This strawberry curd recipe uses a high volume of real fruit, producing an incredible fresh flavor and intense natural color. The strawberries are macerated in sugar which intensifies their flavor before cooking.
Similar to my mango curd and blueberry curd, it makes the perfect filling or topping for cakes such as Charlotte aux Fraises, cupcakes, or cheesecake, as well as being delicious spread over toast or scones.
Plus, it's completely eggless, dairy-free, and you only need 5 ingredients to make it from scratch!
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If you love strawberry desserts and are looking for more ways to use seasonal berries, try my vegan recipes for strawberry ice cream, strawberry coulis, strawberry tart, strawberry jam, and strawberry crumble bars next.
🧾 Ingredients Needed
As promised you only need 5 basic ingredients to make this simple vegan strawberry curd. Here's what to grab:
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Fresh Strawberries: If you can get your hands on seasonal local strawberries then this is your best option. If you're making this recipe outside of strawberry season, frozen strawberries will also work, no need to defrost them before cooking but do factor in an extra few minutes of cooking time.
- Lime Juice: The acidity balances the sweetness of the curd and gives it a slightly zesty kick. You can also use lemon juice or any citrus fruit really - just make sure you use freshly squeezed.
- Cornstarch: Traditionally, egg yolks are used to thicken fruit curd but as this recipe is made without eggs, cornstarch is the thickening agent. This not only keeps the recipe vegan but means you don't risk crudling or scrambling the mixture!
- Vegan Butter - This is added to create a silky texture and to help set your homemade curd. Use block-style butter and not spreadable margarine from a tub, as this has a higher water content.
🥣 How To Make Strawberry Curd
Remember, the detailed full printable recipe card is at the end of this page, but here are the step-by-images that you can use as a guide:
Step 1: Chop the strawberries into small cubes.
Step 2: Place strawberries and sugar in a saucepan and let them macerate for 15-30 minutes until syrupy.
Step 3: Cook for 10-15 minutes until the strawberries break down and become jammy. Then blend the mixture in a high-speed blender or food processor until smooth.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, mix together the lime juice and cornstarch. Add it to the saucepan with the strawberry puree and cook until thickened and it coats the back of a spoon.
Step 5: In a large mixing bowl whisk the strawberry mixture and cold cubed butter until smooth.
Step 6: Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap and cool slightly before transferring to the fridge to chill and thicken.
🍓 Serving Ideas
This sweet fresh strawberry curd will add a pop of color and strawberry flavor to so many recipes. Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Spread over toast, biscuits, crumpets, or scones.
- Serve for breakfast with porridge, vegan pancakes or waffles.
- Flavor desserts such as strawberry cheesecake and strawberry tiramisu.
- As a cake filling or to fill or top cupcakes.
- Top vegan meringue nests or pavlova.
- Alongside any of your favorite desserts (vanilla ice cream is a dream!).
💡Recipe Tips
Wash and dry the berries well. I usually wash fresh berries twice to remove any dirt, pesticides or residue. Once by soaking them in veggie wash or vinegar solution, and again by rinsing them under water.
Keep an eye on the pot. This is not a recipe you want to throw on and walk away from. Make sure you supervise the berries as they cook to ensure that they do not bubble over or burn to the bottom of the pan.
Blend the berries. Once cooked, I recommend running the mixture through a high-speed blender. This will break down the strawberry seeds, meaning you get the smoothest consistency without needing to sieve or waste any of the mixture.
Whisk the cornstarch into the liquid ingredients well before heating. This is called making a cornstarch slurry and helps to prevent a lumpy curd.
💬 FAQs
Yes, unless using it on the same day, it should be stored in the fridge in a sealed jar or airtight container. It will last in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
Yes! Once chilled, the curd will set and thicken further, so do not worry if it seems a tad runny beforehand.
Unfortunately no, the sugar not only sweetens but provides structure and thickening. Darker sugars such as coconut sugar, may add an overpowering flavor and will result in a darker color.
Absolutely! You can add a vanilla pod to the strawberries while cooking (just remove the pod at the end), or a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract to the curd before cooling.
Feel free to also add some freshly grated lemon zest, lime zest, or orange zest.
🍋🟩 More Fruit Curd Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Description
Ingredients
- 500 g (3 cups) fresh strawberries, washed and dried, tops removed *see note 1
- 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- 45 ml (3 tablespoons) lime juice, freshly squeezed *see note 2
- 20 g (2 tablespoons) cornstarch, *see note 3
- 50 g (3 ½ tablespoons) vegan butter, block-style, cold and cut into cubes
Instructions
- Prepare: Wash and dry the strawberries and cut off the stems. Cut the strawberries into small cubes.
- Macerate: Add the strawberries and sugar to a saucepan and stir. Let them sit and macerate for 15-30 minutes. This will help release the juices from the berries and intensify their flavor.
- Cook: Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, turn the heat down to medium and continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring the mixture often. Once the strawberries have broken down and softened turn off the heat - this will take a few minutes longer if using frozen strawberries.
- Blend: Add the mixture to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. This step is optional - but essential if you want a smooth curd consistency.
- Make a paste: In a small bowl mix the lime juice and cornstarch until smooth (known as cornstarch slurry).
- Thicken: Add the cornstarch slurry and strawberry mixture back to the saucepan. Cook on medium heat (low heat if you're using a gas cooker) and continue whisking for 3-5 minutes until the mixture thickens.Once the curd has thickened enough to coat the back of the spatula without running off of it, remove it from the heat.
- Whisk: Place the cold vegan butter in the large mixing bowl and add the strawberry curd. Whisk until smooth and the butter is mixed into the curd.
- Chill: Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap, and let it cool slightly for 10-15 minutes, then transfer it to the fridge to cool for an hour.It will thicken while it chills in the fridge. Once chilled, you can go ahead and use it in other recipes, or transfer it to an airtight jar and refrigerate it until ready to use.
- 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 heat and melt it in a saucepan if you need a runnier consistency. You can also freeze it for several months in a covered container and thaw it in the refrigerator overnight.
Notes
- Strawberries: Weigh after removing tops. In a pinch, you can use frozen strawberries and factor in an additional few minutes of cooking time - do not defrost them first.
- Lime Juice: Can be subbed with lemon juice.
- Cornstarch: Can be subbed with ground arrowroot powder.
Nutrition
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