The best and easiest Vegan Lemon Curd recipe! This eggless lemon curd is just 5 ingredients and made in 10 minutes! It's tangy and sweet, smooth and creamy, plus it's dairy-free, gluten-free, keto, and sugar-free! This healthy homemade spread is perfect for baked goods like scones and biscuits, even pancakes and tarts!
It's the sweet and tangy spread you've been dreaming of, but now it's eggless and completely vegan! Healthy vegan lemon curd without egg yolks or butter? Sign me up! It's one of those simple spreads that can be used for so many things! From biscuits and scones to pancakes and waffles, even if you've never had it you'll find way more uses than you could have imagined!
What is Lemon Curd?
You can swap out "lemon" for any citrus fruit or even berry! It's a sweet and tangy dessert spread that's typically made with citrus fruit juice, egg yolks, sugar, even a little zest, and butter, depending on the application. Cooked over heat until smooth and creamy and as it cools it thickens into a perfect spread! It's a condiment that dates back to 19th-20th century England and was used for scones and bread as an alternative to jam at afternoon teas or it was used as a filling for tarts and small pastries.
Curd vs. Jam?
When making a curd, you're only using the juice of the fruit and not the entire whole fruit, like with a raspberry jam, blueberry jam, strawberry jam. The same goes for fruit butter, jellies, and preserves. Curds differ from custards with their high juice content and bolder juicer taste, unlike a custard which can even be eaten on its own, unlike a fruit curd.
Ingredients for Vegan Lemon Curd
- Full Fat Unsweetened Coconut Milk: The FULL-FAT coconut milk provides the creamy emulsification that you'd typically get from egg yolks and butter. It keeps the eggless lemon curd creamy and won't curdle on the stove while you're cooking it. You can swap the full-fat coconut milk with light canned coconut milk or another non-dairy milk of choice. However, your curd may need more starch OR you can add 2-3 tablespoons of vegan butter spread to make up for the lack of fat.
- Lemon Juice: FRESH squeezed lemon juice, please! If you use a bottled lemon juice, you may end up with a sub-par metallic type of lemon taste. Some fresh, sweet, tangy, zesty, and super juicy lemons are essential! You can also add in lemon zest if you want that added zing, however, I wanted the smoothest possible curd.
- Granulated Sweetener: To keep this curd healthy and sugar-free, even paleo, low-carb, and keto-friendly, you can use a sugar-free granulated sweetener like Swerve, or you can go all in and use any type of granulated sugar you're heart desires!
- Starch: This helps thicken the eggless curd and you have the option of using your typical cornstarch or arrowroot starch!
- Turmeric: Turmeric is for color only. You don't have to include it, but since you're not getting any yellow color for egg yolks, your curd will look a bit...off. So, if you want a vibrant yellow lemon curd, it's a must!
Benefits of Making it From Scratch
With only 5 ingreindts, this recipe is so easy to make slight modifications to and kept it allergy-friendly! Your healthy lemon curd is or can be...
- Gluten-Free
- Vegan & Vegetarian
- Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Corn-Free)
- Sugar-Free or Low-Sugar
- Paleo, Grain-Free
- Low-Carb & Keto
- No Stabilizers or Preservatives
- Easy & Quick, Perfect to Make-Ahead and Meal Prep
How to Make Eggless Lemon Curd
- Whisk together the sweetener and starch in a pot.
- Turn the heat on medium and add the lemon juice, turmeric, and zest if you're using it.
- Slowly pour in the coconut milk and mix it all together until the mixture thickens up.
Additional Tips and Tricks
- When you add the sweetener and starch, make sure you really whisk it together well before adding in any liquid. This will reduce the occurrence of lumps of starch stuck together! Alternatively, you can sift in the starch, like you would flour for a cake.
- Don't be alarmed if your curd doesn't seem thick enough, even after 5-10 minutes of cooking. The curd WILL thicken up once it cools. If it's still SUPER liquidy, you may have made an error so carefully add, 1 teaspoon at a time, of extra starch.
- Want to jazz up your lemon curd? Add in ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract or even lemon extract for a super intense lemon flavor!
- You can swap the full-fat coconut milk with light canned coconut milk or another non-dairy milk of choice. Your curd may need more starch to thicken properly OR you can add 2-3 tablespoons of vegan butter spread to make up for the lack of fat.
