How to Make Lemon Curd (Easy Lemon Curd Recipe)

The easiest lemon curd recipe you will ever make! It’s the perfect sweet-tart addition to your cakes, pastries, and a variety of other baked goods.

Lemon flavored desserts are my all-time favorite. Whether it’s a lemon flavored cake, pie, or even a simple loaf, I’ll gladly choose that over anything chocolatey.

There’s something about that sweet-tart flavor that is just mouthwatering, and this lemon curd recipe is no exception. I’ll happily eat this with a spoon! (And have).

The Ultimate Cake Collection

Over 50 of my very favorite cake recipes all in one place! From Classic Cakes to Holiday favorites and everything in between.

Get your copy today!

Lemon is arguably the most common flavor, but curd can be made with any citrus fruits such as lime, orange, grapefruit, etc. You could also make it with various berries or other fruits like passion fruit or mango. 

The uses for lemon curd are seemingly endless when it comes to desserts and pastries. It can be used as a filling for cakes (like this Lemon Cake and Lemon Elderflower Cake), cupcakes, pies, and tarts.

You can also use it as a topping for scones, pastries, waffles, and pancakes. Or you can add it to your favorite buttercream to add a bit of flavor.

In the UK it’s often served as an accompaniment to Afternoon Tea alongside jam and clotted cream.

And, of course, it is the filling for the glorious dessert known as Lemon Meringue Pie.

How to Make Lemon Curd

There are a variety of different ways to make lemon curd.

• Some recipes call for whole eggs, some for yolks, some for a bit of both.
• Some call for beating the butter and sugar first, some say to add the butter at the end.
• Some cook it in a pot, and some use a double boiler.

There is no right or wrong as far as I’m concerned, and all yield an equally delicious result. I like to throw everything into a pot and cook it until it thickens. It’s easy, quick, and requires minimal cleanup.

I also like to use whole eggs in my lemon curd recipe rather than just yolks, because I like my curd a nice subtle yellow color. That didn’t really work out for me this time because my eggs had the most orange yolks ever, which resulted in a super yellow curd.

Oh well! It’s supposed to be yellow, right??

Alright, let’s get into the step-by-step process of making this lemon curd recipe.

Step #1 – Whisk Eggs & Sugar – Place eggs and sugar into a small pot, whisk to combine.

Step #2 – Add lemon juice, zest, and butter – Add lemon juice, zest, and butter, and whisk to combine.

Step #3 – Cook until Thickened – Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (or reaches 170°F). To test if it coats the back of a spoon, dip the spoon in the curd and then run your finger down the middle. The curd is set when it doesn’t drip down.

Step #4 – Chill to Set – Transfer to a glass bowl and lay plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for 2 hours to set. Makes 2 cups

Should I Strain It?

I usually don’t strain my curd, because I don’t mind the little bits of zest in there.

However, if you want a perfectly smooth curd, or are worried about some potential small bits of egg that may have gotten cooked, go ahead and strain it.

I strained it this time because I had to stop whisking here and there to take pictures, and I wanted to make sure I didn’t have any cooked bits of egg in there.

Sure enough, I did.

I’ve used stainless steel bowls and whisks and have not had an issue, but I do recommend cooling and storing the curd in a glass or plastic container.

Another reason your curd may have an off-putting or bitter taste is due to the pith in the rind. When you’re zesting your curd, be sure to zest only the outermost part of the rind. Don’t get any of the white stuff. 

This zester from Microplane is my favorite. It’s sharp and does a perfectly fine zest without any pith!

If you’re a lemon dessert lover like I am, I hope you try (and love) this lemon curd recipe as much as I do.

Be sure to let me know in the comments if you give it a go!

Print

Pin

Rate

Lemon Curd

5 from 13 votes

The easiest lemon curd recipe you will ever make! It's the perfect sweet-tart addition to your cakes, pastries, and a variety of other baked goods.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Chilling Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 16 (makes 2 cups)

Calories 108kcal

Author Olivia

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Lemon Curd:

• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed, from one large lemon
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest from one large lemon
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter cubed

Instructions

 

Lemon Curd:

• Place eggs and sugar into a small pot, whisk to combine. Add lemon juice, zest, and butter. Cook over medium-low heat whisking constantly until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
• Transfer to a glass bowl and lay plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for 2 hours to set. Makes 2 cups.
  
• The curd will last for 1-2 weeks in the fridge or can be frozen for 3 months.

Calories: 108kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 21mgPotassium: 27mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 208IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg

The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favorite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.