This Kiwi & Lime Curd Tart has a crisp, buttery pastry shell filled with bright, tangy lime curd and topped with fresh kiwi slices. It’s creamy, fresh, and just the right amount of tart.
The green kiwi topping makes this a natural pick for St. Patrick’s Day. But if you skip the shamrock cut-outs, it’s amazing anytime!
P.S. Check out all of my fav green desserts for St. Patrick’s Day!
Kiwi & Lime Curd Tart Ingredients
Tart Dough Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: The base of the pastry dough.
- Granulated sugar: Just a little, to give the crust a hint of sweetness.
- Kosher salt: Brings everything into balance.
- Cold unsalted butter: Cold butter is key for a flaky, tender crust. Don’t skip this.
- Egg: The yolk goes into the dough. The white gets brushed onto the baked shell to seal it.
- Pure vanilla extract: Adds subtle warmth to the pastry.
- Ice-cold water: Helps bring the dough together without overworking it.
Lime Curd Filling Ingredients
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens and balances the tartness of the lime.
- Unsalted butter: Makes the curd rich and silky smooth.
- Limes: You’ll need both the zest and fresh juice. Fresh only — no bottled stuff.
- Eggs: These thicken the curd. Tempering them slowly is what keeps them from scrambling.
- Kiwis: Peeled and sliced for the topping. Look for kiwis that give slightly when pressed.
Full recipe quantities listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the article.
Variations and Substitutions
- Lemon instead of lime: Swap equal amounts of fresh lemon juice and zest. Check out my easy lemon tart if you want to go that route.
- Orange curd: Use orange juice and zest for a sweeter, slightly softer curd with beautiful color.
- Store-bought tart shell: A pre-made pastry shell saves time if you’re in a pinch.
- Different fruit topping: Swap the kiwi for sliced strawberries, mango, or raspberries. Any bright, slightly tart fruit works well here.
- Natural food coloring: Add a drop of green food coloring to the curd for a more vibrant look — great for St. Patrick’s Day.
Love citrus desserts? Try my my Portuguese orange cake, easy lemon tart recipe, lemon curd cookies and lemon curd cake too!
Grab These Tools
You won’t need much to pull this tart together.
- Food processor: Makes the pastry dough fast and foolproof.
- 9.5-inch tart pan with removable bottom: The removable bottom makes serving clean and easy.
- Rolling pin: To roll the dough evenly between two sheets of parchment.
- Pie weights or dry beans: Essential for blind baking the shell so it doesn’t puff up.
- Parchment paper: For rolling the dough and lining the shell during blind baking.
- Fine-mesh sieve: Strains the curd for a perfectly smooth texture.
- Medium saucepan: For cooking the lime curd.
- Wire rack: So the tart shell can cool completely before filling.
How to Make Kiwi & Lime Curd Tart: An Easy Guide
This tart comes together in three main steps: make the pastry, blind bake it, then make and chill the curd. Tackle these in order and assembly is a breeze.
Make the Pastry Dough
Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Sprinkle in the cold butter and pulse until pieces are no bigger than lentils. Whisk the egg yolk, vanilla, and water together, then drizzle over the flour and pulse until clumps form.
Dump the dough onto parchment and press into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days.
Blind Bake the Tart Shell
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment into a 12-inch circle and transfer to a 9.5-inch tart pan. Press gently into the base and up the sides, then line with parchment and fill with pie weights.
Bake on the bottom rack for 15 minutes until dry-looking. Remove the weights and parchment, bake another 10 minutes until golden. Brush the inside with lightly whisked egg white and bake 5 minutes more. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Make the Lime Curd
Combine the sugar, butter, lime zest, and juice in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Lightly whisk the eggs in a bowl. Very slowly stream about half the hot lime mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly, then pour that back into the saucepan.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Press through a fine-mesh sieve and chill completely before using.
Assemble the Tart
Once both the shell and curd are fully cool, pour the curd into the shell and smooth it out. Arrange the kiwi slices on top. Serve right away or refrigerate until ready to slice.
5 Common Mistakes When Making Kiwi & Lime Curd Tart
Here are the most frequent mix-ups to avoid when making Kiwi & Lime Curd Tart:
- Skipping the dough chill: Cold dough is everything for a flaky, shrink-proof crust. Thirty minutes minimum, up to 2 days is fine.
- Skipping blind baking: A soggy bottom is a sad tart. Blind baking locks in the structure before the wet curd goes in.
- Adding the eggs too fast: Dumping eggs straight into hot liquid scrambles them. Add the hot lime mixture to the eggs very slowly, a tiny bit at a time.
- Skipping the sieve: Even a perfectly made curd benefits from straining. It removes fibrous zest bits and gives you that silky finish.
- Adding kiwi before the curd sets: Make sure the curd is fully chilled before topping. Warm curd plus fruit equals a watery, sliding mess.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make the curd and tart shell up to a day ahead for completely stress-free assembly.
Storing Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store the assembled tart loosely covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Kiwi tip: If making ahead, add the kiwi slices right before serving so they stay bright and fresh.
