Easy Lemon Curd Recipe from The Food Charlatan. (2024)

Home Dessert Easy Lemon Curd Recipe

By The Food Charlatan

4.93

Feb 28, 2023, Updated Sep 27, 2024

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Never buy lemon curd from the store again! No really, don’t, it’s gross. And making it at home is so easy! This lemon curd is creamy, tart, and perfect for topping your toast. Or topping your spoon.Originally published July 10, 2015.

Easy Lemon Curd Recipe from The Food Charlatan. (2)

Table of Contents

This recipe for Lemon Curd is so tart and creamy!
Best Lemon Curd ingredients
How to Make Lemon Curd
Easy Lemon Curd Recipe tips
Best Lemon Curd Recipe storage
Lemon Curd Recipe FAQs
You might like these recipes too!
Lemon Curd Recipe

Last night Eric and I were sitting around the dining room table eating ice cream withhis family. There was a lull in the conversation, so Aunt Joy poked her 9-year-old son Blake. “Tell us a joke, Blake.” Mumble mumble mumble. “What?”

“They wouldn’t be appropriate for the table.” 9 YEARS OLD MY FRIENDS.

Easy Lemon Curd Recipe from The Food Charlatan. (3)

Speaking of inappropriate jokes, we were at my sister-in-law’swedding reception last week, and I went over to Nana and Bumpa (Eric’s 85-year-old grandparents) to get them on the dance floor. Uptown Funk was playing. I was singing. The first time I said“Uptown funk don’t give it to you,” Nana gives me this shocked look and says, “Oh!” with her mouth hanging open. “No, no, no, Nana, FUNK, not the other one, you know, funk, like funky music.”It was a lost cause from the start.

This recipe for Lemon Curd is so tart and creamy!

What is lemon curd?

Lemon curd is a smooth, sweet, buttery lemon spread. It’s made with four simple ingredients: lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and butter. The consistency is like pudding, but it’s less creamy. It’s cooked (no raw eggs) and usually served cool or cold on top of or inside other things (like gingerbread, toast, or cupcakes). I personally eat it warm, with a spoon (and put it on everything in my kitchen).

Now, have you bought lemon curd at the store? That stuff is like pure corn syrup plus gelatin I think, and I’m not even talking about the cheap brands. The homemade stuff is absolutely incomparable. It is perfectly tart and creamy and gives you that little zing in your mouth that is a must for any citrus dessert.

Easy Lemon Curd Recipe from The Food Charlatan. (4)

It’s a super easy recipe, too. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool down in the fridge, although I certainly wouldn’t say no to a nice hot spoonful of lemon curd.

Best Lemon Curd ingredients

Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!

Lemon zest (optional)
Lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
Sugar

Eggs (7)
Butter

How to Make Lemon Curd

Here’s a quick overview of how to make this recipe. Full instructions can be found in the recipe card below!

In a small saucepan, stir together lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl beat together 3 eggs and 4 egg yolks. Whisk very well.
When the liquid on the stove is ready, slowly pour some of it into the bowl with the eggs, whisking constantly.
Return the pot to the stove and add the rest of the eggs while stirring. Continue to whisk pretty constantly over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. When you drag your whisk over the top of the mixture, it should leave marks.
Pour the curd through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir the chopped butter into the lemon curd until it’s completely melted.
Press a square of plastic wrap directly on top of the lemon curd and refrigerate until cold, about 2-4 hours. Transfer to a Tupperware.

Easy Lemon Curd Recipe from The Food Charlatan. (5)

Easy Lemon Curd Recipe from The Food Charlatan. (6)

Easy Lemon Curd Recipe from The Food Charlatan. (7)

Easy Lemon Curd Recipe tips

How to thicken lemon curd

Lemon curd will thicken as it cooks. If you haven’t cooked it long enough (meaning that a whisk dragged across the top doesn’t leave marks), no worries–just keep cooking it. Remember that it will thicken more as it cools, especially after you’ve added the butter (a solid at room temperature).

Can you overcook lemon curd?

Yes, you definitely can. The goal is just to cook the lemon curd until a whisk dragged through the curd leaves marks. After that, you risk scrambling the eggs in it. Now, if you overcook your curd (you’ll know because it will have little lumpy egg bits in it), don’t despair! You can put it in the blender or food processor and blend it until the egg bits are gone.

Best Lemon Curd Recipe storage

Lemon curd can be kept in any regular storage container–plastic Tupperware, fancy jam jars you’ve washed and saved, whatever you like. Just keep it in the fridge so it won’t spoil.

