Last Updated on July 12, 2024

This Easy Vegan Lemon Curd is made with only 5 ingredients and is refined sugar-free! 🍋 It only takes about 10 minutes to make and is perfect to layer between cakes, pipe into cupcakes or cookies, swirl into ice cream or cheesecake, serve with crepes, pancakes, or waffles, or to make lemon bars or a lemon tart with!

This Easy Vegan Lemon Curd is the perfect combination of tart and sweet to get you in the mood for all the Spring and Summer treats. It’s wonderful to use in all sorts of recipes such as my Lemon Ricotta Waffles, serving with pancakes or Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, layering it between cakes, piping it into cupcakes or cookies, or just eating by the spoonful out of the jar… no judgement here! And yes, it’s that good! Just look at this texture!

What Is Lemon Curd?

Lemon curd is a fruit spread, usually made from citrus fruits, first served in England at afternoon tea with bread or scones, used as an alternative to jam. Lemon curd was also commonly used in pastries, cakes, waffles, cheesecake- I mean, you name it!

Traditionally lemon curd is made with the fruit, in this case lemons, beaten egg yolks, sugar, and lemon zest. The ingredients are then heated in a saucepan and cooked until thick, then cooled.

In my vegan version of lemon curd, I’m omitting the egg yolks for plant milk and using tapioca flour/starch as the thickening agent.

I’m also making my lemon curd refined sugar free and using maple syrup instead of sugar.

Lemon Curd Ingredients

There are only 5 ingredients needed to make this Easy Vegan Lemon Curd:

Lemon. Of course the main ingredient in lemon curd, lemon! You will need approximately 2-3 small lemons to get 1/4 cup of lemon juice.

Plant milk. You will need 1/2 cup of any plant milk of choice. I used flax seed milk. Be sure to check the sugar content of that is something you’re being mindful of.

Maple Syrup. Maple syrup is one of my favorite natural sweeteners and it’s perfect in this vegan lemon curd. You will need 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Be sure to use pure maple syrup and not maple flavored syrup.

Tapioca flour/starch. Tapioca flour, also known as tapioca starch is similar to cornstarch in that it is most often used as a thickener. Tapioca starch is grain free and my go-to flour as a thickening agent. You only need 1 tablespoon of tapioca flour dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water for this recipe.

Lemon Zest. Zesting the lemon peel into the curd really enhances the lemon flavor. You will need 2 teaspoons of lemon zest, about 1 whole lemon.

Turmeric (optional). Adding a pinch of turmeric is optional for a deeper color that you might normally see from the egg yolks.

How To Make Lemon Curd

In a small bowl, combine the tapioca starch/flour and water until the tapioca is fully dissolved. This will be the thickening agent.

Heat a small pot over medium heat and add the lemon juice, plant milk, maple syrup, and tapioca mixture. Whisk to combine. Now mix in the lemon zest and turmeric (if using). Whisk frequently until the curd thickens, about 5 minutes. You may need to whisk vigorously as it thickens to ensure a smooth curd.

Remove from heat and pour into a heat safe container to cool. Enjoy warm or cool, it will thicken more as it cools. You can store it in the fridge for up to a week.

Why Do I Need To Dissolve The Tapioca Starch In Water?

By dissolving the tapioca starch in water before adding it to the curd prevents the starch from clumping and evenly dissolving so that it thickens the curd how it’s supposed to. We want the lemon curd to be as smooth and silky as possible.

How To Juice A Lemon

There are a few different ways to juice a lemon. You can use whichever method you’d like to extract the lemon juice.

1. The simplest method to juice a lemon is to cut the lemon in half and squeeze the lemon with your hands into a bowl or cup.
Tip: squeeze the lemon with one hand holding the other hand below it to catch the seeds. The juice will run through your fingers while the lemon seeds will stay in your hands to discard.

2. Another simple method (my choice) is to use a handheld juicer. Cut the lemon in half and then squeeze each half of lemon with the handheld juicer to extract the lemon juice.

3. Use a reamer, another handheld tool, inserted into the flesh of each lemon half and then twisted to release the lemon juice. Citrus juicer reamers may also have a pointed citrus reamer sticking up in the middle of a connected dish to collect fresh juice.
Con: You’ll most likely have to pick seeds out of the juice.

5. An electric (or non-electric) juicer. I wouldn’t personally purchase an appliance just to get some fresh squeezed lemon juice, lol, but they do exist, and I suppose this would be a great option for those who have trouble using their hands 💛.

6. The stand mixer method is great for when you have to juice a lot of lemons for a recipe. Quarter the lemons, add them to the bowl of your stand mixer, then using the paddle attachment, turn on your mixer and mix the lemons for about two minutes. Strain the juice to get rid of any pulp and seeds. This method is great for a more intense lemon flavor by getting the natural oils from the lemon skin in your juice without having to zest the lemons- again, great for recipes that call for a lot of lemons.

Lemon Squeezing Tip

I always like to roll my lemons on the counter before cutting and juicing. It helps to soften the flesh and release as much juice as possible. Also be sure to buy softer (but not squishy or rotten) lemons, for those are the ripest and juiciest!

I mean, seriously, watch this ASMR reel that I made on Instagram to see just how simple this lemon curd recipe truly is…

Recipes Using Lemon Curd

Let me know how it goes down below in the comments section, I would love to hear how you’re using this Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Vegan Lemon Curd 🤗, as well as giving it a  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating so that others can discover this healthy, vegan, naturally sweetened lemon curd alternative! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

* This recipe was adapted from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken.