This Vegan Lemon Curd makes a light and zesty versatile dessert. It’s a vibrant snack or dessert that can be eaten simply as is or made into a ‘fancier’ dessert like a parfait, or use it to top yogurt or ice cream.
For Mother’s Day this year I wanted to make one of my mum’s favourite desserts – a creamy, tart and sweet, vibrantly lemony lemon curd (which also happens to be one of my favourites too!) In the past I’ve only made traditional lemon curd which consists of eggs and butter (and lots of it!) but this vegan version is light, zesty and much easier to make (you don’t have to worry about turning your lemon curd into lemon scrambled eggs if stop whisking!)
I like to keep my desserts low in sugar so this lemon curd is tart and bursting with fresh lemon flavour. I like to keep it less sweet and more tart so I can pair it with sweet fruit or layer it in a glass with crumbled cookies to make a parfait.
Which leads to me the next reason why I love lemon curd so much. It’s versatile. There’s so many different ways you can use it:
- pour it into a pie/tart shell
- drizzle it warm over ice cream
- swirl it into yogurt
- fill it into cupcakes
- spread it on pancakes
- layer it in a parfait
- fill it into thumbprint cookies
- layer it in a cake
- spread it on toast
- eat it straight out of the jar (my personal fave)
One of the key ingredients to making a vegan lemon curd is adding a teeny tiny pinch of turmeric. In a traditional recipe it’s the egg yolks that help to give it its’ beautiful yellow colour. Without them it’s a dull, uninspiring greyish shade of tan. Adding a pinch of turmeric brings that bright pop of yellow without compromising the delicious lemon flavour.
To begin all you need is the zest of 2 large lemons, water and cornstarch. Whisk it until it’s mixed and then add lemon juice and sugar. On low heat whisk until it becomes thick (about 7-10 mins) then add the coconut oil, coconut milk, turmeric and sea salt and stir until it’s glossy and creamy.
While it’s still hot, strain out the lemon zest so that you’re left with a silky smooth lemon curd. When it cools it will become more firm and set into a jelly-like texture, but FYI you don’t need to wait for that… it also tastes great warm and drippy straight out of the pot!
It’s ready from start to finish in 20 minutes. How easy is that?!
This vegan lemon curd is tart, creamy, vibrant and bursting with lemon! It’s a refreshing snack or dessert that can be eaten simply as is or made into a ‘fancier’ dessert like the parfait I made here. I like to crumble my favourite gluten free cookie on the bottom, layer a generous amount of curd, then top it off with a bit of coconut cream and fresh fruit. Thanks so much for stopping by and happy eating always!
Vegan Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- zest 2 large organic lemons
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, about 4-5 lemons
- 6 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- pinch dried turmeric (about half of 1/8 teaspoon)
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Zest the lemons into a medium sized pot. Add the water and cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Turn the heat to medium and add the lemon juice and sugar. Whisk occasionally until it thickens (about 8-12 minutes).
- Once it has thickened turn off the heat and add the coconut oil and coconut milk and whisk. Then add in the turmeric, sea salt and whisk until incorporated. Taste for tartness. If you prefer it sweeter add 1-2 more tablespoons of sugar and whisk. (The curd will remain hot enough to melt the sugar even after the heat is turned off).
- With a fine mesh strainer strain the hot lemon curd into a large glass jar. Let it cool at room temperature before placing the lid and transferring to the fridge. It can be stored for up to 4 days. Serve as is with fresh fruit or add a dollop of it on top of ice cream or crumble a few of your favourite cookies in the bottom of a glass and make a parfait. Enjoy!
Notes
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