Easy Eggless Vegan Lemon Curd Recipe

Rich and tangy, and made with just four main elements, our easy Eggless Vegan Lemon Curd Recipe is ready in a couple of minutes and is a sure winner for tea and coffee time!

Eggless Vegan Lemon Curd Recipe

As far back as I can remember, I’ve always had a mug of homemade lemon curd in my cupboard (uh … not the same mug, of course!). It has always been one of my beloved treats, and when I was a kid I was frequently seen with a jar in one hand, a spoon in the other, and a very satisfied smirk on my face!

My grandma never scolded me, she just made sure to always make me fresh patches to satisfy my lemon curd cravings!

I can’t precisely recollect how old I was when grama showed me how to cook lemon curd … it looks like it’s something I’ve always been able to cook. However, in 2005, when I eliminated eggs and dairy from my diet to turn into veganism, I knew I had to find an easy Recipe to make my ever beloved Lemon Curd but Eggless and Vegan this time.

By the way, there is plenty of historical erudition on lemon curd and lemon cheese, as it is sometimes termed, in this article, so if you’re not moved by all of that, feel free to scroll down right to the main recipe

But, I suggest that you keep reading as it is quite interesting. In addition, there are further delicious recipes!

Traditional non-vegan lemon curd

The conventional method of making lemon curd traditionally uses eggs and butter as the basic ingredients (plus lemons and sugar, of course!). Putting the sugar, lemon juice, and zest and butter in a saucepan, add the whipped eggs and heat until solidified. Then kept in sterilized jars.

A more old-fashioned technique was to scrape the lemons on a sugar stick till all the zest is scraped, then diffuse the lemon-infused sugar with squeezed lemon juice and butter in a double boiler. Then stir in the whipped eggs, little by little, then proceed to heat until curdled.

When was lemon curd first invented?

To my information, lemon cream first surfaced in English cookbooks in the mid-1700s, so it’s reasonably just to assume that it had been invented in the UK and been around since then.

At the time, cookbooks were primarily aimed at household help, which is why they lack many other informative data, such as cooking and preparation times. I see cookbooks like these more as sets of cooking techniques than as complete instructions!

It’s only actually after WWI that we begin to notice cookbooks being directed at housewives. This is chiefly because the First World War radically transformed the face of family service in Britain. The majority of middle-aged gals abruptly realized that they had to know how to cook and clean for themselves!

Why it was once called lemon cheese?

Frankly, as it looked like a soft sweet piece of cheese! The butterfat was curdled with lemon juice, the whey removed from the curds, which were then finished into the required mold. All of this implied the name CHEESE.

Indian paneer is still to the day prepared in a very similar way. But, unlike paneer (and really cottage cheese), lemon cheese was created with an additional amount of lemon juice and zest, not mentioning the sugar.

Is there really a difference between lemon cheese and lemon curd now?

Some people will tell you that lemon cheese is more like jam and will last longer than lemon curd. Some would tell you that it is locally linked to the northern of the UK has always been named lemon cheese, while in the southern regions, lemon curd is the approved nickname.

Others insist that the names are just relevant to the used ingredients; As in lemon cheese, butter, and lemon curd with margarine are the basic ingredients. While, according to the British Bureau of Trade Standards, the elements for lemon cheese and lemon curd are precisely the same. At least for storebought curds.

However, what I can tell you with complete self-assurance is that homemade curd eliminates everything you can buy in stores.

How to make Easy Eggless Vegan Lemon Curd Recipe

By far, the simplest technique to prepare this Vegan Lemon Curd Recipe is to place the dry ingredients, with a tablespoon of lemon juice, in a mixer and pulse for a couple of seconds, until incorporated.

Then to heat the lemon juice in a pot, next combine the previously beaten ingredients and bring the mix to a boil until thickened.

Turn down the heat to very low and simmer for a few minutes until creamy, then add the margarine.

