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:
-
- 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:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
*For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.*
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.
How To Sterilise 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 recipes for vegan coconut lime curd, vegan mango curd and vegan blood orange curd that you might want to check out!
If you tried this recipe why not tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Vegan Lemon Curd Recipe:
Vegan Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 30 g (3 Tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp) water
- finely grated zest of 2 lemons (optional - omit for a smooth curd)
- 200 ml (½ + ⅓ cup) fresh lemon juice (about 4 large lemons/5-6 small ones)
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or soya milk)
- 70 g (4 Tbsp) vegan spread (I use Flora Original) (or use coconut oil)
Instructions
- Place the 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 zest and 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.
- 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. You may find that after a few days the curd may separate a little, this is fine, just give it a good stir.
Notes
I originally made this vegan lemon curd for DIYs, check them out for some awesome craft and recipe ideas.
RogerCat
Can this be water bathed to give it a longer shelf life? Thanks
hannahhossack
I have no idea I'm afraid, it's not something I've tried before.
Luisa Campos
Hi, can I use this lemon curd in a lemon pie? I mean, I have already a tart shell, can I put on it and refrigerated or baked or I don’t know?
hannahhossack
Hi Luisa, Do you mean like a lemon meringue pie? In which case I don't think that this recipe will work as it is designed to be spreadable, not firmly set, so I think it would be too soft.
Gabby
Yes!! I just made a big lemon tart didn’t read the comments before hand not knowing it wasn’t meant for a pie filling. But what I did was followed the recipe same as normal, then I poured it into my crust and baked it for 20 ish minutes, then let it cool then put it in the fridge to set. And it was perfect it kept its shape really good. The family ate the whole tart in just hours 🙂
Bec Milgrom
Do you think this would work with maple syrup instead of granulated sugar for a refined sugar free recipe or is the sugar firming up on cooking and important part of the texture?
hannahhossack
Hi Bec, I think it would work with maple syrup though it might not set as firm. Do let me know how it works out if you give it a try!
Donna
This is delicious and very easy, however mine is not as thick as I would like and I’ve already cooked it. Can I add more cornstarch to the chilled product and heat it again to thicken it up?
hannahhossack
Hi Donna, I'm not sure to be honest, I've never tried that. You could test it with a small portion of the batch maybe? I would try mixing the cornstarch with a little cold milk before adding it to the curd to prevent lumps. Otherwise you could try mixing in some melted coconut oil which should make the curd firmer. (Make sure the curd is room temperature rather than fridge cold first).
ecosiren
Can tapioca starch be used in place of cornstarch? I noticed it is listed on some lemon curd ingredients. I have tapioca and arrowroot starches but no cornstarch...
hannahhossack
Hi, I think that should work fine but the texture might be slightly different. A few readers have used arrowroot before but commented that the texture was a little slimy. Cornstarch would be the ideal if you are able to get some.
Sam
This is brilliant. Didn't take long to make and so much easier than with eggs. I can't eat dairy and have missed lemon curd so much. Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfect. Thank you!
Lyanne
I found this recipe in summer 2019,when we were gifted a crateful of lemons, and it's wonderful!
My son was given another crateful of lemons when his workplace closed in the UK lockdown, so I came back to the recipe.
I have a word of caution - if you are making lots, and think to yourself 'bother, I don't have enough golden granulated sugar, I won't use the jam sugar because I want to keep it for jam, I'll add some dark brown sugar instead'... That might not be a good idea! It tastes great as usual, but instead of having jars of beautiful lemon yellow curd, I have jars of brown curd!
Maddy
This recipe turned out ok, however the almond milk left an aftertaste that kind of tasted like custard. The coconut oil also left little lumps of oil in the curd after being refrigerated. The lemony flavour was nice but I wish I hadn’t added the almond milk or the oil. It also took much longer to cook than the recipe said. I think I had it on the stove for 20 minutes or longer before it finally thickened. Probably won’t be making again.
Lucy Parry
I've never made a vegan curd before and went a bit rogue using pureed and sieved raspberries instead of lemon juice, but it worked! It took longer to thicken than in the recipe and ended up adding more cornflour, but I had also accidentally added more water than necessary so it could have been that. The raspberry curd was such a lovely vivid colour and had a great flavour. I used it in a lemon sponge with lemon buttercream for my birthday cake 🙂
Jacqui
Really lovely! I used more lemon zest as I like it really lemony. Great texture and just like the original. Will definitely make it again. So simple to make. We have missed a vegan version, but no longer! Thank you.
Isla
Just made this and it's delicious! I halved the recipe and used oat milk instead of almond since that's my preference. I've never made any curd before so for me it thickened very suddenly and I was afraid I'd burnt the lemon because of the smell but went ahead anyway and the taste is delicious! I also used a tiny bit less sugar so it has a delicious mild sourness. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Samantha Davies-Farthing
Is this pipe-able? To fill a doughnut for example. If not, could I add more cornflour to make it so?
Hannah
Hi Samantha, yes I think it is probably a good consistency for filling doughnuts.
Maria
When I want a vegan recipe for something specific, I always hope that you will have devised one and you can to my rescue again here. I have made this lemon curd twice now in less than a week. I used double the amount of zest suggested because my family LOVE lemon. I also used Sojade yogurt instead of soya milk because it was what I had in stock and it worked perfectly. Thanks for another great recipe.
Méabh
This curd is unreal. Absolutely perfect flavour and consistency - I thought I'd made a mistake as I couldn't get it to thicken as much as I thought it should have, but it sets up beautifully as it cools so I needn't've worried! So far I've used it to top a cashew cheesecake and to make a vegan lemon pavlova.
Michelle Frasier
Came together very easily and quick. Delicious
Hilary B
Editor's note from a novice cook: you need to bring the cornstarch/water/lemon/sugar mixture almost to a boil (a low boil) to activate the cornstarch and therefore, the thickening process. The recipe just says "medium-low heat" which, in my experience wasn't warm enough to activate the cornstarch. I cooked for over 20 minutes on the stove before I used AI to help solve my problem. Just needed the mixture to be hotter and then, boom, it thickened right up in about a minute. Otherwise, looks and tastes great!