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
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Hi Carolyn;
I just love your recipes. All them are delicious. However, I notice a little discrepancy between the video and the written recipe. At the video you add 2 eggs, but at the written recipe 3 eggs. Am I doing it wrong with 3 eggs?
Thanks
It’s not a discrepancy… in the video I am making a smaller version.
I have left over egg yolks so I thought of lemon curd. Can I make this with just yolks??
You will need at least 6 of them.
I just made this to go with a lemon poppy seed cookie recipe and wow it’s amazing. It took a little longer to thicken, but we’ll worth it. I also appreciated the use of the whole egg rather than just the yolks. I can see this being used in so many ways, it’s definitely a keeper. Thanks so much for sharing such a delicious recipe.
So glad you like it!
Carolyn another outstanding recipe. Delicious and easy to make. I used this to make the lemon lush. The best lemon tasting treat ❤️ Thank you for all that you do for the Keto community.
Carolyn, Annette here. I want to give you 10 stars but all you have is 5 stars we can rate for this recipe. My husband is such a lemon nut, and we grew up in Florida which makes us a Key Lime nut even more. Your desert here is beyond a Keto dessert. It reminded me after tasting it for our Easter Dessert that wow, Keto can really taste like the real sugary dessert. I bought low carb Lemon Curd from Amazon as I didn’t have the time yesterday to make this dessert, but since then I am buying Key Lime Curd from Amazon and also making it from your recipe to see which one I prefer. It is beyond anything I have had in 3 years as Keto. I mean it’s that great. My hat is off to you, you still are #1 blog for Keto in my book. You take the time to really research your recipes. Every time I make them they are better than the first time, not sure how unless it is me finally getting my grove on with Keto. But this dessert, OMG the best!!!! Thank you so much, have a wonderful week dear.
Annette
Glad you enjoyed it!
Absolutely delicious and refreshing! Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
I love your recipes keep up the good work!!
Really good and easy!!f Thanks so much!!
I have made this before and it was great. But the other day I did not use Swerve and I also made it in my Instant Pot. But it never set up. So then I added powdered Swerve. It still did not set up. I hated to use it runny or to throw it out. So, since i had Carolyn’s Lemon Curd Ice Cream I used my runny curd to make the Ice cream and it worked beautiufully. I also add Whey Protein Powder to keep it scoopable.
If you used allulose, it might be part of the problem. It works on the stovetop but it takes a long time to set properly.
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!!!
That sounds delicious!
I made the lemon version and it was so delicious that I had a nagging need to see how orange would taste. It’s amazing! I used fresh squeezed juice and orange zest plus just a drop of orange extract. Probably didn’t need the exact as it’s really flavorful. Lime will be good too!
Amazing recipe!! Much easier than the lemon curd I used to make before I went keto!
Glad you like it!
This was delicious when it was warm. When put in the refrigerator it crystallized. what can I do now to use it?
Re-warm it gently.
can this keto friendly recipe be canned or frozen for any length of time?
sincerely, Bob
bob@ossci.net
If you use some allulose or BochaSweet in it, you can freeze it better (it won’t recrystallize as much). I can’t recommend canning it unless you have a pressure canner.
Make this all the time. I had a lot of limes so made lime curd and really good
I use this for curd and keto lemon meringue pies
I’ve tried others. This is the best low carb lemon curd.
I want to make a double batch of your Jelly Donut Bites and fill them with this lemon curd. Do you think one batch of lemon curd would be enough for all 16 donut bites? Would I need to increase, decrease or keep the donut carb count the same? Thank you!
It would be too much, but it’s delicious in other ways too. You will have to run those nutritional numbers on your own but it should come out less because the curd has so few carbs.
Would using a metal double boiler work? Or should I stick with the glass/ceramic bowl?
Because of the acidity, I recommend glass or ceramic. Metal will leave a funny taste.
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!
Enjoy!
I made this last night and let it chill in the fridge. Tonight my husband and I shared the entire recipe and called it a fat bomb dessert!
It was a bit tarter than I am accustomed to, but the more I ate, the more I loved it. I am determined to lessen my desire for sweets and this will be a wonderful helper because it’s not overly sweet.
Thanks again, Carolyn, for all your hard work. We greatly appreciate it!!