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 1/4 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
- 1/3 cup Swerve Confectioners
- 3 tbsp allulose, or BochaSweet (use granular varieties)
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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I made a double batch of your lemon curd and put it in your almond pie crust. Topped it with sugar free whipped cream. So so good. Thank you for your efforts to give us such great recipes. I was going to submit a picture but doesn’t seem that’s allowed here. Thanks again.
Sounds divine!
When I cook I tend to do so in large Soto share with friends who are also on keto. It’s really fun when I get a surprise return treat! I used 12 eggs, 2 c. Powdered monk fruit, 2 c. Lemon juice blended with 1/2 tsp can’t ham gum, zest from all lemons, 1c. Butter.
My Basic Icecream recipe that I folded it into is: 2 pints cream (whipped) 1 qt almond milk, 2T. Vanilla, 3T. Glycerin, 1 1/3 c. Granular monk fruit Gently stir everything together then add in batches to icecream freezer.
Worked my way through a couple of your recipes today, including this one. As a lover of all things lemon, this one is dangerous!! So easy yet so delicious. Definitely a keeper!
So glad you liked it!
Is the powdered sweetener necessary for texture or can I use liquid Splenda? Swerve makes my tongue numb. Thanks!
I think the liquid sweetener should be fine.
Hi,
Making this today as a topping for a lemon cheesecake. Lemon on lemon. Yum!
I made this last week and it’s delicious. My only issue is that after a few days in the fridge it looks whipped and the swerve crystallized. Any suggestions on how to fix this?
Lemon curd is extremely fresh and should be used within 2 days anyway.
Absolutely delicious! I used Miyoko’s Cultured vegan butter and it came out perfectly !
Love this recipe. I make mine in my vita mix blender- put in all ingredients except for the butter and blend for about 5-6 minutes. When thickened I add butter. It turns out perfect. Thank you for this.
Great approach!
Thanks for sharing your method with this amazing, amazing recipe ♥
Very good and easy to make! Definitely a recipe I will make often.
Wow! Thank you for this amazing lemon curd recipe! It was so easy and quick to make with absolutely luscious results! AND Keto friendly!
Carolyn, I wanted to let you know how I made this without powdering the sugar. (because I was to lazy to take the time) I separated the egg whites and mixed them with my plain erythritol in my stand mixer bowl set over a pan with some water. I whisked them together over low heat until the sweetener dissolved then added the yolks and lemon juice and continued on per your instruction. I do this same method to make my swiss meringue buttercream frosting, thats made exactly like the standard recipe. And a big plus, the erythritol seems to lose it’s cooling effect. Anyway, thought it might help some that can’t powder their sweetener or are having problems with crystallizing. Thanks so much for the recipe! It’s so delicious and perfectly simplified!
Why is this recipe different from Easy Keto Desserts cookbook that I have already gotten!
It’s exactly the same… this recipe just makes more. That recipe is tailored to the size of the tarts. So…same recipe.
I would love to make a lemon pavlova dessert with this curd and top with fresh berries! Do you have a sugar-free meringue recipe?
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/shannons-sugar-free-meringues-low-carb-and-gluten-free/
Does this work with regular Spleand?
I meant Splenda
I don’t use Splenda so I really couldn’t say. sorry!
Mmmm so much amazing lemony flavor! This lemon curd is awesome!
Wow this is great! Sharing with all my KETO friends!
So lemony delicious — love it!
This looks delicious and so refreshing! Can’t wait to make!
This lemon curd is amazing! So happy I found this recipe!
I’m still loving every lick of this recipe, but even though I used Swerve confectioner, when it had fully chilled the Swerve crystallized. To the best of your opinion, would liquid sweetener work with this, or is the bulk needed to thicken it up? Hoping liquid could solve the problem.
It does rely some on bulk sweetener and mine doesn’t recrystallize like this. I don’t know why it does for you… but you could try using 1/2 Bocha Sweet in place of half the Swerve. That helps offset the recrystallization. I don’t know that a liquid sweetener would work.