Based on my popular vegan lemon curd this easy orange curd recipe uses slightly less sugar to balance the natural sweetness of the oranges.
I use a combination of Valencia oranges and Blood oranges for a wonderful flavor and beautiful vibrant color.
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🧾 Ingredients
Here are all the simple ingredients you need to make this homemade orange curd recipe from scratch:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Fresh Oranges: Use a sweet variety such as Valencia, Cara Cara, or Navel Oranges. I use 1:1 regular oranges and Blood oranges as they give a gorgeous color.
- Cornstarch: This is what thickens orange curd without eggs (egg yolks are in most traditional curd recipes). You can swap it out for arrowroot starch at a 1:1 ratio.
- Sugar: Raw superfine (golden caster sugar), granulated or cane sugar. This sweetens, adds structure, and helps preserve the fresh orange curd.
- Vegan Unsalted Butter: Makes a silky curd with a rich and creamy mouthfeel. You can also use full-fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream here, but the consistency will not be quite as thick.
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🔪 Instructions
Here's a visual of all the steps to making this sweet orange curd. Please refer to the detailed printable recipe card at the end of this page for full measurements and written instructions:
Step 1: Add the fresh orange zest and sugar to a medium saucepan and use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar. The sugar should start to feel wet, as the orange peel releases its oils and flavor.
Step 2: Add the cornstarch to the pan and use a whisk to work out any lumps.
Step 3: Pour in the wet ingredients (plant-based milk and fruit juice) and whisk to combine. Mix in the salt at this stage as well (this helps balance the sweetness).
Step 4: Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and cook until the curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Make sure you're stirring the mixture constantly - alternating with a rubber spatula and a whisk to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan.
Step 5: Add the cubed cold butter to a large mixing bowl and place a fine mesh strainer on top. Press the curd through the sieve (You can keep the leftover peel for smoothies or spreading on toast).
Step 6: Whisk until the butter melts and you have a smooth curd. Don't worry if it appears split at first, it will come together!
💭 Recipe Tips
Wash your fruit thoroughly. As we're also using the peel of the oranges, I recommend buying them organic if possible. Otherwise, look for unwaxed oranges and wash them well before zesting.
Use freshly squeezed orange juice. Please, do not attempt to use bottled orange juice or orange juice concentrate as it will not yield the same results.
Zest only the bright outer skin. Do not use the white pith underneath, which can be very bitter.
🍊 Serving Suggestions
- Breakfast: Dollop it on top of parfaits, or non-dairy yogurt, or spread it on toast or quick bread, orange muffins, waffles, pancakes, or muffins.
- Desserts: Use it to flavor orange cheesecake or as a topping for meringue or pavlova. It would make a fabulous orange filling for this lemon meringue pie.
- Cake Filling: Use it to fill a layer cake, sandwich cake, or cupcakes.
- Afternoon Tea: In the UK, curd is commonly served for afternoon tea with bread or homemade scones (biscuits in the US).
💬 FAQs
Sweet oranges such as Valencia, Sanguinello, Navel, or Cara Cara oranges are best for a gorgeous fresh orange flavor. Seville (bitter oranges) will have less natural sweetness if you prefer a more tangy orange curd.
You can even use a mix of a few different varieties, or add in tangerines or clementines, it all depends on your personal preference and what's in season!
How long does orange curd keep?
Homemade citrus curd can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. Store it in a sealed jar or a container tightly covered with plastic wrap. The curd will thicken up in the fridge, so if you prefer a looser consistency you can carefully warm it over a double boiler or for 30 seconds in the microwave.
Yes, you can. Allow the freshly made curd to cool to room temperature and transfer it to an airtight container.
Leave some space at the top of the container to allow for some expansion when it freezes. Then thaw it out in the fridge overnight.
