Vegan Lemon Curd
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Homemade Vegan Lemon Curd is tangy, perfectly sweet and SO easy to make! Creamy and smooth, with no eggs. Perfect for scones, biscuits and other baked goods! 10 minutes is all you need.
If you are a lemon dessert kind of person, you are going to fall in love with this easy homemade lemon curd! It’s so creamy, rich, smooth and intensely flavorful. There are usually eggs involved in lemon curd, but it’s totally unnecessary. No one would guess this stuff is vegan!
I find myself licking it straight off the spoon, but you are going to want to put in on everything, from biscuits and scones, to pancakes and waffles, crepes and even in between cake layers!
How to make vegan lemon curd
It’s so simple to make! Simply add all the ingredients to a small pot:
- Almond/coconut milk, unsweetened
- Fresh lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Vegan Butter
- Optional: turmeric or a few drops of yellow food coloring
- Tiny pinch of salt, optional
Warm over medium heat, whisking frequently until it thickens a bit.
Lemon curd will be quite runny and perfect for drizzling over baked goods right away, or stick it in the refrigerator for a thicker curd.
Special Tips & Substitutions
- Don’t cut back the sugar unless absolutely necessary, it will change the outcome. Sugar is needed both for sweetness and structure. Liquid sweeteners will not work the same.
- You must use fresh squeezed lemon juice AND zest, bottled lemon juice will not work.
- You can likely substitute another non-dairy milk as long as it is unsweetened and unflavored, but I like either almond or coconut milk best.
- Tapioca starch might be okay to use in place of cornstarch, but I haven’t tested it. Arrowroot could work as well.
More vegan lemon desserts
Vegan Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric or few drops of yellow food coloring, optional
- tiny pinch of salt, optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a small pot and warm over medium heat, whisking frequently until the mixture thickens. It will take 5-10 minutes.
- It will still be quite thin and runny when warm, which is perfectly fine and you can serve it immediately if desired. For a thicker curd, refrigerate it for a few hours or overnight. Makes about 2 cups.
- Serve over biscuits, scones, pancakes, waffles, french toast, regular toast, english muffins, in crepes or as a layer in lemon cake. Enjoy!
Notes
- I tested the recipe with both unsweetened almond and coconut milk, and they both work well. Other non-dairy milks would likely work.
- I wouldn't skimp on the sugar in this recipe, as it provides structure as well as sweetness.
- The vegan butter could be left out if needed, but it provides a silky rich texture that will be missed!
- It keeps in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Nutrition
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24 Comments on “Vegan Lemon Curd”
Delicious! Thank you for the great recipe.
Thank you! I’m glad you like the lemon curd, Joanna!
I am making this for the second time the first time was so scrumptious! I substituted potato starch for the corn starch both times. Thank you for this wonderful recipe for all your other wonderful recipes!
Hi Heidi. I’m glad you are loving the lemon curd! Thank you for using my recipes, and for taking your time to share!
I am not much of a baker. This cake was fantastic. It’s the best cake I’ve ever made. My family had no idea it was vegan and loved it.
Hi Lynda. Thank you! I’m glad it was enjoyed by all!
Can I substitute this with orange juice and orange zest? Should I reduce the sugar?
Thanks
I am sure you could, I have never tested it though. You could reduce it slightly if you don’t want it as sweet, sure.
This is SO gooood! I just made it and I can’t stop eating it. Great lemon flavour!
Yummmm! So luscious and thick ?
Hopefully I’ll have some left for my lemon curd thumbprint cookies haha.
Thank you Nora. I love all your recipes. Have made so many and all of them are absolutely perfect.
Thanks so much!!
Yummy! I made this exactly as stated. So refreshing! Thanks for another good one, Nora!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the lemon curd!
Made with almond milk and it’s absolutely delicious!! I want to eat it by the spoonfuls (and it makes enough that you can)! I love that this has no tofu in it as well…definitely will try it with more cornstarch to make lemon bars because this is THAT good. And SO easy! Another Nora hit in our house!
That’s great to hear, I know I can’t stop eating it by the spoon LOL! So glad you enjoyed it.
Oh so yummy! Thank you for sharing another wonderful recipe. Our upstate NY weather has finally turned sweltering hot. We do love a dessert and this is perfect for a hot summer evening. We have dairy allergies, so I substituted ghee. I’m wondering, can I substitute orange juice for the lemon juice to my and orange curd?
You probably could, yes! Thank you!
This tastes INCREDIBLE but mine hadn’t solidified at all in the fridge. What might I have done wrong?
It will thicken but not solidify. I wonder if you have waited long enough (it can take several hours to cool completely and thicken). Or perhaps you did not cook it long enough for the cornstarch to activate on the stovetop. It should have obviously thickened on in the pot before transferring to the refrigerator.
I made this once as a filling for cupcakes and it was great! Do you know if I could use it for a lemon bar and bake it on top of a crust? A lot of vegan lemon bar recipes use coconut milk which I’d like to avoid. Thanks in advance!
It would probably work, but it may not get incredibly thick. It might help to increase the cornstarch to 4-6 tablespoons. Thanks!
Amazing!! I decided to make this to layer into your coconut cake recipe. I’m not a baker and I usually ruin anything I touch in the kitchen but this was foolproof and it tastes delicious!! I will certainly be making this again.
That’s so great to hear!! Thanks for the comment!
My husband has been asking me to make lemon curd. I was so happy to see this recipe in my in-box! Do you know if there is a good substitute for the cornstarch for those that can’t use it? I’m looking forward to making this.
I haven’t tested it, but arrowroot might work, or tapioca starch. Hope you enjoy!