Homemade lemon curd is easier to make than you might think. My version, made with fresh lemon zest and lemon juice is deliciously sweet, tangy, creamy, and smooth, with a tart lemon flavor. It's perfect for scones, crepes, pound cake, and so much more.
My love of fruit curds started with this lemon curd recipe and now they're one of my favorite things to make. Some of my favorites include strawberry curd, lime curd, cranberry curd and aromatic passion fruit curd.
Yes, you can buy lemon curd in the store, but with this easy recipe, you'll see how simple it is to make at home with just a few simple ingredients. For more homemade curd ideas, check out my other fruit curd recipes on the blog. There are 16 to choose from.
Freezing Lemon Curd
One of the things that I love about lemon curd is that it can be frozen for up to a year and will taste great. At any time I have 3 or 4 flavors in my freezer. So if you want to make a large batch and always have a dessert or breakfast topping on hand go for it.
Lemon Curd Ingredients
- Fresh Lemons. Definitely use fresh lemon juice for this recipe instead of bottled lemon juice. Fresh lemons have a tart, floral scent that I find is not replicated in bottled juice. When Meyer lemons are in season I recommend that you make my Meyer lemon curd, which is a little sweeter and fruitier than this lemon curd.
- Lemon Zest. For best flavor use lemons that have a shiny skin. Do not use lemons where the peel is dull or dry looking. Also zest the lemons directly into the sugar to capture all the flavor in the zest.
How to Make Lemon Curd at Home
Step 1: Place the sugar in a bowl and zest the sugar directly into the sugar.
Step 2: Use your fingers to rub the lemon zest into the sugar until it turns yellow and your kitchen smells like lemons.
Step 3: Place the lemon-sugar, lemon juice, eggs, and egg yolks, and butter in a large saucepan
Step 4: Cook the curd over medium heat until it reaches 185°F.
Don't walk away from the curd while it's cooking or it will burn. If you have to walk away, remove the pan from the heat.
Don't let the curd boil. Boiling curd will cause it to curdle and create a grainy texture. If the orange curd curdles, strain it twice through a fine-mesh strainer, to remove the grainy bits. If that doesn't work, process it in a blender to try and smooth it out.
Step 5: Strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the egg solids.
Step 6: Cover the lemon curd with plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming on top of the curd. Chill for 3 hours.
Different Ways to Use This Curd
This curd is very versatile and you can use it for a variety of different desserts:
- Use it as topping for pound cake or angel food cake
- Use it as filling for lemon cupcakes or a lemon cake
- Use it as the main ingredient for a lemon tart
- Combine it with whipped cream to make a delicious pie filling
- Spoon it over your favorite ice cream
Pro Tips for Making This Curd
- Use a non-reactive (stainless steel) saucepan to make the curd. An aluminum pan will react with the acid in this fruit and affect the taste.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the curd to ensure that it cooks long enough without boiling.
- Use unsalted butter for this recipe. Salted butter will create an off-taste.
If you make tart and creamy lemon curd please leave a rating and a comment below.
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Silky Smooth Lemon Curd (Thick and Perfectly Tart)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (4 grams) lemon zest
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 2 large (100 grams) whole eggs
- 4-5 large (80 grams) egg yolks
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place a strainer over a medium-sized bowl near the stove.
- Place the sugar in a small bowl and zest the lemons onto the sugar. Use your fingers to rub the sugar and zest together. Juice the lemons until you have 3/4 cup of juice.
- In a nonreactive 3-4 quart saucepan, combine the lemon sugar, lemon juice, whole eggs, eggs yolks, sugar and whisk until well blended. Add the butter and salt.
- Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture is thickened. As you cook the mixture the butter will melt. When the mixture has thickened and reached a temperature of 185 degrees F pour it into the strainer. Press the curd through the strainer with a spatula to remove the solids.
- Cover the surface of the curd with plastic wrap, gently pressing the plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd. Place the curd in the refrigerator and chill.
Storing the Lemon Curd
- Refrigerator: Store the lemon curd in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Freezer: The curd can be frozen for up to one year. Place the curd in a freezer safe container. When ready to use place it in the refrigerator to thaw for 24 hours before using.
Maire says
Hi Cheryl! This is a rick solid recipe! Thank you for sharing it - my meyer lemon curd was sublime.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Maire
I am so happy to hear that the recipe worked for you and that you are enjoying the final results. And thank you for the compliment on the recipe. My goal is to make recipes that work for my readers.
Heath says
I made this today for the 4th time overall. I believe it is the best and easiest lemon curd recipe. Very smooth and not too tart (of course some lemons are more tart than others). Delicious every time.
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Heath
Thank you so much for this compliment. There are alot of lemon curd recipes out there, so I really appreciate you say it's the "best and easiest" and that you've made it multiple times.
Lawana Lavon Poirier says
This curd is wonderfully tangy. Kevin served it with pavlova and strawberries with Cocoa Whip and chocolate sauce. Definitely a new family favorite!
anonymous says
This was so exiting! Thank you for a great recipe.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cheryl Norris says
Hello
Thank you for trying this recipe and leaving a review. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
MB Person says
Lovely! Beautifully smooth. I fold it with whipping cream to put in a snowball lemon cake, and the texture is just sublime. Thank you for an easy yet delicious recipe!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi MB
I'm so glad you like this recipe. Thank you for trying it and leaving this kind review.