining?
Yeah, that's basically it - gives the dough enough structure to roll and peel off the parchment without falling apart. Omit it and popping them out of the pan gets dicey. At the shaping step the dough should feel soft and pliable, almost like playdough.
The nutrition information is for 44 tarts. Does this recipe make 44 tarts? If not, how many does it make?
Yes, it makes 44 tarts if using a mini muffin tin.
Looks amazing! However, Coconut flour is high fodmap and bothers my stomach. Can I replace it with something else?
Try replacing it with more almond flour. Maybe 3/4 cup more of almond flour. Also, oat fiber might work. I'm not sure what is considered low fodmap.
Made these and they came out wonderfully! the lemon curd is to die for! I’m excited to try more of your recipes
The curd is my favorite part too. I always make a double batch of it.
Can I substitute the rice vinegar with something else???
Any vinegar will work. White vinegar or apple cider are fine too