Keto Lemon Curd Recipe | Easy, Low Carb, Sugar Free

Creamy and delicious this easy Keto Lemon Curd Recipe is the dessert you’ve been craving. It’s sweet, tangy, and each tastes leaves you wanting more. Use it as a topping to your favorite keto desserts or enjoy a tasty spoonful!

This sugar free lemon curd recipe has just 5 ingredients and is also low carb, keto diet friendly, gluten-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly. 

Lemon curd is light, refreshing, and delicious. I have found that you can drizzle this wonderful recipe over vanilla ice cream, or on a stack of pancakes, waffles, or crepes, or use it inside of lemon desserts such as cupcakes, tarts, or cakes. Honestly, there is no wrong way to enjoy this zesty sugar free lemon curd. 

Lemon lovers, I can’t wait for you to taste this delicious keto recipe because it’s versatile and can be used in many ways. I know that you are going to love this homemade low carb lemon curd.

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For more lemon recipes suitable for a low carb diet, try my Keto Lemon Cookies and Sugar Free Lemon Bars.

Ingredients

• Butter – I use salted butter. The added salt helps to give the perfect balance of flavors. If you have unsalted butter simply add a pinch of salt.
• Egg yolks – Egg yolk helps to give the curd a beautiful yellow color and thicken the mixture. (For a great way to use up the egg whites from your whole eggs, try my Egg White Breakfast Casserole Recipe).
• Sweetener – I use a blend of sugar alcohols and stevia in my recipe. You can swap in another keto-friendly sweetener such as monk fruit sweetener, if you prefer. Just read through my conversion tips in the recipe card.
• Fresh lemon juice – For the best flavor squeeze fresh lemons. Any variety such as meyer lemons or pink lemonade lemons work well.
• Heavy cream – Traditional lemon curd does not have heavy whipping cream in it. I really enjoy the richness of adding a small amount to my lemon or lime curd. If you prefer, you can leave it out.

See recipe card for quantities.

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How To Make Keto Lemon Curd

Once you try your hand at making a homemade citrus curd, you will be so glad you did. If you’ve never made any kind of fruit curd before, don’t worry, I promise it’s easy enough for beginners! 

First Step: Melt the butter and sugar substitute in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Continue to cook until it has thickened some. Remove from the heat for 5 minutes. 

Expert Tip: Don’t leave the butter unattended. When developing this lemon recipe I let that happen and while browned butter is delicious it ruins the beautiful yellow of the lemon curd.

Second Step: Slowly whisk in the eggs, only adding one at a time. Return to low to medium heat. Keep cooking until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. 

Third Step: Pour in the lemon juice and whisk until it’s creamy and smooth. Pour in the cream and continue to whisk. 

Fourth Step: Next, you will need to pour the curd through a fine-mesh strainer. There may be bits of scrambled egg yolk that needs to be removed. 

Fifth Step: Let the keto lemon curd cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours before serving. As the lemon curd cools it thickens.

Top Tip💡

The curd is going to be thin when it first comes off the stove. It is best to let it cool, then refrigerate. This is an important step, so it can properly thicken and give you the best results! If you want to be able to drizzle it you can use it right away. Or simply warm it a bit right before serving.

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Variations

• Citrus – You can make this curd with lime, orange, or grapefruit instead of lemon.
• Berries – You can even use a tart berry such as raspberries or blackberries. The nutrition facts will change slightly based on the fruit you choose.
• Bold Flavor – For a stronger lemon flavor stir in the zest of one lemon along with the lemon juice. Lemon zest has a bolder flavor than the juice.

Storage

As long as you keep the lemon curd in an airtight container or mason jars, it will last in the refrigerator for up to one week. It’s important not to leave the low carb keto lemon curd at room temperature, or it will go bad quickly. When it’s refrigerated, keep an eye on it and if you open it and notice it has a strange texture or has an odor, then it has probably started to go bad and should be discarded. 

You can also freeze curd. After you allow the lemon curd time to cool down, you can pour it into a freezer-safe container. A mason jar with a lid, plastic container, or even a glass container will all work well. Then freeze it, and it will store great. Then when you are ready to serve, simply thaw in the refrigerator until it’s defrosted, then enjoy!

Common Questions

What Is Lemon Curd?

Lemon curd is a sweet dessert topping or filling that has been cooked gently using egg yolks to thicken it and fresh lemons to give you a tart flavor. Any regular lemon curd recipe (or one from the grocery store) is normally packed with carbs and tons of sugar.

How do I serve lemon curd?

You can use this in so many of your favorite recipes!
Pancakes – It is delicious with these Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes.
Pies & Tarts – This is the main component of my Keto Lemon Tart and made with lime for Mini Lime Tartlets (just swap in this curd for lemon curd tarts!)
Cheesecake – For an extra burst of lemon, use this to top my Lemon Ricotta Pie or Keto Blueberry Cheesecake.
Parfait – Try layering this with my Keto Lemon Mousse and some crumbled Keto Lemon Cookies for the best keto dessert.

In addition to these ideas, lemon curd goes well with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and other fruits. For keto, make sure to choose fresh fruit that has a low net carb count.

 

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Keto Lemon Curd

Taryn

Creamy & delicious this easy Keto Lemon Curd recipe is perfect on berries, used in favorite treats, or enjoyed by the spoonful!

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat melt the butter and sweetener. Cook until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes.

• Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. Return to the stove and cook over medium-low heat until thick.

• Add the lemon juice and whisk until smooth. Add the cream and whisk again. Strain through a fine mesh strainer in case there are any bits of scrambled yolk. 

• Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours to set before serving.

Nutrition: this only had 1 NET carb per serving. There are 8 servings in the recipe, each being about 1 ounce.
Dairy-Free: omit the heavy cream or sub in coconut cream.
To Store: keep lemon curd in the refrigerator until ready to use. It will last up to a week as long as it’s kept airtight.  
To Freeze: you can freeze them lemon curd for 6-8 months and sometimes even longer—Thaw in the refrigerator before serving. 
Prep Time: because you can store the lemon curd in the fridge for a week and several months in the freezer, it’s easy to completely prepare it and have it on hand for meal prep. 
Notes on Sweeteners: 

 

 

Serving: 1oz (approx. 1/8th of the recipe)Calories: 191Carbohydrates: 1gProtein: 2gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 192mgSodium: 135mgPotassium: 25mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 716IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg

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Originally Published August 21, 2020. Revised and Republished July 16, 2025.