Lemon lovers, rejoice! Easy Keto Lemon Curd takes only 4 ingredients and is the creamiest, dreamiest lemon dessert sauce. And it has less than 1g of carbs per serving!
I’ve been making my own sugar free lemon curd for what feels like a gajillion years now. I made my first batch in 2011 and was astonished that it worked out so well. And I’ve been improving upon that recipe ever since.
It’s one of those recipes that always surprises me when I taste it. I seemingly forget how much I like keto lemon curd between batches. And then when I make it again, I wonder why I don’t make it more often.
If you love lemon, I dare you not to eat the whole batch in one sitting. If you can resist the temptation, then you can use it to make Keto Lemon Curd Tart. Or spread it over Keto Cheesecake for an out-of-this-world keto dessert experience!
Why you need to try it
When I embarked upon writing the Easy Keto Desserts cookbook, I struck upon a trick for making sugar free lemon curd even easier than before: using whole eggs.
Typically, lemon curd calls for just the yolks. But using the whole egg works just as well and eliminates the step of separating the yolks from the whites. Less fuss, less muss, and nothing sitting in your fridge, waiting to be used up.
I’ve been making it this way ever since. It’s a little creamier and a little fluffier, and it doesn’t curdle quite as easily. And it takes only 20 minutes to make!
Reader Reviews
“I love this recipe. I can’t count how many times I’ve made it. Today I was out of fresh lemons, so I made it with bottled key lime juice and it was awesome. Thank you!!!” — Martha
“Amazing recipe!! Much easier than the lemon curd I used to make before I went keto!” — Sarah
“Wow, this stuff is delicious! I could sit and eat it with a spoon. I doubled the recipe and it took about 20 minutes to get thick. I can’t wait to make your ice cream with it!” — Becky
Ingredients you need
- Lemons: Curd uses both the zest and the juice of the lemons. Make sure to wash the lemons well before zesting.
- Eggs: No need to separate the eggs for this easy keto lemon curd recipe!
- Butter: This helps firm up the curd and makes it extra creamy. You can also use coconut oil for a dairy-free version.
- Sweetener: I find that a combination of Swerve Confectioners and allulose gives the best results. See the Expert Tips section for more options.
Step by Step Directions
1. Use a double boiler: Set a glass or ceramic bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.
2. Whisk and cook: Whisk together the eggs, sweeteners, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully as it will thicken all of a sudden.
3. Add butter: Immediately remove from heat and add the butter. Let sit a few minutes to melt and then whisk until smooth and creamy.
4. Refrigerate: Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.
Expert Tips
Always use a glass or ceramic bowl when making lemon curd. Lemon juice reacts with metal bowls and can give the curd a tinny or metallic taste.
The trick to perfect keto lemon curd is to take it off the heat at just the right moment. Keep a close eye on it at all times. The mixture will start to move more slowly and your whisk will begin to make tracks through it. The mixture will also become more opaque. Once it does, remove the bowl from over the pan to stop the cooking process.
Sweetener options: Curd relies on eggs to set properly so you can use your preferred sweetener. But do note that curd made with allulose alone takes a long time to thicken properly. It also stays a lot softer, even after refrigeration. Do not use liquid allulose, as it will introduce too much liquid into the mixture.
Using erythritol based sweeteners alone will cause some recrystallization. This is why I recommend a combination of sweeteners like Swerve and allulose.
Dairy-free option: You can make dairy-free lemon curd by replacing the butter with coconut oil. Use only 3 tablespoons in place of the ¼ cup of butter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Conventional curd has about 20g of carbs per serving of 2 to 3 tablespoons. However, this keto lemon curd recipe has only 0.7g carbs per serving. So you can enjoy it with abandon!
Homemade lemon curd can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 7 days. I recommend storing it in glass jars so that the acidity doesn’t react with the container. You can freeze this sugar free lemon curd, but it does change consistency a little during the freezing and thawing process.
