Author: There are three main reasons why I wanted to share my recipe for Easy Vegan Lemon Curd today.
Reason 1: because it's super yum. The best reason of all! Do I need more reasons than that?
Reason 2: Mother's day is coming up and this would make a gorgeous homemade gift. This vegan lemon curd requires only 6 ingredients and takes 10 minutes to make! Pour this into a fancy jar and tie a little bow or serve as a luxurious addition to breakfast in bed or a very special dessert. Oh la la!
Reason 3: I'm planning a trip to England and I wanted to celebrate with this classic English treat. Yay travel!
This easy vegan curd is the perfect combination of tart and sweet. It's wonderful for spreading on pastries such as my Super Easy Vegan Croissants, or serving with muffins, waffles, scones, pancakes, or French Toast. Or for dolloping on non-dairy ice cream, adding it to vegan yogurt parfaits, spreading between the layers of my vegan vanilla cake. Or just eating directly out of the jar by the spoonful (I don't judge) because who can resist the mixture of perfect velvety texture and tangy flavors? This vegan lemon curd is a welcome dairy-free addition to any special occasion.
Did you see the part that said I was planning a trip to England? I just booked tickets to London with my amazing boyfriend, Adam, woot woot! Even though I have dual citizenship (Canadian and British), I've never been to England before and I couldn't be more pumped about it! We will be spending time in both London and Brighton, so let me know in the comments what vegan restaurants I should go to, vegan shops, or other fun attractions I must see. I will be celebrating my birthday while I'm there so let me know if there is something really special I should do. Excited!
If you want to come along with my travels, make sure to follow me on Instagram @itdoesnttastelikechicken where I will be posting about much of my trip.
Back to my easy vegan lemon curd...
How to Make Vegan Lemon Curd:
Start by zesting and juicing your lemons.
Now, in a small pot or small saucepan, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Mixing the sugar and cornstarch first will just help evenly distribute the cornstarch so that no lumps form. Now mix in the non-dairy milk (soy or almond milk will suffice), lemon juice, lemon zest, and pinch of turmeric.
Put over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the curd thickens, about 5 minutes. You may need to whisk vigorously as it thickens to ensure a smooth curd.
Remove from heat and pour into a heat safe container to cool. Enjoy warm or store in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will thicken more as it cools.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
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Easy Vegan Lemon Curd
Servings: (makes about 1 cup)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, (+1 teaspoon for extra thick curd, optional—reader tip!)
- ½ cup plant-based milk, (such as soy or almond)
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, (about 2 lemons)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, (from about 1 lemon)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric, (optional for colour)
Instructions
- In a small pot, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. (Use 1 tablespoon cornstarch for the consistency shown in the photos, or add an extra teaspoon for a thicker curd—a tip a few readers have recommended!) Now mix in the plant-based milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and turmeric. Put over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the curd thickens, about 5 minutes. You may need to whisk vigorously as it thickens to ensure a smooth curd.
- Remove from heat and pour into a heat safe container to cool. Enjoy warm or store in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will thicken more as it cools.
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕
Gill Houghton says
Love this quick and easy recipe - so zesty and very moreish. I used homemade almond milk and it thickened up beautifully in pan and very smooth. I’ll definitely make it again soon.
AK Taylor says
first time making lemon curd, your recipe is DELICIOUS!!! Thank you
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Wonderful!
Jonathan m Dykes says
I used raw organic sugar, organic lemons and almond milk. I did a double batch and started off zesting 4 lemons right into the sugar then blended them together right into my pot, added the juice of all 4 lemons that was strained it to the sugar. followed the rest of the recipe. cooked for 10 minutes till thickened. Strained the curd into the container. It tastes great, not too sweet or tart.
Thank you! great recipe.
Anna says
This worked perfectly and was delicious! I was worried when cooking it as the curd was still quite runny whilst in the pan, but after a few hours in the fridge, it set beautifully. It is so amazing to be able to recreate lemon curd without eggs and dairy! The
(For reference, I used soy milk. I also whisked the liquid into the sugar/cornflour gradually to help it combine better. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly!)
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're so glad you enjoyed it!
