Vegan Lemon Curd

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 litreally 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. 

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 and vegan lemon bars. 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! (Be sure to try my self-saucing lemon puddings too ;O)

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 flavour 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 favourite 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:

1. Fresh lemon juice & lemon zest - For zippy flavour and tartness.
2. Sugar - For sweetness and structure. Use white sugar or cane sugar. Darker sugar will affect the colour and taste of the lemon curd.
3. 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.
4. 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. 
5. Turmeric - To boost that lovely yellow colour. It's just a tiny but and you can’t taste it in the finished curd.
6. 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. 
7. Salt - because a pinch of salt makes everything better whether savoury or sweet!

How to make Vegan Lemon Curd

This recipe comes together really quickly and easily. Here's how it's done:

1. Mix the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a small saucepan.
2. Add everything else except the butter. 
3. Whisk over low/medium heat until the curd thicken and can easily coat the back of a metal spoon.
4. 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

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

Recipe