Blood orange tart makes the most of winter citrus with blood orange curd filling gently baked into a buttery almond flour crust. Optionally gluten-free.
Thanks to Vermont Creamery for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.
You likely already know my love of citrus curd and tarts. Over the years of TBG I've shared recipes for lemon tart, lime tart, pomegranate tart, lemon bars, and grapefruit tart (in my book Alternative Baker).
Back in 2011, I shared a recipe for blood orange tart that has since become a reader favorite. I've taken some fresh photos in my gluten-free tart crust and tweaked the recipe a bit to make it less sweet.
Tangy blood orange curd gets richness from butter, just the right sweetness from sugar, and is set with eggs and egg yolks. When baked into a tender almond flour tart crust, it becomes an elegant dessert that will impress your friends, but is deceptively foolproof to make, from crust to curd.
Ingredients and Substitution Suggestions
- This recipe starts with my favorite gluten-free tart crust, replete with nutty almond flour, lots of butter, and a hit of vanilla and salt for loads of flavor. It tastes like a GF sugar cookie.
- Blood oranges make a rosy-hued blood orange curd. If you don't have access to blood oranges, you can use regular orange juice, tangerine juice, or grapefruit juice instead.
- Lemon juice adds extra tanginess.
- Eggs and egg yolks help the curd thicken and set.
- Sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- Butter adds richness to the curd and helps it set to a sliceable consistency when chilled.I used cultured butter from Vermont Creamery, which starts with fresh cream from Vermont family farms. It’s cultured for 20 hours, then churned to 82% butterfat for a luxurious, silky texture. Butter also moistens the crust giving it a delicate shortbread consistency.
- A touch of salt sharpens the flavors.
- You can optionally top this blood orange tart with Vermont Creamery crème fraîche whipped with heavy cream until firm, and then piped over the tart. Thinly sliced blood orange wedges, bee pollen, and dried calendula flours (or some blood orange zest) make an extra pretty topping.
How to Make Blood Orange Curd Tart
Prepare and parbake the tart crust as directed. The crust doesn't bake much longer once the filling is added, so it can be just shy of fully baked.
To make the blood orange curd, place the cubed butter and blood orange zest in a large measuring pitcher or bowl, place a strainer on top, and set aside.
Combine the eggs and egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a medium, heavy saucepan. Whisk smooth.
Slowly whisk in the blood orange and lemon juices. Cook the curd until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, or registers 170ºF on an instant-read thermometer.
Strain the curd into the butter.
Whisk to combine.
Pour the blood orange curd into the tart shell. Bake until the curd wobbles like Jell-O when you give the pan a shuffle.
Cool to room temperature, then chill until firm.
Decorate and serve!
Variations
Blood Orange Curd
Skip the crust and make blood orange curd to spread on scones, biscuits, toast, or crackers. Or swirl into yogurt or spread it on layers of gluten-free sponge cake.
Make the curd as directed, pour it into jars, and refrigerate until firm. The spreadable blood orange curd will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.
Blood Orange Tartlets
If you prefer, you can make smaller blood orange tartlets instead of 1 large tart.
Shape the crust into 8 (3.5-inch) tartlet shells and divide the curd among the parbaked tartlet shells. Bake the filled tartlets for 10-15 minutes or as needed.
Blood Orange Bars
Prepare the recipe in an 8x8-inch square pan for blood orange bars. Follow the instructions and timing from my gluten-free lemon bars recipe for the method.
Blood Orange Tart for Everyone
Here, blood orange curd filling captures the intriguing flavors of winter citrus in a creamy tart contained within a crisp, buttery crust. I dislike citrus tarts that are overly sweet or eggy, but this formula uses just enough egg to set the curd, just enough sugar to tame the tart citrus, and enough butter to give the curd creamy body that holds its shape when cut.
If you lack a tart pan with removable bottom, you can bake this in an 8" square pan lined with a sling of parchment paper for blood orange bars. Gussy these up with a dusting of powdered sugar and cut into squares to serve.
And if serving this to squeamish guests, take a tip from some clever citrus growers and tell them it's a 'sangria orange' tart.
