Looking for a really easy vegan lemon curd? I think I found it :) . And the best part is that it's refined sugar-free too. Yay! I just love how cute lemon curd looks, and I love its intense flavor so much. I came up with this recipe while trying to make a lemon tart, but had leftovers which went amazingly well with some toast. So I made some more (of course!) to use as a spread. This curd is pretty versatile. I made another batch to use in some coconut lemon squares, and they came out delicious too. This recipe is definitely a keeper for me!
PrintRefined Sugar-Free and Vegan Lemon Curd
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup soft silken tofu {I used Mori-Nu, since it's non-GMO}, strained {or use ¾ cup pre-soaked raw cashews in place of tofu for paleo version}
- ½ cup liquid sweetener of your choice (I used maple syrup)
- ¼ cup neutral tasting coconut oil, liquified
- zest of 4 small lemons
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- juice of 4 small lemons (roughly ⅓ cup juice)
- 2 tbsp agar agar flakes (not powder)
- optional: a few drops of yellow food coloring of your choice
Instructions
- Place the strained tofu, sweetener, coconut oil, lemon zest, and vanilla and lemon extracts into a medium sized mixing bowl. Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until it's smooth and uniform. Note: you can also do this in a regular blender if you don't have an immersion blender, but I find the immersion blender less messy...
- Place the lemon juice and agar agar in a small saucepan and warm up on low hear stirring frequently until the agar agar dissolves into the liquid (it will thicken slightly). Do not let the mixture boil or bubble. Once all the agar agar is dissolved remove from heat and pour into the mixing bowl with all the other ingredients. Blend everything to combine into a smooth mixture.
- Transfer into a glass jar and allow it to cool to room temp. Refrigerate the mixture afterwards. It will thicken as it sets in the fridge. If you're using it in a dessert (pie, squares, tarts, etc., then just spread the mixture as necessary after cooling it for a few minutes and then place the pastries in the fridge to set for a few hours).
Notes
If you're leaving the lemon curd in a jar to be used as a spread, then you may notice some very slight separation occurring after a few days in the fridge, which is perfectly fine. Just stir everything together to combine and continue using safely. This will store well in the fridge for 1-2 weeks (mine was actually fine for even longer).
Louise says
Could this be frozen, do you think, please?
Diane says
Can I mix this lemon curd with coco whip? I make a gingerbread cake with lemon curd and blackberry sauce trifle that I would like to make gluten free vegan. I’m worried that the lemon curd and coco whip would separate. Can anyone help me with this?
Audrey says
Hi Diane, I wish I could help but unfortunately I've never tried that with this recipe and can't say with certainty whether it would work or not.
I don't think the mixture should separate. What I'd do personally in this case is mix the lemon curd with the whip before letting it set in the fridge and the agar agar should make the two mixtures set together evenly. If it's going into a trifle bowl, then I'd probably put it in before letting it set as well if that's possible.
If you give it a try (whichever way) I'd love to hear how you go.
Laurel says
Looks like the perfect filling for the macadamia cacao butter cookies I just mixed up. They are now going into a tart shell to be filled with lemon curd. Someone save me, I think I'm surgically attached to my fork.
Audrey says
Haha. That sounds amazing, Laurel :)
Awdur says
Do you think this would still be good if I used limes instead of lemons?
Audrey says
Absolutely :) Lime curd is quite delicious!
Bella says
Could I do this without the agra agar or any form of gelatine?
Audrey says
Hi Bella, you could, but it will be more like a "whip" in consistency -- lighter and fluffier.
Max Knightly says
Awesome! My brother who is a professional pastry chef could not make better then this.
★★★★★
Audrey says
That's cool -- so happy you're enjoying it :)
Ester Fierro says
Yes I will try the cashews thank you so much
Audrey says
You're welcome, Ester -- enjoy it! :)
Ester Fierro says
Is there anything I can use to replace
Tofu? I can't have soy so Tofu is out.
Audrey says
Hi Ester,
Can you eat cashews? You can pre-soak about 3/4 cup raw cashews in water to soften them {either 15 minutes in boiled hot water, or an hour or longer in cold water} and use that in place of the tofu. Sunflower seeds would probably work well too.
Let me know if these options work -- if not I'll think of something else :)
Elly says
Hey, I wondered if I could substitute the agar agar flakes with powder, since I couldn't fin the flakes anywhere. And if so, how much powder should I use to replace the flakes?
Thanks !
Amazing recipe by the way, I can't wait to try it out :)
Audrey says
Hi Elly,
So sorry, just noticed I never responded to your question! :/. I've had such a crazy few weeks that it's no wonder I've missed your question, but the crazy part is that I actually woke up this morning dreaming about having forgotten to respond to it question :). Hope that let's you know how seriously I take my recipes ;) and hope it's not too late. Yes, you can definitely use agar agar powder instead of flakes, but the amounts used differ. You need to use 1 tsp powder for every 1 tbsp flakes. Also, you'll need to simmer it for less time than the flakes as it'll dissolve faster. Enjoy it!