How long does lemon curd last?

Lemon curd lasts for 1-2 weeks in the fridge. You can also freeze it for several months (perfect for early Christmas prep to give out as neighbor gifts).

Best Lemon Curd uses

I made several batches to get it just right, but originally I made itto use as a filling for a layer cake. Here are some other ideas:

spread it on toast
top ice cream
Use it as a filling in this Coconut Layer Cake
stuffed cupcakes
filled donuts
top pancakes
Throw it in a pie shell and top with whipped cream
fruit dip (I love it with bananas, strawberries, in a bowl with blueberries or raspberries)
Stir into plain Greek Yogurt and top with granola and/or fruit
Fold into whipped cream and top a cake with it
Top a bagel or breakfast pastry
Top a pavlova
Fill crepes
Spoon a bunch on top of softened cream cheese and serve with crackers
Spread on gingersnaps or these Soft Ginger Cookies

Good luck with all these suggestions, by the way. When I make lemon curd I hardly ever make it past thespoon.

Lemon Curd Recipe FAQs

What to serve with Lemon Curd?

Lemon curd is a great topping or filling for anytime you want some of that tart-sweet magic.

As a topping for:
Toast
Ice cream
Pancakes
Greek yogurt
Bagels
Pastries
Gingersnaps

As a filling in:
Coconut Layer Cake
Cupcakes
Donuts
Crepes
Soft Ginger Cookies

You might like these recipes too!

Gingerbread Pancakes << lemon curd would be AMAZING on top of these.

Meyer Lemon Tart << ever had Meyer lemons? They are so uniquely delicious!

Cinnamon Honey Butter << this makes another fantastic neighbor gift.

The Salted Caramel Sauce of my Dreams << perfectly dreamy, and the best topping!

Raspberry Lemon-Glazed Muffins << if you love lemon like I do…you’re going to love these muffins.

Coconut Syrup << make an ultimate Hawaiian breakfast with this homemade syrup.

Lemon Curd Pound Cake from Cookies and Cups

Easy Lemon Tarts from Crazy for Crust

Lemon Curd Stuffed Cupcakesfrom A Side of Sweet

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Lemon Curd

4.93 from 14 votes

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Chill Time: 2 hours hrs

Total: 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings: 8 Servings

Never buy lemon curd from the store again! No really, don't, it's gross. And making it at home is so easy! This lemon curd is creamy, tart, and perfect for topping your toast. Or topping your spoon.

Ingredients

▢ 1 tablespoon lemon zest, optional*
▢ 3/4 cup lemon juice, fresh, 3-4 large lemons
▢ 3/4 cup sugar
▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
▢ 3 large eggs , + 4 large egg yolks
▢ 4 tablespoons butter, 1/2 stick, chopped**

Instructions

In a small saucepan, stir together lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Set over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl beat together 3 eggs and 4 egg yolks. Whisk it very well.
When the liquid on the stove is ready, slowly pour some of it into the bowl with the eggs, whisking constantly. I usually pour in about half, but you can do more or less. This is called tempering the eggs.
Return the pot to the stove and add the rest of the eggs while stirring. If you don’t stir you may curdle your eggs.
See Also
Sourdough Discard Blueberry Lemon Scones - Man Meets Oven
Continue to whisk pretty constantly over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. When you drag your whisk over the top of the mixture, it should leave marks.
Pour the curd through a mesh strainer into a new bowl (or the same one, washed). Unless you are an expert curd maker, you will probably have a few solid egg pieces in there, which is totally okay! Just strain them out.
Stir the chopped butter into the lemon curd until it’s completely melted. This is a good time for a large spoonful of hot lemon curd.
Press a square of plastic wrap directly on top of the lemon curd. If you just cover the bowl, you will get a film on your curd.
Refrigerate until cold, about 2-4 hours. It will thicken up some as it cools.
Transfer to a tupperware. Keeps for 1-2 weeks.

Notes

*The lemon zest adds great flavor and will make it more tangy. If texture is more important to you than flavor and you are looking for a super creamy lemon curd, then leave it out.

**I’ve seen similar recipes that call for up to 8 tablespoons of butter. Go for it! I think it tastes great with 4 tablespoons, but I’m not one to turn down extra butter…

Nutrition

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 155

Keyword: curd, lemon

Did you make this? I’d love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

Categorized as , Breakfast, , Dessert, Sweet Breakfast

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