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a small blue pot with homemade sugar-free lemon curd

How to Make Sugar-free Lemon Curd

Learn how to make the best Low Carb & Sugar-free Lemon Curd within minutes! This easy foolproof recipe features instructions for the Instant Pot and tips on calorie-free sweeteners. 

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword healthy lemon curd, lemon curd without sugar, sugar-free lemon curd
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 1 cups
Calories 40 kcal
Author Kiki Johnson

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter - 125 g
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice - 125 ml about 4 lemons
  • 3 tbsps lemon zest
  • 3/4 cup xylitol sweetener or another zero-calorie sweetener equivalent to 1/2 cup - please consult my notes in the post about substitutions
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 6 free-range egg yolks
  • optional: 1 cardamom pod

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium-low heat. Add cardamom, if you want.

  2. Remove the pot from heat and whisk in sweetener, salt, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest until dissolved.  Heat up until almost boiling. Have your egg yolks ready in a little bowl. Whisk some of the hot butter mixture into the egg yolks, whisking, to bring them to temperature and pour yolks into the pot. Whisk and return to the stove over low heat. Whisk continually until the curd starts to thicken noticeably. Do not let boil! Remove from the heat and strain the sugar-free lemon curd into a small bowl. Cover with cling film, pressing it onto the surface so that no skin forms.

  3. Let your lemon curd cool down to room temperature, then cover it with cling film and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Recipe Notes

  • You can use lime zest and lime juice to make sugar-free lime curd, or a mix of lemon and tangerine. Grapefruit also works, but I do find grapefruit zest to be a little bitter. 
  • Don't skip the salt, I feel it makes all the difference. 
  • Some lemon curd recipes call for the addition of lemon extract but I personally find it does not add anything but makes it taste rather artificial.
  • This curd should be stored in a jar in the fridge. 
  • It’s best to use sterilized jars for storing. Glass jars should be washed in the dishwasher or with soapy water. Rinse them with boiling hot water. Then place them in the oven on a baking sheet at 140 Celsius / 280 Fahrenheit to dry them out completely.