More Blood Orange Recipes
- Warm Brownie Cakes with Blood Orange Reduction
- Blood Orange Rum Punch
- Gluten-Free Ricotta Cake with Blood Oranges
- Blood Orange Creme Brulee
- Blood Orange Upside-Down Cake
All the Citrus Tarts & Pies
- Vegan Key Lime Pie
- Lemon Tart (gluten-free option)
- Gluten-Free Lime Curd Tart
- Gluten-Free Lemon Pomegranate Tart
- Lemon Mascarpone Tart
- Rustic Citrus Almond Tart
- Gluten-Free Citrus Ricotta Tart
- Gluten-Free Lemon Bars
- Grapefruit Curd Tart (in Alternative Baker)
More Citrus Dessert Recipes
- GF Lemon Bars
- Lemon-Lavender Pound Cakelets, with Mascarpone Cream
- Citrus Cornmeal Poundcake
- Satsuma, Ginger and Oat Scones
- Winter Citrus Salad with Walnuts, Dates & Rose
- Rustic Citrus Almond Tart
- Find all my favorite citrus recipes here!
*Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this blood orange tart recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.*
Blood Orange Tart
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 prebaked 9-inch almond flour tart crust
- 10 tablespoons Vermont Creamery unsalted cultured butter, diced
- 1 tablespoon finely-grated blood orange zest
- 1 cup strained blood orange juice
- ¼ cup strained lemon juice
- 1 cup organic granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
Optional for topping the tart:
- ½ cup Vermont Creamery crème fraîche
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- blood orange wedges, bee pollen, and/or dried calendula, for decorating
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Prepare, parbake, and press the tart crust as directed. Lower the oven temperature to 325ºF.
- Place the butter and blood orange zest in a heatproof bowl. Place a mesh strainer over the bowl and set aside.
- In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the sugar, salt, eggs, and egg yolks to combine. Gradually whisk in the blood orange juice and lemon juice until combined.
- Place the pot over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a heatproof silicone spatula, until the mixture thickens slightly and reaches 160-165ºF on an instant-read thermometer, 5–10 minutes. As you stir, be sure to scrape the entire bottom and corners of the pan, so that the mixture heats as evenly as possible. It will start out thick and cloudy from the undissolved sugar, then will turn thin and translucent, and finally begin to thicken and turn cloudy again as the eggs cook. Lower the heat to very low as it gets closer to being done. If the mixture starts to curdle or bubble, immediately remove it from the heat and proceed to the next step.
- Immediately pour the curd through the strainer and into the bowl of butter to stop the cooking. Whisk to incorporate the butter and orange zest, making sure there are no clumps of orange zest.
- Pour the cooked curd over the baked and pressed down crust. If you have extra curd, you can save it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It's delicious swirled into yogurt or slathered on toast or biscuits.
- Bake the tart at 325ºF (don’t forget to lower the oven temp!) until the sides are barely puffed and the center wobbles like firm Jell-O when you give it a gentle shake, 15–25 minutes. (Some readers have reported that the curd took longer than this to bake, so go by the way it looks and not the time!) It should not be wet or watery looking (underbaked), nor should it be puffed in the center or cracking (overbaked). Remove the tart from the oven and let cool to room temperature for about an hour, then chill until firm, 3-4 hours or overnight.
- Whip together the crème fraiche and heavy cream until the mixture holds firm peaks. Pipe over the crust if you like, or serve it to the side of the tart.
- When the tart is cold, loosen and remove the sides of the tart crust and slide it onto a cutting board. Decorate the tart with blood orange wedges, bee pollen, and/or dried edible flower petals if you like.
- Cut into wedges with a large, sharp chef's knife. For the cleanest cuts, dip the knife in very hot water and wipe the blade clean between cuts.
- The tart keeps well, refrigerated, for up to 3 days, though the crust is the crispest within the first 1–2 days.
Jessa says
I always thought of blood oranges as being the whole fruit equivalent of an orange sunrise (orange juice with grenadine). I bet this tart is spectacular (and I love press-in crusts)!
Do you think this would work with grapefruit? I am currently obsessed.
alanna says
I'm sure it would - I love grapefruit, too!
Adam says
What's the cooking temperature??!!
Alanna says
350, same as the crust. Sorry for the confusion - I've updated the recipe to clarify.
