Small Batch Vegan Strawberry Curd made with only four ingredients is a smooth and creamy vegan dessert spread and the perfect alternative to jam in the morning.
Did you know you can make curd with almost any fruit? It’s not just for lemons anymore. Meet Strawberry Curd. The name curd sounds funny, but this sweet concoction is no joke. What is curd? It is a fruit spread, like jam but without the jamminess. Think smooth, thick, and creamy. You use it like jam – on toast, on English muffins, as a filling, on top of ice cream, layer it in a parfait, with a spoon. The question is – what can’t you do with curd? Ok you can’t make dinner, but that’s beside the point.
Interesting fact – this curd is also vegan, meaning there are no eggs like your traditional curd. Fresh berries, little bit of sugar, some lemon juice, little bit of cornstarch. How can something so simple taste so good? I have never bought jarred curd before, and I don’t think I ever will.
The original recipe called for lime juice, but because I’m a huge lemon girl, I opted for lemon instead. As for the sugar, it really depends on how sweet your berries are. The sweeter the berry, the less sugar you use. It is all about tasting (which since it’s vegan, you don’t have to worry about raw egg).
It doesn’t take long to make either. You throw everything in a blender then cook it on the stovetop for a few minutes or until it thickens. It takes longer to cool than to make. I promise your patience will pay off!
Vegan Strawberry Curd
Yield: 8 ounces
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Small Batch Vegan Strawberry Curd made with only four ingredients is a smooth and creamy vegan dessert spread and the perfect alternative to jam in the morning.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
- 2-4 tablespoons sugar (depends on how sweet your strawberries are)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- In a blender, puree the strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar. Taste and add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar if necessary.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and cornstarch until smooth. Add to the blender and puree again until fully combined.
- Strain the mixture into a medium saucepan and discard the seeds. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to boil.
- Stir frequently and cook a few more minutes or until it thickens, roughly 5 minutes. Transfer to a heatproof container. Let cool to room temperature then store in the refrigerator.
Source: Adapted from Baking Bites
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Don’t know what to do with your curd? Here are recipes using strawberry curd as an ingredient:
Jen @ Juanita's Cocina says
Now the REAL question is…what did you do with those leftover english muffins?
Renee says
The color of that curd is gorgeous. I bet it tastes even better than it looks. Great recipe for strawberries and a nice alternative to jams or jellies.
Kristina says
I love the rich red color! And I just checked out your strawberry tiramisu… omgosh YUM! I’m loving strawberry week :) Now I just need to go buy some strawberries….
Ginny says
Totally wanna make this!
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
Wow! What a great idea, Carla. Strawberry curd- yum! Why is it when I think of curd, I think of lemons? Not any more. Oh, no. You’ve changed my curd outlook. Thank ya!
Susan says
Absolutely gorgeous! I go strawberry crazy during the summer, sometimes I buy too many to eat before they go bad and I know what to do when that happens. I’m totally going to make strawberry curd! I like that this contains no egg, it just seems weird to me to add egg to strawberries. Just wonderful!
Javelin Warrior says
The color of this curd is incredible! It looks so tasty, wow… I’m featuring this post in today’s Food Fetish Friday series (with a link-back and attribution). I hope you have no objections and it’s so much fun following your creations…
Tiffany says
Good Day…I am really fascinated by your Strawberry Curd. I love the color. It looks so smooth and your receipe is a plus for me because, it’s EGG FREE.
By chance, do you have a receipe for Vegan Lemon Curd to include with your other curd receipes? I’m really interested to know a better way to make Lemon Curd…EGG FREE.
Thanks
Carla Cardello says
Glad you’re enjoying the strawberry curd! At this moment the lemon curd recipe I use contains eggs. I know a few options come up when you search via Google, but I have not made any myself.
Tiffany says
Okay. Thank you Carla.
CakePants says
Wow – that color is stunning! Strawberries are my favorite fruit, but somehow I had it in my head that strawberries couldn’t be made into curd…I’m glad you have shown me the error of my way! I’ll have to give this a try sometime soon!
