Homemade Vegan Lemon Curd is tangy, perfectly sweet and SO easy to make in 10 minutes! Creamy and smooth, with no eggs or dairy. Perfect for scones, pound cake, crepes and so much more!
If you are a lemon dessert kind of person, you are going to fall in love with this best vegan lemon curd recipe! It’s so creamy, rich, smooth and intensely flavorful. There are usually eggs involved in lemon curd, but not with this recipe. No one would guess this sweet condiment 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 – Soy or any other plant milk will work.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Sugar – Coconut sugar might work, but the curd will be darker in color.
- Cornstarch – Tapioca starch may work as well.
- Vegan butter – You could leave this out but it makes it extra rich and creamy. Homemade or any store bought brand will do.
- Optional: Turmeric or a few drops of yellow food coloring. I usually go with just a few drops of yellow food coloring.
Warm over medium heat, whisking frequently until it thickens a bit.
The lemon curd will be quite runny at first, so don’t expect it to be super thick right away. Transfer to a container or jars and refrigerate for an hour or longer. It will thicken up more as it cools.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Keep the curd in a covered container or jar for up to 2 weeks.
Yes, you can freeze it. Let it cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let it defrost in the refrigerator and stir well before using.
To make it even thicker for cake layering, substitute canned coconut cream for the plant milk. This will make it much thicker once it chills.
As mentioned above, lemon curd is perfect for serving with scones, crepes, pound cake and crepes. It also goes well with yogurt, ice cream, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, cupcakes, muffins or even on an english muffin. Or layer in the middle of lemon cake or vanilla cake.
Want more vegan lemon recipes?
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Lavender Lemon Bars
- Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Whipped Lemon Buttercream
- 1 Bowl Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Lemon Bars
- Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Vegan Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened almond 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
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
- Milk options – May use almond, cashew, soy, oat or coconut milk. Any plant based milk should work fine.
- Sugar – I wouldn’t skimp on the sugar in this recipe, as it provides structure as well as sweetness. You could substitute coconut sugar, but the curd will be brown.
- Thicker lemon curd – Substitute canned coconut cream for the milk. It will be much thicker once chilled and easier for layering in cakes.
- 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 up to 2 weeks in a covered container. Can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Would this curd be usable in a baked tart?
I honestly haven’t tried it yet, though I keep meaning to. I can’t say for sure, but I think it would work.
Wow, this turned out so well! Bookmarking this one 🙂
I just finished making the lemon curd to be used in my mother’s lemon birthday cake. As usual your recipe did not disappoint. I’m not even a huge lemon-flavored fan, but I licked the bowl clean! Can’t wait to put it in the cake. Thank you!
Thanks so much for sharing your review! That sounds so good in the cake!
Simple recipe and simply delicious Lemon curd …to die for!❤️
Thank you so much! I appreciate you sharing your review!
Took a stab at sweet rice flour to thicken lemon curd ( corn allergy) -wanted to make a ‘faux’ strawberry short cake with vegan shortbread cookies topped w. lemon curd, fresh strawberries & puree… happy to report Lemon curd thickened beautifully! Everyone loved it. Hope this helps others cooking for family members with a draconian list of allergies.
Thank you, Nora!
I made this yesterday and OMG so delicious, easy to make and thickened perfectly. Thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing you review!
Hi Nora….
Can I substitute sweet rice flour for the cornstarch …?
Thanks so much…
I’m really not sure, I don’t think it will work the same though sorry!
Can you replace the vegan butter with coconut oil?
I haven’t tried it, but it may work.
Hi! This looks so good! I know you mentioned not skimping on sugar for both sweetness & structure, but have you ever tried swapping with Swerve, allulose, monkfruit or another alternative? Just curious! Thank you!
Sorry, I haven’t tried it. I don’t know that it would work. You could do some experimenting though. 🙂
Hi Nora
Thank you so much for this recipe. I followed the instructions exactly as written and the cake was amazing, one of the best lemon cakes we have ever tasted, vegan or non vegan. Moist, light and soo lemony and the exact balance of sweet and tart, magical,
Hi Anne. Thank you for taking time to share your review! I’m glad you loved the lemon cake! I love your description of ‘magical!’ Thank you!
I love these! I have some flower shaped silicone molds and they came out beautifully!
How fun, Andrea! I would love to see a picture! Thank you for taking time to share your review!
This recipe is delicious, easy, and fast! Definitely will be my go-to for lemon curd. I only made half the quantity and now wish I had made the full size because it was so tasty. Used it as filling for pastries.
Thanks for sharing your review, Vanessa! I’m glad you love the lemon curd! I agree it is a wonderful pastry filling!
Looks delicious. Is the curd thick enough to use in a sandwich cookie?
It might be, once you let it chill in the refrigerator as it does thicken up.
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!