Luscious might be an understatement. It’s kind of mind blowing how four of the most basic ingredients in your kitchen can make something so beyond delicious as this homemade lemon curd, but somehow they do. With just a small sauce pot, a whisk, and four simple ingredients you can make a little jar of velvety sunshine to spread or dollop on top of all your food. And now that I know how fast and easy it is, and that you can freeze it, I will never pay $4 for a jar of it at the store ever again.
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What is Lemon Curd??
Curd is one of those unfortunate words, like “moist,” that never really sounds appetizing. BUT I promise you, this stuff is heaven. Lemon curd is a dessert spread, kind of like lemon custard, or like a sweet version of hollandaise sauce (I hope I didn’t lose you there). It tastes a LOT like the filling for lemon squares (did I get you back on board?). It’s super rich and smooth, but still light and bursting with fresh lemon flavor.
What is Lemon Curd Used For?
EVERYTHING. Well, almost. You can use lemon curd anywhere you use jam or preserves, so on toast, biscuits, scones, etc. It’s also a great topper for yogurt (try Lemon Berry Yogurt Breakfast Bowls), oats, parfaits, cakes, pies, cookies, donuts, pancakes, waffles, crepes, cheesecake, need I go on? Anywhere you want lemon flavor, grab a spoonful of your homemade lemon curd.
Homemade Lemon Curd Methods
I made approximately 578 batches (exaggeration) of lemon curd this week, testing all sorts of methods from the microwave to the stove top, adding ingredients in all sorts of different orders, but I found that the method below created the silkiest, lightest, and smoothest homemade lemon curd without an excessive amount of work (only about 10 minutes compared to 2 minutes for the microwave version).
So be aware that there are a million ways to make homemade lemon curd, but the method below is my favorite. It’s actually quite similar to the way I make hollandaise sauce (see Almost Eggs Benedict).
Fresh vs. Bottled Lemon Juice
Freshly squeezed lemon juices is and always will be better than bottled, but during my one million test runs of this recipe, I found that bottled lemon juice did not make my lemon curd any less delicious. I don’t know if it’s all the sugar and butter, but I didn’t notice a massive difference between fresh and bottled in this recipe. So unless you have some lemons in your freezer that you’re trying to use up, save yourself some trouble and pour your lemon juice instead of squeezing it.
That being said, if you are using fresh lemons, go ahead and zest your lemon before juicing it. Adding lemon zest to the lemon curd will make a marked difference in the flavor. 👍
How Long Does Homemade Lemon Curd Last?
This homemade lemon curd will last in your fridge for 1-2 weeks, but you can also freeze it! You guys know how I love freezing everything. In the freezer, the lemon curd will last at least a few months and the beautiful part is that it only hardens about as much as ice cream, so you can scoop it out as needed.
And that’s where I’m really in danger. When I scooped a spoonful of frozen lemon curd today to test its freezer durability, it tasted a LOT like a really rich lemon sorbet. So I’m going to have to stop myself from eating this as a frozen dessert. 🙊
Homemade Lemon Curd
Servings 8 2 Tbsp eachIngredients
- 1/4 cup sugar ($0.08)
- 1 large egg ($0.25)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice ($0.16)
- 4 Tbsp butter ($0.54)
Instructions
- Add the sugar, egg, and lemon juice to a small sauce pot. Before placing the pot over the heat, whisk the ingredients together until smooth.
- Place the pot over medium heat and cook while whisking continuously. The mixture will become very frothy as you whisk. When the liquid becomes hot enough to cook the egg, the mixture will begin to thicken and no more liquid will separate from the foam. It will take about 5 minutes of whisking over medium heat for the mixture to thicken, but will vary depending on your cookware. The mixture should be thick enough to coat a spoon (see photos below).
- Remove the pot from the heat. Add one tablespoon of butter at a time, whisking until it has fully melted into the sauce before adding the next. As the butter is melted into the sauce, it will become less frothy and more silky in texture, and look more glossy rather than foamy.
- Once all of the butter has been whisked in, transfer the lemon curd to an air-tight container and refrigerate until completely cooled. The curd will thicken further upon cooling.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Whisk
Notes
Nutrition
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I love spreading my homemade lemon curd on English muffins. Since it already has tons of butter in it, it’s almost like butter and jam rolled into one!
How to Make Homemade Lemon Curd – Step by Step Photos
I’m adding a few more step by step photos than usual, since I really want you to see the texture changes that occur during this process. Lemon curd is easy to make, but you have to use your eyes to know when it’s time to move on to the next step.
It can be helpful, but is not critical, to take your butter out of the refrigerator and slice into 1 tablespoon pieces before you begin. Letting it warm up slightly can make it easier to melt into the sauce later.
Add 1/4 cup sugar, one large egg, and 1/3 cup lemon juice to a small sauce pot.
Before placing the pot over heat, whisk the sugar, egg, and lemon juice together until smooth.
Place the pot over medium heat and begin to whisk continuously. You’ll be whisking for about five minutes until the mixture thickens. It will get very frothy as you cook and whisk and will seem like nothing is happening, but once it reaches the magic temperature it will almost suddenly thicken. The photo above is when the mixture was at the half-way point. Very frothy on top, but there was still a layer of liquid under the froth.
