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My light and tangy keto lemon curd recipe is the key to adding zest to your favorite keto treats! All for only 2 grams of net carbs.
Need more keto spreads? Try my keto jam, keto honey, almond butter, and keto mayonnaise.
My parents remember my obsession with lemon curd well as a kid. I’d always get caught with my spoon in the jar, almost even more than my healthy Nutella.
Traditional lemon curd is NOT keto-friendly due to the excess of carbs from sugar. Thankfully, with a very simple swap, you can have those same zesty and citrusy flavors for little to no carbs!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Easy to make. Most of us don’t make lemon curd on the reg, but after you learn how to make my easy keto lemon curd, I’m confident that will change.
- Light and fluffy texture. I mix egg yolks and whole eggs to keep the curd fluffy and gooey.
- Flexible. This stuff is seriously magic. It’s delicious on toast, in my keto lemon meringue pie, or dolloped on keto yogurt. There are no wrong answers!
- Customize it. Want that puckering tartness? Add more lemon juice. Prefer a milder lemon flavor? Use less. It’s that simple.
Ingredients needed
- Eggs AND egg yolks. Traditional lemon curd uses only egg yolks, but I found that to be too dense. I prefer a mix of whole eggs and yolks. Use room temperature eggs, not refrigerated ones.
- Granulated sweetener. Allulose is my preferred sugar substitute, as it melts exactly like sugar. Monk fruit sweetener can also be used, but there is a risk of it being slightly gritty.
- Butter. Unsalted and room temperature butter.
- Lemons. Which will be freshly juiced. Trust me, you want fresh lemon juice, NOT bottled lemon juice.
How to make keto lemon curd
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Combine. Add the eggs, yolks, and sweetener to a small saucepan. Whisk until combined.
Step 2- Simmer. Place the pan over low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until it thickens. Once thick, remove it from the heat.
Step 3- Strain and store. Strain the curd through a sieve into a medium bowl. Let the curd cool completely before transferring to a mason jar. Refrigerate for at least two hours to chill.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Avoid metal bowls. Metal will interact with the lemon and give the curd a metallic flavor.
- Don’t use bottled lemon juice. I just mentioned this, but it bears repeating. Bottled juice often has additives that can affect the texture of the curd and dampen the flavor.
- Be patient. You want the mixture to cook slowly so the eggs don’t scramble.
- Keep it simmering. The longer it simmers, the thicker the curd.
- Know when to turn off the heat. Once your whisk starts making tracks and the curd becomes opaque, that’s your sign to remove it from the heat.
Variations
- Dairy-free lemon curd. Swap the butter for coconut oil.
- Add lemon zest. The zest adds a brighter, sweeter lemon taste. Don’t worry, it’ll get strained out.
- Switch up the citrus. Use oranges, limes, or grapefruit for a fun twist.
Storage instructions
To store: Lemon curd should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
To freeze: Place the lemon curd in a freezer-friendly jar and store it in the freezer for up to six months.
Frequently asked questions
Traditional lemon curd is quite high in carbs (about 7 grams per tablespoon), whereas sugar-free lemon curd has only 2 grams net carbs.
Yes, real lemon juice is keto-friendly because it has zero net carbs.
Desserts to use in
- As the filling in keto lemon bars
- Layered between sheets of keto lemon cake
- Atop keto pancakes
- Swirled in keto scones
Keto Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup granulated sweetener of choice I used allulose
- 1/3 cup butter unsalted
- 2 large lemons juiced
Instructions
- Add your eggs, egg yolks, and sweetener into a small saucepan. Whisk very well until combined.
- Place the saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to whisk, until it thickens. Once it has thickened nicely, remove it from the heat.
- Strain the lemon curd through a sieve into a mixing bowl. Let the lemon curd cool completely, before transferring to a jar or mason jar. Refrigerate for at least two hours, to chill.
Thank you so much for this recipe… It’s delicious! I do have one Question… The recipe doesn’t say how much a serving is. I doubled the batch because I’m gifting part of it and I want to be able to give them the nutritional information per serving. Would you say that a serving is 2 tablespoons?
Hi! It’s more like a scant 3 tablespoons 🙂
This lemon curd is lovely!! Tart, creamy and perfect to top my cheesecake! Thank you Armen!!
Hi will this recipe work with for lime curd to top on a lime cheesecake?
I don’t see why not!
I made this with coconut sugar because I mistakenly thought it was keto. It is not, but at least it has a lower glycemic index. Unfortunately, the coconut sugar made it a brown color instead of a lovely yellow color, but the flavor was pretty good and I love that the recipe is so simple and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. I will definitely try to make this with a different, non-nutritive sweetener next time. My grocery store didn’t have allulose – I’m wondering if xylitol would be a good substitute or what else would work?? Thank you for the recipe!
I love lemon curd
lemon curd tarts and jam tarts were a weekly bake when I was young. I am now 79 Somehow lemon curd seemed much more difficult to make and bottle at home back then? Unsalted butter was much more difficult to get hold of back then. Most of it came from New Zealand, heavily salted to survive the long sea journeys.