“When life hands you a lemon, say, ‘Oh yeah, I like lemons! What else ya got?” – Henry Collins
There are some things that can just brighten up your day and one of them is lemon curd ! Its like sunshine in a cup (…or a tart or in bars or in cake) . And all sweet can get a little boring right… we all need a little tart in our lives once in a while!
Making a good eggless lemon curd was a bit of challenge. Most recipes I found were too thin or just not lemony enough . I wanted this curd to be as close to a regular lemon curd as possible..in flavour , texture and appearance.
Flavour … spot on! Its lemony , bright , sweet and buttery!
Texture … smooth , creamy and velvety!
Appearance …not so much . Lets face it , its difficult to get that bright yellow without the aid of some yolks. This curd is a pale yellow , but you could add food colour for that more yellow hue (I didn’t) . Otherwise just use the brightest lemons you can find!
This eggless lemon curd recipe is adapted from one by Elizabeth Faulkner and the key is to use fresh lemon or lime juice and bright lemon zest. If you don’t own a zester , just remove the yellow skin of the lemons with a sharp knife . Take cake not to use any of the white pith underneath, as it will make the curd bitter. The zest is rubbed with a little bit of sugar as it extracts the flavours best. Also do not skimp on the cook time , or the texture just won’t be right.
Lemon curd is so versatile ..you can serve it in tart shells , you can make luscious lemon bars , you can fill it in your cupcakes or layer it in your cakes or fill it in your thumbprint cookies . You can have it on top of your pancakes or crepes , bread even. I even made ice cream using it . You can also use the same recipe to make orange or any other citrus curd just as easily. I’m telling you , if you make this once ..you’ll find a hundred different things to slather it on or lick it off!
Eggless lemon curd
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons lemon or lime zest , from 1 or 2 limes/lemons
- 150 grams or 3/4 cups granulated sugar granulated
- 180 ml or 3/4 cups lemon juice (5-6 lemons)
- 112 grams or 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons corn flour
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup condensed milk sweetened
Instructions
- Dissolve the corn flour into the water. Keep aside.
- Rub the lemon zest with 1 teaspoon sugar for a few minutes until it becomes paste like.
- Heat together this zest sugar mixture, sugar , juice and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil while stirring for 4-5 minutes.
- Mix in the dissolved cornflour and simmer for 3-4 minutes. It will thicken.
- Take off heat , pour into a bowl and stir in condensed milk.
- Cover with cling wrap touching the surface of the curd , cool for 15 minutes and then chill for 2 hours or longer.
Notes
- This can be refrigerated for about 10 days.
- If you want , you can strain the curd when you get it off the heat (before mixing in the condensed milk) .
- This lemon curd is full of flavour. Increase the sugar by 1/4 cup if you want a sweeter curd. Or adjust the amount of lemon juice and zest.
I tried this recipe today but with orange cos my mother loves orange and it turned out to be awesome. Everybody loved this at home. Thanks for sharing it. Looking forward for more recipes like this.
Thanks Tarun for that amazing feedback ! I have tried it with oranges and it was a hit in my home as well. Will definitely try to share recipes that you enjoy !
Hey!
Can I replace condensed milk with fresh cream?
Hi Sukriti ! Fresh cream will not work the same way I am afraid… condensed milk is there for sweetness and thickness , and fresh cream will not be able to provide both..
Hi.. just wanted to know,vif it is to be used in a lemon curd tart, can I bake it with the shell? Or bake the shell and then add curd after cooling?
Thanks.
Hi Meg….prebaking baked the tart case, cooling it , then pouring the lemon curd in , letting it set would be the way to go !or just spread cooked curd into cooled tart shell and serve !
Hi, great recipe.
Just wanted to know, when I got the mixture off of the heat before adding the condensed milk, it started to get slightly lumpy. Is that normal? If not, what did I do wrong/how can I fix it? Thanks! Cheers!
Hi Mapusa… By lumpy do you mean thick or actual lumps? I have not had that problem but it may be due to over cooking.. It should be thick but smooth… Hope this helps
Hi ! Can I use this as fillings between cake layers which will then be frosted with buttercream? In that case , how long can the cake be kept at room temperature ?
Thanks
Hi Ruchika…yes, you can ! It stays good at room temperature for 4 to 5 hours… You can look at my mango cake in which I used mango curd as a filling and also used it to flavour the buttercream I frosted the cake with !
Hi,
Can I make this recipe with salted butter ?
Unsalted butter is not available right now.
Hi…yes, you can !
Hi…this is yumm! Tried a batch and ate it as is Can I use it on a no-bake lemon bar though? If I use a Graham cracker crust and pour this over, would refrigerating it set it well enough to cut into bars?
Hi Nivedita ! Glad you liked it … I think the curd would be too loose to set as bars. Wouldn’t be sliceable …
So good! Didn’t want to use eggs since they are hard to get right now. Made this a few days in advance to bake into a lemon curd pie and it worked perfectly. Easy, delicious, and the bright lemon flavor makes me so happy!
Glad to know you enjoyed the curd Kelly ! Thanks for trying it !
Hi, Kelly. I want to do the same. Did you bake the pie with the curd in it or did you just pipe it on after the pie crust was baked? Thanks!
This lemon curd recipe is absolutely delicious thank you for sharing!!!
Have you ever tried to freeze it? If so for how long and in what container?
Hi Susie !Like most lemon curds you can freeze it safely in an airtight freezer friendly container (plastic or glass) for 3 months atleast. Do remember not to fill all the way to the top of the container!
