My take on the English classic - From scratch, super easy vegan lemon curd that's ready in only 10 minutes and made with no eggs! It's deliciously, intensely, mouth-puckeringly tart, but sweet all at the same time and so lusciously smooth and creamy!
Dear friends. Let’s talk. It’s nearly the end of summer. Gone in the blink of an eye and I’m already contemplating turning the heat on low. But, before we move on to pumpkin spice and all things nice, let’s have one last burst of bright yellow sunshine.
Enter Vegan Lemon Curd. It’s amazing and takes literally 10 minutes to make. 2 of that is putting things in a pan, the other 7 or 8 is stirring it all gently until it’s turned into luscious, lemon magic.
Recipe video
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And the best part? Dolloping it onto lemon desserts, spreading it on thick slice of crusty bread with lots of vegan butter, or adding it to baked goods like my vegan lemon muffins. Either spread on, or bake it up inside. So good!
It’s thick, rich, soft, smooth, mouth-puckeringly tart but sweet all at the same time and it is OMG delicious. The absolute perfect combination of lightness and richness. The texture...I really cannot get enough. If you are a lemon lover this is the recipe for you!
What is lemon curd?
Lemon curd is an old fashioned English recipe that is thought to date back to the 1800s. It is a sharp, sweet, rich, creamy, decadent spread, that is traditionally made by cooking citrus fruit juice with egg yolks, butter and sugar. The flavor comes from the fruit juice and sugar and the eggs thicken it like they do when you make something like custard. The butter is added at the end to provide extra richness and silkiness.
If you have been around for a while you will know that I am British, and I grew up eating lemon curd as an alternative to jam on bread, warm toast and crumpets. It was always one of my favorite things and I’ve been desperate to make a vegan version that tastes just as good as the original. And this eggless lemon curd recipe is it!
Ingredient notes
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
Wondering how to make lemon curd without eggs? Well I've got you! All you need to make my egg-free lemon curd are some basic ingredients. Here is what we’ve got going on and why:
- Fresh lemon juice & lemon zest - For zippy flavor and tartness.
- Sugar - For sweetness and structure. Use white sugar or cane sugar. Darker sugar will affect the color and taste of the lemon curd.
- Corn starch (cornflour in the UK) - Something you won’t find in traditional recipes, but used here to replace the eggs and thicken the curd.
- Light coconut milk - Eggs not only thicken, they provide richness. Light coconut milk helps to replace that richness in a eggless and dairy-free lemon curd recipe. Light coconut milk because we don’t want our curd to taste of coconut.
- Turmeric - To boost that lovely yellow color. It's just a tiny but and you can’t taste it in the finished curd.
- Vegan butter - Just like in traditional versions, butter is used to add extra richness and glossiness. As this is a dairy-free lemon curd we are using dairy-free vegan butter. You can omit the butter if you prefer to eat oil-free. It’s still really good without it, but if you aren’t watching your oil intake I highly recommend adding it for that extra bit of decadence.
- Salt - because a pinch of salt makes everything better whether savory or sweet!
How to make Vegan Lemon Curd
This recipe comes together really quickly and easily. Here's how it's done:
- Mix the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a small saucepan.
- Add everything else except the butter.
- Whisk over low/medium heat until the curd thicken and can easily coat the back of a metal spoon.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the vegan butter.
That's all there is to it. It’s really hard not to eat it straight from the pan. Even hot it’s incredibly good. Just be careful if you sneak a taste as with all of that sugar it is super hot and can burn your mouth.
How to store
Vegan lemon curd will last for about 2 weeks if stored in a sealed container in the fridge. Preferably a glass jar. It will thicken more as it cools and will keep well for about 2 weeks. Once it's been in the fridge for a while, a little watery looking liquid on the top is normal. You can pour it off or stir it in. I haven't tried freezing it. If you try it let me know in the comments how it works out!
Success tips
For optimum results when making eggless lemon curd:
- Use real lemons. The bottled juice is nowhere near as flavorful.
- Don’t reduce the sugar. It provides, sweetness, flavor and structure.
- When you buy your lemons, don’t refrigerate them - You’ll get more juice and flavor if they stay at room temperature. Give them a firm roll under your hand, on the counter top before juicing them. This helps them to release more juice.
- Feel the lemons when you buy them. Choose the ones that feel heaviest. They contain more juice than the lighter ones.
- I recommend using organic lemons because non-organic lemons tend to be coated in wax and we are using a lot of zest in this recipe.
- Make sure the zest is very fine. I recommend using a microplane. If it’s fine, once it’s cooked you barely even notice it. Large pieces of zest might be a little unpleasant and would require straining.
- For best results add the optional butter. It makes this lemon curd unbelievably rich and creamy.
- Don’t leave the curd unattended while it’s cooking. It will go from smooth to lumpy in the blink of an eye. You must keep stirring it constantly.
