Lemon Curd
Once you make this deliciously tangy, creamy, honey-sweetened lemon curd, you’ll never buy store-bought again. You only need four ingredients to make it, and it’s in the jar in under 15 minutes. If needed, substitutions are offered for a vegan / dairy free lemon curd too.
Vegan Lemon Curd
A lemon curd recipe typically calls for the use of butter, but it can easily be turned into a vegan lemon curd if that’s preferred instead. The process for making it is exactly the same, and you can substitute butter for coconut oil in a 1:1 ratio.
Just keep in mind if you are making this a dairy free lemon curd – the flavour profile will change. You will get more of a lemon / coconut taste, which I think is equally delicious. And this version is so vibrant the yellow almost glows! Substitutions are outlined in the How To Make section as well as in the recipe card below.
Ingredients Needed For This Recipe
The only ingredient that will change between a standard lemon curd or a vegan lemon curd is the fat. Use butter for the standard or coconut oil for a dairy free version.
- Eggs – I use organic when I’m making this solely because the colour is often so much brighter.
- Honey – An ironbark or blue gum honey are perfect for this. They’re lighter in flavour and won’t overpower the other ingredients.
- Lemons – Both zest and juice are used so nothing goes to waste!
- Butter or coconut oil – Which you choose depends on whether you’re making your lemon curd standard or dairy free.
Be sure to save those leftover egg whites too! They’re a great source of protein and make excellent omelettes. They could also be used to make meringues or macarons too. If you’re not ready to use them, just put them into a small container and freeze them.
How To Make Lemon Curd
Many people are scared off making fruit curds thinking they’re too difficult. That’s simply not the case, though they do need your full attention while being made. If you keep the stove temperature low, and keep whisking, you’ll create a beautiful, silky, lemon curd every time. The low temperature is so important. Don’t be tempted to raise it or you’ll create lemon scrambled eggs!
- Whisk together the egg yolks, whole eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and honey in a small saucepan.
- Place the saucepan on the stove over the lowest possible heat once everything is well combined.
- Whisk continuously for 10 – 15 minutes until the curd thickens. It will thicken in just the last minute or two so keep your eye on it.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
- Pour into a jar once the curd is smooth and well combined. Leave to cool on the bench for 10 minutes then transfer to the fridge.
The curd should be thickened by the 15-minute mark. If it’s not, turn up the heat to the next marker on your stove from the minimum heat. Keep whisking until it thickens before adding in the butter.
Many recipes call for the use of a double boiler to make fruit curd however, if you whisk constantly this really isn’t necessary. If your stovetop is partial to pumping out very high heat though (like mine is!), a heat diffuser is very useful.
FAQ
Lemon curd is perfect for tart fillings, to lather on scones, to fill cakes and muffins with; or to simply have on toast.
This will often occur if the curd is cooked at too high a temperature. It may also happen if the butter was added to the pot with the rest of the ingredients. The butter needs to be added once the curd is removed from the heat. The only caveat here is if the curd needs to be reheated due to it not setting. See below for that. If it has split – you’ll see Michelle in the comments gave a great tip! Simply pass the curd through a strainer and into a jar to save it.
Lemon curd won’t set if it’s been removed from the heat before the eggs have had time to sufficiently thicken. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If it’s not, keep whisking! If you do need to fix it though – let the curd get to room temperature then put it back in a pot over a very low heat. Warm through and whisk constantly again until it thickens.
Watch How To Make This Recipe
Lemon Curd
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 Large eggs (see note 1)
- 2 Egg yolks
- 1/3 cup lemon juice 2 medium lemons were enough for the juice and zest
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/3 cup honey (see note 2)
- 5 Tbsp butter (see note 3) 70g/2.5 oz – chopped into small cubes
Instructions
- Whisk together the egg yolks, whole eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and honey in a small saucepan.
- Place the saucepan on the stove over the lowest possible heat once everything is well combined.
- Whisk continuously for 10 – 15 minutes until the curd thickens. It will thicken in just the last minute or two so keep your eye on it. You'll know it's ready when it can completely coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped butter or coconut oil.
- Pour into a jar once the curd is smooth and well combined. Leave to cool on the bench for 10 minutes then transfer to the fridge where it will further thicken.
Notes
Nutrition
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i love that this is made on honey – makes it super healthy! Just a note that if the curd does split you can pass it thru a sieve into your jar. Not wasted!
Oooo thanks, Shell! I’ll update the recipe to reflect that. I will admit it’s not something I’ve tried. I generally try to whisk it back to life but this is an awesome added tip.