low sugar vegan lemon curd

I cannot believe it's been a whole month since I posted.

But vacation,

a weekend getaway,

plus back to school craziness and redoing a kitchen put a glitch in my best laid plans to share recipes.


I've been wanting to post this recipe for vegan lemon curd for ages. It took awhile to get it just right, but it is so worth the wait.

Reducing sugar, refined or otherwise, is tricky, especially when working with lemons, limes and other highly tart and acidic fruits. After playing around and praying about it (yes, God is good to answer even in these trivialities of life), the winning combination includes stevia, white grape juice and agave or coconut nectars.

When the batch is freshly made, it's lovely to drizzle on blueberry pancakes or spread on scones. After refrigerating, it sets up and takes on the texture found in lemon meringue pie, but can still work as a spread on pancakes, scones, muffins or straight out of the jar.

Low-sugar, Vegan Lemon Curd (recipe notes follow)
dairy-free, fruit-sweetened, gluten free, grain free, low sugar, oil free, refined sugar free, vegan

3/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. 100% white grape juice
2 scoops of stevia*
2 T agave or coconut nectar
6 T corn starch, organic is best
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. full fat coconut milk
1 T vegan butter

1. Combine first six ingredients in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat.
2. Whisk constantly until mixture begins to thicken, then whisk in the coconut milk and vegan butter until smooth and pudding-like.

Recipe notes:
Though the recipe is basic and seems straightforward, it really is hard to describe what consistency is needed. The first few times I made this, the mixture seized up and got really thick, but once I added the coconut milk and vegan butter and whisked like mad, it smoothed up in the right consistency. If it seems too runny after you've added the coconut milk and vegan butter, just keep whisking it over medium-low heat until it thickens to the desired consistency.

I chose agave or coconut nectar as the sugar-based sweetener in the recipe since they have a low glycemic index.

*100% pure stevia usually comes with it's own scoop that looks tiny but is adjusted for the big punch pure stevia provides in a recipe. If you're without this small scoop, try 1/16 tsp. stevia using your 1/8th tsp measure.