Lemon Curd

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This delicious homemade Lemon Curd is light, creamy, tart, sweet and only takes about 10 minutes to prep.  Spread it over scones, spoon over ice cream or even use as a simple filling for pies, cakes, trifles and more.

What is Lemon Curd?

Lemon Curd is basically just a thick and creamy lemon jam that is made with lemons, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and butter.  The ingredients are whisked together and cooked over low heat, or a double boiler, until the mixture thickens thanks to the egg yolks and cornstarch.  

Because lemon juice is so acidic, it holds for quite some time as long as it’s stored properly in the fridge.  Or, you can make a large batch and freeze it.  Lemon Curd also makes great gifts and can be canned just as you would can jams or jellies.

Jump to:

• Perfect Lemon Curd Recipe
• What to Do with Lemon Curd
• Ingredients in Lemon Curd
• How to Make Lemon Curd
• Tips and Tricks
• Storing
• Lemon Curd Recipe

Perfect Lemon Curd Recipe

Homemade Lemon Curd is a thing of beauty, and once you make it yourself, you’ll never go back to the stuff from the jar.  It tastes so much better and you will be shocked by just how simple and (mostly) foolproof it is.  

If you are a lemon fan, this recipe will become your new best friend.  It has a million different uses, and it can even be used as a base for lots of other recipes.  Below, we’ve listed some of our favorites.

What to Do with Lemon Curd

• Serve over vanilla ice cream or mix into yogurt
• Spread it over pancakes, scones, muffins, bundt cake or toast
• Use inside this delicious Lemon Raspberry Trifle
• Fill pastries like cream puffs or macarons
• Use for filling in pies or cakes

Ingredients in Lemon Curd

• Lemon Juice - use fresh lemon juice to get the very best flavor.  Bottled lemon juice just isn’t the same, but it will work in a pinch.  You’ll need about 6-7 whole lemons to get 1 cup of juice.  Make sure and save the lemon zest to add at the end.
• Egg Yolks - use the yolks from any type of large whole eggs.  You can save the whites for another use, or just discard.
• Sugar - use white granulated sugar.
• Cornstarch - this helps thicken the Lemon Curd.
• Lemon Zest - you can save the zest from some of the lemons that you use for lemon juice.
• Butter - it’s best if the butter that you use is either cold or slightly chilled so that it doesn’t immediately melt when you add it to the hot curd.

How to Make Lemon Curd

1. Cook the curd.  In a medium sized sauce pan, add the lemon juice, egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch.  Whisk together until well combined, then turn on the heat.  Heat over medium-low while whisking constantly until the lemon mixture starts to bubble and simmer.  Keep whisking for about 1 minute, or until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, then remove from heat.
2. Add butter.  Add in the lemon zest and butter, stirring well until butter is completely melted and mixed in.
3. Cool and store.  Transfer to a sealable container or bowl and cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a thick skin from forming.  Let it cool at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes, then cover and transfer to the refrigerate to chill until completely cooled.  Store Lemon Curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Tips and Tricks

• Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
• You can tell that the curd is ready when is coats the back of a spoon and has thickened slightly.  Lemon Curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
• Keep whisking as you cook so that you don’t scorch any in the pan.
• Cook over medium low heat to avoid scrambling the eggs.
• If you really want to avoid scorching or scrambling the curd, cook in a bowl over a pot of simmering water (i.e. a double boiler).  It will take a bit longer, but the end result will be incredibly smooth.
• Try using lime juice, Meyer lemon juice or key lime juice for simple variations.
• If you don’t want zest in the final curd, but still want to extract that extra lemony flavor, you can remove the zest by straining it through a fine mesh strainer after adding all of the ingredients.

Storing

Once the Lemon Curd is cooked, transfer it to an airtight container, or a bowl, and place plastic wrap directly over the curd in order to prevent a skin from forming.  Let it cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes before covering with a lid and storing in the refrigerator to cool completely.

Lemon Curd will keep in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.  To thaw, simply transfer to the fridge overnight.

Here are some more sweet lemon recipes that we love!

• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Lemon Raspberry Bundt Cake
• Homemade Lemon Bundt Cake
• Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
• Lemon Blueberry Cream Scones

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If you are a lemon fan, this homemade Lemon Curd recipe will become your new best friend.  It's light, creamy, tart, sweet and only takes about 10 minutes to prep.