A Pretzel Crust Makes This Lemon Tart the Perfect Mix of Sweet & Salty

This will be your new favorite lemon tart.

This tart deserves all of the attention. It’s got a cool and custardy lemon filling, and it’s wrapped in the most unexpected crust: sweet and salty pretzels.

Courtney Rich shared her stop-you-in-your-tracks recipe.

“This recipe was inspired by my mom’s sour cream lemon pie that we had every Thanksgiving growing up,” she shared. But in true Courtney fashion, she’s taken a nostalgic family favorite and given it a bold, modern twist.

“I don’t love pie crusts,” she admitted, “so I reinvented the original recipe using a pretzel crust instead.”

The result is a dessert that balances creamy and crunchy, tart and sweet, with just enough salt to make the lemon filling sing. It’s chilled to perfection and ideal for spring gatherings, summer parties, or anytime you want to impress without fuss. And while it looks like a work of art, it’s surprisingly simple to make.

Whether you stick with lemons or swap in limes for a little variety, this tart will earn a permanent spot in your dessert rotation.

Lemon Sour Cream Tart

Serves 8 to 10

INGREDIENTS

For the Pretzel Crust

• 2 cups (150 g) finely ground pretzels
• ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar

For the Lemon Sour Cream Filling

• 1 ¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (240 g) whole milk
• 3 tablespoons (22.5g) cornstarch, measured then sifted
• ½ cup (110 g) lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) lemon zest
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup (240 g) sour cream

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup (240 g) heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup (62.5 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
• ½ teaspoon (2.1 g) lemon extract

METHOD

For the Pretzel Crust

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13×5-inch tart pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the finely ground pretzels, melted butter, and sugar. Stir until the pretzels are “wet.”
3. Pour the pretzel mixture into the tart pan and press firmly down to create the crust.
4. Bake the crust for 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature.

For the Lemon Sour Cream Filling

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, corn starch, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens – about 6 to 8 minutes. The mixture should be able to coat a spoon. Reduce heat to low.
2. In a small mixing bowl, stir the egg yolks. While stirring the egg yolks, slowly add two tablespoons of the lemon mixture to the egg yolks. Once the lemon mixture is added, slowly add two more tablespoons of the lemon mixture to the egg mixture. This will temper the egg yolks so they don’t cook when you add them to the lemon mixture.
3. Once the egg yolks are tempered, slowly add the yolk mixture into the lemon mixture, stirring constantly.
4. Continue to cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
6. Stir in the sour cream.
7. Pour the lemon filling onto the pretzel crust. Refrigerate overnight.
8. Top with whipped cream when ready to serve.

For the Whipped Cream

1. In a stainless steel bowl, combine the whipped cream, powdered sugar, and lemon extract. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Courtney’s Note: This one is best served chilled and could also be made with limes instead of lemons.

Find more recipes from Courtney on Instagram, @cakebycourtney, or at cakebycourtney.com.

Find the full post on Courtney’s site.

Find Courtney’s cookbook, Bake by Courtney, on her site.