Make vegan lime curd or vegan orange curd
Adapt this recipe to make vegan lime curd or vegan orange curd by simply swapping the lemon juice and zest for lime or lemon juice and zest. Grapefruit is a great alternative too!
Lemon curd uses
Vegan lemon curd is guaranteed to brighten up any breakfast, tea or dessert. Here are some suggestions for ways to use it:
- Spread on buttered bread, toast or English Muffins just like you would jam.
- As a filling for cakes, muffins and cupcakes. Try it in my Victoria Sponge Cake instead of jam (the recipe for the cake is in my cookbook Vegan Comfort Cooking).
- On my Vegan New York Cheesecake
- As a filling for Vegan English Pancakes or crepes
- Dolloped on American style thick, fluffy pancakes
- On waffles, French toast or scones
- In vegan lemon muffins
- Use instead of or a well as custard in a vegan trifle
- Stirred through vegan yogurt and top with raspberries, blackberries or strawberries for breakfast or dessert
- Dolloped on vegan vanilla ice cream
- Spread on a digestive biscuit
- Stir through vegan cream cheese to make a delicious frosting
- Dollop on aquafaba meringue or pavlova with whipped coconut cream for a decadent dessert
- Use to make lemon meringue pie, lemon tart or Danish pastries
Whatever you dollop it on though, this ridiculously lemony treat is here to see your summer out, and my oh my …. What a way to go!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Lemon Curd
Author:
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (32 grams) corn starch (cornflour in the UK)
- 1½ cup (300 grams) sugar , either white granulated or cane sugar
- 1 cup (240 mls) lemon juice , freshly squeezed not from a bottle (roughly about 5 or 6 lemons)
- 1 cup (240 mls) light canned coconut milk , not full fat
- ½ cup (120 mls) water
- 2 lemons zest of
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter , OPTIONAL
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add the sugar and cornstarch to a pan and gradually add the lemon juice, stirring as you go to work out any lumps.
- Add all of the other ingredients except the butter.
- Get a metal spoon and place it somewhere within reach of your stove top.
- Place the pan over a medium low heat and whisk or stir constantly (don't stop as otherwise lumps will form) until it starts to thicken. Once it gets hot and thickens, use the metal spoon to test it. Dip the spoon in then lift it out, and once the curd can easily coat the back of the spoon and not just run off it is done. Turn off the heat as soon as it reaches that stage otherwise it will end up too thick.
- With the pan still off the heat, add the optional butter and whisk in until well combined then immediately pour into jars and allow to cool.
NOTES
- Use real lemons. The bottled juice is nowhere near as flavorful.
- Don’t reduce the sugar. It provides, sweetness, flavor and structure.
- When you buy your lemons, don’t refrigerate them - You’ll get more juice and flavor if they stay at room temperature. Give them a firm roll under your hand, on the counter top before juicing them. This helps them to release more juice.
- Feel the lemons when you buy them. Choose the ones that feel heaviest. They contain more juice than the lighter ones.
- I recommend using organic lemons because non-organic lemons tend to be coated in wax and we are using a lot of zest in this recipe.
- Make sure the zest is very fine. I recommend using a microplane. If it’s fine, once it’s cooked you barely even notice it. Large pieces of zest might be a little unpleasant and would require straining.
- For best results add the optional butter. It makes this lemon curd unbelievably rich and creamy.
- Don’t leave the curd unattended while it’s cooking. It will go from smooth to lumpy in the blink of an eye. You must keep stirring it constantly.
How to store Vegan lemon curd will last for about 2 weeks if stored in a sealed container in the fridge. Preferably a glass jar. It will thicken more as it cools and will keep well for about 2 weeks. Once it's been in the fridge for a while, a little watery looking liquid on the top is normal. You can pour it off or stir it in. I haven't tried freezing it. If you try it let me know in the comments how it works out!
Nutritional information is calculated with the optional vegan butter.
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
BeeH says
so tomorrow May 10th it's Mother's Day and I'm going to see my mom after a couple of months, trying to protect her and I'll be sure to to be cautious. She loves desserts. . I'm in the middle of making your Earl Grey tea cake. I saw. I can make it even more decadent with lemon curd. I'm not much of a baker and I'm always following all recipes to the T, the cakes are cooling and waiting to be frosted. your lemon curd is amazing I've never tried to make any but this recipe is the best I will late you know about the cake, once is assembled and frosted.. Thank you so much. I like everything with lemon ? taste and this recipe is a keeper.. Absolutely outstanding ??
Joal Lillegard says
My daughter is allergic to corn so I'm wondering about a substitue. Would arrowroot or tapioca flour work without compromising the texture?
A Virtual Vegan says
I think arrowroot would work fine. But, you might need a little less. It's hard to say how much exactly without having tried it. I think I'd be inclined to try 4 tablespoons and see how you go. It does firm up once it chills so even if it looks a bit thin while hot it should be ok.
