I had never made lemon curd before since I’m not that big fan of lemon flavor. The idea of simple low-carb lemon curd was however so tempting, that I wanted to try and develop it. Many lemon curd recipes are quite complicated. Separating eggs, grating some lemon zest, melting the butter, using a double boiler, … I wanted something simple and easy. I think I reached my goal, at least I immediately fell in love with this low-carb lemon curd and I wasn’t even a fan of lemon flavor before! I hope you like it as well.
Tips for making the low-carb lemon curd
It’s better to cut the butter in small pieces before putting it in the saucepan. If the pieces are too large, the mixture easily splashes while whisking.
Vanilla stevia is optional, but it gives an elegant touch of vanilla which perfectly suits the tangy lemon flavor and makes the taste of the lemon curd even richer.
This lemon curd is pretty tangy and not really sweet. If you prefer sweeter flavor you can naturally add more erythritol or for example stevia. Or, if you prefer some other sweetener please feel free to use that.
I also use quite much butter in this recipe, since I prefer that rich and creamy flavor and mouthfeel butter gives. Often commercial versions of lemon curd are not that rich. They are thick because of thickening agents, but the flavor as such is thin and just too sweet. This low-carb lemon curd however is “real stuff” without any thickeners, so it’s really rich and a little goes a long way.
I have simplified quite remarkably the process of preparing the lemon curd. In my first experiments I melted the butter in a saucepan and beat other ingredients with an electric mixer in a bowl. Then I combined everything and heated the mixture in a low heat whisking all the time. Then I wondered if the process can be simplified even more. I tried to put all the ingredients in a saucepan at once, and the result was as silky and smooth as when using more complicated methods.
This lemon curd will thicken when stored in the fridge. I personally prefer thicker curd, but in case you don’t, take the curd to the room temperature well in advance.
But finally, here is the recipe:
|
| Nutrition information | Protein | Fat | Net carbs | kcal |
| The whole batch: | 25.1 g | 99.7 g | 4.1 g | 1014 kcal |
| Per portion if 4 portions in a batch: | 6.3 g | 24.9 g | 1.0 g | 254 kcal |
| Per portion if 6 portions in a batch: | 4.2 g | 16.6 g | 0.7 g | 169 kcal |
| Per portion if 8 portions in a batch: | 3.1 g | 12.5 g | 0.5 g | 127 kcal |
| Per portion if 10 portions in a batch: | 2.5 g | 10.0 g | 0.4 g | 101 kcal |
| Per 100 g lemon curd: | 5.7 g | 22.7 g | 0.9 g | 230 kcal |
| Per 1 tablespoon lemon curd: | 0.86 g | 3.41 g | 0.14 g | 35 kcal |
Tips how to use the lemon curd and how to get variation
Use this low-carb lemon curd like you would the conventional sugar-laden lemon curd. Here are some ideas:
- Spread it on low-carb bread (or this one), scones, waffles or cookies.
- Fill low-carb pancakes or crepes with this low-carb lemon curd.
- Top with a dollop of whipped cream, garnish with shavings of dark chocolate and serve a small amount as dessert.
- Spread on a prebaked low-carb pie crust. Top with sugar-free meringue.
- Fill cake layers with a mixture of lemon curd and whipped cream. Add crushed berries if you like.
- Add lemon curd to plain yogurt and enjoy for breakfast or dessert.
- Instead of lemon juice, you can use lime juice or other tangy low-carb juice.
What is your way of using lemon, lime or other fruit/berry curds? Do you prefer sweet flavor or tart and tangy?
I’ve been using this recipe since Aug of 2019. have made it many times. I now use Bocha Sweet and Now French Vanilla Stevia for sweeteners. The Bocha Sweet doesn’t crystalize. It’s my go to sweetener for lemon curd and LC ice cream
So great to hear you have liked the recipe! It’s also my go-to recipe for sugar-free lemon curd. I’ve never heard of Bocha Sweet, I will certainly take a closer look! Thank you for the tip!
HI THANK YOU FOR THE RECIPE I HAVE MADE THIS BEFORE FROM YOU AND WROTE THE RECIPE DOWN ON A SCRAP PAPER IN HASTE AND HAD FIGURED OUT THE STEVIA CONVERSION BUT I AM HAVING A HECK OF A TIME NOW AND I REALLY WANT TO MAKE IT AGAIN. I USUALLY USE ERYTHRITOL. IF ANYONE ELSE IN THIS COMMUNITY HAS ANY HELP THATS COOL TO THANK YOU.
Very tasty!
It took a looong time to thicken to a custard-like or hollandaise consistency in the pan though. (I think I was too timid with the heat.) So long, in fact that it developed a slightly metallic aftertaste from constant whisking for 20 plus minutes. All that lemon juice plus a stainless steel whisk. 🙁 So next time I will switch to a wooden spoon after the first few minutes. Or get a silicone whisk.
My batch made only 1.5 cups, probably because it lost some volume from cooking so long.
Thank you for the recipe!
Thank you for sharing your experience, great that you like the recipe!
I tried the recipe again today with a silicone whisk. No problems and a delicious (non-metalic) taste. I used 5 eggs because they were a bit small, and got 2 cups of lemon curd in total! Thank you!
Wonderful! Great to hear it turned out well.
Bless you! This is amazing!!!
Thank you, Rhonda!!
Hello again, I just made this, WOW! You’re giving me all my naughty cheat day treats back! Except, no cheating.
I had to half the recipe as I only had half the lemon juice. I used a whole egg and a yolk, and melted the butter first.
AMAZING! Better than I had in England~
Maria, that’s fantastic! This lemon curd is rich and tart, and not everybody might prefer it in that way. I just don’t personally like the “thin” commercial versions and that’s why I wanted to have plenty of butter in mine. A little goes a long way with this heavy stuff, so I think halving the recipe was a good idea!
Made this tonight..doubled the recipe..it is amazing! This is my kind of treat but I swear I could sit down with a spoon and eat the whole bowl…lol
🙂 Thanks for your comment! Great to hear you like it so much!
Looking forward to using this low carb recipe. Here is another quick recipe with lemon curd that will last in the freezer forever. I just eat a couple of spoonfuls a day and it’s sooo good !!
Mix together 8 oz of lemon curd, 8 oz Cool Whip and 8 oz whipped cream cheese. Mix well using a whisk. Put it back in the Cool Whip container or use a different. Keep in freezer. This can also be used with a low carb pie crust.
Thanks, Jean! Btw, how many carbs there are in Cool Whip? Unfortunately I cannot get it here in Finland, but those who can access it, that sounds like a great recipe to try out!
There are only 2 carbs in both Cool Whip and cream cheese for a serving of 2 tablespoons of the dessert. Using your lemon curd recipe will cut out a lot of carbs rather than using the store bought curd.
Thanks! Great to know!
Cool Whip is just chemicals and contains corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.
And that’s why I never use it!
I made this lemon curd tonight, and holy buckets do I ever like it. Yum! I like my lemon curd lemony and tart and this fits the bill. I put it over some vanilla low-carb ice cream (made from coconut milk) and it was such a treat. I’m looking forward to putting it on low-carb waffles for breakfast tomorrow. Mmmm. Also, I gave a bite of this lemon curd to my toddler, and she happily exclaimed “lemons!” She likes it quite a lot too. 🙂
Tara, thanks for leaving a comment! So great to hear that you and your toddler like the lemon curd!
Darcy, great to hear! Hope you like the recipe.
Perfect! My friend and I just went shopping together, and she bought some lemon curd (I’d never heard of it). Now that we figured out what to do with it, it’s nice to have a low-carb recipe for it!