Vegan Lemon Curd
Photography by Simeon Crofts
DIETARY – Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Dairy-free
Lemon curd should be both sweet and sharp, canary yellow in colour, silky smooth and thick enough to spread over a pancake or slice of toast. This custard-like preserve is traditionally made with eggs and butter and is used for everything from filling pies and swirling through ice cream to topping toast and sandwiching layers of cake. My version has the same great taste and texture as regular lemon curd but without the dairy. Even better, it’s incredibly easy to make and well worth whipping up from scratch!
Originating in England in the 19th Century, lemon curd, also known as lemon cheese or lemon butter, was once just that, a curd formed from lemon acidulating cream that was separated from the whey by straining through a cheesecloth. The curds were then used in baking in much the same way as we use lemon curd today.
When the basis of lemon curd is ordinarily eggs and butter, it might seem an impossible task to make a vegan alternative, let alone one that tastes every bit as good. This recipe is just as delicious as regular lemon curd; in fact, my taste testers couldn’t actually tell the difference! It’s made on the stovetop using core ingredients of cornflour, lemon juice, sugar, soy milk and vegan butter. The most essential step in the whole recipe is mixing. All in, you’ll probably be whisking for a solid 10 minutes, but that’s pretty much all the time it takes to make this delicious vegan lemon curd, so it’s worth sticking with it.
In this recipe, the cornflour replaces eggs to thicken and bind the mixture, while the soy milk and vegan butter help to make the curd beautifully creamy. In different countries cornflour is referred to as cornstarch – this is the same thing for the purpose of this recipe and is fine to use if that is what’s available to you. The turmeric is only added to enhance the colour, not to add flavour, as we don’t have the addition of egg yolks; however, if you don’t want to add this ingredient you can leave it out. Some vegan recipes out there call for coconut milk or cream to be added, but this will impart a coconut flavour, while soy milk is neutral and does not affect the punchy lemon taste.
Lemon flavouring is something I think is quite personal. Some like that jaw-aching, mouth-watering sharpness and some prefer a milder hint of citrus. My recipe leans more towards a sharp, full-flavoured lemon hit but not so sour you won’t go back for more. You can, of course, reduce the lemon juice content if you would like less of the lemon flavour, or omit the lemon zest, but I would not recommend reducing the sugar.
It’s important to use fresh lemons for this recipe as they impart a much stronger, sweeter lemon flavour than the bottles of concentrate you find at the supermarket. If you want a completely smooth curd you can leave out the zest; however, so much of the wonderful lemon flavour comes from the zest, so I highly recommend you leave it in. When zesting your lemons, ensure you wash them in warm water first to remove any wax, then lightly zest only the very top layer. If you zest too deep or use a blunt grater, you’ll find the bitter pith gets mixed into your curd, which isn’t such a great taste.
Lemon curd is a fantastic accompaniment to many sweet treats, such as:
- Cheesecake
- Layer cake
- Toast
- Lemon meringue pie
- Cupcakes
- Pancakes and crepes
- Ice cream
- Macaroons
- Syllabub, parfait and mousse
Vegan Lemon Curd
Ingredients:
- 40g cornflour
- 100ml water
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 200g caster sugar
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 large lemons)
- ¼ cup soy milk
- 70g vegan butter
- Pinch of salt
Method:
- In a small saucepan, add the cornflour, water, turmeric and lemon zest and whisk continually over medium heat until a smooth paste has formed.
- Add the caster sugar and lemon juice and continue to whisk – don’t stop otherwise lumps will begin to form. You want to keep whisking until the mixture thickens, which will take 5-7 minutes. You can check it is ready by dipping in a metal spoon and seeing if the mixture clings to the spoon. If it runs straight off it isn’t ready yet.
- Once thick, take off the heat and whisk in the soy milk, butter and salt until smooth and creamy.
- Pour straight into a sterilised glass jar and allow to cool completely with the lid off. Once cool, cover with the lid and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.