The most delicious Keto Lemon Curd recipe ever! Just 4 ingredients to create the tangiest, smoothest lush sugar-free lemon curd with just 1g net carbs per serve.
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What is Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is a dairy free dessert spread or filling that is made from eggs, sweetener, butter, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice.

Lemon curd has always been a favourite treat of mine, whether on its own or in a dessert.

Converting to a sugar-free lemon curd recipe was surprisingly easy! It is thick, smooth and lemony, and exactly what I wanted to achieve in a keto lemon recipe.

This low carb lemon curd recipe was originally published on February 18th, 2018. I have since updated with new step-by-step methods, images and recipe revisions.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Low carb – sugar free lemon curd has only 1g net carbs.

Quick and easy – With just four ingredients and a few simple steps, this will be ready in no time at all!

Basic keto pantry ingredients – The only “special” ingredient is keto compliant sweetener, and this would be one of your basic pantry ingredients. Please read the notes on the sweeteners so you pick the right one to use.

Just like the real thing – Substituting the sugar in a normal recipe for a low carb sweetener does not compromise the taste and texture of the keto lemon curd.

The Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom of this post for the amount of each ingredient needed to make my easy keto lemon curd recipe.

ingredients for keto lemon curd in individual containers

Butter – I usually buy unsalted butter as I find it’s more versatile in recipes.

Lemon Juice and Zest – Zest your lemon carefully to avoid any of the pith from being included. The pith is the white part of the skin and has a bitterness that can spoil the flavour of your recipe. If you don’t have a zester, there are other ways that don’t include having to buy a new kitchen utensil.

Sweetener – While I usually say use your sweetener of choice Xylitol or Allulose are the only two recommended sweeteners for this recipe. The reason being is that the others do recrystallise once refrigerated. Rather than using monk fruit sweetener or erythritol based sweeteners try to use either of these sweeteners to avoid “crunchy” lemon curd.

Egg Yolks – I prefer to buy fresh, free-range eggs whenever possible. These tend to have the best colour to the yolks and the best flavour too.

How to Make It

Melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and sweetener in a oan

Step 1. Add the butter, lemon zest, juice, and sweetener to a saucepan. Stir together while melting to dissolve the sweetener completely.

Egg yolks whisked into other lemon curd ingredients in a pan

Step 2. Whisk in egg yolks and continue to stir over medium heat until the mix thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Leave to cool at room temperature then store in a jar in the refrigerator.

lemon curd in a keto pie shell on a whote backdrop

Thermomix Lemon Curd

Making lemon curd in the Thermomix is incredibly easy.

Insert the whisk attachment. Add all the ingredients to the mixer; cook 11 min/80°C/speed 3. It will turn out perfect every time.

If you do not follow a keto diet then you can absolutely just use regular sugar. It still works just the same and you can use the curd in all your favourite desserts. We have a great keto Thermomix recipe for a lemon curd cake that is similar to the very popular Edna’s Lemon Curd Teacake but it is both sugar-free and gluten-free.

Once you’ve made the sugar free keto lemon curd, I am sure you will want more keto dessert recipes to try. Here are just a few of my favourites.

  1. Sugar Free Keto Pavlova – Top the pavlova with the lemon curd as well as double cream for a decadent but keto compliant dessert.
  2. Keto Lemon Cheesecake Matchsticks – The lemon curd adds a delicious twist to a much-loved treat!
  3. Keto Lemon Meringue Pie Easy – This dessert is always a show stopper, with its luscious topping of fluffy meringue over a delicious keto lemon curd pie.
  4. Lemon Curd Cake – This sugar-free and gluten-free keto lemon cake makes a tasty and healthy dessert. (Pictured below).
  5. Layered Lemon Delight Keto Cheesecake – a family-favourite sugar-free keto lemon cheesecake!
A lemon curd cake with a slice out of it.

FAQs & Hot Tips

Why are there only two sweeteners that you recommend for this recipe?

