Homemade Lemon Curd is rich, creamy, sweet, and tangy. This delicious fruit curd is easy to make with just 6 simple ingredients and a few basic steps. Loaded with real lemons, this curd so much more potent and better than store-bought curd that is filled with preservatives and filler ingredients.
Use this lemon curd made from scratch as a dessert spread in cakes, crepes, scones, cookies, and more. It’s powerful lemony tartness add the best flavor to any dessert.
Why You'll Love This Lemon Curd Recipe
- Lemon curd is rich and creamy. Made with a half cup of butter, six egg yolks, and a full cup of sugar, this lemon curd is extremely rich. It’s creamy from the fat, indulgent from the egg yolks, and sweet from the sugar. Altogether, it’s the perfect topping or ingredient in desserts.
- Loaded with sweet and tart flavor. This homemade lemon curd gets its flavor from freshly squeezed lemon juice and a generous spoonful of lemon zest. The result is a pungent, sweet, and tart fruit curd that is delightfully lemony and delicious.
- Made with just 6 ingredients. If you’ve never made lemon curd at home, you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to make. You only need 6 ingredients and less than 15 minutes to make before it’s ready to be chilled for an hour.
- Lemon curd is the perfect dessert spread. You can use this lemon curd for just about anything: cakes, scones, pies, cookies, crepes, and more. You can even spread it on plain toast, make lemon bars, or put it inside a strudel. The options are endless.
Ingredient Notes
To make this delicious Lemon Curd, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- egg yolks - save the egg whites to make Vanilla French Macarons or Chocolate Macarons.
- granulated sugar
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- salt
- butter
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, small saucepan, and a glass jar such as a mason jar.
How to Make the Best Lemon Curd
- Combine ingredients. In a small saucepan, add egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Whisk until completely combined.
- Cook. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles, about 10 minutes.
- Add butter. Remove from heat and add the butter. Continue to whisk until fully combined and smooth.
- Strain. Pass the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer to remove the zest for a smoother curd (optional).
- Cool. Transfer to a glass jar (such as a mason jar) and let it cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
How to Store
Once cool, keep the lemon curd in a sealed glass jar (mason jar) or airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
How to Use Lemon Curd
It’s a good idea to keep a batch of lemon curd on hand because there are so many delicious ways to use and serve it. Some of my favorites are:
- On it’s own with a spoon or with berries on top.
- As a filling in cookies such as Lemon Curd Cookies or a filling in between sandwich cookies like French Macarons.
- As a topping drizzled over Pancakes, French Toast, or Crepes.
- As a tart or pie filling.
- As a filling in between layers of cake.
- As a topping over Vanilla Ice Cream or New York Cheesecake.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Doubling the recipe: If you want to double or triple this recipe, you totally can. Just keep in mind that it will take a little more time to cook since there will be more volume.
- Tips for thickening lemon curd: If your lemon curd doesn’t seem to be thickening, be patient. It likely means that the curd hasn’t been heated to a high enough temperature. Try increasing your temperature very slightly or waiting a bit longer.
- Don’t overcook: Overcooking your curd will scramble the egg yolks. So be careful not to let the curd get to a boil. You may need to lower the heat or even remove the pan from the heat if your lemon curd starts to get too hot too quickly.
More Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Loaf with Lemon Glaze (Starbucks Copycat)
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Lemon Butter Pasta
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Healthy Lemon Chicken
- Lemon Parmesan Asparagus
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Recipe
Lemon Curd
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Homemade Lemon Curd is rich, creamy, sweet, and tangy. This delicious fruit curd is easy to make with just 6 simple ingredients and a few basic steps.
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Whisk until completely combined.
- Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add the butter. Continue to whisk until fully combined and smooth.
- Pass the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer to remove the zest for a smoother curd (optional).
- Transfer to a glass jar and let it cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Doubling the recipe: If you want to double or triple this recipe, you totally can. Just keep in mind that it will take a little more time to cook since there will be more volume.
Tips for thickening lemon curd: If your lemon curd doesn’t seem to be thickening, be patient. It likely means that the curd hasn’t been heated to a high enough temperature. Try increasing your temperature very slightly or waiting a bit longer.
Don’t overcook: Overcooking your lemon curd will scramble the egg yolks. So be careful not to let the curd get to a boil. You may need to lower the heat or even remove the pan from the heat if your lemon curd starts to get too hot too quickly.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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