This eggless lemon curd is a favourite with both my girls, given they can’t consume eggs. And no one can tell the difference!
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Why Eggless?
We use lemon curd a lot when baking; it’s a fantastic ingredient that is so much more effective than lemon juice. Its concentrated lemon flavour works wonders in so many recipes, lending both a sharp, as well as a touch of creamy flavour.
Because my girls are allergic to eggs, we are converting and creating more and more eggless baking recipes. And as lemon curd is something we love baking with, making an eggless lemon curd recipe was an obvious thing for us. I’m just amazed it’s taken me a couple of years to post about it!
The catalyst to this post was the last semolina cake that we made, Semolina and Lemon Curd Cake with Rosemary and Lemon Syrup (above). It was such a delicious creation, and a hit with family and friends that I promised my girls and a few readers that I would convert it to an eggless cake recipe. Naturally, the first step was to post the eggless lemon curd recipe!
This eggless lemon curd is sunshine in a jar!
There is hardly any difference in taste, aroma, and texture between this eggless lemon curd and a traditional lemon curd made with eggs. The creaminess that the eggs provide is replaced by the condensed milk we use in the recipe.
With the exception of peanut butter, I like my spreads smooth, no bits anywhere. So I don’t add any lemon zest to our lemon curd, but have listed it in the recipe here as optional. I shall leave that up to you.
Homemade Eggless Lemon Curd Recipe
Our eggless lemon curd is a very easy recipe to put together and takes only 15 minutes to make. It can be eaten immediately after being made, while still warm, although it will be slightly runnier at this stage. After that, store it in a sterilised jar, in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Sterilising Jars for our Eggless Lemon Curd
- Turn the oven on to a cool 130˚C/250˚F/Gas Mark ½.
- Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water.
- Place the jars and lids upside down in the oven and leave them to dry, with the door closed for 15 minutes.
- Leave the jars and lids in there, bring them out only when you are ready to fill. Be careful, as they’ll be hot.
More on the Eggless Recipes page
Images by LinsFoodies
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Lin xx
Eggless Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 100 g salted butter
- 100 g white sugar
- 200 ml lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
- zest of 2 lemons
- 2 Tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in the US)
- 2 Tbsp cool water
- 100 g condensed milk
Instructions
- Place the butter, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest (if using) in a small saucepan on medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir, as the butter is melting, to mix.100 g salted butter, 100 g white sugar, 200 ml lemon juice , zest of 2 lemons
- Let the mix simmer for 1 minute.
- Mix the cornflour and water to a smooth paste, and very slowly drizzle this into the lemon and sugar mix, stirring constantly, until the mixture has thickened.2 Tbsp cornflour, 2 Tbsp cool water
- Take it off the heat and stir the condensed milk in. That's it.100 g condensed milk
- Transfer to a sterilised jar, bring to room temperature, then store in the fridge for up to a week.
I’m assuming “cornflour” is the same as corn starch in the States?
Hi Audra, yes it is.
Hi,is it possible to substitute cornflour w something?(if yes how much?)
I have same question, thanks
Hi guys, the cornflour is there to help thicken the lemon curd. Without it, the lemon curd would be thin and runnier.
So if you don’t want to use cornflour, you need something that will do the same job, that is, act as a thickener.
These are some examples:
all purpose flour (not gluten free) – twice as much, so 4 Tbsp
tapioca starch or flour – 2 Tbsp
rice flour – 4 Tbsp
potato starch – 2 Tbsp
arrowroot powder – 2 Tbsp
I hope that helps.
I am making a lemon tart. How much cornflour do I need to add so that it sets properly and does it need to be baked to set or refrigerated?
Hi Priyanka, I’ve not got around to using this as a tart filling with cornflour. In one of my replies below, I give the recipe for making lemon tart with this lemon curd using agar agar.
My best estimate for cornflour is 5 Tbsp cornflour PLUS 1 Tbsp salted butter. Fill the tart shell and bake it. As it cools, the butter will help the filling harden. This is only an estimate, I hope it works for you.
Have you tried freezing this? Will the consistency still be good when thawed?
Hi Terry, I’ve not frozen it before but a few of my readers have tried it. According to them, it freezes fairly well. Comes out slightly runny, but stirring it solves the problem.
I’ll have to try it myself soon, so I can add that to the post!
I have been looking for a egg free lemon curd for ages. This turned out perfect! I paired it with a pâte sucrée and it tasted just like it came from the bakery! It was so nice to be able to make something like this for my egg allergic son who has to miss out on treats a lot. Thank you so much !
That’s really great, Corrine! So good to know. I’ve been wanting to do a recipe for an eggless lemon tart for ages.
Holy moly that is delicious!! I just finished making it. My daughter is allergic to eggs so I really appreciate this egg free recipe. It turned out perfect!
HI Kelly, I am so pleased to hear that! I’ve got to that stage where I prefer this eggless version to the standard one!
I feel the lemon proportion of 200 ml is a hit too much. I suggest reducing to 150. Thank you for the recipe
A pleasure, I’ve been making this lemon curd for years and years, using 200ml, and the tartness is perfect to us. If it’s too sour for you, then yes, by all means, reduce it.
Made it ths morning and I must say I am very impressed with the results.
I actually said out loud ” I am proud of myself hahaha”
Will be making more next time, I sell cakes from my kitchen soo I ussually just bought stored bought lemon curd but from now on this will definitely be my go toto recipe.
Thanks for sharing. God bless
I’m pleased to hear that Isabella, glad I could help. I’ve had a few folks using them for their businesses.
Hi, I need help! I want to made a batch of 8 jars, with the egg recipe I’m told I am not able to keep on shelf,so I look for NO EGG recipe BUT even this recipe calls to be refridgegarated. If in a sanitized sealed jar why not on a shelf?
Hi Sharlene, I’m afraid citrus curds/jams need to be kept in the fridge for the best result and safety.
In the past, I used to give this a water bath and kept them on the shelf for 1-2 months. But current safety advice states that you need to store all citrus curds in the fridge, even if you give them a water bath.
Here is an old article that you may be interested in reading about how to can lemon curds (give them a water bath): https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/lemon_curd.html
However, please bear in mind that I am not suggesting you do it.
Hi…may I use this lemon curd as it is, as a filling for cakes & cupcakes, without mixing it with cream or buttercream?
Hi Rashmi, yes you can, but the lemon curd is pretty runny, like runny jam. I suggest you add one of tablespoon of cornflour to it (total of 3), so it will be thicker, which will make it better for filling cakes.
I actually added 3T cornstarch and it came out nice and thick
Thanks for letting us know.
So total 3 tablespoons cornflour right for thick consistency?
Yes, 3 tablespoons should give you a thick consistency. But it still won’t be thick enough as a filling for a tart. You’ll have to use 5 Tbsp for that.