When the mixture gets hot enough, the egg will begin to thicken the sauce and the entire mixture will become thick and frothy, with no layer of liquid on the bottom. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. When you drag your finger through the mixture on the spoon, the sauce should stay put and not run back to fill in the line.
Here is another view of what it looks like once thickened. It’s still very frothy in texture. There is no liquid on the bottom of the pot. It’s all thick froth. When it reaches this point, remove the pot from the heat.
Whisk one tablespoon of butter into the sauce, making sure it is fully melted (from the residual heat of the sauce) before adding the next tablespoon. As you whisk in the butter the sauce will become less frothy and silkier. It will also look a little more glossy and translucent, and less white/opaque.
Here is what it looks like once all of the butter has melted in. More glossy and translucent, less frothy. While the lemon curd is fairly thick at this point, it thickens further once refrigerated.
The flavor also mellows a bit as it refrigerates. It’s quite sour at this point but it gets creamier as it refrigerates.
You can refrigerate the lemon curd for 1-2 weeks, OR freeze it for a few months.
You can scoop frozen lemon curd out as needed, and it will thaw quickly at room temperature. I’ve died and gone to lemon heaven. ☀️🥰🍋
I like my curds to be more tart, will adding less butter (2-3 tbs) at the end still create a creamy texture but make it less sweet?
I don’t think that reducing the butter will make it less sweet, to accomplish that you’ll want to reduce the sugar. And just be aware that when you adjust any of the ingredients it can also affect the texture. :)
This recipe is awfull and does NOT WORK do not try! Give 0 stars 0————- if I could!
I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t work for you. If you’d like I’m happy to talk through what could have gone wrong with the recipe, you can email us at support@budgetbytes.com
I want a nice creamy lemon curd! IS this the right recipe?
This could be it for you!
I have searched through about 20 Lemon Curd recipes. This one seems easy enough for a first try. The reviews sold me.
Thank you!
Made this lemon curd twice and used it in sandwich cakes. It’s absolutely delish and soooo easy to make. (Have seen recipes which advise straining eggs and a lot of messing around…. 😬!!)
This lemon curd is sooo smooth and good! It satisfies my sweet craving just on its own. Thanks!
Surprisingly easy! I wanted something to put on my cheesecake I baked since I didn’t have strawberries. Delicious and tangy! My new favorite
This was a complete delight! Simple, absolutely dreamy amount of tang. In the midst of everything happening right now—such a comfort and boost of sunshine in a jar. Can’t *wait* to pair it with earl grey scones in the morning. 🤤
Do you know if therapeutic grade/ingest-able (is that a word) essential oils would work in this recipe?
We haven’t tested oils in the recipes so we can’t recommend using them.
“Velvet sunshine in a jar” is right. Good lord. This WILL become a habit. Almost too rich to eat straight, but amazing stirred in yogurt with blueberries, granola and a heaping helping of seeds and nuts.
One warning for those who double/triple/etc. the recipe: expect it to take a lot longer than 5 minutes to thicken. I knew it would take more time but underestimated how much more. I tripled it and was starting to worry when it still wasn’t thickening after 15 minutes, but it got there eventually.
Thank for this tip, Beth.
As I will be making multiple batches of this recipe, I was concerned over the question of time length.
After adding the butter, my curd is not thick at all, it is still very liquidy/runny. Perhaps I didn’t wait long enough for it to thicken before adding the butter? Should I try putting it back on the burner? Is it still safe to eat, I don’t want to waste it even though I messed up! Ah well.
I’ve made this recipe at least half a dozen times – mixing up my citrus every time. I’ve tried lemon, lime, grapefruit, and a lemon-grapefruit mix. They all turned out pretty good! The grapefruit one wasn’t as tangy/bitter as I was expecting, so I’m not sure if I’ll try that again without another kind of citrus. After watching quite a bit of the Great British Baking show, I’m probably going to attempt some other kinds of fun combinations like lime-raspberry! Lately, I’ve been using the curd with some vanilla granola, fresh fruit (strawberries, kiwis, oranges), and some shaved coconut for breakfast. I love this curd recipe!
I’ve made this twice and both times, had tiny bits of cooked egg in the lemon curd. I thought i followed the directions exactly. What could I be doing wrong?
Fay, I had that issue as well but fixed it by using a different burner on my gas range. I have one burner that is stronger than the others and heats up faster. I switched to a different one that provided a slower, lower heat and it was perfect.
I think Sarah is right, and it sounds like the mixture is getting too much heat. :) Try lowering the heat, or if needed, use a smaller burner to reduce the heat more. And make sure you’re whisking continuously.
Fantastic! I’ve never had lemon curd before but love anything lemon. This really is so easy and simple! It really packs a lemony sour punch! I can’t wait to try it on the lemon biscuits or basic biscuits. I think I’ll try it on crepes first tho!
Thanks so much for this recipe! As a grad student on a limited budget (but with unlimited stomach capacity for tasty food!), a lot of the recipes on this site have become staples in my meal rotation– I’ve particularly been making a lot of this lemon curd recently (I’ve decided that dipping lady fingers into lemon curd is an almost guaranteed generator of joyfulness 😊 ), which has been very comforting in these current troubling times. 💕