Vegan Lemon Curd

This vegan lemon curd is tangy, creamy and super easy to make. All it takes is a few simple ingredients and about 20 minutes of your time! There’s no risk of eggs curdling or of it leaving an eggy aftertaste in your mouth.

Lemon curd is delicious on scones, ice cream, crêpes, mixed into buttercream, in cakes or tarts and everything in between. I didn’t make this recipe too sweet, so it will pair well with all those options. You can also adjust the quantity of sugar to your liking or depending on what you want to use it for.

How to make vegan lemon curd

what it is

Lemon curd is usually lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar thickened over the stove using whole eggs, egg yolks or both and then enriched with butter. Very much not vegan. Some cook it in a double boiler and some in a saucepan directly on the heat. The result is a very rich, creamy and tangy but sweet curd.

Obviously, a few changes had to be made for it to be vegan. A few meaning half the ingredients.

I based this vegan lemon curd recipe on the pastry cream, since I would mostly be using the same ingredients and just changing some quantities for a looser texture. It can also be made using other citrus like orange, meyer lemon, yuzu, lime, etc. and simply adjusting the level of sugar.

The ingredients To make vegan lemon curd

The milk. It’s there for a bit more creaminess and to avoid using 100% lemon juice as the liquid in the recipe, since that would be too overpowering and tart. Unsweetened soy or cashew are the best as they’re the creamiest.

The lemon juice. Always use freshly squeezed lemon juice. The juice from bottles is much more acidic and tart and can sometimes leave an aftertaste.

The lemon zest. The zest is where the fragrant lemon flavour comes from. Avoid grating the white skin (pith) under the zest as it adds bitterness. I like using a microplane, it zests very finely and just removes the outer layer.

The cornstarch. To thicken the mixture in place of eggs and set it just enough once it cools.

The sugar. There is significantly more sugar in lemon curd to balance out the acidity of the lemon juice. You can adjust the quantity depending on how tart or sweet you like yours.

The nutritional yeast. It adds a certain savoriness you might get from all the egg yolks that are usually in lemon curd. Just a tiny bit of flavour (along with the butter) to avoid the curd tasting like thickened lemonade.

The butter and oil. The butter helps give the curd a creamy and silky texture. A mild tasting one is best. You could also use coconut cream if you don’t mind the flavour. Whereas the oil adds some of the fat that egg yolks usually bring. I used oil instead of more butter to avoid the curd being too stiff, but not enough for it to split.

The turmeric. This is optional and purely for colour. A pinch is just enough to brighten the lemon curd.

Making it

Finally, making it. It honestly couldn’t be easier. All you have to do is whisk all the ingredients except the butter together, bring to a boil while constantly whisking to avoid lumps, then turn off the heat and stir in the butter.

You’ll want to boil it for about 30 seconds while whisking to make sure the cornstarch is fully activated. And once the butter is fully incorporated, you can decide whether you want to strain it or not. I personally prefer a very smooth lemon curd, so I always do. But it’s up to you! It’s also good to do if a few lumps of cornstarch formed in the curd during cooking.

Once it’s done, pour it onto a tray or plate with edges. The thinner it’s spread, the faster it will cool and set. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and place in the fridge at least 1 hour to set and cool completely.

To use

Once it’s completely cooled, transfer the curd to a bowl and whisk or stir with a spatula to loosen and smooth it out. Then it’s ready to use as a spread, filling, snack, whatever!

To store: Keep in a jar or container in the fridge, with plastic wrap directly on the surface, for up to 7 days.

If you make this recipe please let me know in the comments! All feedback is very much appreciated and I would love to hear from you! You can also tag me on instagram @the.quaint.kitchen or use the hashtag #thequaintkitchen to share your creations!