The reason for this recommendation is that other keto compliant sweeteners do recrystallise once refrigerated. If you are making the curd to use on the day, then use any sweetener of choice as long as it is a 1:1 ratio of sweetener to sugar.

How do I store the keto lemon curd?

The keto lemon curd can be stored for up to 1 week in the fridge in a clean, preferably sterilised, airtight container.

Can lemon curd be frozen?

Yes, it can. Place it in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Defrost in the fridge.

Are lemons keto? How many carbs in lemons?

Lemons are keto-friendly. With approximately 3g net carbs per lemon lemons can be enjoyed on the ketogenic diet.

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lemon curd in a keto pie shell on a white backdrop

Keto Lemon Curd

The most delicious Keto Lemon Curd recipe ever! Just 4 ingredients to create the tangiest, smoothest lush sugar-free lemon curd with just 1g net carbs per serve.
4.98 from 97 votes!
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 15 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Australian Keto
Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free
Recipe Category: Low Carb
Calories: 91kcal
Author: Megan Ellam
Servings: 12 serves (250g)
Tap or hover over number to scale ingredients
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Ingredients

  • 100 g butter
  • ½ cup xylitol or allulose (see notes)
  • 1 lemon zested
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • 6 egg yolks
Metric – US Customary

Instructions

CONVENTIONAL METHOD

  • Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat
  • Add sweetener, lemon juice and zest and stir through until sweetener dissolves.
  • Whisk in egg yolks and continue to stir over medium heat until the mix thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

THERMAL METHOD

  • Place butter in mixer bowl and melt 3 min/ 90℃/speed 1.
  • Add sweetener, lemon juice and zest and mix 3 min/speed 3.
  • Insert whisk attachment. Add egg yolks to mixture and cook 11 min/80℃/speed 3.

Notes

Xylitol or Allulose are the only two sweeteners I recommend for this recipe, because other keto compliant sweeteners do recrystallise once refrigerated.
If you are making the curd to use on the day, then use any sweetener of choice as long as it is a 1:1 ratio of sweetener to sugar.
I have tried a lot of sweeteners in many of my keto curd recipes and unfortunately all of them crystallise to some extent when they are refrigerated. T
here are a couple of things you can do to reduce the effect on the texture though. If you are making a keto lemon meringue pie, make the curd on the day and only slightly set it in the fridge before topping with meringue, (baking or blow torching) and serving. You can also heat the curd gently, in a saucepan over low heat, to make it smooth and creamy again.
You might be tempted to combine all the ingredients together at once, but the trick to smooth and creamy lemon curd is to make sure the sweetener is fully dissolved before whisking the egg yolks in.
If you combine the ingredients in just one step, you may find that there is a slightly gritty texture to the curd, which is unpleasant.
You can store the lemon curd in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 1 week.
 

Your Own Notes

Click here to add your own private recipe notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serve (25g) | Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 115mg | Sodium: 64mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 340IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.3mg | Net Carbs: 1g
Tried this recipe?Mention @meganellam or tag #madcreations!

Megan Ellam is an Australian keto recipes blogger and author of amazing keto cookbooks such as Slow Cook Keto, Keto Loco, The Healthy Family Keto Cookbook and Every Day Keto.

Megan has been following a ketogenic diet since being diagnosed with insulin resistance in early 2017.

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60 Comments

    1. Hey Linda, you can use powdered sweetener but it will still need to be xylitol or allulose based. The powdered sweetener will still crystallise when it is chilled.

      Reply

      1. 5 stars
        Well I made your lemon curd With allulose granulated sugar! It came out great! Thank you for explaining the difference. Using all the sugars. Love this lemon curd. Linda kraner

  3. 5 stars
    II challenge you to not eating a whole batch at once! Super tasty with that lovely tart zing in your mouth! Nom Nom!!

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    My husband is a fan of all lemon desserts. I have never made something like this, but will be soon! Thanks for the share!

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    I’ve never made lemon curd with a sugar substitute. I’m going to have to try it. Have you tried Stevia?

    Reply

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