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I have a slight addiction. It’s called homemade curd. Lemon curd, lime curd, whatever. I can eat it with a spoon.
Instead of paying $4 a jar and breaking the bank, I decided to make my own.
Now you can too!
Have you ever had lemon curd? Chances are, you’ve seen it used in a plethora of lemon recipes here on this blog. I’ve added the sweet stuff to a Cake roll, to breakfast pastry, and even to milkshakes.
Curd is one of those things that you don’t realize you love until you try a spoonful. Thicker and creamier than jam or jelly, it’s got the consistency of a pudding, but it’s much, much better.
I’ve always been in love with lemon curd and I’d never seen lime until I visited Harry & David this past April. I bought a jar of lime curd while I was there and proceeded to come home and eat it all. Then I cried because I was out of lime curd and there is no Harry & David store near me. (Ahem, H&D, let’s remedy that please?)
Then I went to Miami and fell in love with Key Lime. I came home and bought a bottle of Key Lime Juice (actual key limes are hard to find sometimes) and tried to remake my lemon bars into key lime bars. For some reason, that recipe failed horribly. Then I had a bottle of key lime juice in my refrigerator. What to do, what to do.
Answer: Key Lime Curd. {Or, regular lime curd, if you don’t want to use Key Limes.}
This recipe is so simple, so easy, and so basic. It’s done in under 10 minutes. You only need a handful of ingredients – and you don’t even need real limes.
{Limes are super expensive right now. I guess there’s a shortage?}
The basics of homemade lime (or lemon) curd include: eggs, sugar, juice, zest (if you have it), and butter. You cook the eggs, sugar, and juice together until it thickens, then you add the butter. The butter gives it creaminess and lots of depth.
Plus, butter is good.
Now, you can argue with me all day about whether curd should have whole eggs or just yolks. This recipe includes whole eggs because honestly? I hate wasting the whites. I know, I know. I should make meringue. I should make waffles. I know that. I should also vacuum every day and not let my dog lick me, but I do.
I always, always forget I have whites in the refrigerator. ALWAYS. So I used whole eggs. Waste not, want not.
Now, I have 2 recipes for lemon curd on this blog already. One uses yolks only. One uses no eggs. I’ve made Glory’s lemon curd several times and it only has yolks. What’s the difference? Not much, to my tastebuds. This curd is slightly thicker than the other yolk-only recipes I’ve tried. My mouth, however, didn’t notice a difference.
The other tip I have for this recipe that might be different from others you’ve read is this: before I add heat, I whisk all the ingredients together in the pan. Once they’re whisked (which looks kind of like scrambled egg mixture before you cook it) then I put the pot on the stove. This way you will have less chances that the whites of your eggs will get lumpy. I didn’t need to strain my curd, but you can if you want.
This is all great, you say. But how do you eat lime curd, you want to know.
Me, laughing. How do you eat lime curd. With a spoon!
But you can also put it on toast, dip crackers in it, or add it to yogurt to make a dip for fruit. Put it in whipped cream, swirl it into fro-yo, or fill a cake with it.
Have I mentioned the spoon?
My mouth is watering looking at the photo. Excuse me, I have more lime curd to eat.
Lime Curd
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice or bottled Key Lime juice
- Zest of 1 large or two small limes or Key limes
- 4 tablespoons 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 pour into jar(s). Makes just shy of 2 cups.
Recipe Video
Sweets from friends:
Key Lime Gooey Bars by Mom on Timeout
Frozen Key Lime Margarita Squares by Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
Lemon Streusel Bars by Something Swanky
Last Updated on May 13, 2020
Absolutely delicious, but no way does this make “just shy of 2 cups”. (Although I did have to convert the recipe to metric, so maybe I went wrong somewhere). As I hadn’t made it before, I started with one batch of the recipe rather than doubling it. I’m about to make a second batch! Also, while leaving the zest in LEMON curd is fine, I did sieve the lime curd because the lime zest didn’t give it an attractive appearance (in my opinion).
Sue, do you mean it made less?
I’ve book-marked this page and made this recipe no fewer than 2 dozen times. Very reliable and perfect balance between tang & sweetness. Easy to sub with lemon or other citrus.
Getting ready to make it and I want to put it between the layers of a white cake. How much time should I give to set first? And should I put it in the fridge for awhile?
It should set for a few hours in the refrigerator.
This is my first time making lemon curd it’s wonderful thank you for sharing you knowledge and information
The Lime Curd is absolutely brilliant. Easy & yummy. I was interrupted before I added the butter. Came back and continued on! Strained it for a bit of egg, but otherwise perfect! Am about to do Lemon! And I double quantities.
Thanks
Cathy
Help! Why can’t I get my lemon curd to thicken? I tried one, and after about 5 minutes it hadn’t thickened at all, but I thought I’d add the butter and see what happened, nothing. Just started over, it’s been 10 minutes and still not thickening! Haven’t added butter yet
That’s strange. Did you follow the recipe or make any changes? 99% of the time the curd just needs to be cooked longer. Possibly your stove isn’t as hot as mine and it will take longer.
Five stars plus
I have a lemon/lime tree and it produces so much every year I either have to freeze or give away fruit. I’d like to make this as gifts. Is this something that can be canned for shelf life or does it need to be made and eaten right away? I’m new to canning.
I have never canned anything – I’m sorry!
This recipe is grreeeeeaatttt!!! 10/10 ⭐. It was quick and easy to prepare but is perfectly balanced with a silky smooth texture. ✨ The only thing I would do differently next time, is strain the curd before adding the butter at the end. I would definitely make this again. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us. All the best to you and yours! ✨
Let me start by saying I’m not a big fan of lime – I much prefer lemon. Furthermore, I’ve never made a curd of *any* kind before, although I am pretty experienced in the kitchen.
I had fresh squeezed lime juice left over so I thought I’d give curd a try since I have someone that said she would love it. Also I wanted the chance to make something new.
I chose this recipe mainly because it contained whole eggs. Like the author, I knew I’d never use those whites. Plus it looked so simple; can’t go wrong with that!
Holy citrus goodness is it *tasty* !! Sweet, tangy, smooth… and it came together so quickly! I actually don’t know if this is going to make to the person who said she’d love to have it. Oops… 😉☺
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