Easy Lemon Curd Recipe for Silky Homemade Citrus Spread

Easy Lemon Curd Recipe

Homemade lemon curd is one of those recipes that sounds fussy and turns out to be almost embarrassingly simple. A saucepan, a whisk, and about 15 minutes of real attention. That is the whole job.

What you end up with is so creamy and so tart that you will want to eat it straight from the jar with a spoon, and I fully support that decision.

Let me say the unpopular part out loud. The jars sitting in the grocery store aisle do not come close. Most of them taste like corn syrup wearing a lemon sticker, and even the pricier brands lean on gelatin for body. Once you make your own, going back is genuinely hard.

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This post first went up back in July 2015, and it has been one of the most requested recipes on the site ever since.

Now, a quick confession about my family. At dinner last week, my nine year old nephew spent the entire meal announcing that he had a joke to tell and then refusing to tell it. Every time someone asked, he grinned and said later.

We finally got the joke at dessert. It was about a chicken. I laughed far harder than the joke deserved, mostly because the suspense had been building for a solid hour.

That same weekend, at a wedding reception, I made it my personal mission to get my husband’s 85 year old grandparents onto the dance floor. The DJ dropped Uptown Funk, and I figured that was my moment.

Grandma patted my arm, said maybe the next one, and went back to her cake. Grandpa tapped his foot, which I am absolutely counting as a win.

What does any of that have to do with lemon curd? Honestly, nothing. But this is the kind of recipe you make for the people you love, and those people always come with stories attached.

This recipe for Lemon Curd is so tart and creamy!

Tart enough to make you squint, creamy enough to feel like dessert. That balance is the entire point of lemon curd, and it is why one spoonful can rescue a plain slice of toast or a boring bowl of yogurt. Before we get into the how, here is what you are actually making.

What is lemon curd?

Lemon curd is a smooth, sweet, buttery lemon spread. That is the whole definition, and it comes down to four ingredients working together: lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and butter. Nothing exotic, nothing hard to find.

Its consistency lands somewhere around pudding, only less creamy and a good deal brighter. It is cooked on the stove, which means there are no raw eggs anywhere in the finished jar.

People usually serve it cool or cold, spooned over or tucked inside things like gingerbread, toast, or cupcakes. I will happily eat it warm with a spoon, and I think you should try that at least once.

Here is where homemade wins by a mile. Store bought lemon curd tastes like corn syrup and gelatin, and that includes the brands that charge real money for the jar. Homemade is incomparable, tart, creamy, and properly citrusy.

The recipe itself is super easy. The hardest part is waiting for the curd to chill in the fridge, which tells you everything about the difficulty level.

Try one warm spoonful straight from the pot before you chill the rest. The flavor is brighter and the texture is looser, and it is a completely different experience from the cold version.

Best Lemon Curd ingredients

This is a short shopping list, and you probably already have most of it. Full ingredients and instructions live in the recipe card below.

That is seven eggs in total once you count the yolks, which sounds like a lot until you remember how much curd you get for it. Squeeze your lemons fresh. Bottled juice works in a pinch, but the flavor is flatter and you will notice.

The zest is optional and worth a thought. It adds a punch of lemon flavor, and skipping it gives you a smoother, more uniform texture. Similar recipes sometimes call for up to 8 tablespoons of butter, so if you want an even richer curd, you have room to play.

The recipe makes 8 servings at about 1/2 cup each. Prep takes 5 minutes, cooking takes 10 minutes, and then the curd chills for 2 hours. Each serving comes in around 155 calories, with 21g carbohydrates, 3g protein, 8g fat, 4g saturated fat, 1g fiber, 19g sugar, and 85mg cholesterol.

How to Make Lemon Curd

The method is straightforward, but the order matters, especially when the eggs meet the hot liquid. Read through it once before you start and you will be fine.

1. In a small saucepan, stir together the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Set it over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat together the 3 eggs and 4 egg yolks. Whisk it very well.
3. When the liquid on the stove is ready, slowly pour some of it into the bowl with the eggs, whisking constantly. I usually pour in about half, but you can do more or less. This is called tempering the eggs, and it is what keeps them from scrambling.
4. Return the pot to the stove and add the rest of the egg mixture while stirring. If you do not stir, you may curdle your eggs.
5. Continue to whisk pretty constantly over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. When you drag your whisk over the top of the mixture, it should leave marks.
6. Pour the curd through a mesh strainer into a new bowl, or the same one washed. Unless you are an expert curd maker, you will probably have a few solid egg pieces in there. That is totally okay. Just strain them out.
7. Stir the chopped butter into the lemon curd until it is completely melted. This is a good time for a large spoonful of warm lemon curd.
8. Press a square of plastic wrap directly on top of the lemon curd. If you just cover the bowl, you will get a film on your curd.
9. Refrigerate until cold, about 2 to 4 hours. It will thicken up some as it cools.
10. Transfer to a container. It keeps for 1 to 2 weeks.

