This Blueberry Curd Tart has a velvety smooth filling that melts in your mouth with a crumbly, buttery graham cracker crust.
Today, I’m sharing one of my absolute favorite desserts for spring and summer – a blueberry curd tart that’s guaranteed to make your taste buds do a happy dance. This isn’t your typical lemon curd situation (though we love those too) – we’re diving deep into blueberry territory with a silky, vibrant filling that strikes the perfect balance between sweet and tart.
The rich purple filling against the buttery crust is not only a feast for your eyes but will have everyone at your table asking for seconds.
Looking for more summer time desserts? I love this easy Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.
What ingredients do I need to make a Blueberry Curd Tart?
Graham crackers – Simple store-brand Honey Graham Crackers work great for this recipe.
Light brown sugar – When combined with the melted butter, it helps keep the graham cracker crust intact for perfect slices.
Butter – I used unsalted butter when I bake.
Fresh blueberries – I did not try this recipe with frozen blueberries, but they would add extra water that will need to be cooked out.
Lemon juice – This was from 1 large lemon, freshly squeezed, but you can opt to use bottled lemon juice.
Sugar – Whisking the sugar into the eggs will help keep the eggs from curdling when added to the hot blueberry mixture.
Eggs – Room temperature eggs create a smoother curd.
The equipment you’ll need for this recipe.
You’ll need the following to make a blueberry curd tart:
- Food processor – for crushing the graham crackers quickly.
- 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
- Butter or shortening for greasing the pan.
- Parchment paper – to line the bottom of the tart pan.
- Baking sheet or cookie sheet – So you can easily move the tart in and out of the oven without pressing on the bottom of the pan.
- Medium saucepan – at least 2 quarts.
- Fine mesh sieve – for creating a smooth curd.
- Small and large mixing bowls.
- Whisk.
How do I make a Blueberry Curd Tart?
First, you’re going to make the crust so it has time to cool while you make the curd filling.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with butter or grease, and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, cut to size. This will make removing the tart very easy. Place the tart pan on a small baking sheet so that it’s easier to move in and out of the oven.
Pulse graham crackers and brown sugar in a food processor until finely ground. You should have about 1½ cups of crumbs. Pour in melted butter while running the processor at low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden and fragrant. Keep the oven on.
While the crust cools, make the blueberry curd filling.
In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until blueberries burst and release their juices, about 8-10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing firmly to extract as much liquid as possible. Wipe out the saucepan.
Whisk together the sugar and eggs in a small bowl until they are lighter in color.
Return the strained blueberry juice back to the clean saucepan and place over medium heat. Once it starts to steam and simmer, scoop out ½ of the juice, and pour it into the beaten eggs while whisking quickly. This will temper the eggs so they won’t cook and curdle when you add them to the blueberry juice.
Gradually whisk the tempered eggs into the saucepan with the rest of the blueberry juice, and continue whisking until the mixture has a lighter color and has thickened, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in room temperature butter, one tablespoon at a time, until all of the butter has melted and is mixed in thoroughly.
Pour the curd into the baked crust, and bake the tart for 10 minutes at 350°F to help the filling set faster. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming, and chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until the filling is completely set.
Garnish with fresh blueberries and powdered sugar, if desired, and serve chilled.
Are there any ingredient substitutions I can make for this tart?
Salted butter may be used for the crust instead of unsalted butter.
You can use fresh or bottled lemon juice for the curd.
I did not test the curd filling with salted butter, but it would add a slight saltiness to the curd.
Try out different crusts! You can use a refrigerated pie crust, a shortbread pie crust, or even a chocolatey crust.
How do I store this recipe?
You’ll want to keep the tart refrigerated. Cover it with plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container. It will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
You can also store it in the freezer! Wrap the tart in both plastic wrap and foil, and place it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw it out overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
How do I prevent my curd from being lumpy?
Lumps can appear for a couple of different reasons:
- The skins from the blueberries didn’t break down enough.
- The egg curdled when it was being added and scrambled a little bit.
You can avoid these easily and have a smooth, velvet-like curd!
- Strain out the blueberries after they’ve been cooked down and before adding the egg and sugar mixture.
- Beat the eggs with sugar. The sugar will assist in keeping the eggs from curdling.
- Temper the eggs by spooning in about 1/3 or 1/2 cup of hot blueberries into the egg mixture while whisking it.
- If the egg still curdles, you can strain the blueberry curd a second time before adding the butter.
Why didn’t my curd thicken properly?
Either the heat was too low on the stove, or you didn’t cook the curd long enough. It should be noticeably thicker as you whisk in the eggs around the 5 minutes mark. Make sure the curd coats the back of a spoon and sticks there before removing it from the heat.
Why isn’t my tart a vibrant purple?
It could be the type of blueberry you are using. Wild or darker blueberries create the deepest, richest color for the curd. You can also add a few blackberries for a deeper color. The lemon juice will also help the color stay nice and vibrant!
Can I make this tart ahead of time?
Absolutely! The curd can be made 2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge until it is ready to be used. The crust can be made 24 hours before using it.
Blueberry Curd Tart
Equipment
- Food processor
- 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom
- Butter or shortening to grease the pan
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet to easily move the tart in out of the oven
- Medium saucepan at least 2 quarts
- Fine mesh sieve
- Small and Large mixing bowls
- Whisk
Ingredients
Crust
- 9 graham crackers
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
Blueberry Curd
- 18 ounces fresh blueberries
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature and sliced
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom with butter or grease, and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, cut to size. This will make removing the tart very easy. Place the tart pan on a small baking sheet so that it’s easier to move in and out of the oven.
- Pulse graham crackers and brown sugar in a food processor until finely ground. You should have about 1½ cups of crumbs. Pour in melted butter while running the processor at low speed until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan. Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden and fragrant. Keep the oven on.
Blueberry Curd:
- In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until blueberries burst and release their juices, about 8-10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing firmly to extract as much liquid as possible. Wipe out the saucepan.
- Whisk together the sugar and eggs in a small bowl until they are lighter in color. Return the strained blueberry juice back to the clean saucepan and place over medium heat. Once it starts to steam and simmer, scoop out ½ of the juice, and pour it into the beaten eggs while whisking quickly. This will temper the eggs so they won’t cook and curdle when you add them to the blueberry juice.
- Gradually whisk the tempered eggs into the saucepan with the rest of the blueberry juice, and continue whisking until the mixture has a lighter color and has thickened, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in room temperature butter, one tablespoon at a time, until all of the butter has melted and is mixed in thoroughly.
- Pour the curd into the baked crust, and bake the tart for 10 minutes at 350°F to help the filling set faster. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming, and chill the tart in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until the filling is completely set.
- Garnish with fresh blueberries and powdered sugar, if desired, and serve chilled.
Notes
- Ensure your eggs are at room temperature for smoother curd.
- The curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
- For best results, use fresh blueberries rather than frozen.
- Placing the tart pan on a cookie or baking sheet makes it easier to move the tart around. You won’t have to worry about accidentally pressing on the bottom of the pan.
- Mixing the sugar in with eggs will help keep the eggs from cooking or curdling when they are tempered.
- If the curd is lumpy after adding the eggs, pour it through the sieve again before adding the butter.
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