Marie says
I have just been gifted with 2 cases (12 double pints I guess) of fresh strawberries and about 75 fresh mangoes. I can’t wait to make some curd!
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
Oh I am DEFINITELY making this.
Simona says
Hello Carla, i tried your strawberry curd to fill the yogurt cake…it’s fantastic!!!!
Here’s my recipe
http://www.simolovecooking.ifood.it/2015/05/tortine-allo-yogurt-con-curd-alle-fragole.html
Cheers
Simona
Marie says
Something must have gone wrong somewrong somewhere. The cornstarch and lemon juice didn’t result in any “smooth paste”. It actually looked a lot like milk. And at the end of the recipe, I ended up with maybe 3 tbsp of curd, tops. After a few hours in the fridge, the texture turned it into a jelly, rather than the liquid-y curd of the picture here. It’s still very good, but not what I expected.
Carla says
Hmm it sounds like you cooked your curd too long. How long did you cook it? Although if you were having trouble with the cornstarch, then it may not have thickened properly, resulting in overcooking.
Marie says
It’s hard to say really. I had guests in my kitchen. I know I didn’t cook it the full five minutes because it already looked pretty thick. But one of my guest measure the cornstarch for me. If she had measured only 1/2 tsp rather than 2 1/2 tsp, so you think that would have affected the recipe in the way I described?
Carla says
Not using the correct amount of cornstarch would affect the recipe.
Marie says
I tried the recipe again and the result was much better. It gave me twice as much curd as last time. The cornstarch/lemon mix was STILL way more milk-like than anything resembling a “paste”, so I think what went wrong last time is that I WEIGHTED a cup of strawberries rather than just measuring them with a measuring cup. My quantities were off.
Carla says
Yes, I measured the strawberries with a measuring cup since most households don’t have scales. Glad you were able to figure it out!
Pamela Cole says
The corn starch is 2&1/2 teaspoons , to 2 tablespoons of lemon which definitely is liquid as she states and not a paste? I want to make it and now I’m wondering if the lemon juice to cornstarch recipe is flip flopped ?
Carla says
The amount is correct because I made it enough times. I updated the recipe since the word “paste” is confusing everyone.
cook says
i was searching for a long time to find an egg free curd!Tried it today and it is perfect,thank you!! Have you ever tried to make a lemon curd this way,too? It could be great!
Greetings from Greece!
Carla says
Haven’t tried lemon yet, but I have tried it with peach https://www.chocolatemoosey.com/2012/08/28/vegan-peach-curd/
Polly says
Dry ingredients, such as cornstarch, can become tightly compacted when sitting in a container for a little while. To get the correct, sift the cornstrach into a small bowl. Spoon the cornstrach into the the measuring spoon and usr a flat edge to scrape the excee back into the cornstarch container. Other methods of measuring are inaccurate.
Carla says
Great reminder on measuring accurately!
Jonathan says
I’m not vegan, but regular fruit curds that are not lemon always come out tasting muted from the egg yolks and butter. This recipe produced a clean, bold strawberry flavor – and it was so easy!
Carla says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Kathy Foster says
I made this with whole frozen unsweetened strawberries and it worked just as well as using fresh berries. Just remember you will need to put frozen berries in the microwave for about 30 seconds before slicing. (a higher or lower wattage microwave might alter times) After you’ve sliced them put them back in the microwave for another 30 seconds. I also used Splenda white sugar baking mix because hubby and I are both diabetics and need to watch sugar intake. I haven’t tired to use plain Splenda or any other sugar substitutes. The recipe turned out great and I will no longer be buying strawberry jelly. I may try this with mangos and I’ll let you know what happens with that when I do.
Carla says
Good tip with the frozen strawberries and Splenda baking mix! Thanks for sharing what worked for you. Let me know how the mango turns out!
Katrina says
Can you jar this recipe like jam?
If so how long will it last for?
Carla says
I’d advise against it because of the cornstarch.