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My easy Lemon Curd recipe is the perfect easy curd! Just a few ingredients and you can make it from scratch. It tastes so much better than from the store. I’ve been making this recipe for years and it’s always silky smooth and perfectly tart and sweet.
Why you’ll LOVE this recipe
If you’ve never made homemade lemon curd, you should. It’s so much tastier than the kind from the jar. Plus, store-bought is sometimes hard to find and it’s expensive.
Lemon Curd is a simple recipe made with just a few ingredients and it goes great on toast, in fillings for desserts, or on a spoon. You can use this curd to make things like lemon tarts or fillings for lemon cupcakes or lemon pastry.
All lemon curd recipes are basically similar, with similar ingredients. However, my lemon curd recipe has one big difference: I use whole eggs.
Most recipes for lemon curd that you see will call for just egg yolks. I hate using yolks and not whites because I always forget to use the whites for something. They end up going to waste which kills me because eggs aren’t cheap. So I developed a lemon curd recipe with whole eggs to eliminate waste.
How to make Lemon Curd Video
Just 5 Ingredients
- Fresh lemon juice: it’s important to juice it yourself
- Lemon zest: learn how to zest lemons
- Granulated Sugar: for sweet
- Whole Eggs
- Unsalted Butter
How to make lemon curd
1. It’s really important that you whisk all the ingredients together first, before turning it onto the heat. You don’t want the eggs to scramble!
2. Then, like when you’re making pudding or a cream sauce, you cook and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. It’ll bubble and coat the back of a spoon and that’s how you know it’s done.
3. Now, because we are using whole eggs, we have to make sure that none of the egg whites cooked. This is why I always strain my curd using a fine mesh strainer. It takes out any lumps or chunks and gives a nice silky lemon curd. At this point, the curd is a bit thin but don’t worry: it will thicken as it cools.
It’s like making a custard, but instead you’re making curd. I like to think of this as a cross between jam and lemon custard. It’s got a consistency that’s between the two and a flavor that’s unparalleled.
Tip From Dorothy
Expert Tips
- Always strain your curd with a fine mesh sieve after cooking to ensure it’s silky smooth.
- Always use fresh lemon juice and lemon curd to get the best lemon flavor.
- Cool to room temperature before closing your jar or covering a bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and chilling until it’s completely cold.
Commonly asked questions
Did you cook it long enough? It should boil and coat the back of a spoon and be very thick. Let it cool. Once it cools and chills it will thicken. Make sure to use fresh lemon juice so the pectin can work its magic.
Store this in a jar or other airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Store in the freezer – I like freezing it in plastic containers. Just thaw in the refrigerator.
First, make sure it’s been cooked long enough. It should be thick and coat the back of the spoon (thicker than heavy whipping cream) so if it’s still runny, make sure to cook it longer. If you’ve let it cool and it’s still thin, warm it back up over low heat and add a bit of cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with cold water) and cook until it thickens.
Make sure it doesn’t bubble or it could break. Cook it at a low temperature!
Easy Lemon Curd Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 large large eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup (119ml) fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter diced
Instructions
- Place eggs, sugar, salt, juice, and zest in a medium saucepan. Do not put it over the heat yet. Whisk the ingredients together until smooth.
- Place over low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Turn all the way to low and add the butter. Stir until smooth.
- Remove from heat and strain into jar(s). Makes just shy of 2 cups.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Store in a covered container in the refrigerator, about 1 week. You can also store in the freezer.
- Always use fresh lemons for lemon curd!! They taste the best.
Recipe Nutrition
How to use Lemon Curd
There are so many ways to use this recipe! Enjoy it over ice cream, as a topping on angel food cake or pound cake. Serve it with croissants, scones, or waffles, add a dollop on crepes or over yogurt. You can even flavor whipped cream with it! Or make these recipes:
That was easy and delicious!
Absolutely lovely, my go to recipe from n oh w on!
Thank you! I misplaced my recipe for curd. The others I looked at used corn starch or flour and too much sugar.Then I found yours and it was what I remembered. I made it with my quail eggs(15) a few tips that work for me. I blend the eggs before putting them in to eliminate any clumps of egg white. I like to use a rubber spatula to stir. It cleans the bottom and sides better ( no bits overcooked) then whisk in the butter. I had never tried freezing. When you said that works, I made a triple batch!
I was looking for a lemon curd recipe when I came across this easy version. LOVE IT!, I don’t eat pie crust so this curd doubled as a pudding and it was delicious. Nice and tart yet sweet enough to satisfy my urge for sugar.
Hiw long will it keep in the fridge? Can you freeze it?
About 4-5 days in the fridge, yes you can freeze it
I freeze it in a glass jar. I scoop out just enough for me. I put it on a dish and sit on counter until thawed. Consistency and taste is perfect.
Can you freeze lemon curd?
Yes!
Just made this for the first time ever. So easy and so good! Lemon curd–where have you been all my life?”
I used it for the lemon curd for a tart and it was delicious! I had a question about straining the curd before refrigerating. I notice that when I strain it, all of the zest gets strained out as well as the egg white pieces, is that what is supposed to happen?
Yes – once the zest has been cooked you still get all the flavor!
I have made this recipe many times. I’ve made it using oranges I’ve made it using limes and it always turns out great. When I make it with the oranges I add a few tablespoons of lemon juice to it. I don’t bother straining it either I don’t really have a problem with lumps. Thank you for the great easy recipe.
I had to leave a rating. I have never been able to pull off anything lemon. I can make the most difficult pastries, but nothing lemon. Your recipe was simple, but worked. It is the perfect lemon flavor. Thank you!
Delicious.
My neighbors have a lemon tree.
We trade them lemon/ ginger jam for them.
I made this instead.
Delicious
Great recipe! I used salted butter (and omitted the pinch of salt) and used dark brown sugar (since planning ahead and/or keeping basic kitchen staples on hand os apparently a… er… “challenge” for me). The end product had an excellent lemon flavor, not too sweet, and is wonderful on *reduced-sugar cheesecake.
[My daughter is T1D and we find most sugar substitutes disgusting, so we cut the sugar to lower the carbs.]
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