Fresh, creamy, citrusy, Summery lemon curd! Put some on your tongue and experience a delightfully sweet zing! I first fell in love with lemon curd when I when lived in England. I lived near Cambridge for six years and enjoyed lemon curd on a regular basis. It’s practically a staple in Great Britain! Lemon curd has accompanied traditional British tea since the 18th century, enjoyed as a spread for scones and toast.
Good lemon curd is hard to find. Either the texture isn’t right or the flavor is off. What I often find in many homemade versions is that it just tastes too “eggy.” Here is a foolproof, kitchen-ready lemon curd recipe that is easy to follow with positively perfect results. This lemon curd is fairly thick, which makes it ideal for spreading (without it dripping off whatever you’re eating) as well for filling, say, cupcakes. Enjoy this lemon curd as a spread on bread, muffins, scones and cookies, or use it in baking to add flavor and moisture.
However you decide to use it, you won’t be able to keep your fingers out of the lemon curd jar!
Lemon curd is made with egg yolks, but don’t throw away those egg whites! Use them to make some luscious Mint Chocolate Meringues!
Okay, let’s get lemon curding!
First, a couple of taste troubleshooting tips:
1) Be careful to remove as much of the egg whites as possible when separating the eggs. It is the egg white that has the sulphuric, “eggy” flavor.
2) Use a glass mixing bowl and a stainless steel pot for preparing the lemon curd. The high acidity content of the lemon can cause the metal to leach into the lemon curd resulting in a “metallic” flavor. Do not store the lemon curd in anything containing metal.
Lemons. Fresh, juicy, citrusy lemons. Who doesn’t love lemons? (Prefer limes? Make this with limes!)
Zest 3 medium or two large lemons.
Juice the lemons.
Add the sugar and lemon zest to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until the zest is finely ground up in the sugar.
Place the butter and lemon sugar in a bowl and cream it for several minutes until fluffy. Use a glass mixing bowl, not metal. Use a stainless steel pan to cook the lemon curd. The high acidity content can otherwise leach some of the metal into the mixture resulting in a “metallic” taste.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined.
Add the fresh lemon juice and salt and beat until combined.
Place the mixture in a stainless steel pot over low heat and stir continuously until the mixture has thickened and has reached 170 F. Use a candy thermometer to check. This will take about 20 minutes. Be patient and do not try to heat it too quickly or else the eggs will scramble.
Allow the lemon curd to cool and then refrigerate. It will keep for a week in the fridge and can then be frozen for up to two months.
Creamy Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 3 lemons
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , room temperature
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Zest the lemons. Be careful to avoid the white pith as it is very bitter.
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the zest is finely ground up with the sugar.
- In a medium glass mixing bowl, cream the butter and lemon sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. Add the lemon juice and salt and beat until combined.
- Pour the mixture into a medium stainless steel saucepan and cook over low heat stirring continuously until thickened and the temperature has reached 170 F, about 20 minutes. Check the temperature using a candy thermometer.
- Remove from the heat, cool, and refrigerate. It will keep in the fridge for a week and can then be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Makes about 2 cups.
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Tori says
looks wonderful!!! I’ll be making this for sure!
The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Tori, and I hope you do! You won’t be disappointed! :)
Kimberly says
I can’t wait to try this Lemon Curd! Sounds really good!
The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Kimberly :) I look forward to hearing what you think once you’ve had the chance to try it!
Jennifer says
It funny that you think it woul even last a week or longer. It was gone in one day here. Obviously the family loved it.
The Daring Gourmet says
One day! That’s great! It really is soooo delicious. Once you take a spoon to sample it, it’s really hard to stop! :) Thanks for your feedback, Jennifer!
Mia says
I’ve tried FIVE recipes and this is the best. I did, however, use 3 whole eggs and 2 large yolks. I read online the whites aid in the taste of lemon curd so I added the two whole eggs. The texture of this recipe is superb!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mia, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Adding whole versus just the yolk is simply a personal preference thing. I use egg yolks only in this recipe as many people complain about the sulfur flavor generated by the egg whites (plus, more yolks = creamier texture). But if you don’t mind the sulfur flavor then there is no reason not to use the whole egg. And using a combination of yolks and whole eggs like you did will still result in a nice, creamy texture. On a side note, I love to use this curd for baking as well and it freezes well for that purpose. That way I have it on hand when I need it and can just thaw it out and add it to whatever I’m baking. Thanks so much for your feedback and enjoy your lemon curd!
nursraerae@aol.com says
There is such a difference in lemons, approximately how much juice should there be?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’ve never measured it before. Whether you use large or small lemons the curd will still turn out great and the consistency will not be too runny or too thick. I recommend using lemons on the larger size (at least 2 inches high, which is pretty average) so that you get plenty of lemon flavor. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Thanks for this receipe. I m going to try it!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful! We love this lemon curd!
