Learn how to make the perfect homemade Lemon Curd Recipe! My easy version makes a tart curd that’s perfect for using as a filling or spread. Recipe includes a how-to video!
When Life Gives You Lemons…
Make lemon curd! Have you ever made your own before? If so, then you already know that it’s so much tastier than the store-bought kind. My homemade recipe is bright and sunny, creamy and tart, and completely refreshing. Plus, it’s surprisingly simple to make. So simple, in fact, that you need only five ingredients!
If you’re a lemon lover, chances are you may have already made this recipe. My lemon bars use a sweetened version of today’s recipe for their filling, and it’s a key ingredient in the bright yellow filling of my lemon cake and my lemon frosting.
Why You Should Try Homemade Lemon Curd:
- It cooks in just 10 minutes and is so easy to make!
- The texture is silky smooth (as long as you strain it!).
- It has a fresh, perfectly tart flavor that truly outshines the store-bought stuff.
- It pairs well with so many desserts, from cakes and cupcakes to pavlova.
What You Need
My lemon curd recipe uses only five ingredients for the simplest, easiest, and tastiest results! Here are a few of the key players:
- Egg yolks. If you’d rather not throw your egg whites away, check out the list of egg white recipes I included in the recipe notes.
- Lemon juice. You’ll need fresh squeezed lemon juice for today’s recipe. I find that I usually need about three lemons to get enough juice.
- Lemon zest. Always zest your lemons before you juice them! It’s almost impossible to zest a juiced lemon.
SAM’S TIP: Once you break through the yellow skin of your lemon, the bright white layer underneath is called the pith. The pith is bitter and doesn’t taste very good, so only zest until you reach that point, then stop!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Lemon Curd
- Add the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and salt to a medium saucepan.
- Whisk until everything is combined, then set the heat to low/medium-low and add the remaining ingredients.
- Stir constantly and cook until the mixture is thickened, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the curd and allow it to cool to room temperature before transferring to the fridge for several hours.
SAM’S TIP: Watch your heat! Keep it low, stir constantly, and don’t let your curd come to a boil–you don’t want to end up scrambling your eggs!
Frequently Asked Questions
While I find this lemon curd recipe to be delicious straight from the jar, here are a few (more civilized) options for enjoying:
Add a sunny layer in lemon blueberry cake or petit fours.
Serve it with freshly baked scones.
Use it as a filling in my macaron recipe.
Add a dollop to a slice of pound cake or (my favorite) angel food cake.
Fold it with some whipped cream and use it as a filling for cream puffs.
Pair it with crepes, pancakes, or waffles.
Spread it on a warm slice of gingerbread.
This may happen if the curd isn’t cooked properly, for example if it is cooked too quickly on too high of heat or if it isn’t cooked until thickened as indicated. Keep in mind that the curd will thicken as it cools, so while it still may seem a bit loose as it is cooking, it’ll thicken in the refrigerator. If your curd is still runny after cooling, it may have needed a few more minutes on the stove.
Up to two weeks if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Let me know if you try this one!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Lemon Curd Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks¹
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice²
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest³
Recommended Equipment
- Medium-sized saucepan Must be non-reactive metal, see note
Instructions
- Combine egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a non-reactive medium-sized saucepan (see note). Whisk until well-combined.6 large egg yolks¹, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice², ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Transfer to stovetop over low/medium-low heat and add butter and lemon zest.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest³
- Cook, stirring constantly (do not let the curd boil) until thickened and it coats the back of a spoon (see video below if a visual is helpful to you). I also like to use an instant read thermometer to check that the curd reaches 160F (to ensure eggs are cooked all the way through).
- Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the lemon curd to avoid a skin forming. Allow to cool to room temperature for 20-30 minutes then transfer to the refrigerator or divide into serving jars. Chill for several hours then use as desired.
Notes
¹Ways to use leftover egg whites
Looking for a recipe for your leftover egg whites? Here are a few suggestions:- Meringue Cookies
- White Cake
- Angel Food Cake (you would need even more egg whites for this one)
Saucepan
You must use a non-reactive pan when making lemon curd. Acceptable materials include stainless steel, glass, enameled cast iron. Avoid using aluminum, copper, or iron (such as non-enameled cast iron) pans, which can react with the lemon and cause a metallic taste.How to Store
Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Ceil
Perfect lemon curd! I made half of the recipe as written and it yielded a generous cup full. I have tried several recipes for lemon curd, and yours was by far the best! This will be my only lemon curd recipe to use in the future; no more searching! Thank you for sharing and inspiring!
