There’s just something about lemon flavored sweets. They’re like a blast of delicious sunshine in your face, which we could all use this time of year. I have a handful of favorite lemony vegan desserts including my vegan lemon bundt cake, vegan lemon bars, and lemon cookies. I love them all! But this vegan lemon curd is particularly special. It’s so easy to make, and there’s so much you can do with it. When you’re not sure if you’re craving a pie, some cookies, or cake, just make lemon curd. It works in or with all of the above, and more! I’ve been keeping jars of this lemon curd on hand lately. It’s super easy to whip up, and I can keep it in the fridge until a craving hits. Let’s talk about how this stuff is made!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Lemon juice. Use freshly squeeze juice! Bottled just won’t cut it when it comes to infusing your curd with that fresh, bright lemony taste. Cornstarch. Conventional lemon curd recipes call for egg yolks, but cornstarch does the job of thickening our vegan version. Cornstarch makes an excellent egg substitute in all kinds of recipes for creamy sauces and custards. This lemon curd is no exception! Coconut cream. You can buy coconut cream in cans near the coconut milk at most grocery stores. If you can’t find it, buy a can of full-fat coconut milk instead. Chill it in the fridge for a day, then drain off the liquid. The solid portion that remains is coconut cream. Sugar. Use organic sugar, as conventional sugar may be processed using animal bone char, so it’s not vegan. Vegan butter. Most stores sell this near the regular butter. Look for brands like Earth Balance, Miyoko’s and Melt. Lemon zest. Turmeric or yellow food color. This is totally optional. Just use it if you’d like to add some yellow color to your lemon curd. The vegan butter and lemon juice will yellow it up a bit, but without additional color it will be a bit pale compared to conventional lemon curd. I used three drops of Watkins Food Coloring.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe! Tip: Your lemon juice must be cold in order for the cornstarch to dissolve. If you have trouble getting it to fully dissolve, stick the entire container in the freezer for a few minutes to cool the liquid down. Let your vegan lemon curd cool, then transfer it to storage containers. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Tip: This recipe makes a nice thick lemon curd! If you prefer a thinner texture, use less cornstarch.
Shelf Life & Storage
Homemade vegan lemon curd will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week. You’ll notice that it thickens and turns opaque when chilled. You can loosen it up a bit by bringing it back to room temperature. I don’t recommend freezing your vegan lemon curd. Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