That is it. Ten steps, most of them short, and a finished curd that tastes like something from a bakery case.

Easy Lemon Curd Recipe tips

A couple of small things make the difference between silky curd and curd with surprises in it.

How to thicken lemon curd

Lemon curd thickens as it cooks. If a whisk dragged across the top does not leave marks, keep cooking it. It will also thicken more as it cools, especially once the butter is in the pot, since butter is solid at room temperature and firms everything up as the curd chills.

Can you overcook lemon curd?

Yes, and it happens fast. The goal is to cook the curd just until a whisk dragged through it leaves marks. Push past that point and you risk scrambling the eggs.

Overcooked curd will have little lumpy bits of egg in it. The good news is that it is fixable. Blend the curd in a blender or food processor until those egg bits are gone, and it will be smooth again.

That strainer step in the method is your safety net too. Even if a few bits slip through, the mesh catches them before they end up in the jar.

Best Lemon Curd Recipe storage

Lemon curd is low maintenance once it is made. Any regular storage container works, including plastic containers or washed and saved jam jars. Keep it in the fridge so it does not spoil, and try to resist the spoon.

How long does lemon curd last?

Plan on 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. If you made a double batch, or you know you will not get through it, lemon curd freezes well for several months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight when you are ready.

Best Lemon Curd uses

I tested a lot of batches getting this recipe where I wanted it, and the very first one went into a layer cake as a filling. That is still one of my favorite ways to use it.

• Spread it on toast, bagels, or a warm breakfast pastry.
• Spoon it over vanilla ice cream.
• Use it as a filling for a coconut layer cake, cupcakes, donuts, crepes, or a baked pie shell topped with whipped cream.
• Top pancakes or a pavlova.
• Serve it as a fruit dip with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries.
• Stir it into plain Greek yogurt with granola or fresh fruit.
• Fold it into whipped cream to top a cake.
• Spoon it over softened cream cheese and serve with crackers.
• Spread it on gingersnaps or soft ginger cookies.

Honestly, when I make lemon curd at home it rarely makes it past the spoon. That is not a storage problem, that is a self control problem.

You might like these recipes too!

If lemon is your thing, there is plenty more where this came from. The gingerbread pancakes would be amazing with a spoonful of lemon curd on top. The Meyer lemon tart is worth seeking out, since Meyer lemons are uniquely delicious and softer than standard lemons. The ridiculously tart lemon bars deliver exactly what the name promises.

Beyond lemon, the cinnamon honey butter is another fantastic neighbor gift, and the salted caramel sauce of my dreams is a dreamy topping for ice cream or apples. If you are baking for lemon lovers, the raspberry lemon glazed muffins are a strong place to start. And for the ultimate Hawaiian breakfast, coconut syrup is the move.

Two more from friends around the web: Easy Lemon Tarts from Crazy for Crust and Lemon Curd Stuffed Cupcakes from A Side of Sweet. Both are great ways to put your fresh batch of curd to work.

If you make this lemon curd, tell me how you used it. Straight from the jar counts.

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Easy Lemon Curd Recipe Homemade lemon curd is one of those recipes that sounds fussy and turns out to be almost embarrassingly simple. A saucepan, a whisk, and about 15 minutes of real attention.

• Total Time: 135 min
• Yield: 8 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1 tablespoon lemon zest, optional
3/4 cup lemon juice, fresh, from 3-4 large lemons
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
4 tablespoons butter, 1/2 stick, chopped

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Instructions

1-In a small saucepan, stir together lemon: In a small saucepan, stir together lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
2-Meanwhile, in a medium bowl beat together: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl beat together 3 eggs and 4 egg yolks. Whisk it very well.
3-When the liquid on the stove is: When the liquid on the stove is ready, slowly pour some of it into the bowl with the eggs, whisking constantly.
4-Return the pot to the stove and: Return the pot to the stove and add the rest of the eggs while stirring.
5-Continue to whisk pretty constantly over medium: Continue to whisk pretty constantly over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. When you drag your whisk over the top of the mixture, it should leave marks.
6-Pour the curd through a mesh strainer: Pour the curd through a mesh strainer into a new bowl (or the same one, washed).
7-Stir the chopped butter into the lemon: Stir the chopped butter into the lemon curd until it’s completely melted.
8-Press a square of plastic wrap directly: Press a square of plastic wrap directly on top of the lemon curd.
9-Refrigerate until cold, about 2-4 hours: Refrigerate until cold, about 2-4 hours.
10-Transfer to a tupperware: Transfer to a tupperware. Keeps for 1-2 weeks.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 5 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Method: stovetop

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 0.5 cup
• Calories: 155kcal
• Sugar: 19g
• Fat: 8g
• Saturated Fat: 4g
• Carbohydrates: 21g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 3g
• Cholesterol: 85mg