Heather Wilkes
very smooth and extremely tasty
Kat
can the unsalted butter be replaced with salted if I omit the salt called for in the recipe? Thank You. I look forward to trying this recipe!
Sam
Hi Kat! That will work just fine here. 🙂
MJ
Hi Sam,
Can I use limes instead of lemons for this recipe?
Sam
I haven’t personally tried it, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. 🙂
Perry
Hi Sam, I had a dreadful experience with Lemon Curd and I’m hoping you can help. I followed your recipe, but increased it slightly. The result was a little thicker which is what I wanted as this was to be the top cover of a blueberry cheesecake! But, upon tasting the curd, it was delicious at first, but within seconds the most unpleasant (read foul) aftertaste set in. No way could I put that on my cheesecake. My wife thinks the aftertaste tasted of something like bad eggs. I thought I sensed a metallic taste. But it was so bad I had to throw it out. So here are some facts about my process.
The eggs were the same eggs we ate for breakfast, pasture raised and organic. I used a citrus juicer for the lemons and a micro plane for the zest. I used a glass double boiler to keep it non-reactive.
The lemons were organic. I used a flat stainless steel whisk to stir the curd on the stove and a silicone spatula to pour into a screen mesh strainer. Nothing in this list should cause a reaction. Everything was clean. Once finished I put the curd in a 1 quart pyrex measuring cup, placed the plastic wrap directly onto the curd and refrigerated it for couple days until my cheesecake was ready to be topped. Any suggestions?
Sam
Hi Perry! I’m so sorry to hear this happened! It sounds like you took all the necessary precautions to not use something reactive so honestly I am quite stumped. I could say it’s possible it was over-cooked, but that doesn’t sound like the case. You would be able to tell from the texture that it was overcooked. I wish I had more helpful information for you here. 🙁
Deb
Maybe the lemons needed a soap/water cleaning? Or the silicone spatula wasn’t meant for heat? Even if the eggs you had in the morning were ok, the ones in your recipe could have been cracked slightly/contaminated, going bad. I feel your frustration. Been there.
Amanda
Absolutely delicious. Easy to make – even for beginners – and so tasty.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like it, Amanda! Thanks for the review 💛
Anna Rozansky
I made this for the second time and I assume this time I didn’t cook long enough as it’s runny. First time was excellent. Is there any way to salvage this batch or do I need to start over? ;(
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Anna! Unfortunately there’s really no good way to fix it after it’s cooked 🙁 Hopefully it still tastes great though! We do provide a few serving suggestions in the FAQ section that can handle a thinner curd 😊
David Tuer
Use the runny lemon curd as a sauce over icecream.
Diane
Can I use European style butter?
Sam
That sounds delicious. 🙂
Audrey
Hi Sam. I want to make lemon tartlets, and would like to know if I could use this recipe to fill the mini shells, or would it be better to use your Lemon Tart recipe (which includes whole eggs in the filling)? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Audrey! I would personally use the lemon tart recipe. 🙂
Melissa
This is so delicious and has a great texture. Easy to make.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Melissa! Thank you for trying my recipe!
Helen
Have made this a few times with great success and my whole family loves it! I’m wondering, though, if it’s possible to keep it on hand for longer by either preserving it like jam (in a boiling-water canner) or freezing it. Have you ever tried this? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Helen! I’m not sure about the canning process, but you should be able to freeze this without issue. 🙂
Ann J
This is my go to recipe for lemon curd! I make mine with Meyer lemons which make a beautiful orange yellow color. I always double and use the whites for a homemade angel food cake. Thanks, Sam, for such a delicious and easy to follow recipe!
Chris
Hi Sam! I live in California and while I don’t have a lemon tree I do have a key lime tree that is dropping tons and tons of key limes. Would this recipe work with key limes in place of Lemons? Would it have the same quality or would I need to adjust? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Chris! Key limes should work. You shouldn’t have to change anything, just exchange the lemons for limes. 🙂
Chris
Thank you Sam!
maureen
Can I add more lemon juice or will that make it runny?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Maureen! We recommend sticking with the recipe 😊
Jane
Great instructions. Just the right amount of detail. Love this curd. It has a perfect depth of flavor and an ideal texture.
Leslie Lyons
I used this recipe for a lemon mousse that called for lemon curd. Your recipe was spot-on! The directions were perfect & it tasted delicious. Will definitely make this again- ThankYou so much.