Once cooked, you can put the lemon curd in sterilized jars so they can leave later!

How long does the vegan lemon curd keep?

What, you suggest, considering you’re not a lemon curd addict like me? Haha! OK, once opened, keep your vegan lemon curd in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

However, if you can resist the deliciousness, lemon curd should be kept unopened for about a whole year.

Important notes for making the best eggless vegan lemon curd

What can go wrong with this vegan lemon curd?

Not much, actually, but if you don’t keep stirring the cornmeal and mix very well it while it thickens, the lemon curd can turn out to be a bit. If you don lumpy and not as smooth as it should be, And also for cornflour, if not cooked long enough, it will taste like raw flour.

My lemon curd tastes like flour, why? 

You didn’t cook the cornflour well. You should have a few more minutes to cook.

Can I make other fruit curds?

Oh absolutely yes! Sometimes I curd fruit with orange or tangerine juice, pink grapefruit, lime, and mix-ups of it all.

Grapefruit juice also makes an excellent fruit curd, and when I make my crumbled rhubarb cakes, I often curd rhubarb with the remaining juice. However, I reduce the quantity of sugar in the recipe as the rhubarb juice is very sweet on its own.

Fun fact: In tropic forests, citrus does not change from green to yellow or orange. You require chilly winter temperatures to turn in color. Also, the skin color of citrus fruits does not indicate mellowness (and therefore sweetness of its taste), so the next time you select a juicy and sweet orange, and it is actually deliciously bitter or sour, it will taste what… picked before maturity.

What exactly is corn flour?

Also known as corn starch or cornmeal.

I don’t have corn flour, can I substitute it with another vegan ingredient?

Arrowroot acts as fine as cornmeal; But, I do not approve using tapioca flour as it is too thick and you will end up with an obnoxious and dense mash.

Should I use vegan margarine?

I have never used it, still, I don’t understand why you can’t we simply use processed coconut oil. However, I prefer to use 3 tablespoons instead of 4 for instance.

    • Vegan margarine usually contains up to 70% fat, so if you use coconut oil, which is 100% fatty, you will only want to use smaller amount. 70% of 4 tablespoons = 2.8 tablespoons.

Optionally, if you don’t dislike having lemon coconut milk, you can try using coconut cream, which is the same as coconut butter, the single exception is the price. . Coconut cream is much more affordable than coconut butter!

Can I use alternatively use the bottled lemon, not the fresh ones?

Fresh lemon juice will always provide the most high-grade taste. But if you necessitate using store-bought lemon bottles, we advise you to examine the label. Because you will usually discover many artificial flavors and colorants which are all chemical.

Easy Eggless Vegan Lemon Curd Recipe

  • Cuisine: British
  • Preparation time: 5 minutes.
  • Cooking time: 10 minutes.
  • Total duration: 15 minutes
  • Servings: 20 tbsp
  • Calories: 58kcal

Ingredients

  • 165 ml lemon juice (the juice of about 4 large lemons)
  • 3 tablespoons cornflour (also called cornstarch)
  • 200 g granulated white sugar
  • 4 tablespoons vegan margarine
  • A pinch of turmeric powder (for color)

Preparation

  1. Bring the lemon juice, except 1 tablespoon, to a boil in a medium pan.
  2. Put 1 tablespoon lemon juice, cornmeal, sugar, and the turmeric powder in a blender, and process for about 30 seconds, until soft.
  3. As soon as the lemon juice starts boiling, pour the mixture of the blender in the pan, and combine well using a whisk.
  4. Boil again, don’t stop the whisking at any point now to prevent lumping. Lower the heat to medium and resume heating for an additional minute or so to incorporate the sugar well.
  5. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes, to make sure the cornmeal is cooked through and the lemon curd is creamy and delicious.
  6. Transfer from the stove and stir in the vegan margarine.
  7. transfer your ready vegan eggless lemon curd into a sterilized jar and seal until used.