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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
The Key Lime Cheesecake sounds perfect for dessert this Thursday, Cinco de Mayo. Refreshing and decedent. I see that you tried to substitute key lime I’m your Lemon Bar recipe. Try using Nelly and Joe’s key lime juice in a bottle. The recipe on the back, for the filling, is perfect. Just use the buttery pastry crust for usual Lemon Bars and that filling. It’s a winner. Every time.
Just made this for the first time, substituting lemon juice and lemon zest — delicious. I was worried at first since it took more than 5 minutes to thicken for me, but once I turned the heat up a notch more, it got nice and opaque and silky. I’d never made curd before and wasn’t sure what to aim for in the final consistency, but I read that it thickens more as it cools… and once I filled my jar I couldn’t stop eating the leftovers right off the mixing spoon. Very tasty and not too sweet. Tomorrow, when it’s chilled in the fridge, I’ll be using it in your Easy Lemon Tarts recipe to surprise my friend on her birthday. Thank you!
I’m so glad it worked for you! I seriously could eat it with a spoon too, and yes it’ll thicken more as it cools. Enjoy the tarts!
Just made this and it was the easiest thing ever and most delicious!
Thanks for sharing the recipe!! Will be making more for holiday parties!
I am having trouble getting the curd to thicken while stirring. Did you mean to cook it for 5 minutes on medium and then turn to low? I used xylitol as a substitute so that may be it but I also had success using it before with a different recipe. Do you have any suggestions on cooking it? Thanks!
I cooked mine on low heat and it took about 5 minutes or so to thicken, like a pudding does (but not quite that thick). Other stoves may take longer, it really depends on the power of the stove, the burner strength, etc., but you should notice a thickening. Adding the butter makes it even thicker. I’ve never cooked with xylitol so I’m not sure how it changes the chemical structure, but I know that sweeteners do and often need additional ingredients to work.
I am so in love with lemon curd! I am sure that lime curd is delicious too!! Here’s a new “love” for me!!!
Have a nice day!!
Thanks Irene!
So I want to make homemade curd for wedding favors! Can I can this? Or do you know of a recipe that is used for canning? It has eggs so I’m unsure… I need to make a large batch though.
Hmmm, I’m not sure. I know it’ll last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. If you want to make it ahead or have it last longer you might want to can it. I’ve never done that, but I found this that might help! http://www.pickyourown.org/lemon_curd.php
My curd stayed watery- (little thicker than when I first whisked the ingredients together). I cooked the whisked ingredients for about 5 minutes, thinking it would get thicker when I added the butter but it never did. Thank you for your help!
That’s so strange! Hopefully it was just a one time occurrence. I’m sorry that happened!
My lime curd did not thicken when I made this. The taste was good, but I added in the butter and it would not get into a curd consistency. Any advice for next time?
When you say it didn’t thicken, did it stay watery? Each time I’ve made it the curd ends up being like a very thick gravy. How long are you cooking it? Possibly your stove/pan combo needs to cook more time than mine? Mine is usually thick, but like pudding thick, and then it gets a little more thick as it cools. I’m not sure what else it could be, except in a pinch you can add a little cornstarch to get it thicken if it has problems again next time!
I had a bag of limes sitting on my counter that needed to be used so I went searching for a recipe on Pinterest and found this one. My husband loves key lime pie so I thought he might enjoy your lime curd recipe. I substituted coconut palm sugar for the granulated sugar (trying to stay away from refined sugars) and although it doesn’t look as pretty as yours because the sugar I used is brown, it sure tastes wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
I made lime curd yesterday, because I had a bag of limes to use up before it was too late. The curd was so easy to make, and I was VERY happy with how it turned out! I would make this again next time I have extra citrus – will probably try with Meyer lemons in the near future. Then I made the tart crust from Smitten Kitchen, poured the curd in and….magic. Both the crust and the curd are in my favorites now!
This site is gold – thanks for all your hard work!
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked it Vicki! A lime curd tart, I want to come over and share it with you. And I’ve used regular lemons to make curd with this recipe -it’s awesome too!
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