Genevieve Rohan says
Really loved this recipe! I made it using a pan without a removable bottom (as a traditional tart pan has) and it was a bit hardener removing the pieces intact. The flavor and texture of this tart was wonderful. I had no problem with the filling as I waited until the 170 degree was reached even tho I don't see the liquid get too much thicker. I think the butter and resting time of the filling is key. Lovely recipe! Thank you.
Alanna says
I'm so glad it was a success!
Alex says
Just made this anf while I haven’t yet cut into it I was a bit disappointed with the surface finish. My tart filling at 350° was boiling leaving behind a mottled and rough surface not the smooth one in your picture. it never did puff up as described. I’m sure it will taste good but not sure what happened there.
Alanna says
Hi Alex, I'm sorry you had trouble with the baking of this tart! It sounds like it was overbaked if the filling was bubbling and mottled. I'll update the recipe to give a range of baking time. I'm not sure why it wouldn't have puffed up first though - that's a bit of a mystery to me. If you make it again, I would suggest lowering your oven temperature to 325º and keeping a close eye on it for the visual cues (wobbly curd when you give it a shake). If you don't have one already, I'd also recommend getting an oven thermometer to find out if your oven runs hot. Thanks a bunch for the note!
Sarah says
Could I use plant butter for the filling? I'm making this for a friend who is dairy free.
Alanna says
Yes, that should work! If you can find an unsalted plant butter, that would be ideal. I like Miyoko's cultured butter the best. Please let me know how it turns out!
Victoria says
The ingredient list doesn't say salt, but the instructions say to add the sugar, salt, and lemon juice together. Is this a typo? How much salt am I supposed to add and what kind?
Alanna says
Thank you for catching that typo! I've added it into the recipe - it's 1/8 teaspoon. Please let me know how you like it!
Johanna says
How much salt? Not listed in ingredients but mentioned within instructions.
Alanna says
Thank you for catching that typo! I've added it into the recipe - it's 1/8 teaspoon. Please let me know how you like it!
L says
It's not often a Facebook ad grabs me.
Yours did. I'm so glad I made this. Holy Hannah it was worth juicing all those oranges by hand.
Thanks for sharing.
Alanna says
I'm so glad you found your way here and that you loved this recipe!
Mandy VanHook says
After seeing this pop up on my fb feed a dozen times, I decided to make it. The color of mine ended up a dull and unappetizing clay color. Hubby loved the taste though so I'll call that a win. My blood oranges were very rich in color so I'm not sure what happened.
Alanna says
Hi Mandy! Thank you for trying my recipe and for the feedback. I'm glad the flavor was great, though I'm sorry to hear about the color! Were your blood oranges more purple than orange? I've found that I get a brighter color when they are more on the orange side for whatever reason. I believe it's the egg yolks that change the color. It does always look more muted once it's baked.
If you make it again, you could add some extra color in the form of a handful of crushed raspberries, or a bit of beet juice or beet powder, or some cranberry compote if you happened to have some on hand. They can go in with the curd and then get strained out at the end if applicable. None will effect the flavor much. Let me know if you experiment!
Sara says
Hi! Going to try this tart today! For the piped crème fraiche, how far ahead of time can you pipe it? I’m taking to a friend’s for dinner and would love to decorate before going over but want the decorations to look as good as possible. Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I think it should be fine to pipe ahead! The creme fraiche helps it hold its shape well. Just make sure you whip it to firm peaks. Let me know how it turns out!
Sara says
It turned out great! I overwhipped the cream a bit so it didn’t pipe as smooth as I would have liked but the piping kept its shape really well for hours. It was delicious and a huge hit!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad it was a hit and that the whipped creme fraiche kept its shape well! Here's a trick I learned in pastry school for overwhipped cream: add a few tablespoons more cold, unwhipped heavy cream and gently fold it in. This should smooth it back out; if not, add a little more. Works like a charm!
Martha says
I made this exactly as written except my curd took much longer to set in the oven (and my oven temp is accurate). With that being said, I watched it accordingly to the instructions and it came out perfectly. Don’t use your finger to touch the center for a test- you’ll leave a fingerprint!! It was absolutely gorgeous and super delicious.
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Aw thank you for the note, Martha! That's good to know that the curd took longer to set in the oven! Do you know how long it took? I'll update the recipe with that info!