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.
Michelle says
Oh so yummy!!!!!
Mollene B Fisher says
I just realized I never leave ratings and comments. So I’m starting now. I will be making this lemon curd this afternoon for about the 12th time. It’s a gift for a friend and of course a little for me. And never even makes it to any other part of a recipe because I just eat it out of the jar a couple of spoonfuls a day. It’s a little bit of heaven.
Deb Haas says
Can I use this in a lemon meringue pie with an almond flour pie crust?
Carolyn says
It won’t be thick enough, I don’t think.
Marilyn Caple says
This is tremendous, delicious, wonderful Carolyn!! Thank-you soo much for this recipe! Two questions—have you ever tried freezing your lemon curd? Do you know its fridge life?
Debra Johnson says
Hello. About to try this ( lemon curd ice cream). I am assuming since it doesn’t specify that the curd calls for regular butter and not unsalted? Does it matter. Thank you
Cindy says
Lookintg forward to trying this. I only discovered lemon curd a couple of years ago but have been out for months and not making more because of the sugar.
When I last made it I had juiced a ton of lemons and had a bunch of pulp that I did not want to thrrow away and “waste” so I saved it. I put it in my bullet and pulsed it to make it more mush that pulp then used that inplace of the zest. It worked great! I have a containre in my freeze from the next batch of juicing just waiting to become more curd so 😉
I also saved pulp from juicing oranges and thought orange curd would be delicionus too. So…I will be clearing those out of my freeser soon to test them with your keto recipe. 🙂
Katherine says
Dear carolyn,
I’m sooooooo excited to try this lemon curd! I am also one who could just spoon it up. 🙂
I am wondering if Bocasweet would work in place of Swerve sweetener? Swerve definitely gives me that peppermint coolness in everything I’ve used it in.
I’m also excited to make lemon mousse with this lemon curd. I have your ultimate guide to keep baking but can’t find a mousse recipe. Would you mind sharing a simple version? Thank you
Thank you
Carolyn says
I have several mousse recipes right here on the blog. Just use the search box. If you’re talking about lemon mousse, that recipe is in my Easy Keto Desserts book.
Lynn says
I just made this in my Vitamix and it worked beautifully. I put it on the soup setting, then added the butter and mixed on setting 3 for 30 seconds. No fuss, no muss. Amazingly yummy.
Karen says
My husband and I have been on a Keto diet for two years, and I’m always looking for new ideas. We love citrus, and this lemon curd is a wonderful blend of sweet/tangy, served on top of a keto shortbread crust, with blueberry compote and whipped cream!! YUM!!! Or, you can just eat it from the bowl 🙂 Tonight I doubled the recipe, which is easy to make and delicious. Thank you!
Leslie says
This was so easy… and it set very nicely.
YUMMO
Deanna Johnson says
I was hesitant to post something because there are so. many. comments. I wanted to try a simple recipe because I had never made Lemon curd. It blew my mind. It was so, so good! Thanks so much for this! I love it so much! God bless you and your buisness! Again, thank you!
Marla says
OMG! This is to die for! I made this to serve with the lemon bundt cake I am also making for my Mom’s birthday tomorrow. She is going to be so happy!
Natasha says
We are lemon lovers at home so I was so excited to try this recipe. It was very worth it,so delicious and healthy too! This recipe is definitely going to be one of our favorites on routine!
Lisalia says
Well this was EASY to make and so yummy. Honestly, I just eat it by the spoonful as a treat. And with Monkfruit sweetener available at my local costco, this is an affordable treat!
Natalie says
I love that this is keto friendly! You can’t even tell. I am excited to try this on different desserts, but it is so refreshing on it’s own.
Janette says
I just made this lemon curd. It turned out delicious! While still warm, I topped some homemade, unsweetened greek yogurt with the lemon curd. It was beyond delicious. I also have made keto granola, so I am set for breakfast. Thank you for the recipe.
Oh – by the way, it helped me to know that lemon curd is usually ready and thick when it reaches 170 degrees F.
Ruth Osborne says
I would have gien it five stars as it tastes so yummy! The reason for less stars is it took over 35 minutes to thicken. Would have taken longer but i turned up the heat considerably.
I almost gave up because i have a hard time standing for long periods. I am wondering if it could be made in the instant pot? Have you tried it?
Kendall says
My brother is a new diabetic who adores lemon curd. I’d like to make this as a gift for him. Which sweetener would avoid it being grainy or having an aftertaste? Thank you in advance!
Carolyn says
Try half Swerve and half BochaSweet.
anne says
Hi Carolyn. I’m hoping to keep this a little longer, but preferably avoid the graininess. I see you suggested including 50% bochasweet. Would allulose do the same thing?
Anu says
Brilliant recipe, I too will never make lemon curd another way, thank you! 🙂 I used the last of my precious Bocha Sweet (bought in June to make your SMBC for Margatia cake for my husband’s birthday) to make this, as I wanted to use it in your lemon curd ice cream, and oh wow, I’m speechless! I’m more of a chocaholic than a lemon-holic but I too am greedily eyeing that ice cream that’s supposed to be for my husband. I will write a separate review for the ice cream, but the lemon curd on its own too is delicious. I’ve used up my full batch for the ice cream but I can’t wait to whip up another one to try your other desserts with it. What a marvellous find! And I love that it uses whole eggs rather than yolks only… genius.