This peach curd is absolutely packed with peach flavor, is thick and creamy, and sweet and tangy. It's the perfect peach spin on a classic lemon curd, and a great way to use up your fresh peaches! Simmering down the peaches with the skins gives this peach curd even more peach flavor and saves yourself the extra work of peeling the peaches. It also makes the peach curd a gorgeous peach color.
Enjoy it by the spoon, over ice cream, on scones, toast, yogurt... Or even as a tart and cake filling for your fancier needs. It can essentially be used in any way a lemon curd or peach jam would be used.
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🍑 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Perfect texture: This curd has a thick and creamy consistency, making it a very satisfying filling and topping.
- Great way to use up peaches: This recipe is an excellent way to use up all the ripe, overripe, or even mealy peaches - turning them into a light treat.
- No peeling necessary: The inclusion of peach skins not only saves you time but also enhances the flavor and gives the curd a rich pink-ish color.
- Make-ahead friendly: The curd can be stored in the fridge for up to six days. It can also be frozen for a few months, making it easy to use and enjoy whenever you like.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Peaches: Ripe, yellow peaches with bright red skins are what I used for this recipe. This recipe should also work with white peaches, but the color might be a little different. This is a great way to use up your ripe, or mealy peaches because one batch uses up 5 peaches and makes just over one cup of curd. I found that including the peach skins in the curd creates a more flavorful peach curd so don't peel the peaches! The pieces of skin get strained out in the end for a super smooth peach curd texture. You can use frozen peaches.
Lemons: Freshly squeezed lemon juice helps the peach flavor really pop. Since peaches aren't very acidic, lemon juice helps give the curd that delicious tart flavor that you expect from a curd. Please use freshly squeezed lemons, you won't get much lemon flavor from the juice in the curd but it still tastes so much better than bottled lemon juice.
Eggs: 4 whole eggs are added to the curd. This helps thicken the curd really well without needing to add too many yolks. Also, the pale peach color shines through better when using whole eggs as opposed to only yolks!
Butter: A bit of butter whisked in at the end helps add richness and cut the tartness in the curd. It also helps thicken up the curd even more.
👩🍳 How to make peach curd
Curd step by step
Step 1: Run a knife halfway through the middle of each peach, and turn the peach to cut all around the stone.
Step 2: Then use your hands to twist the peach, this will release the flesh from the stone. Cut the pieces into smaller pieces, and place into a saucepan.
Step 3: Add sugar and lemon juice into the saucepan with the peaches and heat on medium-low heat, stirring frequently.
Step 4: Heat the peach mixture until it comes to a low boil. Stir frequently as it boils and reduces to a little over half - it should be about 1 ¼ cups if you measure it. Smash the peach pieces with your spatula as you stir it.
Step 5: While the peach sauce reduces, crack the eggs into a separate heat safe bowl. Whisk together by hand until smooth.
Step 6: Once the peach sauce is thick and reduced, carefully add spoonfuls of the hot peach mixture into the egg mixture in the bowl, whisking the eggs vigorously.
Step 7: Then, pour the peach and egg mixtureback into the saucepan, and heat on low heat, cooking it until it starts bubbling. Stir or whisk this constantly.
Step 8: Once thick, strain the curd through a mesh sieve. Use a whisk to help push all the curd through quickly.
Step 9: Add butter and salt to the strained cord, and stir to melt the butter and mix it in.
Step 10: Transfer to a non-metal container or jar to chill in the fridge - it will thicken even more once chilled.
✔️ Expert curd tips
- Keep the skin on the peaches: The skins add a lot of peach flavor and give the peach curd a beautiful pale pink-peachy color.
- Reduce the peach sauce down by half: This concentrates the peach flavor and prevents the curd from being watery.
- Gradually add the hot peach sauce into the eggs: If you add it all at once, you risk scrambling the eggs and getting a chunky curd as opposed to a smooth and thick curd.
- Store the curd in a non-metal container or jar: This helps prevent a metallic aftertaste that can commonly happen with storing acidic foods in metal. Even better - cook the curd in a non-metal or ceramic coated saucepan.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
The curd stores well in an airtight jar or container, refrigerated, for up to 6 days - but it will probably be gone way before then! To store for even longer, freeze the curd in an airtight container or bag for up to 2 months.
❔ What can I use peach curd for?