I have not tried canning this sugar free lemon curd but it should work. Lemon has a great deal of acidity, which significantly reduces the risk of spoilage and contamination. Make sure your jars seal properly and store in a cool dark place for up to 3 months.
How to use Keto Lemon Curd
So once you’ve made this sweet and tangy lemon spread, what do you do with it? I mean, besides just eating it with a spoon! Here are some delicious ideas:
- Use as a spread for keto scones. It’s amazing with keto blueberry muffins too!
- Serve as alternative to syrup for almond flour keto pancakes.
- Make this gorgeous Keto Lemon Lush.
- Use it as the filling for Keto Lemon Bar Cookies.
- Churn up a batch of Keto Lemon Ice Cream.
Keto Lemon Curd Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup Swerve Confectioners
- 3 tablespoon allulose or BochaSweet (use granular varieties)
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup butter cut into 3 or 4 pieces
Instructions
- Set a glass or ceramic bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.
- Whisk together the eggs, sweeteners, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully as it will thicken all of a sudden.
- Immediately remove from heat and add the butter. Let sit a few minutes to melt and then whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours to firm up.
Caryl Kauffman says
Just curious, has anyone used this in place of the pastry cream in a tart?
Lynn Ellis says
I just made this for the second time and it turned out perfectly. I had to get the plastic wrap on quick so I wouldn’t eat the whole thing by the spoonful. I tried it in a small tart shell. YUMMY!! And, it’s delicious on flaxseed/psyllium husk toast. Thank you for this recipe. The best.
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Lisa says
Yum!
Buttoni says
Looks good. Just posted the same thing on my blog 2 days ago.
Sheila says
I love lemon! Can’t wait to try this!
Caryl Kauffman says
Just made this for my “Royal” brunch. Just perfect. Also made the blueberry scones (no lavender, or I’d have tried that one.) Thanks for your recipes — they’re just awesome.
Stacy says
I think I did this wrong, and would appreciate advice. I thought I did it like the recipe, but I must have had the heat too low, because it took me considerably longer for it to thicken–like 30 minutes instead of 10. But I didn’t think that would hurt anything. The flavor was absolutely wonderful, and it had a creamy texture, but after it chilled in the fridge it was extremely grainy. Is this normal? Does that indicate what I did wrong? Thanks!
Julie Miller says
Mines really runny too, so disapointed no one replied to your comment. my stars are because it tastes great…use as a sauce..
Julie Miller says
I have just finished it over the heat in a pan, it’s perfect now and really thick and delicious…phew!
trena says
Stacy, it could’ve gone grainy due to the sweetener you used?? once a granualar swerve cools it goes grainy, at least it did when I used it in other recipes. just a thought. xo
Marybeth N says
My oh my… very easy to assemble, cooks up very fast, such lemon flavor… am thinking it’s NOT going to last long in my fridge… ????
Shelby says
Hi Carolyn! Your lemon curd looks delicious! One of my favorite things to eat 🙂 Thank you so much for including my cookies in your recommendations!
Stephanie says
Do you think this would reheat well? I used to make a lemon chicken with lemon curd, and I miss it soooo much! This looks fabulous – just like all your recipes! I’ve never made a bad one … not even a ‘meh’ one! 🙂 So thank you!!
Carolyn says
I’ve never tried reheating lemon curd. Wish I could give you more advice.
Paula Haglund says
Just made this today. Your recipes are reliably good, but this lemon curd is out of this world! And so easy… Thanks, Carolyn.
John-Mark says
Sorry for the typo!
I should have typed:
“Yet the nutritional analysis is for a 3 Tbs. serving.”
Carolyn says
Sorry, yes. about 3 tbsp. It’s just that I didn’t measure out how much curd the recipe made so it’s a guesstimate.
John-Mark says
You mention in the comments:
“As with any spread, a serving is only 2 tbsp.”
Yet the nutritional analysis is for a 2 Tbs. serving.
A bit confusing, but from MY perspective, this recipe makes ONE serving, and all for me! Yum!
