This vegan curd is made without eggs or dairy, yet it is so flavorful, creamy, and thick. Based on my lemon curd, but it uses slightly less sugar to balance the natural sweetness of the oranges.
It's bursting with fresh orange flavor and a hint of real vanilla bean which gives it an orange creamsicle flavor twist - yum!
You can spread this on toast or a slice of sweet bread, and it also makes a great filling for tarts and cakes. It would make a fabulous orange filling for this lemon meringue pie.
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📖 Recipe Overview
TASTE: Sweet, bright citrus, and zesty with a hint of creamy vanilla.
TEXTURE: Smooth and creamy.
LEVEL OF EASE: Very easy to make, but I do recommend using a citrus press for ease of squeezing the fresh oranges!
BEST SERVED: On toast or quick bread or as a dessert filling. It can also be frozen so is a great means of preserving seasonal produce.
FREE-FROM: Eggless, dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
Here are all the simple ingredients you need to make this easy vegan orange curd recipe from scratch:
🍊 Which Oranges to Use
I use a combination of Valencian oranges and clementines here but you can use this base recipe for orange curd with other citrus fruits.
Navel oranges, Cara Cara oranges, Seville oranges, blood oranges, mandarins, tangerines, and pink grapefruit, will all give a varied level of sweetness/bitterness and flavor.
You can even use a mix of a few different varieties, it all depends on your personal preference and what's in season!
Ingredient Notes
Oranges. The quality of fruit here is important, as the flavor and sweetness will really shine through in the curd. We are lucky enough to have a steady supply of locally grown Valencian oranges and clementines here from local Spanish orchards!
Lemon. A little hint of fresh lemon juice helps to add in some more acidity to help balance the sweetness of the oranges. You could also use a twist of lime to bring out even more citrus flavor.
Cornstarch (cornflour). This is how you can thicken 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. You can use granulated or superfine sugar (caster sugar). Sugar provides the curd with structure and helps to preserve the fresh orange curd.
Vegan unsalted butter. This helps the curd to set and gives it 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.
🥣 How To Make Orange Curd
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Wash the oranges in a large bowl with water and vinegar to help remove residue, bacteria, chemicals, or pesticides.
- Peel the oranges leaving behind the thick white pith (this can be super bitter!).
- Finely chop the orange zest into very thin strips.
- Juice the oranges with a citrus press.
- Pass the juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds or residue.
- Combine the cornstarch, sugar, and non-dairy milk in a saucepan and whisk out any lumps.
- Whisk in the orange juice and zest.
- Cook the curd until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon/spatula.
- Stir in the vanilla, salt, and vegan butter until smooth.
📝 Recipe Tips
As we're also using the peel of the oranges, I recommend buying them organic if you can. Otherwise, look for unwaxed oranges and wash them really well before zesting.
Use freshly squeezed orange juice from fresh oranges. Please, do not attempt to use store-bought orange juice as it will not yield the same results.
Make sure you carefully peel the oranges so as not to use the white pith when chopping the rind, which can be very bitter.
💬 FAQs
Homemade orange curd will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Make sure it's in a sealed jar or container that's covered airtight with plastic wrap.
Yes, you can, simply allow the freshly made curd to cool to room temperature and transfer it to an airtight container.
Make sure you 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.
In the UK, curd is commonly served for afternoon tea with bread or scones (biscuits in the US). But the ways to use curd are truly endless.
You can use this eggless orange curd as a filling for cakes or tarts, or as a topping for meringue or pavlova. Or simply enjoy it spread on waffles, pancakes, or muffins.
It's also delicious paired with some vanilla ice cream, parfaits, or non-dairy yogurt, or as a topping for cheesecake!
🥛 More Vegan Basics
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Description
Ingredients
- 300 ml (1 ¼ cups) orange juice, freshly squeezed (3-5 oranges, depending on size)
- 3 tablespoons orange zest, optional
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 160 ml (⅔ cups) soy milk, or other non-dairy milk
- 40 g (5 tbsp) cornstarch, (cornflour), *see notes
- 180 g (1 cup) granulated sugar, *see notes
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder or vanilla bean paste, optional
- 50 g (¼ cup) vegan butter, stick butter, not margarine, *see notes
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.If you want to include orange peel in the curd, peel 2 of the oranges and finely chop the peel. Set aside.Juice the oranges, and pass the juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any seeds.
- Add the soy milk, sugar, and cornstarch to a saucepan and whisk until smooth without any lumps. Add the orange juice and orange zest (if using) and whisk again to combine.
- Place the saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat slightly to a gentle simmer. Cook for 12-15 minutes, while stirring alternating with a rubber spatula and a whisk to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan. The mixture will thicken and should coat the back of the spatula.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the vegan butter until completely incorporated and you have a smooth curd. Allow it to cool to room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Storage: Transfer the curd to an airtight jar and refrigerate for up to a week. The curd will thicken in the fridge, so you can gently heat and melt it in a saucepan anytime you need a runnier curd consistency.
Notes
- Granulated sugar: Some white sugar is not vegan, if in doubt use organic sugar.
- Cornstarch: Swap for arrowroot starch.
- Vegan butter: You can swap this for coconut cream or thick full-fat canned coconut milk. Just note that the consistency may not be quite as set as with butter.
Nutrition
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