Peach curd can be used anywhere where you'd use lemon curd or jam. It's delicious as a yogurt and pancake topping, on top of toast and scones... You can also use it as a tart, cookie, and cake filling! And in the summer months - as an ice cream topping for the most elevated ice cream sundae.
For example, try these lemon shortbread cookies but add peach curd in between instead of lemon curd. Phemomenal!
Or make my lemon curd victoria sponge cake, but use peach curd instead of lemon curd.
Honestly, my family just couldn't stop eating it by the spoon...
🍓 More fruit curd ideas
I've made so many fruit and berry curd recipes. I admit, I might be a little obsessed... They're just so tangy, sweet, smooth, and packed full of flavor! They also use up a lot of fruit so it's the perfect way to use up fruit before they go bad - PLUS how to make them out of frozen fruits and berries all year round. I love straying away from the classic lemon curd to create these tart and sweet fruit curds:
- This raspberry curd is super tart and sweet and easy to make since you just mix everything together before cooking.
- My cherry curd recipe is one of my latest additions and I'm absolutely in love with it. It's also tart and sweet, and tastes like cherry pie but better.
- Blueberry curd is bright purple and absolutely packed full of rich blueberry flavor.
- Strawberry curd is a pale pink curd that tastes just like tart, sweet strawberry dreams.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Yes you can! The color will be a little different and slightly less yellow.
I like to wait until the peaches are softer so that they can simmer down in their own juices. Leave your peaches out on the counter for a day or two until they're soft when you press into them.
Yes you can. Peaches can become mealy when they're refrigerated before they become soft and ripe. They're weirdly soft, and have a chalky texture - without being juicy. These peaches aren't pleasant to eat raw, but once they're cooked they taste the same as cooked non-mealy peaches!
Yes you can!
You haven't reduced the peaches enough. To thicken the curd even more, you can heat it back up and let it simmer to thicken even more. This will evaporate any extra moisture. Be careful to keep stirring it to prevent it from burning to the saucepan.
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📖 Recipe
Peach Curd
Equipment
- saucepan preferably a non-metal coated saucepan
Ingredients
- 5 whole medium peaches ripe and soft to the touch, 550g, 19 oz, or 1.2 lbs (alternatively use frozen)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 4 large eggs
- ¼ cup butter
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt omit salt if using salted butter
Instructions
- Run a knife halfway through the middle of each peach, and turn the peach to cut all around the stone. Turn the peach and cut around the stone all the way around another time so that it's cut into quarters.5 whole medium peaches
- Then use your hands to twist the peach, this will release the flesh from the stone. Cut the pieces into smaller, half inch pieces, and place into a saucepan. Discard the stones (pits).
- Add sugar and lemon juice into the saucepan with the peaches and heat on medium-low heat, stirring frequently.⅓ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup lemon juice
- Heat the peach mixture until it comes to a low boil. Stir frequently as it boils and reduces to a little over half - it should be about 1 ¼ cups if you measure it. It will be much much thicker in texture - almost like a jam. Smash the peach pieces with your spatula as you stir it.
- While the peach sauce reduces, crack the eggs into a separate heat safe bowl. Whisk together by hand until smooth.4 large eggs
- Once the peach sauce is thick and reduced, carefully add spoonfuls of the hot peach mixture into the egg mixture in the bowl, whisking the eggs vigorously. Add a spoonful at a time, whisking well, until all of the peach mixture is added.
- Then, pour the peach and egg mixtureback into the saucepan, and heat on low heat, cooking it until it starts bubbling. It will become very thick so it's important to stir or whisk this constantly.
- Once thick, strain the curd through a mesh sieve, and use a whisk to help push all the curd through quickly.
- Add butter and salt to the strained cord, and stir to melt the butter and mix it in.¼ cup butter, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- Transfer to a non-metal container or jar to chill in the fridge - it will thicken even more once chilled.
Notes
- Keep the skin on the peaches to add the most amount of peach flavor and give the curd more color.
- Reduce the peach sauce down by half to concentrate the peach flavor and create a thick curd.
- Gradually add the hot peach sauce into the eggs to prevent the eggs from scrambling
- Store the curd in a non-metal container or jar to prevent a metallic aftertaste
Cindy
I am delighted to learn this recipe! I live in "peach country" in SC. Where has this been all my life! 😉
Thank you! Just delicious!! A lovely way to use some peaches just past their prime for eating.
Jennifer
Fantastic peach flavor! Thank you for sharing this recipe!