Nikita Vaghela says
Hi. I tried this recipe and use the lemon curd a filling for cake. It was delicious. I used fridge stored lemon curd. It got too thick. But the taste was same as the fresh one.
Angela says
I made this for the first time yesterday and I am so impressed! It was so simple to make and it is the perfect consistency. If you didn’t tell anyone it was vegan, they really wouldn’t know - amazing!
.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you're enjoying the recipe Angela and thanks so much for stopping by to leave a rating/review!
Jan says
Fab recipe. I added an extra spoon of cornflour to thicken it enough to fill a cake without soaking into the sponge. It went a bit too thick and set into a jelly. I remedied this by adding boiling water, a little at a time, mixing with a hand held electric whisk until I got the consistency I needed.
A Virtual Vegan says
I really need to make a cake and use this as a filling. I can only imagine how good it is!
Jan Watkins says
Lovely with fresh raspberries in a vegan lemon sponge cake.
A Virtual Vegan says
Sounds amazing! Glad you're enjoying the recipe!
Sam says
Is it possible to use Stevia or Monk Fruit sugar instead of regular sugar?
I have been looking for this recipe for a very long time, I could remember part of the recipe but not all. We use to make it when I was a kid and use if for lemon meringue pie, tarts, etc. There is nothing like it, this is the best. Thank you so much.
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't tried it because I don't ever buy sweeteners like those, but I highly doubt it would work without some major overhauling. Sugar isn't just for sweetness. It provides structure. In this it helps thicken and give the right texture. If you try it though come back and let us know. It might help someone else wanting to know the same thing!
Emel says
Can I replace coconut milk with oat milk?
A Virtual Vegan says
Light coconut milk is the best option. It's creamier and richer than oat milk and that's needed when we aren't including the eggs which would usually be in it. It doesn't taste of coconut at all if that's what you're worried about. Oat milk will technically work but the recipe won't be at its best. You might need a little less if it's thinner than canned light coconut milk too. It's hard to say without trying it though.
Paula Alexander says
This recipe is wonderful! A great lemon flavor! We used almond milk in place of coconut milk and it turned out wonderful! Thanks for the recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you are enjoying it!
Shani says
For years i've been dying to taste that old lemon curd my mom used to make when we were kids. I tried your recipe, and -oh my gosh- thank you so much. Seriously. I never thought i could find again this sweet lemony moment. Your recipe is sooooooo easy and so tasty. Don't know what else to add. My comment is kind of useless, i know, but i think i just wanted to say "thank you" and shout it everywhere haha.
Regards,
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you are enjoying the recipe Shani. Your comment isn't useless because it helps other people see that the recipe is worth trying, so thank you!
Rebecca says
Hello lovely! I have been dying to make lemon tarts with this curd, and am hoping you can offer some advice. I heard that the store brand frozen tart shells at superstore are vegan, so I’m planning on saving some time by using them (don’t tell my Nan!!). I assume that I bake them for a bit, then add the curd and bake some more? Can you suggest how long to cook them for the second go about?
Thanks a million!
A Virtual Vegan says
It will make the best lemon tarts! Quite a lot of the store bought pastry shells tend to be accidentally vegan which is convenient.
I actually don't think this lemon curd will need any baking at all. I would cook the pastry shells first so they are golden, and then make the lemon curd with 2 extra tablespoons of cornstarch, then just fill the cooked pastry shells with it once it's at or almost at room temperature. Pop them in the fridge and it will set enough to be sliceable/eatable as it is. Hope that helps and enjoy!
Teresa says
I was wondering if you knew why my lemon curd became like gelatin after I left it in the fridge overnight? Besides that, I loved the recipe!
Lizette says
I'm glad I found this recipe. I want to make cupcakes for my granddaughter and wanted something else besides chocolate for a filling. This is just perfect. Thanks so much!
A Virtual Vegan says
It will be really good in cupcakes. I hope she enjoys them!
Robert says
Easy to make and tastes amazing. Reminds me of living in the UK .
Jeanette says
This sounds delicious. I loved lemon curd growing up in England. My mother used to make it. I can't wait to try this vegan recipe. I think I will put it in small jars and can it. There is probably too much for little ol me to eat in two weeks.
Melanie McDonald says
I hope you enjoy it!
Denise says
Delicious. Worked perfectly and tastes divine. Would you be able to freeze this?
Melanie McDonald says
Glad you enjoyed it! As for freezing I don't know. It's not something I've tried. I would think it should be ok but there is a chance the texture would suffer or it would get a bit watery as it defrosts. Maybe try with a tiny bit as a test?
Gary says
Made it, loved it. it's incredible. Thanks so much!
Sharon says
Wow! amazing vegan lemon curd recipe. Just how I remembered it!