If you want to learn how to make vegan lemon curd - egg & dairy free, then you're in the right place. This easy homemade lemon curd is made with 8 simple ingredients in about 15 minutes. We used it to make our popular Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie with aquafaba, and it worked out perfectly!
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This eggless lemon curd is the perfect combination of sweet and tangy, and you're going to love how simple it is to make.
Slather it on our Homemade Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits, Old Fashioned Fluffy Vegan Pancakes, or our Vegan French Croissants.
Ingredients
Here's a visual list of the ingredients you'll need with a few notes.
See recipe card for quantities.
- VEGAN EGG - for the best results, you'll want to use JUST Egg or Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg.
- VEGAN BUTTER - for the best flavor, we suggest Miyoko's or Earth Balance.
- LEMONS - Fresh lemons work best for this recipe. You'll need to add lemon zest to the curd, so you may as well use fresh juice.
How to Make It
Step by step instructions to help you make vegan lemon curd without eggs.
Variations
Use the same quantity of juice and zest to make the following flavors of vegan curd.
- ORANGE
- GRAPEFRUIT
- LIME
Recipe FAQ and Tips
Curd thickens as it cools. Cook it long enough for it to become thick, then remove it from the heat to fully set.
The butter will give it a silky and rich texture. You can omit it if you like, but it won't be as good.
This is because the vegan egg curdled. To avoid curdling, whisk some of the boiling sugar mixture into the egg, then SLOWLY whisk the egg and sugar mixture into the pot of the hot sugar mixture.
They are essentially the same. Traditionally curd isn't thickened with cornstarch or flour, although we do add some cornstarch to our vegan recipe for body.
Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Freeze in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
More Vegan Lemon Recipes
How to Make Vegan Lemon Curd - Dairy and Egg Free
Equipment
- 1 stove
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg plus 1 cup water, OR, ¾ cup JUST egg. DO NOT add water to the JUST egg. We use Follow Your Heart or JUST Egg, see note in instructions.
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup vegan granulated sugar Organic or beet sugar is vegan.
- ¾ cup lemon juice Fresh squeezed is best.
- 3 tablespoon corn starch
- 3 tablespoon vegan butter Miyoko's or Earth Balance is our preferred brand.k
- ¼ teaspoon ground sea salt
- 2 tablespoon lemon zest.
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the 4 tablespoon of Follow Your Heart vegan egg and 1 cup water until smooth and creamy. Set aside. If you're using JUST egg use ¾ of a cup without adding the water.
- In a large sauce pan, whisk the 1 cup water, ¾ cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, vegan butter, 3 tablespoon cornstarch, and ¼ teaspoon salt together on medium heat. Keep whisking until the mixture comes to a low boil and is thick and creamy. It should look translucent.
- Whisk in the 3 tablespoon vegan butter until it's melted and fully incorporated into the sugar mixture.
- Add 1 cup of the lemon mixture to the vegan egg and whisk until combined. This prevents the egg from curdling.
- Add the egg mixture to the pan of lemon mixture and whisk continuously until it just begins to boil and is thick and creamy.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the 2 tablespoon lemon zest.
Notes
- ONLY use Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg or JUST Egg. Do not use an egg replacer such as Bob’s Red Mill or EnerG, this will not work. DO NOT add water to JUST egg.
- We use Miyoko’s or Earth Balance vegan butter.
- Store in a clean mason jar or a bowl, tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freeze in a freezer safe container for up to 1 month. Thaw and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Why is my lemon curd not setting?FAQs Curd thickens as it cools. Cook it long enough for it to become thick, then remove it from the heat to fully set.Why add vegan butter to lemon curd? The butter will give it a silky and rich texture. You can omit it if you like, but it won't be as good.Why is my curd grainy? This is because the vegan egg curdled. To avoid curdling, whisk some of the boiling sugar mixture into the egg, then SLOWLY whisk the egg and sugar mixture into the pot of the hot sugar mixture.Is lemon pie filling the same as lemon curd? They are essentially the same. Traditionally curd isn't thickened with cornstarch or flour, although we do add some cornstarch to our vegan recipe for body.
Rachel says
Hey all, I just read on another vegan lemon curd recipe that cornstarch sometimes goes wonky around too much citrus juice, so arrowroot powder was what she recommended using. That might help some folks. I’m still in the research phase but I want to adapt this vegan curd recipe to the nyt cranberry curd tart recipe!
Linda & Alex says
Hi Rachel, thanks for the information. We've never had an issue with it, but it's good to know.
Maya says
Thanks for this excellent recipe, a true curd game changer! How does this curd bake? I was thinking of trying some lemon-filled thumbprint cookies.
Linda & Alex says
Hi Maya,
Thank you! We're so happy you like it. We haven't tried baking it, but it should work out. Lemon-filled thumbprint cookies sound so good. 🙂
Happy Holidays!
Melody says
Hello! I am looking forward to making this recipe this weekend!
I will use just egg. I have an abundance we of Meyer lemons. Could I make a lot and freeze for future use?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Melody! Yes, you can freeze it for up to 3 months, just be sure to thaw in the refrigerator. Happy New Year!
Stacy says
So very good! So far I’ve used it on some bread and off a spoon and it is TASTY. Just how I remember lemon curd with eggs tasting!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Stacy! We're so happy to read this! Thank you for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Megan says
This recipe is perfect! I made it with JUST Egg for a vegan lemon tart for a bunch of non-vegans; they loved it. I took some to my hospital and all the nurses and staff approve. This is truly an amazing recipe. Going to try and make it with grapefruit soon 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Awesome!! Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know, and we're thrilled that so many non-vegans enjoyed it, too. 🙂
Heather says
I see that you do not recommend EnerG egg replacer in this recipe. I cannot have the other egg replacers you recommend due to other allergies. May I ask, how does it turn out using EnerG? If it's that the texture is more pudding-like, that's good enough for me!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Heather, the EnerG egg replacer won't give it the creamy texture required for curd. And, because of the amount needed, the texture would turn out gritty. So sorry!
Nancy Downie says
I made this and it was very runny -- much more like a sauce than lemon curd. I used Just Egg and followed the recipe exactly. Are you supposed to let it boil down until it reduces? Thank you.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Nancy, we're sorry it didn't turn out. The cornstarch is what makes it thicken. You should whisk continuously after you add the egg to the lemon mixture until it thickens. Depending on the temperature of the flame or heating element and the humidity in the air, this could take a little longer. I hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any more questions.
Phoebe says
This looks great! Do you think I could just sub lime juice and zest to make lime curd with this same recipe? I'm more of a lime girl 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Hi Phoebe! Thank you so much. 🙂 Absolutely, you can make it with any citrus fruit. Enjoy!
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
Yum, this sounds delicious. I have never tried lemon curd, but am really curious on this. Thanks!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! It's so good. If you like lemon, or any citrus fruit, you'll love this.