This lemon curd is a delicious condiment to add to pastries and other vegan desserts. It has all the bold tastes that a regular lemon curd has, with none of the animal products. Plus, its vegan, gluten free, and soy-free, making it a great choice for all diets.
I love to use this lemon curd in pastries and cookies because it adds a delicious flavor to them. This recipe allows for the sugar and acidity to be balanced out with a bit of bitterness from the lemon, making the perfect curd.
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What You’ll Need To Make This Lemon Curd
How To Make Lemon Curd
1. In a medium pot, combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, and turmeric (if using). Whisk to distribute.
2. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, whisking until smooth. Once smooth, add the coconut milk. The mixture will start paler and opaque and become more translucent and vibrant (if using turmeric) when cooked.
3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes thick and translucent. This may take 7-10 minutes. If mixture starts to clump at any point, whisk vigorously until smooth again.
4. Continue cooking until the mixture is thick enough that a trail of it drizzled over the top takes a full 2 seconds to sink back in.
5. Remove from heat. For smoothest texture (especially if using zest), strain through a fine mesh strainer.
6. Press some plastic wrap to the top of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming and chill in the fridge.
7. Store in a glass or plastic container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
Important Recipe Notes
In standard lemon curd, the color comes from the egg yolks. To get a rich lemon color here you can use turmeric or a couple drops of food coloring. This has no impact on taste. Without it the curd will just be a very pale yellow.
The lemon zest is not necessary, but will help increase the lemon flavor and add a bit of bitterness to counter the sugar and acidity.
This is a thicker lemon curd that is perfect for filling cakes or sandwich cookies. Can also be used as a spread as is. For a thinner texture, reduce the cornstarch to 2 or 2 ½ tbsp/16-20g. This thinner texture is better for a spread.
Vegan Lemon Curd
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Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp/225g granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp/24g cornstarch
- ¼ tsp/2g salt
- ¼ tsp/ ½ g ground turmeric optional, for color*
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp/150ml lemon juice
- 2 tsp/4g lemon zest** optional
- 1 cup/235ml coconut milk full fat
Method
- In a medium pot, combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, and turmeric. Whisk to distribute.
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, whisking until smooth. Once smooth, add the coconut milk. The mixture will start paler and opaque and become more translucent and vibrant (if using turmeric) when cooked.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes thick and translucent. This may take 7-10 minutes. If mixture starts to clump at any point, whisk vigorously until smooth again.
- Continue cooking until the mixture is thick enough that a trail of it drizzled over the top takes a full 2 seconds to sink back in.
- Remove from heat. For smoothest texture (especially if using zest), strain through a fine mesh strainer.
- Press some plastic wrap to the top of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming and chill in the fridge.
- Store in a glass or plastic container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
