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    You are here: Home / Seasonal / Summer Recipes / Lemon Curd Recipe

    Lemon Curd Recipe

    April 27, 2022 Updated February 27, 2023 BySam 87 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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    collage of lemon curd, top image of lemon curd in clear jar, bottom image of squeezed lemons and their juice

    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!

    glass jar full of homemade lemon curd on a gray marble surface surrounded by lemon halves and small white baby's breath flowers

    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

    juiced lemon halves scattered on a gray marble surface

    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

    clear glass bowl covered with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the contents of the bowl
    1. Add the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and salt to a medium saucepan.
    2. Whisk until everything is combined, then set the heat to low/medium-low and add the remaining ingredients.
    3. Stir constantly and cook until the mixture is thickened, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl.
    4. 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!

    overhead view of a glass jar filled with yellow curd on a gray marble surface scattered with lemon halves and white baby's breath flowers

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What do you eat it with?

    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.

    Why is my lemon curd runny?

    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.

    How long will lemon curd keep?

    Up to two weeks if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. 

    close-up view of a glass jar filled with bright yellow curd with a spoon dipped into it

    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

    close-up view of a glass jar filled with bright yellow curd with a spoon dipped into it

    Lemon Curd Recipe

    How to make the perfect homemade Lemon Curd Recipe! This recipe makes a tart curd that's perfect for using as a filling or spread! Includes how-to video!
    5 from 39 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Chilling Time: 2 hours
    Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
    Servings: 13 fl oz
    Calories: 133kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • 6 large egg yolks¹
    • ½ cup fresh lemon juice² (120ml)
    • ¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces (113g)
    • 2 Tablespoons lemon zest³
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Combine eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk until well-combined. Transfer to stovetop over low/medium-low heat and add butter and lemon zest.
    • 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)
    ²This took 3 whole lemons for me
    ³Zest the lemon before squeezing, it’s much easier that way than trying to zest an empty lemon skin. Be sure to avoid the bitter white pith when zesting (don’t grate all the way down to the actual lemon!)

    How to Store

    Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1fl oz | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 21mg | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 10.7mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.2mg

    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.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

    Related Recipes

    • Lemon Blueberry Cake
    • Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
    • Homemade Lemonade Recipe
    • Lemon Cookies
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Monica

      March 04, 2023 at 5:25 pm

      When I add 3/4 cups of granulated sugar to my digital, calibrated scientific scale it is 175.17 grams, not 150 grams. Which do I use–3/4 cup or 150 grams?

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 04, 2023 at 9:02 pm

        Hi Monica! If you ever have doubts, it’s best to use the weight measurements. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Deanna

      February 19, 2023 at 3:29 pm

      My new favorite lemon curd recipe. It is DELICIOUS!!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 19, 2023 at 5:50 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Deanna! 🙂

        Reply
      • Monica

        March 04, 2023 at 5:26 pm

        Did you measure the sugar or weigh it?

        Reply
    3. Miriam Rose Blanar

      February 16, 2023 at 8:39 pm

      Could I use this for your lemon frosting. I have 6 egg yolks to use up and I plan to make this curd with them and make your lemon blueberry cake and use the curd for the filling and frosting….

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 19, 2023 at 10:00 pm

        Hi Miriam! That should work just fine. 🙂

        Reply
    4. RLH

      February 03, 2023 at 8:35 am

      If I use this as a filling for a cake, would the cake need to be refrigerated because of the lemon curd?

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        February 03, 2023 at 8:48 am

        Yes! Enjoy ❤️

        Reply
    5. Tasha

      December 21, 2022 at 6:55 pm

      Can I just use lemon use from a bottle? Does it need to be fresh squeezed?

      Reply
      • Sam

        December 21, 2022 at 9:42 pm

        Hi Tasha! Fresh is preferred, but bottled will work. 🙂

        Reply
    6. Audrey

      November 21, 2022 at 5:03 pm

      Where can I get the beautiful little jars?

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 21, 2022 at 8:43 pm

        Hi Audrey! I actually find them on Amazon. They are called “Weck 762 Tulip jars.” 🙂

        Reply
    7. Jan Flewelling

      October 25, 2022 at 4:10 pm

      Can anyone who has made this recipe comment on the amount it makes? I want to use it as the filling for a white cake. Should I double the curd recipe to have enough?

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        October 26, 2022 at 10:15 am

        Hi Jan! We use a half batch for our lemon cake, so a whole batch should be more than enough. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    8. Penny

      September 18, 2022 at 8:58 am

      5 stars
      Made lemon macrons, with lemon flavored shells, vanilla buttercream, and a surprise dollop of this curd in the middle! My absolute favorite combination now, and this curd was the perfect consistency for it. Bookmarked this to use again and again! 🙂

      Reply
    9. Danielle

      September 14, 2022 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      Such a simple and delicious recipe! I literally eat it but the spoonful!

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        September 14, 2022 at 5:15 pm

        That’s our favorite way to eat it! Enjoy, Danielle 😉

        Reply
    10. Joan

      June 10, 2022 at 6:56 am

      5 stars
      Easy and delicious. I’ve made it twice now and everyone raved about it.

      Reply
      • Emily @ Sugar Spun Run

        June 10, 2022 at 9:27 am

        We’re so happy our recipe has been such a success for you, Joan! Thanks for your review ❤

        Reply
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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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