Meghan says
Is this freezable? And for how long? It’s so delicious, but we accidentally made wayyyy too much our first time!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Meghan, unfortunately, cornstarch-based sauces don't generally freeze very well. If you don't know what to do with the extras, I would pour them into cute little jars and gift them to friends! Hope that helps 🙂
Heidi Durig Heiby says
I do NOT like egg-y lemon curd and have been looking for an egg-free version. I love that this is also dairy free even though I can eat dairy, I am just not a huge fan. I used organic cane sugar and unsweetened vanilla Nutpods. I want to try next time with maple sugar or coconut sugar to see how that is for an even more natural version. I know the taste and color will be slightly different but that's fine. This is SO amazing, bright, and lemony. I know I'll be making many times in the future. Thank you for this recipe!
Lynne marks says
Just made some lemon vegan cupcakes and tried the recipient it’s delicious and so easy will make again thank you
Rea says
I had a friend make this for me and I love it! I’m wondering if I can use a homemade almond milk instead of the store brought or should I use FF coconut milk like suggested in a earlier comment?
Isabel says
I added a bit of salt and 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. It is delicious. Thank you!
Emily says
I've made this a few times, usually with soy milk, but the most recent time I tried full-fat coconut milk because I had a partial can in the fridge I needed to use up and I highly recommend! The coconut milk added that extra richness and almost savory/nutty quality that traditional lemon curd gets from egg yolks. This recipe was super good with soy milk but I had no idea what I was missing!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful, thanks for sharing!
Kathleen says
I am lactose intolerant and I’m missing my creamy desserts so I’m always on the look out for great recipes and this is one of them! I used the new Silk Next milk with the rest of the listed ingredients and it came out perfect! I plan on using it for a lemon pie filling and possibly some mini puff pastry tarts for when my son and his fiancé visit in October. I look forward to making more of your recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it Kathleen!
Elfi says
I used cornflour, caster sugar & almond milk. This is delicious next will attempt lemon meringue pie with aquafaba! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
I have a recipe for lemon meringue pie in my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan if you have that 🙂
Andrea says
If I may, it could be stirring too much too quickly. Cornstarch tends to thin out after thickening if agitated too much.
Amy says
Love this recipe I use it my fill my vegan cookies! The only thing is that it seems to come out quite runny no matter what I do eg. If I add more corn starch, cook for longer. Do you have any recommendations on how to get it nice and thick?
Serena says
Might be your plant-based milk. In Germany they put a tiny bit of enzyme in to prevent "slimyness" especially in oat milk. The amount is so small, it isn't required to be declared. But it's enough to prevent thickening with starch. I have never been able to cook pudding with it.
Marie says
Your easy vegan lemon curd is utterly delicious! Can't believe how good it is and enjoyed equally by the vegans and none-vegans in our family. The curd reminds me of the lemon slice filling we had for school dinners in the UK back in the 70s. It is amazing and I'm about to make if for the second time this week! Thank you so much.
restaurantthatdeliversnearme.website says
It is a greet dish. Thx
fooddoz.com
Jeff says
The flavour is good, the almond milk looked like it curdled a bit prior to cooking but turned out well in the final curd. I used tapioca instead of cornstarch so the texture isn't as nice (more slimy than thick). I would use 1.5 times the tapioca next time as the final was a bit runny.
Esther Ward says
Thank you for your recipe - it's gorgeous. I have made it a number of times, and inspired by the comment using Date Sugar, I decided to experiment with some Date Syrup that I happened to have in the fridge. I was doubling the recipe, so used 2/3 cup date syrup as a sub for the 1 cup sugar. It turned out really well. As per the previous comment, the colour is no longer that lovely yellow, but the taste is still wonderful.
Thank you
Nikki says
My daughter uses this in her lemon vegan cupcakes, it is lovely, thank you for the recipe x
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome!
Pag says
Great recipe. I am plant based so instead of white sugar I used date sugar. It was not a bright yellow but delicious just the same and much healthier than white sugar. Great recipe
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed!
AMANDA BAKER says
Do you think coconut sugar would work instead of date sugar and still keep the color?