How to make Lemon Curd

Here's how to make Lemon Curd the healthy way! You only need four ingredients for this easy sugar free recipe!

Do you have days where you don't really feel like working and just want to bake in the kitchen all day? A couple days ago I was super tired after work and just wanted to make something sweet in the kitchen.

I recently found some fresh blackberries at Costco and bought a couple of packs so I was thinking of making a dessert with them.  The first recipe that came to mind was a lemon blackberry tart so I decided to see if I could make some sugar free lemon curd with erythritol.

An Easy Lemon Curd Recipe

This easy lemon curd recipe uses erythritol as the sweetener because you need to cook the eggs inside a pot.  It works better to use a sweetener that's bigger in mass as it wouldn't give the same result with stevia powder.

I chose to use powdered erythritol for this sugar free lemon curd because I find it melts better when cooked in a pot compared to granulated.  The sweetness was perfect, just like sugar, and the tartness of the lemon juice was spot on.  It took me a couple of tries before I could make it perfectly, though.

In my first try I had cooked the eggs and lemon juice with the butter and had added like 5x the amount.  I also had added a bit of stevia powder to it and it turned out way to sweet and buttery.  For my second try, I left out the stevia and decided to add just a bit of butter at the end to check how much I really needed for it to be glossy and smooth.  ½ cup was way too much, tasted like pure butter, but two tablespoons was the perfect amount.

Lemon Curd Uses

You can use this lemon curd on any dessert of your choice.  Whether you top it over a New York Cheesecake or spread it on toast using some low carb bread, or even over pancakes and waffles, you are guaranteed to love it as much as I did!  I made a Low Carb Lemon Blackberry Tart last night with the sugar free lemon curd and it was absolutely amazing!

The second thing I will be making with this tart is a lemon meringue pie, maybe next week.  I ate my first lemon meringue pie when I visited Key West 12 years ago.  It was the most amazing pie ever and can't wait to recreate a sugar and gluten-free version!  As soon as it's made, I'll upload the recipe so you can try it too!

This Sugar Free Lemon Curd can also be made Paleo!

As for the sugar free lemon curd, you can make it dairy-free by adding refined coconut oil instead of butter.  You could also use ghee.  The fat is only added to make it smoother, so know that that is an option if you're dairy-free.  If you eat paleo, you would simply replace the erythritol with an approved sweetener and use ghee or coconut oil instead of the butter.

Also, when you refrigerate it, make TRIPLE sure that you have put cling film over the custard and that there is no air whatsoever.  If the custard is exposed to a bit of air, that little part exposed to the air will crystallize in the fridge as it cools down.  It's still edible, but not very nice on the palate.

How to fix a broken lemon curd:

1. Oh, if you make your lemon curd on high heat, you may break it and scramble the eggs.  To fix it you can try a couple of things.  Take your pot off the heat and add one or two ice cubes in there and whisk thoroughly.  The coldness of the ice usually stops the eggs from cooking and puts it back into a nice creamy shape.
2. The second thing you can try is add a raw egg to a new bowl and add your broken curd into it whisking continuously.  This should thicken the curd back up again.
3. The last thing you can try is add about 2 tablespoons of cold water to a large bowl and add your broken curd a little at a time whisking it continuously.  The third trick usually always works for broken mayonnaise, but it could also work here. The first and second trick always work for broken lemon curd.

Now that you know how to make lemon curd, what kind of desserts will you make?  For more lemon recipes, you'll definitely want to try my healthy lemonade and my lemonade slushie.

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5 from 4 votes

How to make Lemon Curd | Sugar Free & Low Carb

A delicious lemon curd made with erythritol instead of sugar!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Chill time 3 hours

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 1 cup

NET Carbs 8.79g

calories 447kcal

Protein 29.46g

Fat 37.95g

Cook Ashley

Ingredients

• ▢ 10 tbsp powdered erythritol (or 6 tbsp granulated golden lakanto)
• ▢ 3 eggs
• ▢ 6 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 2 tbsp butter (or refined coconut oil for dairy-free)
• ▢ zest of a lemon

Instructions

• In a small non stick pot, add the erythritol and eggs.  Mix with a whisk until nice and creamy.  Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk again until completely mixed in.
• Turn on the heat to low-medium and stir constantly for 5-10 minutes until the curd thickens up.  Do not put the heat to high as the eggs will scramble.  Always cook the curd on low-medium heat. 
• When the curd has thickened, add the butter and mix in.  The heat will make the butter melt and will make the curd nice and smooth.
• Transfer the curd to a jar or bowl and cover it with cling film so that the top doesn't dry out.  Make sure there is no air pockets and that the cling film is perfectly set on the custard.  If not, the custard will crystallize in that area as it cools.  Let it cool for an hour or so and then place in the fridge to cool perfectly for 2 hours maximum.  Longer and it will tend to crystallize. 
• When you use it on a dessert, make sure to serve and eat it the same day as the curd will crystallize if you leave it in the fridge uncovered, like on a pie or tart.

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Nutrition Facts

How to make Lemon Curd | Sugar Free & Low Carb

Amount Per Serving (1 jar)

Calories 447 Calories from Fat 342

% Daily Value*

Fat 37.95g58%

Saturated Fat 19.23g120%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.9g

Monounsaturated Fat 11.68g

Cholesterol 695mg232%

Sodium 214mg9%

Potassium 323mg9%

Carbohydrates 9.19g3%

Fiber 0.4g2%

Sugar 3.41g4%

Protein 29.46g59%

NET CARBS 8.79g18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information is provided through calculations made on fatsecret.com. They are approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on mypcoskitchen.com. Sugar alcohols are included in the fiber count. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber (which include sugar alcohols).

 

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