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    Flouring Kitchen » Quick and Easy

    Lemon Curd

    Published: Mar 24, 2023 by Mary · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

    3.0K shares
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    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    This lemon curd is tangy, creamy, and bursting with bright citrus flavor. It's made of only five simple ingredients and four easy steps. It's perfectly smooth and thick. The richness from the butter and eggs balances the acidity from the lemon. It's the perfect spread and filling for cakes, tarts, pies, and breakfast items like scones. If you like lemon, you will LOVE this recipe. It's so much tastier than store bought and is so easy to make too.

    hand holding spoon with lemon curd
    Jump to:
    • 🍋 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
    • 📝 Key ingredients
    • 👩‍🍳 How to make lemon curd
    • 📝 Expert fruit curd tips
    • 🥄 Make ahead and storage
    • 🍴 Serving suggestions
    • ✔️ How to fix lumpy fruit curd
    • ❔ Is this curd thick enough for a pie?
    • 📖 Recipe FAQs
    • 🍋 More related recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🍋 Why you'll LOVE this recipe

    • Easy: 5 simple ingredients (one of them is salt) and 4 easy steps.
    • Thick & creamy: The texture is thick, lusciously silky, and creamy.
    • Bright & tangy: The flavor is bright, citrusy, zesty, and tangy.

    If you love lemon curd you should try this tangy raspberry curd! It's just as creamy and thick, but packed full of bright raspberry flavor.

    closeup of lemon curd texture in bowl with spoon

    📝 Key ingredients

    Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
    Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.

    lemon curd ingredients in bowls
    • Butter: Good quality unsalted butter will give you the best flavor and texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free butter substitute.
    • Eggs: You will need three eggs - two yolks and one whole egg - for this recipe.
    • Lemons: You'll need 2-3 lemons for this recipe. My lemons were huge so I only needed 2.
    • Salt: This helps the lemon flavor pop.

    My lemon posset recipe is full of creamy tangy flavor, and comes together with four simple ingredients!

    👩‍🍳 How to make lemon curd

    whisking lemon curd ingredients in a saucepan

    Step 1: In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, egg and yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Whisk until smooth and no pieces of eggs remain. 

    TIP: Use a non-metal saucepan like a ceramic coated one to prevent the curd from having a metallic flavor if you prefer.

    whisking cooked lemon curd in saucepan

    Step 2: Heat on medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent the bottom from burning. Cook until thickened and bubbling. 

    whisking cooked lemon curd in glass bowl with cold butter

    Step 3: Take the curd off the heat and immediately transfer (or strain if lumpy) into a non-metal heat safe container or jar. Add cold cubed butter, and stir. Let the butter melt, stir or whisk until smooth. 

    covering lemon curd in bowl with plastic wrap

    Step 4: Cover by placing a piece of parchment paper or wrap directly on the surface of the curd. This will prevent a skin from forming on top. Refrigerate until chilled (about 1-2 hours). The curd will thicken up some more. 

    📝 Expert fruit curd tips

    • Stir the curd frequently when cooking to prevent it from burning or becoming lumpy.
    • Strain the curd if you want an extra smooth curd.
    • Store the curd in a non-metal container like a glass bowl or mason jar. This will prevent it from getting a metallic aftertaste.
    • Press plastic wrap (or parchment paper) right onto the surface of the curd to prevent it from forming a skin.
    • Chill before serving to further thicken the curd.

    🥄 Make ahead and storage

    Lemon curd will keep in the fridge in an airtight container or jar for up to one week.

    To keep it for longer, store in an airtight container or bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for an hour. Stir until smooth and serve.

    🍴 Serving suggestions

    It's the perfect spread for breakfast items like toast, scones and filling for cakes, cupcakes, tarts, and pies.

    Here are some fun recipes for you to try that use this recipe:

    • Lemon tiramisu. Cooked curd replaces raw eggs to create the creamiest, tangy tiramisu.
    • Lemon curd cookies. They're like lemon crinkle cookies with gooey curd in the middles.
    • Victoria sponge filled with curd and whipped cream
    • Lemonade bundt cake with a curd filling and tangy glaze
    lemon curd in bowl with silver spoon

    ✔️ How to fix lumpy fruit curd

    There are two ways to fix a lumpy curd:

    1. Strain the curd into the bowl once it's cooked. This will result in a thinner curd.
    2. Blend with an immersion blender or in a standing blender. This will result in a thicker curd.