My heartfelt thanks for all you do, Carolyn!
Mary Butterfield says
It,s very hard to believe this recipe makes eight servings! How big is the container for the servings? I really can,t wait to try it though.
Carolyn says
As with any spread, a serving is only 2 tbsp
Georgie says
I made it. Tastes good and good consistency too! I wonder how long it keeps and or if it freezes well?
Carolyn says
It does not freeze well at all – it changes consistency and becomes very grainy. It keeps for about a week in the fridge though.
Barbara says
Can this recipe be doubled or tripled & still come out the same?
Carolyn says
It already makes quite a bit, it shouldn’t be kept for more than a week in your fridge, and it doesn’t freeze well. So unless you are serving it to many many people at once, I don’t see the advantage of doubling or tripling it.
Allana says
I doubled it with no issues. I just increased the cook time. It took around 16 minutes.
Carri says
Made it last night, lemon curd is one of my favorite ever. Totally agree with eating it from the container! This was SO fast and easy to make. Honestly, had a hard time waiting for it to cool. I decided to make an almond flour crust and whipped cream topping instead of meringue while I was waiting. A-MA-ZING ;D
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Sharon says
Omg, can’t wait to make this to go with some warm scones. I love Lemon Curd and last year when my daughter went to England she brought me back a jar of it. I didn’t open it yet because I knew it is full of sugar. Now I cam have my scones and lemon curd. Hopefully I’ll make this next weekend to share with my daughter while we make Christmas cards. What a nice treat. Thank you for this recipe.
Carolyn says
Let me know what you think!
Laura T says
Love that this uses whole eggs. I will definitely be trying this as soon as I get a lemon or two at the store.
Karen says
Sweet Liberty! Not kidding – I spooned the last of my homemade lc lemon curd into my mouth, straight out of the jar, this morning. And here is your recipe for lemon curd staring me in the face. LOVE the fact your recipe uses the whole egg. This will be my new go-to for lemon curd. Don’t even have to try it – I KNOW it will be the best ever.
Lori Kaumans says
This looks divine! One of my favorite recipes is a lemon icebox cheesecake from Cook’s Country with lemon curd criss-crossed on top. I think I’m making a low-carb version this weekend! 🙂
Kate Leigh says
lemon icebox cheese cake sounds divine!
Kerry says
I can’t wait for this cook book! I will be making this lemon curd this weekend.
Andrea says
Hi, how much lemon juice should be used? Recipe is unfortunately missing exact measurment, is it a 1/4 cup? Many thanks
Carolyn says
Yes, it’s a 1/4 cup.
Mary says
Can you use monk fruit sugar? How much would you use?
Carolyn says
The question is… what do you mean by monk fruit? The super concentrated extract or the stuff that’s mixed with erythritol? Which brand?
susan KENT says
Lovely Lemon Curd. I’m a Type 1 Diabetic. I’m using granulated sweetner crushed to a powder with a rolling pin, until i can buy some Erythritol. However i’m English, so how many grams are there in half a cup of sweetner?
Carolyn says
That depends on the sweetener… what brand is it?
Lynlee says
I have used Monk fruit in this recipe and like it better than swerve. I prefer things more tart and only used 1/4 cup granular monk fruit sweetener. I would start with that, taste and add from there. This recipe is delicious either way.
Claire says
Can I use yoked only? How many would I need. I have awesome recipes for whites. Yokes have K-2. Very healthy.
Carolyn says
This recipe is made for whole eggs, sorry.
Robin says
I tried making it with monk fruit. The taste was great but the next day when it had chilled it had a very unpleasant graininess.
Carolyn says
Okay so your “monk fruit” isn’t really monk fruit. It’s an erythritol sweetener with a bit of monk fruit in it. That’s why!
Joanne says
For those people needing powdered erythritol/monkfruit, we by the granulated and pulse in blender to make our own powdered. It dissolves and blends better is recipes that call for powdered.
Julie Miller says
It tells you, just read…x