Rebecca says
I accidentally used powder in the same volume as indicated for flakes. You can imagine how successful that was ;) And to boot, my lemons turned out to have seriously bitter peel. Currently in emergency control mode!
★★★
Audrey says
Oh no :O :O :O
I hope it's salvageable? You can always blend it with other things to turn it into something -- I do that sometimes. Like add more liquid, more sweetener blend, adjust flavors to see what happens...? Just thinking of ideas of what can be done.
Rebecca says
I ended up only using half the lemon agar jelly and adding bucketloads of sweetener (maple syrup and xylitol) plus some lemon oil. And you know what? The bitterness disappeared like magic ;). I made it to put in some lemon meringue tarts and they were pronounced the fourth best thing I've ever made (they're a tough crowd here but that was intended as a compliment). So a definite hit. BTW I used homemade vegan butter for the oil in a reduced quantity and it worked out fine. Thanks heaps for the recipe!
★★★★★
Rebecca says
Forgot to mention that I did also add more water to the lemon agar mixture - otherwise it was so thick it was practically solid! For a person who has worked with agar quite a bit before it was an inexcusable mistake ;)
Audrey says
Aw, well happens to all of us sometimes :) I'm really glad you were able to make it work though!
Mel says
I made the same mistake what a disaster. Note to self- read the notes to the recipes- I now have 4 hockey pucks in ramekins.....
Perhaps a note in the method?
Ps. Why does the mobile version of your site only allow me to rate the recipe 5 stars?!?!
Audrey says
Hi Mel,
Oh, no -- I can imagine having 4 pucks is not super desireable ?. I added a note to the recipe as suggested -- flakes, not powder. Hopefully that spares any future confusion.
About the rating system -- thanks for letting me know. I had no idea. So funny because on desktop I had the opposite problem where it wasn't allowing any 5 star ratings at all. The problem is that the recipe set-up is done through a plugin I purchased some years ago, and plugins are usually maintained by their respective developers. As the internet, website platforms, etc. undergo changes, developers are meant to keep their own plugins up to date so that these glitches won't happen. Unfortunately the developer of this recipe plugin has become very ill and is unable to keep up... hence a lot of funny glitches like that slipping through. I already purchased a new recipe setup to use, but it's a matter of installing it and converting all the recipes into a new format, which will take some time to sort out.. Either way, thanks for the heads up -- I'll look into it and see if anything could be done.
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma) says
This looks great, I need to make this! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! :)
Its live now!
Cindy
Audrey says
Thank you! :)
Sarah says
What brand and where do you get your agar? I keep reading lots of mixed reviews on Amazon about bad tasting ones. Thanks!
Audrey says
Hi Sarah. I got mine in a local health food shop and transferred it into a storage jar a little while ago so I don't have the original package to check the brand. I'll check the name of the brand the next time I'm at the shop, but it seems like a good brand and it doesn't taste bad at all.
Jennifer W. says
I was relieved to see that stevia was not in the recipe. Thank you thank you thank you!
Audrey says
Hi Jennifer. I laughed reading your comment because that's my typical response too when I find a non-stevia recipe :). I tried so hard to like it, but to date there's less than a handful of recipes I can tolerate it in. Enjoy it & have a nice weekend!
Katherine says
I just bought some agar flakes the other day. I wasn't sure how I was going to use them. This is perfect.
Audrey says
Hi Katherine. That's great. I actually have a few other recipes coming up with agar agar flakes (that I just didn't get around to uploading yet) so stay tuned ;) . I've got one up so far (besides this lemon curd) you can check out: Nutella Cream Pie. I was the same -- bought it not sure how I was going to use it, but since then I've been putting it to good use :).
Lisa says
Yummmm. I'll wait to make this until you share your tart recipe! But in the meantime, what's all this about marshmallows? Do you have a marshmallow recipe?? I must have! The vegan options out there are way too expensive.
Audrey says
Hi Lisa. Thanks so much! I'll have the tart recipe up on Monday (busy weekend...), so it's coming soon. I don't have a vegan marshmallow recipe yet. I do have a few recipes using vegan marshmallows that I bought though (like these brownies, this peanut butter and marshmallow tart, these rice krispie treats, and this S'mores Pie). I used Dandies and Ricemellow for these recipes, though I've used Sweet 'n Sara's before as well. And I agree -- they can get pricey, so making your own can be a good alternative. There is one DIY vegan marshmallow recipe I wanted to try out at some point, so if you're interested check this recipe out.
Audrey says
Hi Lisa. Just following up to say the lemon tart recipe is up.
