Vegan Lemon Curd
No eggs, no problem!!
I am doing a program soon for a group that requested a vegan baking class. We set this date up ages ago, never imagining the egg shortages and higher costs some of us are experiencing. So this post in pretty timely, all things considered.
So why would you make a lemon curd without the traditional eggs and butter? Some folks are vegan, some might have allergies or other dietary restrictions. I just knew I had to come up with some recipes that were egg and dairy free, but also tasted good. I wasn’t sure I would ever come up with a vegan lemon curd that I liked enough to share the recipe.
I found a couple of recipes online, but while they tasted okay, they were missing something. That something was fat. Fat affects the taste and texture of foods. Often referred to as mouth feel. With no butter or egg yolks, the recipes I found were just not quite there. So I added avocado oil to the recipe. It worked great. Of course, you can use any neutral oil you prefer. I also amped up the amount of lemon juice and lemon zest.
A friend tried it the other night and really loved it. So here it my recipe for lemon curd without butter or eggs. Even I was surprised at how good it is. Enjoy!!
Vegan Lemon Curd
½ c. sugar
1½ T. cornstarch
½ c. non dairy “milk”, I use almond milk
1/3 – 1/2 c. lemon juice, or the juice from 2 lemons
Zest from 2 lemons, about 1½ tablespoons
¼ c. oil, I used avocado oil, any neutral oil is fine
¼ t. turmeric, for color, optional
Place sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan and whisk together. Stir in remaining ingredients, then place over medium heat and cook, stirring continually, until mixture thickens and gets bubbly. Cook another minute or so, then remove from heat and cool down before serving. Makes about 1¼ cups. Serve with cakes, scones or cookies. Or just eat it with a spoon, no one will judge you. Store in fridge.
Note: I didn’t have any trouble getting the oil to blend right in. If you do, you can stir the curd again once it has cooled and the oil will mix right in.
