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Home Ā» Food Ā» By Country or Region Ā» Western Europe Ā» England Ā» Creamy Homemade Lemon Curd

Creamy Homemade Lemon Curd

July 8, 2013 by Kimberly Killebrew Ā· 70 Comments

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lemon curd recipe best english british traditional

Fresh, creamy, citrusy, Summery lemon curd!Ā  Put some on your tongue and experience a delightfully sweet zing!Ā  I first fell in love with lemon curd when I when lived in England. Ā I lived near Cambridge for six years and enjoyed lemon curd on a regular basis.Ā  It’s practically a staple in Great Britain!Ā  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. Ā Either the texture isn’t right or the flavor is off. Ā What I often find in many homemade versions is that it just tastes too “eggy.” Ā Here is a foolproof, kitchen-ready lemon curd recipe that is easy to follow with positively perfect results. Ā 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. Ā 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! Ā Use them to make some luscious Mint Chocolate Meringues!

St. Patrick's Day Mint Chocolate Meringues

Okay, let’s get lemon curding!

First, a couple of taste troubleshooting tips:

1) Ā Be careful to remove as much of the egg whites as possible when separating the eggs. Ā It is the egg white that has the sulphuric, “eggy” flavor.

2) Ā Use a glass or stainless steel mixing bowl and a stainless steel pot for preparing the lemon curd. Ā The high acidity content of the lemon can cause the metal to leach into the lemon curd resulting in a “metallic” flavor. Ā Do not store the lemon curd in anything containing metal.

Lemons. Ā Fresh, juicy, citrusy lemons. Ā Who doesn’t love lemons?Ā  (Prefer limes?Ā  Make this with limes!)

Lemon Curd prep 1

Zest 3 medium or two large lemons.

Lemon Curd prep 2

Juice the lemons.

Lemon Curd prep 3

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.

Lemon Curd prep 4 Lemon Curd prep 5

Place the butter and lemon sugar in a bowl and cream it for several minutes until fluffy. Ā Use a glass mixing bowl, not metal. Ā Use a stainless steel pan to cook the lemon curd. Ā The high acidity content can otherwise leach some of the metal into the mixture resulting in a “metallic” taste.

Lemon Curd prep 6

Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until combined.

Lemon Curd prep 7 Lemon Curd prep 8

Add the fresh lemon juice and salt and beat until combined.

Lemon Curd prep 9

Place the mixture in a stainless steel pot over low heat and stir continuously until the mixture has thickened and has reached 170 F. Ā Use a candy thermometer to check. Ā This will take about 20 minutes. Ā Be patient and do not try to heat it too quickly or else the eggs will scramble.

Lemon Curd prep 10

Allow the lemon curd to cool and then refrigerate. Ā It will keep for a week in the fridge and can then be frozen for up to two months.

Lemon Curd prep 11

lemon curd recipe best english british traditional

Creamy Lemon Curd

Kimberly Killebrew
A deliciously sweet and tangy, creamy lemon curd. Perfect as a spread or used in baking.
Print Recipe
5 from 15 votes
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course condiment
Cuisine english

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 or stainless steel 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.
Keyword Lemon Curd
Tried this recipe? Mention @daringgourmet or hashtag #daringgourmet

 

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70 Responses

  1. Colleen says

    January 26, 2020 at 8:02 am

    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

    Reply
  2. Paula Marentette says

    November 29, 2019 at 10:21 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      November 29, 2019 at 12:34 pm

      Hi Paula, you’re correct, you can use a stainless steel bowl.

      Reply
  3. Angelea Iafornaro says

    February 17, 2019 at 12:41 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      February 18, 2019 at 12:17 am

      Fantastic, Angelea, thank you!

      Reply
  4. Annette says

    February 9, 2019 at 5:53 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      February 9, 2019 at 8:56 pm

      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.

      Reply
  5. Dalia says

    December 29, 2018 at 1:39 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 29, 2018 at 2:13 pm

      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! :)

      Reply
  6. Mandy says

    December 23, 2018 at 3:22 pm

    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?

    Reply
  7. Janis Long says

    December 23, 2018 at 1:32 pm

    Amazing doesn’t begin to cover it šŸ˜Ž 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 ā¤ļø

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 23, 2018 at 2:37 pm

      Fantastic, Janis, I’m so glad to hear it! Thank you and Merry Christmas!

      Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    September 22, 2018 at 10:26 am

    Amazing intoxicating can’t stop eating it. What a gift. Thank you.

    Reply
  9. Shannon says

    August 26, 2018 at 9:58 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      August 26, 2018 at 10:24 pm

      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.

      Reply
  10. Bee says

    August 8, 2018 at 7:16 am

    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).

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      August 8, 2018 at 8:29 am

      I’m so glad, Bee, thanks for the feedback!

      Reply
    • Jude says

      February 1, 2020 at 2:25 pm

      This is amazing. Made exactly 2 cups. I did all the first steps
      in the food processor and then cooked it as directed. Perfect!

      Reply
      • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

        February 1, 2020 at 5:43 pm

        Thanks so much, Jude, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
  11. Samantha says

    July 22, 2018 at 8:30 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      July 22, 2018 at 12:42 pm

      Fantastic, Samantha, I’m thrilled to hear that, thank you!

      Reply
  12. Angela West says

    May 23, 2018 at 6:08 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      May 23, 2018 at 9:00 am

      Hi Angela, no it should have no bearing on the consistency. Let us know how it goes!

      Reply
  13. Louise Goldstein says

    April 19, 2018 at 8:26 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      April 19, 2018 at 8:51 am

      Wonderful, Louise, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!

      Reply
  14. Jo Derham says

    January 6, 2018 at 3:54 am

    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! :)

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      January 6, 2018 at 7:37 pm

      Wonderful, Jo, thanks so much!

      Reply
  15. Anonymous says

    December 27, 2017 at 1:36 pm

    Hi,
    Is it possible to reduce the amount of sugar? If yes, by how much?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says

      December 27, 2017 at 7:23 pm

      Yes, you can reduce the sugar – how much will just depend on how sweet you want it.

      Reply
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kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

Welcome!Ā  I’m Kimberly and I share delicious originals, revitalized classics and authentic dishes from around the world.Ā  Come travel the world through your taste buds!

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