🍋 More Fruit Curd Recipes
Note: I have updated my original recipe from 2022 to have simpler ingredients and instructions, and even more flavor.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Orange Curd (Eggless, Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
- Zest of 3 oranges *note 1
- 360 ml (1 ¼ cups) orange juice freshly squeezed *note 2
- 150 g (1 cup) cane sugar *note 3
- 120 ml (⅔ cups) non-dairy milk *note 4
- 50 g (5 tbsp) cornstarch (cornflour) *note 5
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 60 g (¼ cup) vegan butter cold and cubed *note 6
Instructions
- Prepare the oranges: In a large bowl, combine 3 parts water with one part white vinegar and let the oranges soak in there for 10 minutes. Dry them well.Zest the bright outer zest of the oranges and set side, don't use the bitter white pith. Juice the oranges, and pass the juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any seeds.
- Flavor the sugar: Add the sugar and orange zest to a saucepan and use your fingertips to rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar crystals feel "wet".
- Whisk in the ingredients: Add the cornstarch to the saucepan and whisk until evenly mixed with the sugar and zest. Add the orange juice, dairy-free milk, and salt and whisk until smooth.
- Cook: On medium heat (low heat if you're using a gas cooker) cook and whisk the mixture until it thickens - this will take around 10 minutes. (*note 7)Alternate between a rubber spatula and a whisk to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the curd has thickened enough to coat the back of the spatula without running off of it, remove it from the heat.
- Sift: Place the cold vegan butter in the large mixing bowl and sit the fine-mesh sieve on top of the bowl. Pass the orange curd through the sieve, using a spatula to squeeze it through if needed. Whisk it into the butter until smooth.
- Chill: Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap, and let it cool slightly for 10-15 minutes, then transfer it to a sealed container or jar and refrigerate.
- Storage: It will last for at least 1 week in an airtight jar in the fridge. If you plan on using it on the same day you can keep it out at room temperature in a sealed jar. Gently melt over a double boiler anytime you need a runnier curd consistency.
Notes
- Orange Zest: I use 2x Valencia oranges and 1x Blood orange.
- Orange Juice: You will need 3-6 oranges, depending on size. I use half Valencia oranges and half Blood oranges.
- Sugar: Raw cane sugar, golden caster sugar, or granulated sugar.
- Non-Dairy Milk: Unsweetened soy, almond, or oat milk.
- Cornstarch: Swap for arrowroot starch.
- Vegan butter: I use vegan block butter, You can swap this for coconut cream or thick full-fat canned coconut milk. Note that the consistency won't be as strong, so won't hold up as well in desserts.
- Cook low and slow. On a gas hob, the curd will cook and thicken quicker than with a convection or electric stove. Use low heat on a gas cooktop so it doesn't thicken too fast.
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Dairy milk and regular butter okay to use? Thank you! Id like to try this recipe
I made this with Mandarins and it came out perfect! It took more time that listed, but we have an old stove. Other than that the process was super easy to follow. We actually ended up eating the bits with the zest as well it was that good!
I’ll be making another batch soon!
Hello,
Oh mandarins sound incredible! Thank you so much for your feedback 🙂
Hi Christina, I want to make this recipe as a filling for a Birthday Cake that will sit at room temperature for about 3-4 hours. Will it be safe to use this curd?
Hi Sofía,
Sure, that shouldn't be a problem!
Recipe looked amazing but…
5 - Swap for arrowroot starch.
I did, but I guess you have to use the halve off the arrowroot.
What a pity of all the time and work because I didn’t know. So learned something… Now it is to thick and sticky to eat or give away.
If you don’t know, be aware.
Hi Anneke,
Thanks for your feedback. Did you measure with a kitchen scale? Usually, arrowroot is a 1:1 swap for cornstarch. You can heat the mixture over a double boiler and whisk in some additional orange juice to get your desired consistency. Let me know how you get on please
Excellent! Thank you for sharing. I cut the sugar a bit but it was still a bit sweet. Maybe my oranges weren’t as strong ? But will definitely be my go to for an orange curd recipe !
Soooo, when do you add the salt, vanilla and lemon juice?......
Apologies Kat, the juice goes in with the orange juice and the others go in at the end - I've updated it now 🙂