Sweet, tangy and irresistibly silky smooth lemon curd is so easy to make at home. It's lovely for filling tarts, pastries or even cakes and cupcakes and you can make it with just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes.
I've been making this creamy, buttery curd for years. Ever since I added my easy lemon curd to my blog Sugar Salt Magic, it's been a favourite for readers.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- So quick to make - done in 10-15 minutes.
- Easy method - you don't need a double boiler.
- Only 4 ingredients!
- All natural and so much better than shop-bought.
- My troubleshooting guide gives you tips for any issue you might encounter.
Ingredients and substitutions
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- Lemons: The most important ingredient for lemon curd is fresh lemons. Make sure to use unwaxed lemons. Give them a wash and dry then zest them before you juice them. The bottle variety of lemon juice is too acidic to steer away from that.
- Sugar: Just white granulated sugar or caster sugar is all you need. Don't use brown sugar as it will change the flavour of the lemon curd.
- Eggs are used to thicken curd and give it a rich custard-like texture.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is best. It is used to give the curd a rich flavour and silky smooth texture.
How to make lemon curd
You're going to love how easy this lemon curd is to make. You'll only need 10-15 minutes in total and a good heavy-based saucepan.
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions. Or continue below for more tips, process images and troubleshooting.
Combine ingredients
Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small or medium heavy-based saucepan (non-reactive). Heat it over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
Add the butter
Begin adding the butter 2-3 cubes at a time. Stir gently and let each addition melt in completely before adding the next.
Cook until thick
Cook for another few minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spatula - drag your finger through it and the line should not run. Or tilt the saucepan and it should leave a thick coating on the side of the pan.
Strain
Strain your creamy lemon curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl or jug. This will remove the zest but that's ok, it's done it's job.
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Cool and chill
Let the lemon curd cool for 5 minutes before pouring into your sterilised jars. Seal them up and refrigerate.
Lemon curd is quite runny while it's hot but will thicken more as it chills.
Tips and tricks
- Use a heavy-based saucepan. Using a thin pan will result in the egg scrambling.
- Keep the heat low. This will stop your egg from coagulating. It will also prevent grainy curd.
- Stir constantly but gently. You need to keep the curd moving to stop it from catching.
- Don't rush melting the butter or it won't fully incorporate properly.
- Straining is optional but it will remove any eggy solids that might have formed and it also removes the lemon zest that has already done it's job.
Yield and Storage
This recipe makes about 1 ½ cups.
Fridge storage
Let the lemon curd cool slightly before pouring it into sterilised glass jars.
You can store your easy lemon curd in sealed jars in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, unopened. Once opened, you should use it within a 7-10 days.
Freezer storage
Lemon curd freezes well too. I find it best frozen in smaller portions like these large silicone ice cube trays. This way you can thaw only as much as you need.
Troubleshooting
It could be that you've added too much lemon juice but if you're confident you've measured correctly, it probably just needs to cook a little longer. Return it to the stove and cook to the point that it will coat the back of a spoon. When you run a finger through it and hold it upright, the curd should not break the line. Also keep in mind that lemon curd will thicken as it cools.
Curd is not as thick as a set custard. It's very spoonable. That said, if you feel like it's not thickening as it should be, it may just need to cook a little longer. You could try cooking in an extra egg yolk but the flavour will change slightly.
Sometimes this can be just eggs that have scrambled but if you don't see any eggy bits in it, it's likely a breakdown of the emulsification of the fats and liquids (aka they've separated). This can be caused by overheating or by not stirring enough as it cooked (or a combo of both).
To fix grainy lemon curd, add 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of lemon curd to a saucepan and whisk them together. Turn the heat on low then whisk in 1 tablespoon of your cold lemon curd. Continue like this until all the curd has been added then continue heating until it reaches 75C/170F on a thermometer. Or you can check that it gets back to a point of coating the back of the spatula or the side of the pan after it's well heated through. Pour it back into your jars and chill in the fridge again.
How to use lemon curd
This easy lemon curd can be used in so many ways, from filling pastries, cakes and cookies to just eating it off a spoon (no judgement here). Here's a few ideas;
- Use it to make lemon danishes.
- Use it to fill pies and tarts.
- Pipe inside eclairs and choux buns.
- Make lemon curd pop tarts.
- Bake into cakes (swirled through the batter).
- Swirl through ice cream.
- Spread it on scones or crumpets.
- Spread inside crepes.
- Fill thumbprint cookies.
- A filling for donuts.
FAQs
Yes 🍋
Yes, you can freeze lemon curd in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months.
Yes, you can bake lemon curd. It's great baked into things like tart shells, cakes and cookies and will further firm up through baking.
Yes, you can add lemon curd to whipped cream
Yes. It will be quite runny while hot but will thicken up more as it cools down and with chilling.
If you made this lemon curd recipe,
be sure to leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below. Thank you!
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Lemon Curd
Equipment
- Fine mesh strainer
- Mason jars or other preserving jars
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 150 g caster sugar (superfine sugar) (¾ cup / ~5 ¼oz)
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (notes 1)
- 115 g unsalted butter cubed and cold (½ cup / 1 stick / 4oz)
Instructions
- In a medium heavy-based saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice.
- Stir over low-medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the cold butter a couple of pieces at a time, stirring until each addition is melted and incorporated. Don't allow the curd come to a bubble at any time.
- Continue cooking the lemon curd another few minutes until it has thickened and coats the back of a spoon or leaves a thick coating on the side of the pan when you tilt it.
- Pour the lemon curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl to remove any bits of egg that may not have mixed through.
- Pour into warm sterilised jars and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Seal the jars and store in the refrigerator. See notes for how long to keep.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Yield: This recipe makes approximately 1 ½ cups of curd.
- Storage: Store in the fridge for 3 weeks, unopened. Once opened, use within 1 week. This lemon curd can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
- To sterilise the jars, boil them in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes then set aside to drain, dry and cool. The second way is to wash the jars well with soapy water, rinse and then place them in an oven at 120C / 250F for 10 minutes. Let them cool slightly before filling.
- You can swap the butter for a vegetable based spread if you would like to make this curd dairy free.
- Nutrition calculations are based on 1 cup.
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