Vegan lemon curd -a sweet, creamy, intensely lemony spread that is totally vegan and ready in under ten minutes!
I first made this lemon curd some time ago now to fill my vegan lemon curd layer cake, but I felt like it deserved it’s own recipe post.
Recently Damian has been trying to cut down on dairy as it isn’t very good for his stomach (a problem that a lot of people have I think), so I have been trying to join him. Seeing as I am already vegetarian, this has meant that I have been making a lot more vegan recipes so expect to see more of them on here!
It is amazing just how good this vegan lemon curd is, even without all of the eggs and butter that the original variety is made with. It is just as creamy and intensely lemony and is even quicker and easier to make in fact!
The curd comes together in under ten minutes and there is no need to worry about ending up with lemon flavoured scrambled eggs instead of curd as is is thickened with cornflour instead of eggs.
You don’t need any fancy ingredients to make it, unless you count almond milk and vegan spread as fancy; although they are both so ubiquitous these days that I really don’t regard them as such.
This vegan lemon curd is utterly addictive; despite the fact that it will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge, it never lasts for more than a couple of days in my house… It is also incredibly versatile and can be used for so many different delicious things; why not try it:
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- spread on toast, muffins or scones
- with crepes or pancakes
- swirled into (vegan) yogurt or ice cream
- to make lemon tarts
- on top of a pavlova (use aquafaba to make a vegan meringue and top with coconut whipped cream)
- to fill a cake or cupcakes
- or just eat it straight from the jar with a spoon…
How To Make Vegan Lemon Curd:
Place the lemon zest and cornflour in a pan. Gradually whisk in the water to make a smooth paste then whisk in the lemon juice and sugar.
Place over a medium-low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook the curd whilst stirring until it becomes very thick.
Turn the heat down to low and add the almond milk and vegan spread, stir until melted and smooth then remove from the heat and pour into sterilised jars.
The curd is best stored in sterilised jars. To do this, just before you begin making the curd, heat your oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1. Wash the jars and lids well in hot soapy water, rinse them thoroughly then place the jars on their sides and the lids upside-down on a baking tray then place the tray in the oven.
Leave the jars in the oven to dry while you make the curd then carefully pour the hot curd into the hot jars (never pour hot curd into cold jars or vice versa or they may crack), place the lids on and leave to cool before putting them in the fridge.
If you like this recipe, then I also have a recipe for vegan blood orange curd that you might want to check out!
Vegan Lemon Curd Recipe:
Vegan Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- finely grated zest of 2 lemons (optional - omit for a smooth curd)
- 3 Tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 100 ml (1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp) water
- juice of 4 large lemons (about 200ml)
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or soya milk)
- 70 g (4 Tbsp) vegan spread (or use coconut oil)
Instructions
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Place the lemon zest and cornflour in a non-reactive pan (such as stainless steel). Gradually whisk in the water to make a smooth paste then whisk in the lemon juice and sugar.
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Place over a medium-low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook the curd whilst stirring until it becomes very thick.
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Turn the heat down to low and add the almond milk and vegan spread, stir until melted and smooth then remove from the heat.
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Pour the hot lemon curd into a couple of clean (preferably sterilized) jars. Seal them and place in the fridge overnight to set before serving. Store in the refrigerator and use within a couple of weeks.
I originally made this vegan lemon curd for DIYs, check them out for some awesome craft and recipe ideas.
Very clever Hannah. Hard to make vegan food appealing but you have managed to
I’m going to try this for (vegan) Pancake Day! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m really really loving this! As soon as I saw the first picture here, I rolled my eyes at myself because I knew that I would not be able to stop myself from making a big fat batch of lemon bars with your recipe! I remember trying to make lemon curd with a non-vegan friend a few years ago by simply replacing all of the egg with flax eggs, and it was an absolute disaster. I thought that maybe lemon bars just weren’t possible, but here you are with this beautiful curd! Boo ya!
Were you able to use this for lemon bars? I had great success with it as a spread but haven’t tried to use it in a lemon bar recipe.
Hi! I haven’t personally tried using this recipe for lemon bars but I get the feeling that the curd would not set firm enough.
What a handy recipe to have on hand!
Lemon curd is so delicious, great that you can make a vegan version of this!
What a great dessert!! Good luck with dairy free recipes! I am df since my newborn is allergic, and while I’m nursing I’m still trying to enjoy a little of everything… this is a great treat!!
I love lemon curd this is so cool that you made it vegan. I enjoy anything lemony. This will work great for cake filling as it’s nice and thick.
Love that this is vegan! I never make lemon curd because I don’t like the amount of eggs that goes into it. Your version looks great!
WOW, this looks delicious! And you can do it in ten minutes? I’m trying this RIGHT NOW.
This lemon curd seems so palatable and finger-licking! Can I use coconut milk instead of almond milk?
Yes, coconut milk (or any dairy-free milk I think) will work here 🙂
Hi Hannah. Just made this. Tastes amazing but mine came out green! I added a tiny bit of turmeric thinking it would enhance the colour so maybe thats why it happened! Has this ever happened to you? yours is such a beautiful yellow in the pics!
Hi Laelia, oh goodness! No, that’s never happened to me before. It could be that the lemon juice reacted with the pan that you used – did you use either a plain aluminium or unlined copper pan? The acid in the lemon can react with these which could have caused the green colour; acidic foods should always be prepared in a non-reactive pan such as stainless steel. Apologies, I should have specified that in the recipe, I’ve updated it now. If it isn’t down to the pan then it may well have been the turmeric, I haven’t tried adding it before though so I can’t say for sure!