Christine Woodmansee says
This is by far the best lemon curd that I have ever made! I use it to fill my cupcakes. But, eating it by the spoonful is good too! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Christine, I am so happy to hear that, thank you! And I bet your cupcakes are amazing!
Suzanne says
Looks wonderful! Could this be an option for the filling for lemon meringue pie?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Absolutely, Suzanne, that would taste marvelous! If you do that let us know how it turns out!
Darlene Sudderth says
Hello!! Wanted to say this looks so nice and ask a question. I have tried and tried and tried and tried AND TRIED to make lemon curd, lemon bars, lemon pie and they all tasted metallic. I read where you must use stainless, glass or plastic. I used everything plastic this last time…..plastic knife to cut the lemons, plastic bowl to mix, plastic bowl to cook in the microwave since we obviously cant use plastic on the stove top. It still tastes metallic!!!! What can be causing this? Can you help with any information. I even tried an enamel coated pot and that was a real no no. You could actually smell the metallic scent coming from the mixture of eggs, cream and lemon juice as it began to heat. Someone on chefsteps said the sweetener could cause it, but I had not added the sweetener yet.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Darlene, that’s a tough one and I’m not entirely sure why it’s still tasting metallic. Are you using an aluminum whisk or utensils? I’m assuming you’re using very fresh eggs? You mentioned that you hadn’t added any sweetener yet but I wanted to throw this in just as some potentially useful information for anyone else reading: Apparently powdered sugar, if not resealed properly or used quickly enough, can oxidize very quickly and imparts a metallic flavor to anything in which it’s used. And when it’s combined with an acid, like lemon juice, it heightens that metallic flavor.
Lisa says
A little late but I had a thought as I was making this tonight. Maybe try organic lemons? It could be the pesticides giving that metallic/bitter taste. Also what are you using to zest your lemons? If you are using a box grater or a hand zester maybe check that it is 100% stainless steel. I bought a stainless steel zester from ikea that I use exclusively for citrus. Maybe this could help :)
Anonymous says
Thank you Kimberly for answering my question so quickly. No, I made sure that I only used plastic utensils this time….even cut the lemons with a plastic knife, which was a pain, but worked. Didn’t use a whisk at all, just mixed it all together with the plastic spoon. I absolutely had nothing metal involved at all. That’s one reason I’m so stumped on this. I did try it again and cooked it in a glass bowl in the microwave, heating the juice first and checking to see if it was going to react. I only made a very small portion of this so as not to waste ingredients if it turned out bad again. It tasted great in this small quantity. So I did the same thing again in a clear Ankor-Hocking glass bowl thinking I had the problem licked. I heated the lemon juice first, about 2 min. and all was good. Added the cream and eggs and cooked in 30 sec. increments stirring between each. About 5 minutes in, the bomb dropped and the metallic taste popped in and seem to laugh in my face!! The only thing I can think off was the lemon juice had to cook longer in order to react. Cooking the smaller amount didn’t take but about 3 minutes or so to thicken. The only difference was the bowl. The small bowl was a glazed cereal bowl and the other was a clear glass mixing bowl. I’m ready to give up. Unless making the custard 1st and then letting it partially cool, then adding the lemon juice. Might try that and see what happens. Booooo! Thank you for trying to help me.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
What an exasperating venture! I feel your frustration and if you finally “crack the case” do let us know!
Jeanette says
I made this and it was fantastic! Only thing is my curd didn’t turn that beautiful yellow color. Instead it turned brown. Any clues as to what might have happened? It also looks grainy.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jeanette, I don’t know why it would have turned brown unless it burned, but you would be able to taste that. If it’s grainy it sounds like the eggs curdled (i.e., they overheated or weren’t stirred enough).
Jessica says
Hi Kimberly. I’m 14 and i decided to make lemon cheesecake and lemon curd for the first for my family. I saw many recipes but yours was the best. Thank you for helping me out everything turned out perfect. We’re just waiting for the cheesecake to set and they’ll taste your amazing lemon curd. Thank you so much.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Jessica, I’m so thrilled to hear that, thank you! :)
Regina Eiland says
HI Kimberly,
I just made my first Lemon curd, and while good…yeah metallic all the way! So I found your wonderful recipe and will try this next weekend as a filling for my daughter’s graduation cake. I am a bit worried about the eggs curdling though. Have you ever used the double boiler method with this recipe? The lemon curd that I made, I used that method but unfortunately with a metal Bowl. I am thinking of making your recipe, with a heatproof glass bowl. Any thoughts or suggestions? Also have you used this recipe as a filling for a cake? Thanks so much for this submission. It appears to be the best one I’ve seen yet,and I am excited to try it.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Regina, the eggs won’t curdle unless you overheat them. But yes, you can absolutely go the double boiler method using a heatproof glass bowl. And yes, lemon curd is absolutely marvelous as a cake filling!
