This raspberry curd is rich, silky smooth, and full of vibrant raspberry flavor with a little hint of lemon. It's so easy to make and impossible to stop eating! Serve with scones, pancakes, inside cake or pie fillings, or just with a spoon. If you love raspberries, then this recipe is perfect for you! If you want to skip that hint of lemon zest, then omit the zest in the recipe (but keep the lemon juice).
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🍓 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Tangy: The raspberries and a touch of lemon juice make this a tangy, flavorful curd - similar to lemon curd but raspberry!
- Thick: Lusciously thick, using only eggs to thicken. This recipe uses both whole eggs and yolks for the best texture and vibrant color.
- Easy: It's as easy as throwing the ingredients into a saucepan and simmering until thickened.
For a lemon raspberry bar with a baked raspberry curd filling, make these lemon raspberry bars.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
- Egg yolks & whole eggs: The eggs and yolks add body and thicken the curd. Don’t worry, it won’t make the curd taste eggy! Use the leftover egg whites for breakfast the next day.
- Raspberries: Fresh or frozen raspberries work great. I used frozen raspberries - you don't need to thaw them.
- Lemon: Use the juice and zest of one lemon. The zest gives it more of a lemon flavor so leave it out if you prefer less lemon flavor.
- Unsalted butter: The butter makes this curd silky smooth and rich. It also helps to cut the sweetness from the raspberries without needing to add too much sugar. For a dairy free version use dairy free butter.
✔️ Ingredient substitutions
Dairy free: Use dairy free butter instead of dairy butter for a dairy free raspberry curd.
Berries: I don't recommend substituting the raspberries with other berries because they all contain different amounts of water and will affect the thickness of the finished curd.
For strawberry curd, check out this strawberry tiramisu recipe which uses strawberry curd in the filling. And these lemon curd cookies have the perfect lemon curd recipe!
👩🍳 How to make raspberry curd
Step 1: In a medium saucepan, combine eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine and add raspberries and lemon juice (grated lemon zest optional for more zesty lemon flavor).
Step 2: Heat on medium low, stirring constantly to prevent it from burning. The mixture will start to simmer and thicken, keep stirring or whisking frequently.
Step 3: Once thickened, let it simmer for a few minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and strain it through a metal strainer into a clean, non-metal container. Use a spoon or whisk to help push it through the strainer. This will remove the seeds and create a smooth curd.
Step 4: Add butter into the strained curd and stir until melted and smooth.
Step 5: Press a piece of plastic wrap right over the curd’s surface and refrigerate until chilled. It will thicken more as it chills.
Step 6: Once chilled, uncover and serve with toast, on scones, or use as a cake filling like this lemon raspberry cake.
Expert Curd Tips:
- Stir the curd frequently when cooking to prevent it from burning or becoming lumpy.
- Strain the curd to remove all the raspberry seeds.
- 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.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
This raspberry curd will keep well stored in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 4 days.
Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months to store even longer.
❔ Why use both egg yolks and whole eggs?
Originally, this recipe contained 6 egg yolks to thicken the curd. However, that's a lot of egg yolks and leftover egg whites. And the curd was more of a dark purple color.
After further testing, I updated the recipe, replacing 6 egg yolks with two whole eggs and two egg yolks. This created a brighter curd without sacrificing on the thickness and consistency.
If you prefer only using egg yolks when making curd, you can continue to use 6 egg yolks in this recipe.
🥧 Serving suggestions - cake and pie filling
This raspberry curd recipe is perfect on its own, but you can also pair it with other popular breakfast or brunch items. Toast, scones (it pairs perfectly with these lemon poppy seed scones), ricotta pancakes, crepes - anything else you want!
It will also work perfectly as a cake filling - I use this exact recipe inside my lemon raspberry cake.
Add a bit of cornstarch or flour to further thicken the curd, and you get the perfect raspberry meringue pie or tart filling.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Raspberries contain a lot of seeds so I recommend straining it to get an extra smooth curd.
If you prefer a bit of crunch from the seeds, you can add a tablespoon of the strained seeds back into the curd after straining. That way you get the crunch but there aren't too many seeds.
It prevents the curd from developing a skin on top. You can use parchment paper instead or transfer it into a jar.
Omit the grated lemon zest for less lemon flavor. Don't omit the lemon juice - it doesn't give much lemon flavor and really helps deepen the flavors.
You can substitute the butter with unsalted dairy free butter or vegan spread. Make sure to use an unsalted version or your curd might be too salty.
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📖 Recipe
Raspberry Curd
Equipment
- Heavy bottomed saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs see notes
- 2 large egg yolks see notes
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 11 oz raspberries fresh or frozen (about 2 ⅓ cup or 300g)
- 1 lemon juiced, grated zest optional
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold, cut in small cubes
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk the egg yolks, whole eggs, salt, and sugar until combined and smooth.2 large eggs, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt, 2 large egg yolks
- Add the frozen raspberries, lemon juice, and grated lemon zest (optional) into the saucepan. Heat on medium-low heat, stirring constantly11 oz raspberries, 1 lemon
- Heat until it comes to a simmer and thickens, for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.
- Strain the raspberry curd through a mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the seeds.
- Transfer the curd into a non-metal bowl or jar, add the butter and stir to melt. This will help cool the curd. Once melted and smooth, place a piece of plastic film or parchment paper right onto the surface so that the curd doesn’t form a film.½ cup unsalted butter
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until cold and thick.
Notes
- Stir the curd frequently when cooking to prevent it from burning or becoming lumpy.
- Strain the curd to remove all the raspberry seeds.
- 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.
Dimitria
I make a blackberry version of this, and it has a few extra steps-and dishes-so finding this was wonderful. I might not use the lemon juice, or as much next time, just because it did seem a bit too lemony. But overall, LOVE IT!!
Duncan
amazing. my favorite thing currently. if you're hesitating, don't.