Hi, yes after some research I found it was the pan! So gross. Was such a horrible green colour! I am attempting to make it again now with another pan…
I had no idea you could make lemon curd without eggs to help thicken it, so this is very interesting, it looks luscious and I can imagine it’s just as good as the regular stuff I am familiar with!
I made this tonight, so easy and it came out just perfectly. Thank you.
What is the consistency of this lemon curd. I made it and although it tastes good, it looks like glar and is very gel like and stretchy.
Hi Maria, it should be smooth and spreadable; I’m not sure why it would have a stretchy consistency. Did you use arrowroot in place of cornflour?
I have the same experience as Maria in that it came out looking slightly transparent and feeling kind of ‘glue-ey’. Since I used it in a vegan buttercreme it didn’t matter and worked fine, but it sure looked weird. And yes, I used Arrowroot. I now bought corn flour and will try it the original way to see if that makes a difference.
How long does the curd last for? Can it be left at room temperature or should it be refrigerated? Thanks
Hi Ashleigh, the curd needs to be stored in the fridge and eaten within a couple of weeks. You may find that it separates a little after a day or two but it just needs to be stirred before serving.
I’m not even vegan but cannot eat eggs, I love butter but for an egg free lemoncurd I’ll forgo the butter! I’m definitely going to give this a try!
Wonderful! It is indiscernable to “real” lemon curd, IMO. And it was so easy to make. Mine turned out less yellow, I think because I used only a smidge of lemon zest. We had this with vegan (mock) clotted cream (that I sort of invented) and scones…in honor of the Royal Wedding. Delicious, thanks for the recipe.
Can i replace the cornflour with just normal flour?
Hi Samantha, I don’t think that regular flour will work as well here, you definitely need to use cornflour for the best texture. I think that Arrowroot would also work if you can’t have cornflour.
I just made this recipe and it really taste great! It’s not quite as “heavy” as curd made with eggs and butter, but I think I like it better this way. Feels lighter and more fresh 🙂
I am in need of an eggless curd for a wedding cake filling, and this looks great! However, it doesn’t have to be completely vegan for this bride. Would this recipe work with real butter and milk, or would it be too thick from the additional fat? Thanks!!!
Hi Jaimie, I haven’t tried the recipe with dairy milk and butter but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!
Hi there,
would you recommend replacing the cornstarch with Arrowroot? Just asking because I have that and would have to buy the other. 🙂
thank you!
Hi Renate, I haven’t tried it with arrowroot but I think it should work fine. 🙂
thanks – that’d be a great help if I would not have to buy extra ingredients like cornflour. Will try this afternoon with arrowroot.
I’ve made it with arrowroot and it turned out fine. I would like to know why you need to use milk, because mine was fine before I added the milk. What is the purpose of the milk in this recipe?
Hi Maria, I just prefer the texture of the curd with the milk. It firms up a little in the fridge and the milk helps to keep it spreadable and creamy. You can omit it if you don’t feel that it needs it. Good to know that arrowroot works well in place of the cornflour!
Um…YUM!!! I just made this and it was so easy and DELICIOUS! I used cows milk as I didn’t have soy or almond milk at home. Will def make again! Thanks for sharing!
Hi I just made a batch of this eggless lemon curd.. it’s amazing.. thanks for the incredible recipe..
Could I use corn meal instead of corn flour?
Hi Skyler, No. cornflour (cornstarch) and cornmeal are two very different things and cornmeal will not work in this recipe. The only possible substitute for the cornflour is arrowroot, though I haven’t tried making the recipe using it so I can’t say for sure how well it works.
This might defeat the purpose, but I’m wondering if subbing butter for the vegan spread will still work. I’m egg free but not dairy free and prefer to use butter if possible. Thanks!
Hi Anna, yes that should work fine.
Love the looks of this recipe and can’t wait to try it. Do you think this could be used in lemon bars? Poured over a vegan shortbread crust and baked? Would it set somewhat firm like lemon bars do?
Hi Raven, I haven’t tried using it that way so I can’t say for sure but I don’t think that it would work; this recipe is designed to be a spreadable texture so I think that it would be too soft for lemon bars.
Hi Hannah,
Tried making this recipe today. After adding in the milk and butter, the curd became a lot runnier. I may have not cooked it for long enough to thicken it, but does it thicken while in the fridge?
Thanks for the great recipe! Tastes delicious although consistency may not be the same as yours.
Meghan
Hi Meghan, The curd does set up further in the fridge. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Looking forward to trying this, thanks! Do you know if it would freeze well? I have a lemon tree and wonder if I could make a bunch and freeze it for later.
Hi Jane, I’ve got no idea I’m afraid! I haven’t tried freezing it so I’m not sure how it would react; I would maybe try making a batch and freezing a bit of it to see how it works. I hope you enjoy it!
Hey Hannah,
Thanks for this great recipe. I made the curd this morning and it is now all set and delicious. I find it a little bit too sweet for me though….do you think it would work with less sugar (i.e. just using 100g of sugar instead of the 200g)? Thanks in advance for your time. Best Wishes, Laurianne
Hi Laurianne, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I think it should work fine with less sugar, I haven’t tested it though.
Thanks. I will try next time and will let you know how it turns out! 🙂
You did not complete the recipe with the lemon juice
Uuumm… maybe you should read the recipe again, I definitely didn’t miss anything!