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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
Would adding vanilla extract cause any problems with getting this to set? Also how long does this keep in the fridge. Thanks!
just made Lime curd with this recipe and it is fantasticÂ
thank youÂ
yum yumÂ
Sublime!
I made this curd today and it is delicious! I did cook it longer than mentioned and it thickened up well. I kept it at low and turned it up a bit to get it to thicken. I then turned way back low to add the butter slowly. This is a super recipe. Thank you!
How high did you turn it up? How long did you end up cooking it for – I just made a batch but did half lemon juice/zest & half lime juice/zest. It didn’t seem to want to thicken on its own so I helped it along by adding 1/2 T of unflavored gelatin dissolved in a T of water. I probably ended up cooking it for about 15-20 minutes… wanted to make sure the eggs were thoroughly cooked. I did pour it through a fine mesh sieve to get out any solids. I did taste it before I put it away and WOW – it’s tart but sweet at the same time – definitely going to make it again – it made three little jars – I think they’re about 1/2 cup and the remaining lemon/lime curd went into a Tupperware container.
delicious and easy
Wow!!!!
You make all you recipes so mouth watering. I am defiantly making this one for Easter as my husband and I both love Lemon the tarter the better:)
Thank you for publishing these yummy recipes I have tried several and this one I cant wait to try…..
I just made this key lime curd using fresh key limes, and it is incredibly yummy. It hasn’t even cooled off yet and I want to eat the whole thing! It was really easy to make. It would be even easier if I used bottled key lime juice, but I found a bag on sale so I used fresh ones. The only thing I changed was to use organic granulated cane sugar instead of white sugar. This is going to fill a cake (if I can restrain myself long enough) and I can’t wait to eat it! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I looked at several recipes and they were all kind of complicated and intimidating. Yours looked much simpler and I liked that it didn’t require a double boiler. I made it yesterday, using Splenda and it came out perfectly!
I set a timer for 5 minutes. I don’t have a wooden spoon so used a silicone whisk and hoped it would work. After 3 minutes of stirring I saw no change to the mixture and raised the heat just a tad. Then right at 4 minutes it all started happening! Thick and creamy smooth, and delicious! Perfect on my first try! Had to come back and say thank you for sharing this great recipe!
I love curds! this looks so yummy, I love all flavors of curd, and lime is definitely one of my favorites!
I just got done making this Lime Curd. It takes much longer than 5 minutes to thicken on a low heat. More like 15 minutes. It is absolutely delicious.
Agreed about cooking it longer. Mine takes 20+ minutes to thicken. It’s usually worth it but has me second guessing now that’s it’s after midnight
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