A sweet burst of Summer sunshine, this is one condiment you must make part of your regular rotation! This classic Lemon Curd recipe is easy to make and results in the creamiest texture and loveliest flavor. Use it as a spread for toast, muffins or scones, use it as a filling for cakes and tarts, serve with pancakes or waffles, enjoy it warmed up as an ice cream topping, and much more! However you decide to use it, you won’t be able to keep your fingers out of the lemon curd jar!
Fresh, creamy, and citrusy, it’s ultimate Summery spread! Put some on your tongue and experience a delightfully sweet zing! I first fell in love with lemon curd when I when lived in Cambridgeshire, England. I lived there for six years and enjoyed this delicious spread on a regular basis. It’s not well-known here in the U.S. but it it’s practically a staple in Great Britain where it has been enjoyed since the 19th century.
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.” So 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 cakes, tarts, and cupcakes.
What is Lemon Curd?
Lemon curd is a thick, smooth, and creamy spread made from lemon juice, sugar, butter, and egg yolks. It has a sweet, tangy and wonderfully vibrant lemon flavor. It’s commonly used as a spread, filling or topping in various desserts, such as tarts, pies, cakes, cupcakes, muffins, scones, and crêpes.
Where Did Lemon Curd Originate?
Lemon curd originated in England during the 19th century when early versions were also known as “lemon cheese” or “lemon spread”. The earliest recipes were made without butter but later on added it to improve the texture and the flavor. Lemon curd remains popular throughout Great Britain and has since “spread” throughout many areas of the world where it is enjoyed as a delicious accompaniment to a variety of desserts and baked goods.
How to Use Lemon Curd
Lemon curd is a versatile and delicious spread that can be used in a variety of ways. Here are few ideas:
- Spread on Crumpets, Toast, English Muffins, or Scones.
- Filling for Cakes and Cupcakes
- Topping for Pancakes and Waffles. Try our Whole Wheat Sourdough Waffles or our Gluten Free Oat Waffles.
- Tart or Pie Filling: Fill pre-baked tart shells with it for a quick and easy lemon tart.
- Crepe Filling. Try our Gluten Free Crepes.
- Yogurt Parfait: Layer lemon curd with Greek yogurt and granola.
- Ice Cream Topping
- Cheesecake Topping
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Filling for Lemon Bars/Squares
What To Do With Leftover Egg Whites
Lemon curd is made with egg yolks, but don’t throw away those egg whites! Here are several delicious ways to put those leftover egg whites to use:
- Meringues
- Angel Food Cake
- Macarons
- Egg White Omelette
- Egg White Frittata
- Pavlova
- Marshmallows
- Coconut or Hazelnut Macaroons
- Soufflé
- Swiss Buttercream Frosting
- Amaretti Cookies
- Dacquoise
- Financiers
Can You Freeze Lemon Curd?
Yes! Once it is completely cool put it in an airtight freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer where it will keep for up to a year. That’s right, a whole year! When you’re ready to use it let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
Lemon Curd Recipe
Let’s get started!
First, a couple of taste troubleshooting tips. Many homemade lemon curd recipes fall victim of “off” flavors; that off-putting “eggy” flavor and that undesirable “metallic” flavor. There are two important steps you can take to avoid both of those issues.
How to Avoid that “Eggy” Flavor
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.
How to Avoid that “Metallic” Flavor
Use a glass or stainless steel 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, so do not store the lemon curd in anything containing metal.
Okay, let’s do this!
Add the sugar and lemon zest to a food processor fitted with a steel blade. 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.
Store the lemon curd in a glass jar with a lid and keep it in the refrigerator where it will last for up to a week in the fridge. It can also be frozen in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to a year.
Enjoy!
Classic Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 3 large lemons , washed (organic recommended)
- 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. Juice the lemons.
- 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 or stainless steel mixing bowl, cream the butter and the lemon sugar mixture 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 completely, and store in the fridge in a glass jar with a lid. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week. It can also be frozen in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to a year (let it thaw in the fridge overnight). Makes about 2 cups.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 8, 2013
Colleen says
Just made this, so good. I did however make a few tweaks. I had no fresh lemons and no zest but I did have packets of something called True Lemon so I used 5 packets of that with the sugar. Can’t have dairy so I used smart balance spread. Reduced the sugar to a cup and mixed a tablespoon of corn starch with some lemon juice. I doubled the recipe and used a dozen yolks because my angel food cake took a dozen egg whites. But making the lemon curd this way was so easy. Thank you for the great recipe. I love lemon curd but haven’t had it in so long because other recipes were just too involved
Paula Marentette says
I don’t understand why a glass bowl is needed for the first step when the mixture is transferred to a stainless steel saucepan to cook it. Can’t a stainless steel bowl be used for creaming the eggs and butter?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Paula, you’re correct, you can use a stainless steel bowl.
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!
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.
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! :)
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?
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!
Anonymous says
Amazing intoxicating can’t stop eating it. What a gift. Thank you.
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.
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!
Jude says
This is amazing. Made exactly 2 cups. I did all the first steps
in the food processor and then cooked it as directed. Perfect!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Jude, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.