This delightful homemade lemon curd is a sweet, tart, smooth, and creamy lemon custard, perfect for serving with scones or as a filling for cakes and tarts. It's easy to make, and needs only four ingredients!
Jump to:
Why this recipe works
- Made with only four ingredients: lemons, egg yolks, sugar, and butter
- Can be used as a spread for scones, or as a filling for cake, tarts, cheesecakes, or trifle
- Use other citrus fruits for additional flavor opportunities
Lemon Curd is silky lemony goodness. Smooth, tart, sweet, and creamy at the same time, its bright flavor is great spread on cream scones at an afternoon tea.
Unfortunately, it can also be fairly pricey in the market, especially if it’s made with real, wholesome ingredients. Luckily, homemade lemon curd is very easy to make, and it only takes four simple ingredients.
Sounds delicious!
- Sharon
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this homemade lemon curd recipe:
Ingredient Notes
Lemon curd is very easy to make, and it only takes a few simple ingredients: lemons, egg yolks, sugar, and butter.
Lemons: You'll need the lemon juice and zest for this recipe. A microplane grater and citrus juicer makes quick work getting the lemons ready. Don’t use bottled lemon juice of any kind - it's too acidic and will ruin the flavor.
Egg yolks: The egg yolks not only add richness, they're what thicken the custard. When you separate the eggs, try and remove as much of the white as possible (a little won't hurt, though). You can use the whites to make egg white recipes like French macarons, Italian meringue buttercream, or marshmallows, or freeze them for later.
Sugar: Use granulated or caster sugar (aka superfine sugar) for this homemade curd recipe. Brown sugar or powdered sugar will change the flavor and/or consistency of the finished product.
Butter: Also used to thicken the curd, plus butter adds it's delicious creamy flavor. Make sure to use unsalted butter - salt really has no place here. If you use cold butter, it will thickens the curd quicker.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make lemon curd with egg yolks
The process is simple: whisk the yolks with sugar, melt in butter, add lemon juice and zest, then cook until thickened. The whole thing takes less than 30 minutes to cook!
Step 1: Heat the egg yolks, sugar, and butter
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan over Medium-Low heat. Add the butter and heat slowly until the butter melts (photo 1).
Step 2: Add lemon juice and zest
Add the lemon juice and zest to the egg yolk mixture (photo 2).
Step 3: Cook until thickened
Cook and stir occasionally until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 to 15 minutes (photo 3). Try not to let the mixture boil.
Step 4: Cool the curd
Remove the pan from the heat, put the lid on it, and let it cool to room temperature. The curd will thicken further as it cools (photo 4), and will thicken completely in the refrigerator. If it seems too thin, see the FAQs below on how to fix runny lemon curd.
If you see bits of egg in the curd after it has thickened, strain it with a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl after it comes off the heat. Allow to cool, covered, until it reaches room temperature before transferring to a container.
When the curd has come to room temperature, transfer it to a storage container with a tight fitting lid, like a canning jar (photo 5).
Storage instructions
Homemade lemon curd can be stored in an airtight container, like a canning jar, in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Yield Notes
This recipe makes about 1 cup of lemon curd.
Using lemon curd in recipes
The bright lemon flavor really shines, balanced by a smooth, creamy texture. Served next to scones or toast, it’s a delicious spread on its own. And you can use it for so much more!
Bake cheesecake with lemon curd, or use it as a filling for cakes (lemon curd layer cake, anyone?), trifle, or tarts. Mix it with unsweetened whipped cream for a quick lemon mousse.
You can even fingerpaint on a plate with the kids. Have fun with it!
You can use this same homemade lemon curd recipe using different citrus: limes (regular or key lime), Meyer lemons, oranges, or grapefruits. You'll just need to adjust the amount of sugar based on how sweet and/or tart you want the finished curd to be.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
For this lemon curd recipe using 3 to 4 lemons, you should have about ¾ to 1 cup of juice and about one tablespoon of zest.
Lemon curd can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
Is your lemon curd too thin after you've chilled it? It could be that you didn't cook it long enough. There are two possible solutions for how to fix runny lemon curd that I've tried, and both require you to reheat it over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, before proceeding with these add-ins.
Method #1: Stir in an egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons water to the warmed curd, and cook, stirring constantly, until the curd has thickened and leaves a trail on the back of a spoon.
Method #2: Mix in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water in 1 tablespoon increments to the warmed curd. Stir for a few minutes to see if the curd has thickened enough before adding in more slurry.
I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More recipes with citrus to try
Recipe
Lemon Curd with Egg Yolks
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 lemons
- 4 large egg yolks, see Recipe Notes
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, plus extra to taste
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes, see Recipe Notes
Instructions
- Using a microplane grater and a citrus juicer, zest and juice the lemons. You should have about ¾ to 1 cup of juice and about one tablespoon of zest.
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan over Medium-Low heat. Add the butter and heat slowly until the butter melts.
- Add the lemon juice and zest to the egg yolk mixture. Cook until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes. Try not to let the mixture boil.
- Remove the pan from the heat, put the lid on it, and let it cool to room temperature. The curd will thicken further as it cools, so that's a good time to check its consistency. If it seems to be too thin, see the Recipe Notes on how to fix runny lemon curd.
- Storage instructions: Lemon curd can be stored in an airtight container, like a canning jar, in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- This recipe makes about 1 cup of lemon curd.
Notes
- Method #1: Stir in an egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons water to the warmed curd, and cook, stirring regularly, until the curd has thickened and leaves a trail on the back of a spoon.
- Method #2: Mix in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water in 1 tablespoon increments to the warmed curd. Stir for a few minutes to see if the curd has thickened enough before adding in more slurry.
Sharon says
Sounds delicious!