    To prevent it from becoming lumpy, whisk and stir the curd frequently as it cooks and don't cook it on high heat.

    ❔ Is this curd thick enough for a pie?

    This recipe makes the perfect tart filling because a tart only needs a thin layer. It would make the perfect set but gooey filling.

    I wouldn't use a thick layer of it in a pie because it will be hard to slice and will not hold its shape well. I recommend adding a teaspoon of cornstarch and substituting one of the yolks with a whole egg if using it for a pie.

    📖 Recipe FAQs

    Do you need to strain lemon curd?

    You only need to strain it if it turns out a bit lumpy, or if you want to remove the lemon zest from inside the curd.

    How do I make lemon curd even thicker?

    This recipe has the perfect thickness. It's not too thick where it's jelled up and it's not too thin where it drips off of everything. It holds its shape while still being gloopy.
    To make it thicker, substitute one of the yolks with a whole egg.

    Why cover the curd with plastic wrap?

    You don't need to, but it will help prevent a skin from forming on top of the lemon curd. This is also done with custard for the same reason.

    Can I make dairy free lemon curd?

    Yes you can. Substitute the butter with dairy free butter. Don't use a butter spread or margarine because they stay soft when chilled, and the lemon curd won't set and thicken up in the fridge.

    Why is my lemon curd not thickening?

    Make sure to cook the curd until thickened and bubbling. Stir it frequently with a rubber spatula or whisk to make sure it doesn't get lumpy. Once it's cooked, add cold butter and stir until it melts and becomes smooth. Once chilled, the butter will firm up and create a thick curd.

    🍋 More related recipes

    • raspberry curd in glass teacup with silver spoon
      Raspberry Curd
    • crinkle cookies with lemon curd filling and one bitten cookie
      Lemon Curd Cookies
    • Victoria sponge topped with powdered sugar, lemon slices, and peonies
      Lemon Victoria Sponge with Lemon Curd
    • slice of creamy lemon tiramisu on white plate topped with lemon curd
      Lemon Tiramisu with Lemon Curd

    Did you make this recipe? I would love for you to rate this recipe and hear what you think in the comments below! Share your creation on Instagram and tag @flouringkitchen. Follow me on Pinterest to save and for more recipe ideas.

    📖 Recipe

    lemon curd in spoon

    Lemon Curd

    Mary
    This lemon curd is tangy, creamy, and bursting with bright citrus flavor. It's made of only five simple ingredients and four easy steps. It's perfectly smooth and thick. The richness from the butter and eggs balances the acidity from the lemon. It's the perfect spread and filling for cakes, tarts, pies, and breakfast items like scones. If you like lemon, you will LOVE this recipe. It's so much tastier than store bought and is so easy to make too. You will need about 2 lemons and it yields about 1 ½ cups of lemon curd.
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Shop Ingredients
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Chill Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
    Cuisine American, English
    Servings 26 tablespoons
    Calories 48 kcal

    Equipment

    • Medium saucepan

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ⅔ cup sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 2 large egg yolks
    • ⅓ cup lemon juice from about 2 lemons
    • 1 lemon zested
    • ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
    • ⅓ cup butter cold and cubed
    Shop Ingredients on Jupiter

    Instructions
     

    • In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, egg and yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Whisk until smooth and no pieces of eggs remain. *Use a non-metal saucepan like a ceramic coated one to prevent the curd from having a metallic flavor if you prefer*
      2 large egg yolks, 1 large egg, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, ⅔ cup sugar, ⅓ cup lemon juice, 1 lemon zested
    • Heat on medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent the bottom from burning. Cook until thickened and bubbling.
    • Take the curd off the heat and immediately transfer (or strain if lumpy) into a non-metal heat safe container or jar. Add cold cubed butter, and stir. Let the butter melt, stir or whisk until smooth.
    • Cover by placing a piece of parchment paper or wrap directly on the surface of the curd. This will prevent a skin from forming on top. Refrigerate until chilled (about 1-2 hours). The curd will thicken up some more.
      ⅓ cup butter