- Leftover curd: Any extra lime curd keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week in a sealed container. Spread it on toast, scones, or yogurt.
Freezing
- Tart shell: The baked shell freezes well. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before filling.
- Assembled tart: I don’t recommend freezing the finished tart. The curd and kiwi don’t thaw well together.
Reheating Kiwi & Lime Curd Tart
- Serve cold or at room temp: This tart is best served cool, not warm. Pull it from the fridge about 15 minutes before slicing for the best texture.
How to Make the Best Kiwi & Lime Curd Tart: Final Notes + Secrets
Here are the details that make a real difference with this recipe.
- Use fresh lime juice: Bottled lime juice is flat and bitter. Fresh juice from real limes is non-negotiable here.
- Zest before you juice: Always zest your limes before cutting them open. It’s nearly impossible to zest a squeezed lime.
- Cold butter = flaky crust: The colder the butter, the flakier the pastry. Some bakers freeze the butter and grate it straight into the flour.
- The egg white seal matters: Brushing the baked shell with egg white and returning it to the oven creates a barrier that keeps the curd from softening the crust over time.
- Slow and steady with the eggs: The only way to get smooth curd (not scrambled eggs) is to add the hot liquid to the eggs very, very slowly. Don’t rush it.
- Always strain the curd: Press it through a fine-mesh sieve every time. It removes zest fibers and any tiny cooked bits for that perfectly smooth finish.
- Cool everything completely: Both the curd and shell must be fully cool before assembly. Warm curd in a warm shell won’t set and will make the crust soggy.
FAQs About Kiwi & Lime Curd Tart
Just skimming through? Here are some quick answers to the commonly-asked questions.
Yes, this tart is actually better made ahead. The curd and the baked shell can both be prepared up to 2 days in advance and stored separately in the fridge. Assemble on the day of serving and add the kiwi topping last for the freshest look.
You can make the pastry dough by hand using a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Work quickly so the butter stays cold. A box grater also works well for grating frozen butter directly into the flour.
Lumpy curd usually means the eggs were heated too quickly. Always add the hot lime mixture to the eggs very slowly while whisking constantly. If your curd does scramble slightly, pressing it through a fine-mesh sieve will smooth out most of the texture issues.
I don’t recommend it for this recipe. Bottled lime juice has a flat, slightly bitter flavor that comes through clearly in a simple curd. Fresh lime juice gives a much brighter, more vibrant result. You’ll need about 5 limes for half a cup of juice.
The curd is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and holds a clear line when you drag your finger through it. It will look a bit looser than you expect but will firm up as it chills. For extra confidence, use an instant-read thermometer and pull it at 170°F.
Freezing the fully assembled tart is not recommended. The curd and kiwi topping don’t thaw well together. The baked tart shell freezes on its own for up to 1 month. The lime curd also freezes well in a separate airtight container for up to 3 months.
This recipe is sized for a 9.5-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. The removable bottom makes it much easier to unmold and serve cleanly. If you use a smaller pan, the crust will be thicker and the bake time may vary slightly.
Absolutely. Lemon juice and zest swap in equal amounts for a slightly milder, sweeter curd. The method is exactly the same. If you love lemon curd desserts, my easy lemon tart uses a very similar filling technique and is always a hit.
Other Citrus Desserts You’ll Love
Check out my collection of impossibly-delicious Orange Dessert Recipes, too!
Kiwi and Lime Curd Tart
Ingredients
Tart Dough
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter cut in small pieces
- 1 large egg yolk and white separated, white saved for brushing at the end
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp ice-cold water
For filling:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- Finely grated zest of 3 limes
- ½ cup fresh lime juice from about 5 limes
- 4 large eggs
- 5 kiwis peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Measure the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle butter over top and pulse until the butter pieces are no bigger than lentils. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk (be sure to reserve the white for the next step!), vanilla, and water. Sprinkle over the flour mixture and pulse a few times until mixture starts to form large clumps. Dump onto a parchment-paper-lined counter and gently press the dough together until it is cohesive. Form into a disk shape, wrap up in the parchment paper and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days).
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Roll the dough between two layers of parchment paper into a 12″ circle and transfer to a 9 1/2″ tart pan, gently pressing into bottom and up sides. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights (or dry beans). Blind bake the tart shell on the bottom oven rack for about 15 minutes, until it starts to look dry, then carefully remove pie weights and parchment. Continue baking until the crust is golden, 10 minutes longer. Lightly brush the inside with lightly-whisked reserved egg white (you won’t need all of it) and continue baking for about 5 minutes more, until white is set shiny. Gently transfer to a wire rack and cool completely in the tart pan.
- To make the curd, bring the sugar, butter, lime zest and juice to a simmer over medium heat. In a bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Very slowly (a tiny bit at a time) stream about half the hot lime mixture into the eggs while whisking constantly, then slowly whisk this egg mixture back into the remaining lime mixture in the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Press through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then chill completely (either by stirring it over an ice bath, or by refrigerating at least 2 hours).
- When crust and lime curd are both cool, pour the curd into the crust and top with kiwi slices.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
very nice!