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.
Nora, thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I am a cottage food operator and specialize in cakes and cookies. In addition to having a dairy free husband to bake for, I am asked frequently to do dairy free and/or gluten free bakes for clients. I have used this lemon curd twice now as cake filling for two such baking projects. It was a hit both times and likely to be requested again after the rave reviews I received. I wish I could post photos so you could see the cake sliced! Again, thank you so much…I am always excited to receive the emails about what you’re sharing next!
Hi Leah! Thank YOU for your kind and encouraging feedback! I appreciate the awesome review! I am thrilled my recipes are being enjoyed by so many! Happy baking!
Nora, the whole family loved it. The taste is spot on! I gave it 5 stars but mine did turn out a little runny. I would not have been able to use it as a filling for a cake. Can I add more cornstarch mixed with a little water should this happen again? Cause I do plan on making it again 🙂
Hi Susie. I’m so glad your family loved the lemon curd! A couple of things to make it thicker would be 1) using canned full fat coconut milk, and/or 2) add a little more cornstarch and make sure you heat it up for long enough to thicken. Hope that helps! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback!
Hi! Can I use regular butter instead of vegan butter for the curd?
That would probably work. Let me know how it turns out for you! Thanks!
I’ve made this twice, both times for between layers in a cake. The first time it was great. Second time, it didn’t thicken at all. I used oat milk, and it never did set up. Now I have no idea what to use it for.
That is so odd, I have used oat milk and it worked fine for me. You didn’t forget the cornstarch the second time, did you? Or perhaps not cook long enough on the stove to let it thicken, then refrigerate? Did you make any other changes like lower the sugar amount?
Can I substitute monk fruit for the sugar & still get the same results?
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how it will turn out. Hopefully it will work, but you would probably use much less monk fruit than sugar, which could affect the texture as well as the flavor.
curious to try this with coconut cream to fill little fruit tarts with in a healthy way. wish me luck!
Good luck and enjoy!
Thank you sooooo much Nora. This is absolutely delicious, and easy to make. As all your recipes, this is wonderful. Thanks again!!!!
You are welcome, Catalina! Thank you for your fantastic feedback and review! Happy cooking!
This is amazing! I’m trying to leave enough for the cake I’m making, but it’s so delicious!
I’m so glad you are loving the lemon curd! Thanks for your wonderful feedback!
This is insanely easy to throw together, and so good! We used it to top a vegan pavlova, and used every last bit! Will definitely be making this again.
Hi Kim. Thank you for your terrific feedback and review! How terrific that you love the lemon curd! Wishing you happy cooking!
Love the lemon cake. Would like to make the lemon curd, what can I substitute for cornstarch?
Glad you love the cake, Marlene. I haven’t tested it, but arrowroot might work, or tapioca starch. Hope you enjoy!
I made this hoping to use it between layers in a lemon cake, but it is so runny even after chilling fit overnight. Is there anything to do to thicken it up?
I’m not sure there is a way to thicken it at this point, sorry. But next time, if you make it with a canned full fat coconut milk, it should be much thicker. Or add a little more cornstarch and make sure you heat it up for long enough to thicken. Hope that helps!
The lemons curd was delicious, I added another teaspoon of baking powder to make it thicker. It thickened a little but when use on your lemon cake recipe it just made the cake soggy.
Baking powder is a rising agent. Use cornstarch or arrowroot powder to thicken.
I like this recipe, very tasty & not fussy. ? Will this lemon curd work ok in a lemon ice cream or should I add a bit more thickener? Am currently thinking vegan ice cream would be nice.
I’m so glad you like it, Jodi! Yes, I think it would be a lovely addition to vegan ice cream. You could churn some of the curd right into a batch of homemade ice cream.
Can I use water? We don’t have a safe milk to use due to allergy. Occasionally use pea protein milk but try not to.
I haven’t tried it but possibly?
My granddaughters have an egg allergy, so I made this recipe with whole cows milk and it turned out beautifully! Thank you for the amazing and easy recipe.
I was amazed to find this recipe tasted exactly like “real” lemon curd. I’ve been trying to transition to a vegan lifestyle, and the hardest part for me has been finding ways to make excellent baked goods. I needed a lemon curd recipe for a raspberry lemon cake I was adapting, and this fit the bill perfectly. So delightful. Thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy the lemon curd was a hit, Lauralyn. It’s wonderful when we as vegans find a treat that helps us on our journeys 🙂 Thank you for your wonderful review and feedback!
I love this lemon curd! Followed the recipe using metric measurements (for some reason AU cup sizes is different), turned out perfectly!! It’s setting overnight to be popped into vegan pastry shells for vegan lemon tarts with candied lemon on top ??! Highly recommend!! ?
These sound so beautiful! I wish I could see a picture! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback and ideas!
I made this last week and it’s soooooo tasty! A little runny, but maybe I needed to simmer it for longer (or maybe a little more cornstarch). Lemon curd was always a favourite of mine, so finding an egg-free version that’s so easy to make is brilliant – thank you!
Hi Kathryn. I’m happy to hear you like the lemon curd! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
This is soooo yummy! It was easy and fast to make.
I added a couple drops of lemon extract. I ended up whisking in on the stove for 15 minutes. Once it was ready I put it in a jar and then the freezer for a couple of hours so it could firm faster for the cake.
I’ll use this recipe again!
I”m glad you found this easy and delicious! Thanks for sharing your great feedback and experience!
Can this be baked? Had an idea for a shortbread cookie bar and wondering if I could bake the lemon curd? I use homemade jam now.
I haven’t tried baking it yet, but I think it will be fine.
Can these be made ahead and frozen?
I haven’t tried it myself but I think you could likely freeze it. You may need to whisk it or blend it after it freezes and thaws, I’m not sure though.
Dianne,
I have an annual glut of lemons from my trees and so I’ve resorted to making this in large batches and freezing it in half pint jars. I take out a jar about an hour before serving it over blueberry pancakes and it’s still delicious. Just give it a bit of a stir to reconstitute the texture a bit. It’s also delicious frozen! Oh, and it’s also good made with bearss limes.
Sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Is this recipe something that can be “canned”? I’m wanting to make it for party favors in advance and have longer shelf life than 4-5 days. Thank you!
Hi Holly. Sorry, I haven’t tried canning the lemon curd before so I’m not sure that its shelf life can be extended.
Hi Holly. I was wondering the same thing. Did you try canning it and if so, how was it? Thank you!!
Love it! ❤️ OMG, so delicious and easy to make! Made with lime, now I want to make it with all my citrus fruit! Thank you for sharing!
You are welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your review and feedback. Wishing you happy cooking!
Honestly, this is absolutely delicious. If you ever develop one, as good, with less sugar, I will be forever grateful.
Anyone try using a sugar substitute?
I used 1.25 cups Allulose in place of sugar. Worked perfectly. Allulose is the only substitute sweetener I use because, at least to me, it has no aftertaste, and it is chemically similar to sugar, so it cooks like sugar. It is just less sweet.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and cooking tips! Glad the lemon curd came out perfect for you!