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This lemon tart makes a bright finish to a meal and works well as a light, creamy dessert. This tart combines citrus and coconut, giving it a fresh, clean flavor, while the gluten-free quinoa nut crust adds texture and richness. It stays fully vegan while accommodating gluten-free diets. The tart suits dinners, celebrations, or any time you want a make-ahead dessert that slices neatly and serves a group.
The crust blends quinoa or oat flour with pecans, flax, and a little syrup to hold everything together. The filling mixes coconut cream and lemon juice for a smooth, sharp center, finished with desiccated coconut on top. One interesting ingredient here is kuzu, a starch made from the root of the kudzu plant. It works as a natural thickener and helps the filling set with a clear, smooth texture.
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In her cookbook Go Vegan, Marlene Watson-Tara includes this tart as an example of whole-food baking that relies on simple ingredients. Serve it chilled and cut into neat slices.
Lemon tart method
Ingredients
Oat or quinoa nut crust
- 1 cup oat or quinoa flour
- 2 cups pecans
- 2 tbsp ground flax
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup brown rice syrup
Filling
- 8 oz can unsweetened organic coconut cream (1 cup or 240 ml)
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ tbsp lemon zest
- 1 cup maple syrup or rice syrup
- ½ tbsp agar flakes
- 2 tbsp kuzu mixed into ¼ cup filtered water
- Desiccated coconut
Instructions
Oat or quinoa nut crust
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), gas 4.
- Put 2 cups of pecans into a food processor and process until they start to clump, and oils start to release.
- Transfer the pecan mixture into a large bowl and mix with the rest of the ingredients, except the rice syrup.
- In a small saucepan, warm the brown rice syrup to reduce its viscosity. Pour into the mixture and mix well.
- Using your hands, squeeze the dough over and over to combine. You should be able to form a ball with it. If it’s too dry, add a little water.
- Transfer the pecan dough into a 9-inch push-up fluted flan dish and smooth out evenly. Press down firmly with your fingers, bringing it up along the sides and pressing as firmly as you can.
- Prick the dough with a fork to make a cross.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
For the lemon and coconut filling
- Whisk the coconut cream, lemon juice, zest, maple syrup and agar flakes together in a saucepan.
- In a small bowl, mix the kuzu and water to form a paste. Add the kuzu mixture to the pan and heat on a low flame until slightly simmering, stirring constantly to avoid lumping.
- Once the mixture has thickened, take off the heat and leave to cool for 1–2 minutes, then pour into the prepared tart base.
- Sprinkle with desiccated coconut and leave to cool. Once at room temperature, cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until ready to serve. Or leave overnight.
- Cut into slices and serve as is or with some fresh sweet strawberries, in season.
- Makes 8 servings.
Republished with permission from Go Vegan: A Guide to Delicious, Everyday Food – for the Health of Your Family and the Planet by Marlene Watson-Tara, published by Lotus Publishing, 2019.
Marlene Watson-Tara is a plant-based nutrition educator, author, and co-founder of the Human Ecology Project. Her forthcoming book, Macrobiome: How the Planet Governs Human Ecology and a Healthy Microbiome, is scheduled to launch at the Oxford Literary Festival in March 2026. See their upcoming lecture at Oxford here, and learn more on their website MACROVegan.
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