Jayson Warren says
Hello Kimberly,
I scratch bake often, and I would like to know if I could use this as a filling for my lemon cupcakes. I normally use lemon curd as my filling. Also will it hold up during the baking process.
Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jayson, you bet, this makes a terrific filling.
Anonymous says
Hi,
Is it possible to reduce the amount of sugar? If yes, by how much?
Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Yes, you can reduce the sugar – how much will just depend on how sweet you want it.
Jo Derham says
Hi, I have just made your lovely Lemon Curd. I’m from the UK so I had to convert your quantities and I then doubled it all. I wanted a recipe that specifically only used egg yolks as I had a load left after making a large Pavlova for New Years Eve! It has turned out perfectly and is quite delicious, thank you for sharing it. I shall certainly use it again! :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Jo, thanks so much!
Louise Goldstein says
Thank you thank you thank you! I’ve been looking for a thick lemon curd recipe for tarts, cakes, etc. I followed your recipe and instructions to the letter (I had never tried creaming the butter and lemon sugar together, and was a bit apprehensive). This is perfect: thick and creamy, and deliciously lemony! My go to recipe for lemon curd from now on! Thanks again!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Louise, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
Angela West says
As a diabetic I try to use Splenda to make “sugar free” versions of things I like. I have never made curd but, I have had a small taste of currant curd when we were in Kent. I love it! My question is: can you substitute Splenda? It is not grainy like white sugar but does the granular sugar have any bearing on the consistency?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Angela, no it should have no bearing on the consistency. Let us know how it goes!
Samantha says
I have made several lemon curd recipes, but none have made me think “this is the only lemon curd recipe i’ll ever need” UNTIL NOW! WOW! This recipe produced the most creamy, delicious, incredible lemon curd I’ve ever tasted! Thank you so much for the recipe, it tasted A-M-A-Z-I-N-G inside some freshly made donuts.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Samantha, I’m thrilled to hear that, thank you!
Bee says
Best recipe! Super smooth and no-egg taste/smell.
Noting your explanations and readers’ comments, I did not use anything metallic – plastic knife to cut lemons, creamed by hand with wooden spoon and cooked in glass bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water.
I am making a few more batches tomorrow to use up the lemons I have been given.
Thank you for the recipe (I reduced the sugar by 1/4 cup).
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Bee, thanks for the feedback!
Shannon says
I made this today to use as a filling for a Victoria sponge and while it tasted great, it was runny. I really wanted what it looked like you had, where it’s thick and spreadable. I cooked it until it reached 170 and I re-read the recipe to make sure I followed the steps exactly. Any ideas?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Shannon, was it still runny after it had been chilled for a while in the fridge? You can try reheating it and adding a little cornstarch dissolved in a little water to thicken it.
Anonymous says
Amazing intoxicating can’t stop eating it. What a gift. Thank you.
Janis Long says
Amazing doesn’t begin to cover it 😎 I have bought lemon curd in a jar (disappointing) and have made it but was always unhappy with the flavour, color and consistency. This is definitely my go to recipe from now on. Thank you for sharing this recipe with all of us. Merry Christmas everyone ❤️
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Janis, I’m so glad to hear it! Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Mandy says
Hello – this recipe looks lovely, but I do have one question. Why do you cream the butter and sugar together? Isn’t all that effort wasted when you melt the butter (along with everything else) on the stove?
Dalia says
Hi Kimberly, I just want to know if the measuring system is US or UK, as US system holds less quantity than UK’s(as I noticed using an online measurement converter) and I need everything converted to grams . Thank you, happy Christmas!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dalia, it’s the US measuring system. I’ve been working on updating all of my previous recipes to a software program that automatically does the metric conversions for you. I sure hope it’s accurate, but so far have received no complaints :) I’ve just updated the lemon curd recipe – under the list of ingredients you can click on the blue “metric” and it will do the calculations for you. Happy Christmas and New Year to you, too! :)
Annette says
Hi Kimberly, was very excited to make your lemon curd recipe as it was a different technique. The taste was lovely but the texture was very thick and gloopy, like glue. What have I done wrong? I would like to try this recipe again but not without knowing where I went wrong please. Thankyou.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Annette, I’m not sure what went wrong but you may be able to reheat it and thin it down with a little more lemon juice.
Angelea Iafornaro says
This is the 4th recipe I’ve tried and all others were ok but had a bit of egg aftertaste. This one doesn’t at all! So yummy. I am using in cake though so maybe next time I’ll reduce sugar slightly or increase lemon juice as it is very sweet.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Angelea, thank you!