Easy Lemon Curd Recipe
When life gives you lemons, make Lemon Curd! It’s tangy, luscious and bursting with flavor, and is perfect served with scones, filling pies or topping cheesecakes. It’s so easy to make that you’ll never buy it again!
When life gives me lemons, my mind always runs wild with the different ways to use them up. I love using it in savory recipes, but most of the time desserts win out.
Lemon bars and lemon pudding cake are two of my favorite lemon desserts, and this Lemon Curd is the ultimate condiment or filling.
If you’ve made homemade lemon curd before, you know how much better it is than store bought. It has a freshness that you can taste, and the big bonus is that you can customize it to your tastes.
I find that most recipes are too sweet and aren’t lemony enough for me. The lemons are the star in this recipe — the bright flavor isn’t masked with an abundance of sugar and butter.
The sugar, eggs and lemon juice are cooked over a pan of simmering water so that it cooks gently (this prevents the eggs from scrambling). The mixture is whisked constantly until it thickens to the texture of sour cream. This takes about 10 minutes.
From there, it’s strained through a mesh sieve to remove any lumps, then the butter and lemon zest are mixed in.
The curd thickens as it cools, then the sky is the limit on the ways that you can use it. Use it top scones, cheesecake, or use it for a filling for pies and cakes.
Eating it by the spoonful is totally appropriate too. 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Homemade lemon curd is rich, luxurious and bursting with fresh lemon flavor.
- It’s a great condiment for scones, pancakes and waffles, and is also great as a filling for pies, cakes and tarts.
- The lemons can be zested and juice up to a few days in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly.
- It’s easy to make and can be customized with your favorite citrus such as limes, blood oranges, grapefruit and more!
Recipe Ingredients
- Lemons. Fresh lemon juice is key as the lemon is the star ingredient. The recipe utilizes both the juice and zest of the lemon for extra flavor. The great thing about curd is that you can use any type of citrus. Try my lime curd or substitute with Meyer lemon, key lime, orange, blood orange or even grapefruit.
- Sugar. Sweetens the curd, which balances the tangy lemon flavor.
- Eggs. Eggs are essential in this recipe as they provide structure and richness to the curd.
- Butter. Just a few tablespoons of butter loosen up the curd slightly and also tames the tangy lemon flavor. Most lemon curd recipes include a lot more butter. If you prefer that, you can simply add more to taste.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to make this recipe
Homemade lemon curd recipe is very easy to make, and it includes just 4 ingredients. Simply zest and juice the lemons, gather the remaining ingredients, and have a strainer set up over a small bowl as the recipe goes very quickly.
Pro tip: Cook the curd gently in the top of a double boiler to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Place the sugar, eggs and lemon juice together in a heat proof bowl.
- Whisk until combined, then cook in a double boiler over gently simmering water. Stirring constantly, cook the curd until it thickens to the texture of sour cream.
- Place the curd in the fine mesh strainer set over the bowl and strain.
- Stir in the butter and lemon zest and cover with a piece of buttered plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and allow to cool at room temperature. The curd will thicken as it cools.
Recipe FAQs
Lemon curd is a rich, luxurious preserve or topping for desserts or pastries. It’s thick and similar in consistency to jam or pudding.
It includes fresh lemon juice and zest, sugar, eggs and butter. The eggs provide structure and richness, and the butter adds richness, flavor and tames the tanginess of the lemon.
The sky is the limit on the ways to use lemon curd! Use it as a topping for Greek yogurt, scones, cheesecake, pancakes or waffles, or as a filling for cakes and tarts.
Lemon curd will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Serving suggestions
There are so many ways to serve this lemon curd recipe. It’s so tangy and luxurious and pairs beautifully with scones, gingerbread, waffles and oat flour pancakes.
It’s great for filling for my pate sucree (sweet tart dough) or lemon curd layer cake, or use it as a topping for mini lemon cheesecakes and breakfast fruit tarts.
Recipe tips
- Pro tip: Cook the curd gently in the top of a double boiler to prevent the eggs from curdling. If you don’t own a double boiler, simply fill a sauté pan with water about 2 inches high. Bring to a simmer over medium low, then place a heatproof bowl right in the water.
- Have a small bowl and fine mesh strainer with lemon zest and cubed butter ready to go when you get started as the recipe goes quickly.
- Keep a close eye on the curd…if you start to see bits of egg and it’s not thick enough yet, reduce the heat. Don’t worry, any bits of egg will be strained out.
- Be sure to cover the curd with buttered plastic wrap after the butter and lemon zest have been added to prevent a skin from forming on the top.
More lemon desserts you’ll love:
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 2-3 lemons, strained to remove seeds and pulp
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small chunks; add additional butter as desired
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
Instructions
- Whisk together the granulated sugar, eggs, and lemon juice in a stainless steel or heat proof bowl. Place over the top of a pan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly so the egg doesn't scramble, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of sour cream, about 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on the curd…if you start to see bits of egg and it's not thick enough yet, reduce the heat. Don't worry, any bits of egg will be strained out.3/4 cup granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- Remove from heat and pour the curd through a fine strainer placed over a small bowl.
- Add the butter, and stir until completely melted, then stir in the lemon zest. The curd will thicken as it cools. Many lemon curd recipes include more butter, so if you prefer more richness, add more butter as desired.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
- Once the curd has cooled, place plastic wrap over the surface of the curd to keep a skin from forming, and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Pro tip: Cook the curd gently in the top of a double boiler to prevent the eggs from curdling. If you don’t own a double boiler, simply fill a sauté pan with water about 2 inches high. Bring to a simmer over medium low, then place a heatproof bowl right in the water.
- Juice the lemons up to a few days in advance or freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Substitute lemons with your favorite citrus! Lime, orange, blood orange, grapefruit and meyer lemons are all wonderful options.
- Serve chilled. The curd will keep in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