- Allow the curd to cool completely at room temperature before transferring it into a glass jar or airtight container. Store it in the fridge for up 2 weeks for freshness.
- If you'd like to freeze it, store it in a freezer-safe container with at least ½ inch of space from the top of the container. Freeze for up to 3 months for quality. Thaw it in the fridge before overnight or until defrosted.
How to Use Your Homemade Lemon Curd
Your eggless lemon curd is best eaten at room temperature or slightly chilled from the fridge! There are so many yummy uses for this spread starting with
- Topping or Spread: Instead of using jam or jelly, use this curd on biscuits, with scones, on gluten-free toast or quick bread, muffins, even with pancakes, waffles, and french toast! It would be great with some blueberry pancakes for that classic fruity blueberry-lemon combo!
- Filling: You can use it for filling tarts, pastries, cakes, cupcakes, and pies! Add a bit more starch and you can use it for perfect vegan lemon bars!
- Straight From the Jar: Don't feel weird if you just grab and spoon and sneak a midnight scoop from the jar! It's a perfect sweet and tangy pick-me-up! You can also swirl it into some dairy-free yogurt or make a fruit parfait!
Vegan Lemon Curd (Eggless, Dairy-Free, Keto)
The best and easiest Vegan Lemon Curd recipe! This eggless lemon curd is just 5 ingredients and made in 10 minutes! It's tangy and sweet, smooth and creamy, plus its dairy-free, gluten-free, keto, and sugar-free! This healthy homemade spread is perfect for baked goods like scones and biscuits, even pancakes and tarts!
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 5 Minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 Cup 1x
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Granulated Sweetener (or preferred granulated sugar)
- 2 TB Corn Starch or Arrowroot Starch
- ¼ Tsp Ground Turmeric
- ½ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Cup Full-Fat Unsweetened Canned Coconut Milk
- 1-2 Tsp Lemon Zest (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium non-stick saucepan, whisk together the sweetener and starch so there are no clumps.
- Add in the turmeric, lemon juice, and optional lemon zest, before turning the heat on the stove to medium. Mix everything together until combined and the sugar has melted.
- Slowly pour in the coconut milk and continue stirring until you have a smooth, uniformly colored mixture. Stir the mixture every minute or so until it thickens (about 5-7 minutes).
- Remove the lemon curd from the heat and allow it to cool before transferring it to a jar or airtight container. Store in the fridge, up to 2 weeks, until ready to use.
Notes
- The curd will thicken up even more as it cools. If it seems too liquidy, you may have made an error, so carefully add 1 teaspoon at a time, of extra starch.
- If swapping the full-fat coconut milk with light canned coconut milk or another non-dairy milk of choice, your curd may need more starch to thicken properly OR you can add 2-3 tablespoons of vegan butter spread to make up for the lack of fat.
- If you'd like to freeze leftover curd, store it in a freezer-safe container with at least ½ inch of space from the top of the container. Freeze for up to 3 months for quality. Thaw it in the fridge before overnight or until defrosted.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Tablespoon
Keywords: vegan lemon curd, eggless lemon curd, dairy-free lemon curd, sugar-free lemon curd
Now go grab yourself some fresh juicy lemons and make this eggless lemon curd asap!
Have leftover lemons? Try these lemon recipes!
So tell me:
+ What will you use this simple sweet condiment on first?
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Freya
Such a great vegan recipe! I miss lemon curd, but now I can try it again!!
★★★★★
Rebecca Pytell
Right? And who knew it could be so easy to make egg-free!
Natalia
I’m always on the lookout for vegan recipes, and this lemon curd looks absolutely delicious. So glad I saw your recipe! Bookmarked, thanks so much for this :-))
Rebecca Pytell
Enjoy!
Stephanie
I've always loved lemon curd, but I've never attempted to make it at home. Now I'm really curious how it would turn out for me. This recipe sounds amazing!
Rebecca Pytell
This is super easy to whip up! Nothing to be scared of!
LaRena Fry
So cool that this is vegan. Looks stunning and delicious! Can't wait to try it.
★★★★★
Rebecca Pytell
I hope you enjoy!
Kevin
This is a very simple recipe. Coconut milk makes everything taste great. It looks delicious. Definitely gonna try it. Will tag you on Pinterest.
★★★★★
Rebecca Pytell
You don't taste coconut.