Thank you so much for the recipe! I made it and added extra condensed milk to it in the end. It was really delicious and the perfect balance of sweet and tang.
Thanks for trying Anushka ! Happy to know you liked it . Will give the extra condensed milk a try next time !
What is the total weight (in grams) of the lemon curd that you get finally?
Hey I just thought of trying ur recipe
But can u just say in what type of vessel should I store normally steel or plastic container??
Hi Shradha… glass or steel works best, but plastic will do if you dont have either. Something with a lid is preferable .
Hey I tried the lemon curd and it is awesome. Will never go back to the one with egg !!! Thank you so much.
Just had one question. How long can I store this curd in the refrigerator ?
Glad you liked it Rati… This lasts for a week to 10 days… Might need to stir it well if you keep for long!
Hey, this is an awesome recipe. Planning to try it soon. Wanted a suggestion. Can I reduce the sugar to half as the condensed milk is already very sweet. Iam planning to pair it with buttercream cake. Will it be good?
Hey Tanya… the cookie has so few ingredients that each plays a vital role.. try reducing a couple of tablespoons of sugar at a time and see if it works ! it will definitely work with a buttercream cake as the curd counteracts the sweetness. sorry for the late reply – hope it wasnt too late !
Hello! I’ve made this lemon curd and it was absolutely delicious and irresistible! My only fault was that it came out a bit too thick and unpipeable. I was wondering what would be the best way to salvage this and make it a bit thinner /easier to spread?! Many thanks !
Hi Bon… sorry for the late response – was travelling for a bit ! You could heat or microwave it to make it easier to spread. Alternately , add more juice and adjust the sugar accordingly..
Hello !
What can I replace condensed milk with? Or is there any method to make condensed milk at home?
Hi Mitisha.. Condensed milk is required here as its the main reason this recipe works without eggs. You can make it at home although i havent tried it. You can give it a go ! https://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/how-to-make-condensed-milk/
Thank you Akshata for such a simple and yummy recipe. Made orange curd and everyone loved it. Have posted the pic and tagged you in HBG.
Thank you so much Rajani for trying the curd and sharing the results..so stoked everyone liked it !!
Thanks for the amazing recipe. Also thanks for putting in unit measurements instead of only “zest of one lemon”. Apparently Canadian lemons are a fair bit larger! I was happily surprised at the increase of flavour and creaminess adding condensed milk. Wow. Just lovely.
Glad you liked the lemon curd Jennifer !
Is corn flower the same as corn starch?
Sorry for the late reply Erica ! Have been away for a bit. Yes, corn flour and starch are the same. We just call it corn flour in India while in most places around the world its called corn starch.
Hi Akshatha!
I just tried making passion fruit curd using this lemon curd recipe of urs. Replaced lemon juice with fresh passion fruit juice and reduced sugar to 1/2cup. Added half a lime juice coz the PF juice wasn’t very tart, and it turned out super yum!! Just waiting to pair it with come coconut sponge.. Thanks so much for ur recipe!! It’s a keeper!
Awesome… i m a big fan of passionfruit – although i don’t get hold of them as often as I would like ! Passionfruit curd would go so great with coconut sponge. I do have a coconut cake (with eggs) if you would like to have a look. Thanks for dropping in Pavithra!
Hello. Thinking of using this as filling for chocolate. Do you think this is okay at room temperature for a few days?
Hey Erika… I haven’t kept it out for that long. With a good chocolate seal around it, maybe a day. Otherwise I d say it’s better to keep the candies refrigerated…
Does the 3/4 cups of sugar include the 1 teaspoon used to rub the lemon zest? This recipe looks amazing, can’t wait to try it 🙂
Hi Harini… yes, just use a teaspoon of the 3/4 cups sugar itself. Hope you try and like it!
Hi. Just made this lemon curd. It came out absolutely delicious. Was tangy and sweet and lip smacking. Thank you! Enjoying reading your blog.
Thanks a ton for that lovely feedback Sunitha… so pleased you liked the curd!
Can this eggless lemon curd recipe be substituted for passionfruit curd. My daughter is very allergic to egg, so I’m always on the look-out for eggless sweet treats.
Hey there Lisa…. less you could just substitute passionfruit here instead of the lemon and it would work just as well 🙂
Can i use the same recipe for orange curd? I am planning to bake orange cake for a friend, can i use the orange curd for frosting?
Hi Nirja .. u can make orange curd using this recipe but consider reducing the sugar depending on the sweetness of orange . You can use it as a filling , But Not frosting. It is of a thick smooth jam consistency . So it will be difficult to spread all over , the quantity won’t be enough and the tartness will overpower the cake if used too much. But you can mix some of the curd into any frosting and use that . Hope this helps !
Thank you!!
THANKS! I followed the recipe and it came out amazing. I’ve been avoiding eggs so thank you for such a great alternative!!!
Hey Allie… Thanks for trying the recipe…Glad you liked the curd !
Hi Rhea… I did use the regular nimbus we get everywhere here in India… Choose the yellowest ones u can find and adjust sugar while tasting during the preparation.. do let me know if u try it !
Hey Rhea… I made it using the local nimbus we get everywhere here in India. Just use the most yellow you can find. Adjust sugar accordingly. Do let me know if you try this!!
I’m a big lemon curd fan. Yet to make it at home though. Would you mind sharing which kind of lemons are needed? Will the regular nimbu we get at the local bazaar, work? Or are they too sour for lemon curd?