If you are a lemon lover, you need this vegan lemon curd in your life! This easy vegan recipe transforms fresh lemons and a few simple ingredients into a wonderfully tangy lemon curd in just 15 minutes.
Table of Contents
What is lemon curd?
Lemon curd is a rich citrusy spread. It's tangy and buttery and oh so delicious. Traditional lemon curd is made with milk, egg yolks and butter, but this vegan version is delightfully dairy and egg-free.
A lot of vegan lemon curd recipes use coconut milk or coconut cream, but we prefer to use soy milk so there's no coconut flavour and just a luscious lemon taste. For us, this recipe has the perfect balance of tart and sweet.
The addition of vegan butter at the end makes it buttery and helps provide the fat and richness which traditionally comes from the egg yolks.
Ingredient tips
You only need five simple ingredients for this easy vegan lemon curd recipe.
Lemons: For best results we highly recommend using fresh lemon juice and zest from unwaxed, organic lemons. You want the lemon zest to be as fine as possible, so ideally use a microplane or very fine grater to make your zest.
Sugar: Choose vegan white sugar such as regular or granulated sugar for this recipe. We don't recommend brown sugar, as this will give your finished curd a brown colour and affect the taste. The sugar is also important for balancing the flavour and providing structure, so we don't recommend reducing it.
Soy milk: Ideally use unsweetened organic soy milk. We've not tested almond milk or other types of plant milk.
Cornstarch (US) or cornflour (UK): This is what thickens the curd when it is brought up to a high temperature. To ensure that the curd is not lumpy, the starch gets mixed with some extra soy milk into a slurry before use. Frequent whisking also prevents clumping as the curd thickens.
Vegan butter: We recommend a firm block or stick style vegan butter.
If you want to make your curd a more vibrant yellow colour you can also add a tiny pinch of turmeric.
Step by step pictures
For the full recipe and instructions for the vegan lemon curd, see the recipe card at the end of this post. Here is a handy step by step guide to get an overview.
Step 1 - Stir together the corn starch and the soy milk for the slurry until no lumps of starch remain.
Step 2 - Combine the remaining soy milk, lemon juice and zest, sugar, turmeric (if using) and the slurry in a saucepan - everything except the vegan butter.
Step 3 - Whisk gently over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
Step 4 - When the liquid starts to thicken, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for one minute, still whisking regularly.
Step 5 - Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the vegan butter until completely melted and well combined.
Step 6 - Pour the hot lemon curd into jars and let it cool down.
Variations
You can use other types of citrus fruit juice to make any type of vegan curd, such as lime, grapefruit or orange curd.
Can I use arrowroot starch instead of corn starch? We haven't personally tested this recipe with arrowroot powder, but it is typically a suitable direct substitute.
The recipe will work with bottled lemon juice, but we highly recommend using fresh lemons for the best taste!
Uses for lemon curd
This delicious vegan lemon curd is wonderful simply as a tangy spread on your favourite bread. It also makes an amazing addition to many lemon desserts.
Here are some great ideas:
- Spread on to our Easy Vegan Crepes
- Use instead of creme patissiere in our Vegan Fruit Tarts.
- Serve as the perfect topping for our Vegan Scones (delicious with blueberries as pictured)
- Make our Vegan Jam Tarts with a lemon curd filling instead.
- Alternate spoonfuls of curd and vegan yoghurt into a glass or ramekin, then top with raspberries to make an easy vegan lemon fool.
- Dollop onto toast, vegan ice cream or just eat by the spoonful!
FAQs
How to know when lemon curd is thickened
This recipe uses cornstarch to thicken the curd, which needs a heat of around 95℃ / 200℉ in order to activate its thickening effect. So it's important that your lemon curd comes up to boil.
You will see the mixture change quite obviously at the point the cornstarch is activated, the curd will suddenly become less cloudy and more glossy.
After you have cooked it for a minute at this temperature, check that it coats the back of a spoon. The hot curd will still be quite runny, but will thicken up to a spoonable texture when cooled down and refrigerated.
How to fill a cake with lemon curd
We love using this vegan lemon curd to fill a vegan lemon cake. Make sure to cool the cake and the curd before filling.
For best results, we recommend piping a border of vegan buttercream around the edge of the first layer of cake. Spread the curd in the middle of the cake up to the same height as the buttercream border. This border creates a dam that prevents the curd from spilling out when you place the second layer on top.
Storage
The curd will become thicker as it cools and more firm in the fridge. To loosen it up a bit, you can stir it through before serving.
Lemon curd should be stored in the fridge. It will keep for up to 1 week, possibly up to 2 weeks.
Cakes filled with lemon curd should also be stored in the fridge.
We have tested freezing the curd and found that it does separate. You can, however, bring it back to a smooth texture by defrosting it and then blending it with an immersion blender.
More easy vegan recipes
We hope you enjoyed this eggless lemon curd recipe! Try these other delicious vegan sauces and preserves:
📖 Recipe
Vegan Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch
- ¼ cup (60 ml) soy milk for the slurry
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) soy milk
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) lemon juice about 5 - 6 lemons
- 2 tbsp lemon zest finely grated, from 2 lemons
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- 1 tiny pinch turmeric optional, for colour
- ¼ cup (56 g) vegan butter
Instructions
- Stir together the corn starch and the soy milk for the slurry until no lumps of starch remain.¼ cup (30 g) cornstarch, ¼ cup (60 ml) soy milk
- Combine the remaining soy milk, lemon juice and zest, sugar, turmeric (if using) and the cornstarch slurry in a saucepan - everything except the vegan butter. Don't worry if the soy milk curdles at this point when it gets in contact with the lemon juice - The lemon curd will be completely smooth later!⅔ cup (160 ml) soy milk, ⅔ cup (160 ml) lemon juice, 2 tbsp lemon zest, 1 cup (200 g) sugar, 1 tiny pinch turmeric
- Whisk frequently over medium-high heat while you bring the mix to a simmer.
- Once the liquid reaches boiling temperature and suddenly starts to thicken, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1 minute, still whisking very frequently.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the vegan butter until completely melted and well combined.¼ cup (56 g) vegan butter
- Pour the hot lemon curd into jars and let it cool down.The vegan lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools down in the jars. If it firms up too much, just give it a good stir to bring it back to a smooth and creamy consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Sandra says
Cannot wait to try this. Been vegan for decades and never thought someone could come up with vegan one. Thank you
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Sandra, glad to hear! Hope you'll enjoy it! 🙂
Love, Sophie & Paul