    Video

    Notes

    Storage: Lemon curd will keep in the fridge in an airtight container or jar for up to one week. To keep it for longer, store in an airtight container or bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for an hour. Stir until smooth and serve. 
    Expert fruit curd tips:
    • Stir the curd frequently when cooking to prevent it from burning or becoming lumpy.
    • Strain the curd if you want an extra smooth curd.
    • Store the curd in a non-metal container like a glass bowl or mason jar. This will prevent it from getting a metallic aftertaste.
    • Press plastic wrap (or parchment paper) right onto the surface of the curd to prevent it from forming a skin.
    • Chill before serving to further thicken the lemon curd.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 48kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 0.5gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 33mgPotassium: 8mgFiber: 0.01gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 102IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 0.1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « Blueberry Lemon Brownies
    Lemon Raspberry Cookies »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Coco

      June 14, 2024 at 8:06 pm

      5 stars
      I've made this over 5 times. Now even when drunk and it comes out perfect and delicious every time. My favorite sweet treat! Even when i don't know what to bake, just making this lemon curd will lead to the most amazing creations ever! Thank you so much for this recipe! <3

      Reply
    2. Grace

      January 21, 2024 at 6:59 pm

      5 stars
      This is hands down the best lemon curd I have tried so far! It is tangy and sharp, with just the right amount of sweetness and it is so easy to make! And today, as I was in the mood for some experimentation, I followed the recipe as normal, except instead of lemons, I used limes and it turned out soooo good!

      Reply
      • Evi

        June 03, 2024 at 6:41 am

        5 stars
        I fucking love this lemon curd.

        Reply
    3. Tabitha Albany

      October 21, 2023 at 4:26 pm

      5 stars
      First time making lemon curd and tasting lemon curd. Came across your video on tik tok. Absolutely delicious! Won’t bother trying any other recipe I’ve printed and laminated yours for my recipe book with all my favourite recipes , thank you! X

      Reply
    4. Mark

      September 15, 2023 at 12:32 pm

      I tried the lemon curd recipe. I am not a chef, just a kitchen hack who loves being in the kitchen when time allows. I had frozen lemon juice from a previous batch of lemon curd. Almost enough for a 5X batch with your recipe. I calculated the ingredients, strained the curd. Good move as there were many lumps even with stirring continuously during cooking the curd. I used about 1/2 of the butter as it seemed to be too much. The curd still had a nice velvety buttery lemon tart flavor. I'll save this to my recipe folder. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    5. Mae

      June 17, 2023 at 10:49 pm

      5 stars
      Lemon Curd was absolutely amazing! I found your lemon recipes on TikTok and figured I had to try them! I also used the recipe but did Key Limes instead. The Lemon and the Key Lime were perfect! I had only tried store-bought lemon curd before and enjoyed it but was still unsure about lemon curd. But this is rich and creamy with a perfect amount of zesty, tangy sweetness.

      Reply
    6. Kaiden Taylor

      May 25, 2023 at 3:30 pm

      Hello, I was going to make some lemon curd to snack on later and realized I do not have cubed butter, only vegetable oil spread, any advice on how to make this work?

      Reply
      • Mary

        May 31, 2023 at 6:49 pm

        It will work, but it'll just be on the softer side because oil spreads are usually softer than butter. Make sure it isn't too salty and omit the salt in the recipe to account for that.

        Reply
    7. Mika

      May 06, 2023 at 8:17 pm

      Hi Mary. I just bought the ingredients to make the lemon tiramisu. I'm a bit nervous with the lemon curd though, as even if I'm a good baker generally, lemon curd doesn't seem to like my hands effort for some reason. I read all tips and tricks from you.

      I'm a bit unsure of how long (time wise) should I keep it on heat for. Until it thickens it's a bit vague for me, so kindly asking how long does it take you normally, so I have a general idea. Is it 2-3 minutes? Is it 10-15?

      Many thanks in advance!

      Reply
      • Mary

        May 09, 2023 at 12:22 am

        I let it cook until I see it bubbling! And then a minute or two after it bubbles. It will thicken a lot, and have a custard consistency. Hope that helps - you can do it!

        Reply
      • Samantha

        August 21, 2024 at 8:14 am

        5 stars
        the stars aligned and I was finally able to make this. it is absolutely divine! love it can't wait to try the other curds!

        Reply
    8. Elizabeth

      April 27, 2023 at 11:46 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this and i am OBSESSED. I used to think I didn’t like lemon curd, but I had only had store bought. This yields something that is tangy, rich, delicious and is just wonderful.

      Reply
    5 from 9 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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