Lisa says
yay!! Perfect timing as I have company coming in this week! I looked up the marshmallow recipe but I have a feeling I will end up buying.... Thanks for the tart recipe. Can't wait to try it.
Vicki says
I've just signed up! The recipe sounds great although, not being a baker, I don't know what to do with it. What r cupcake pockets? I'm excited to find another gf vegan, esp on that can bake and blog the recipes! Thx note to search your site
Audrey says
Hi Vicki. Thanks for stopping by! I'm going to have a recipe up on Monday for the lemon tart using this curd, so maybe that'll be something you can try out with it. I'm not sure what cupcake pockets she had in mind, but when I read the comment I assumed she meant cupcakes with a lemon curd filling (which can be very delicious!).
Molly Nolan says
Possible to use something other than coconut oil? Big allergy issue.
Audrey says
Hi Molly, a non-dairy butter (softened or melted) would work well in place of the coconut oil.
Catherine R says
I used melted cocoa butter instead of coconut oil, about 2 Tbs and it turned out delicious
★★★★★
Glorygirl says
I was just thinking last night that I should try to find a vegan lemon curd recipe, and then this popped up in my newsfeed today! Definitely something to keep me occupied while I wait for baby to arrive!
I think I'd like to put it on vegan scones, or as a filling for lemon tartlets with raspberries :-)
Audrey says
Hi Glorygirl. So glad you found this recipe then :) I used it in a lemon tart so far and to make coconut lemon squares and it worked really well, so I'm sure it'll be great for scones and tartlets. If you're planning on using it fresh in some pastries (like tarts, etc.) just be sure to let the filled pastries set in the fridge for at least a few hours for the curd to solidify a bit. Enjoy!
aishwarya says
This looks just like the kind of no-egg lemon curdI've been wanting to make for as long as I can remember. I tried the normal lemon curd recipe sans the egg. It looked and tasted pretty bad. I'm so trying this for cupcake pockets. Thanks!
Audrey says
Hi aishwarya. I know what you mean. I can imagine it not working without the eggs... This recipe worked really well for me in pastries. Just be sure to let the filled pastries set in the fridge for a few hours for the curd to gel up and solidify a bit more. Enjoy it!
Eric says
Great recipe for lemon curd. I am always looking for fun vegan treats to make. Thanks for sharing!
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Eric. Enjoy it!
Laurel says
Hi. I just came across your site from a link at Gluten Free Easily and am busily deciding what type of gel or goop will work best to replace the silken tofu (soy allergies always make you go the further mile :-) in you marshmallow fluff brownie recipe.
So then I had to have a peek around. You got me with lemon curd, although again, tofu, still I can probably manage that. What I'm not at all sure about is the 2 Tbsp of agar agar. You do mean flakes and not powder right? Or no?
Well, I'm off to stalk your site some more. hehe
Audrey says
Hi Laurel. Thanks so much for stopping by! A large banana would work well in place of the tofu for the brownies (though it'll give it a banana-y flavor) or an equivalent amount of peanut or almond butter (will also give it a nuttier flavor). The tofu is basically adding in some moisture, stickiness, and elasticity, so anything similar (like nut or seed butters, banana, etc.) would do the trick as a substitute.
Yes, I am using the agar flakes. I'll specify that in the recipe -- thanks for pointing it out. About the curd though, I'm not sure really how to substitute the tofu for that recipe in particular, since it's the closest in consistency to eggs (traditionally used in lemon curd) without adding in any other flavors. I'd maybe go with a different recipe then. I think I've seen some that don't use tofu or eggs before.
Laurel says
Audrey: Thanks for all the tips. I think a nut butter would be a good replacement. The other thought I had was to try a starch gel (1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot boiled with 1/2C water) it makes a clear goop and I understand that silken tofu is sort of like egg whites? First I have to make marshmallows because y'know, marshmallows!
Audrey says
I've never tried using a starch gel before, but it sounds very interesting. I'd love to hear how it goes. And yeah, mmm... marshmallows... ;)
Alex says
How about avocado as a tofu substitute, instead of banana? It has creamy texture, and no strong flavor.
Audrey says
Hey Alex. I think that's a great idea and it would probably work really well. The only thing is that the end result will be a greenish hue, but if you don't mind that I think it would work really well. I might give it a try next time myself :)
Alex says
Glad I gave an idea! :)
Heather says
I wonder if chia seeds would work? They would add a little texture and it would look like thick poppy seeds. But they make puddings and gel just with added liquid so it could work perfectly.
Audrey says
Hi Heather. I think chia might help as a binding/gelling agent, but you'll need to add something else for creaminess/smoothness. I chose soft silken tofu because it sort of resembles the texture of eggs and adds a smooth texture to the curd. I think if I had to try another substitute I'd probably go with Alex's suggestion above and use an avocado.