An exquisite doubled graham cracker crust is filled with a tart and creamy lime curd.
Citrus is one of those dessert categories that transcends the time of year. While mid-winter to early spring is technically considered citrus season, truth be told you can find groves of gorgeous citrus all year long. Part of the reason why this is can be attributed to the high content of vitamin C in citrus. This is super helpful during the colder months where we need the vitamin boost to build our immunity against sickness. Now I can’t promise that my dessert with improve your resistance to the common cold, but this deep-dish lime curd tart is bursting with fresh lime juice, so perhaps we are onto something after all. 😉
What you’ll need to make this deep-dish lime curd tart:
Graham cracker crumbs
Salted butter
Granulated sugar
Large egg yolks
Fresh lime juice
Heavy cream
Natural green food coloring, optional
Deep dish heart tart pan, optional
The Crust
This buttery graham cracker crust is a doubled version of the one I make for my standard 9-inch tart pans. This heart pan is deeper and thus I wanted to ensure that the crust was thicker as well. I linked the exact pan I used in the ingredient list above, but if you prefer the normal sized tart pan, or only have that on hand, you can absolutely use half the crust and make a regular sized 9-inch lime curd tart (or four 4-inch mini tarts)!
The Curd
This filling uses fresh squeezed lime juice, large egg yolks, and heavy cream to create the absolute perfect curd consistency. It would make a great cake filling, trifle topper, or even on it’s own with some granola and cream. You will use all of the curd in this deep dish tart, so be sure to double it if you’d like some leftovers for other desserts! It will stay good in the fridge for roughly a month.
The Substitutes
I love providing gluten and dairy free substitutions so that those with alternate dietary needs can enjoy my recipes to their fullest! These are subs that I have either use and continue to stock in my own home, or that have come highly recommended from others. I want your baking experience to be the best it can be, and avoiding gluten or dairy shouldn’t hinder that process in the slightest.
As always, here is a list of tried and true dietary substitutes, so that you can enjoy this recipe without the additions of gluten or dairy:
Miyokos Butter is a plant based brick that closely resembles dairy butter not only in its look, but it’s taste as well. It melts, browns, and spreads just like real butter, and truly is a fantastic substitute in this recipe. Use it as a 1:1 ratio sub, same as the flour, so the recipe measurements will not change.
Silk Dairy Free Heavy Cream is a great option to use in the curd to make it creamy.
Pamela’s Honey Graham Crackers are gluten free and perfect for use in this crust if you want or need to avoid gluten.
If you love curd, be sure to check out my other fabulous curd tarts! This Creamy Grapefruit Curd Mini Tart is absolutely wonderful, as is my Mini Tarts with Lemon Curd and Shortbread Crust. Three cheers for all the citrus! Now go enjoy your vitamin C. 😊
XO,
Heather
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Deep-dish Lime Curd Tart
Ingredients
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 ½ cups salted butter, melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 6 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- ½ cup salted butter, softened and cut into four chunks
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- 3-5 drops all natural green food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Beat the egg yolks, sugar, and lime juice. Mix until combined. Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and cook on low {If you have a numbered stove from 1 to 10, I put my burner on about four}. After about five minutes has elapsed, gently add the butter chunks and continue to stir until melted and slightly thickened, about another 7 minutes. You will want to whisk this constantly so the eggs do not “cook.”
- Remove from heat and immediately strain to remove any tiny lumps and ensure a smooth finish. Add the heavy cream and coloring, whisking until completely incorporated. Remove from the heat and cool completely in the refrigerator, covering top of curd to prevent a skin from forming.
- While lime curd is chilling, make and bake the deep dish tart shell. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl, and mix until combined. Press crust into tart pan, preferably with removable bottoms. This will make it easy for you to get the shell out of the pan after baking.
- Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely. Fill each tart with the chilled lime curd, and topped with additional fruit, garnish, or whipped cream if desired. Chill until set. Store in the refrigerator covered for up to two days.
- Store leftover lime curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week if you don’t plan to use it right away. Enjoy!
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