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! 💕
Erin Gulash says
I’m going to make this tomorrow and realized my plant based milk is unsweetened vanilla. Do you think this will impact the taste too much? Thanks in advance!
Laura says
I’d taken a peach and cherry cobbler to my bro’s and someone else had come with a bag of lemons to use up. I remembered this recipe, it was quick and easy, and it added a lovely brightness to the already pretty great peach and cherry combo. Sister in law said it was “to die for.”
None of the rest of them are vegan, btw, the curd is just dang tasty. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, wonderful!
Penny says
This recipe is so good! The second time I made it I gave a jar to my daughter. She made puff pastry vol au vents filled with a 50/50 mixture of curd and vegan sour cream. Bliss in two bites!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Wonderful! That sounds amazing!
Penny says
Sam, once this is made, do you have any advice on how to resist eating it straight from the jar? Errmahguurrrd, it's delicious!!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Hahaha! We totally agree!
Vegan Girl says
This was easy and amazingly delicious! I made a huge batch and served in little bowls with whipped topping. I increased the cornstarch by 50% because I never have any luck with sauces thickening if I don't. If the barometric pressure is falling, or you live at high altitude like me, I'd recommend increasing the cornstarch. I looked at a lot of vegan lemon curd recipes before I chose this one. I like the simplicity and the fact that it doesn't contain tons of saturated fat from coconut milk. I used unsweetened soy milk to make mine.
Kinga says
Tastes great! If I wanted to make other flavours like passion fruit, raspberry etc, do I just then use other juices /purees in place of the lemon juice or would the whole recipe need to change to achieve correct thickness?
Ann says
This is AMAZING! My son used to love lemon curd but hasn't had it since becoming vegan several years ago. I surprised him with this today and both of us were blown away. This is so, so good. I added more cornstarch because it was still very liquidy at 5 mins. It really thickened up a lot as it cooled, so I may not add as much extra next time. This is so lusciously lemony! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're happy you both enjoyed it!
Diane says
Wow, what a great punch of yummy lemon! Served layered with vegan whipped cream and granola in a pretty glass. Keeper recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you love it Diane, thank you for your review 🙂
Dee says
The thickness turned out great for me. I used it to top a Daiya plain cheesecake. Maybe another time I will gently heat some blueberries and carefully place them individually on the top, so as not to turn the mixture green (blue + yellow = green), unless it is for St. Patrick's day.
I am a very beginner cook, but I recently read on-line that if cornstarch gets too hot for too long, it 'breaks' (?) and it won't thicken. Perhaps there is a substitute starch Sam can recommend.
This had a great taste and texture. Thanks Sam!!
Margaret Christopherson says
Hello! Haven't made this yet but I'm looking for a shelf stable lemon curd alternative that doesn't need to be refrigerated after filling a macaron. Would this be able to sit after being used for filling for a few days without spoiling? Say, 3-4 days?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Margaret, the lemon curd should keep fresh for a day at room temperature, but for food safety I would recommend putting it in the fridge for any longer time.
Stacy says
Could a different sweetener be used like maple syrup or agave?
Diana Morrow says
this was the perfect filling between two layers of vanilla cake, with vanilla frosting on top. it was not to sweet and so amazing together. we left out the turmeric and it was still pretty enough.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Beautiful!
Nina says
So so good, thickness turned out great, zesty yummy easy.
I would say turn on reader view because these ads are EVERYWHERE…
Angel Marie Ingram says
Does it freeze well?
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Unfortunately, cornstarch-based sauces don't generally freeze very well. But this makes a great gift for family and friends if you don't know what to do with the extra!
Kristine says
I made as directed. My result was runny as well. It never thickened up. I even tried to boil it down, but it's still runny/ syrup like. It is delicious and got two thumbs up from the kiddos for taste. I'm curious, please share which dairy free milk did you use that was successful? Thanks
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Sorry to hear that! The plant-based milk choice shouldn't make the difference. Cornstarch should be the magic ingredient to help it thicken. Did you make any substitutions?
Kim says
I once made a lemon curd and mistakenly used corn syrup instead of corn starch ... and as you can imagine it never thickened LOL
KJ says
Deliciousness I used this in a tart, similar to old fashioned jam and lemon tarts.
Juniper says
What do I do if it didn’t thicken as much as it needed to? Even hours later it’s still rather runny. Could I reheat and add more starch?
Marie Hetherington says
I've made this in the microwave just add all ingredients together in a bowl and heat /stir/ heat /stir until it thickens
Claudia says
I've just made it and it's delicious! I used to love lemon curd but haven't had it since going vegan and had never thought of making it myself. Thank you so much, this has made me very happy 🙂
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
We're so happy to hear it!
Janet says
I've made this recipe a few times and really like it. The last time I made it, I forgot to add the soy milk and didn't cook it long enough (I was in a hurry). I ended up with a gorgeous and tangy bright yellow lemon sauce that was delicious drizzled over my lemon cake. It was also delicious over fresh berries.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Yum!