Homemade lemon curd is a simple, 5-ingredient recipe. This easy lemon curd recipe can be whipped up in about 30 minutes.
Lemon curd in its little glass jars feels so luxurious. However, homemade lemon curd is so simple to make!
It takes just 5 ingredients and less than 30 minutes to whip up a batch of lemon curd. And there are so many ways to use it!
You can slather lemon curd on top of toast, scones, pancakes, or waffles. It also makes a great filling for cakes or can be swirled into the frosting, and it can be swirled into cheesecake or dolloped on ice cream.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Lemon juice: Please don’t use bottled lemon juice in this recipe. Bottled lemon juice can have an off taste to it.
- Sugar: Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar to your liking. I like the lemon curd to be on the tarter side, but you can adjust the sugar if you like it sweeter.
- Lemon zest: The lemon zest helps to add more lemon flavor to the lemon curd.
- Butter: If you prefer to use unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt along with the sugar.
How to make homemade lemon curd
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including instructions, is given below.
Step 1: Add the lemon juice, egg yolks, granulated sugar, and lemon zest to a medium saucepan.
Step 2: Whisk together well.
Step 3: Cook over medium-low heat for about 15-20 minutes, whisking frequently, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step 4: Remove it from the heat.
Step 5: Whisk in the cubed butter a few cubes at a time until well-combined.
Step 6: Carefully pour the lemon curd into a heat-safe bowl.
Step 7: Press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface of the lemon curd.
Step 8: Place the lemon curd in the refrigerator and chill until completely cooled.
Recipe Tips!
- Coat the back of a spoon: This means that if you dip a spoon into the lemon curd and then drag your finger along the back of the spoon that the line will remain. If the line fills back in with lemon curd, it needs to thicken more.
- Plastic wrap: The plastic wrap helps to keep the lemon curd from forming a skin as it cools.
Storage
Store any leftover lemon curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 1 week when properly stored in the refrigerator.
More frosting and filling recipes!
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Homemade Lemon Curd
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 4 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated lemon zest about 2 large lemons
- 1/2 cup salted butter cold and cut in cubes
Instructions
- Add the lemon juice, egg yolks, granulated sugar, and lemon zest to a medium saucepan.
- Whisk together well.
- Cook over medium-low heat for about 15-20 minutes, whisking frequently, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove it from the heat.
- Whisk in the cubed butter a few cubes at a time until well-combined.
- Carefully pour the lemon curd into a heat-safe bowl.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap to the surface of the lemon curd.
- Place the lemon curd in the refrigerator and chill until completely cooled.
Notes
- Lemon juice: Please don’t use bottled lemon juice in this recipe. Bottled lemon juice can have an off taste to it.
- Sugar: Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar to your liking. I like the lemon curd to be on the tarter side, but you can adjust the sugar if you like it sweeter.
- Lemon zest: The lemon zest helps to add more lemon flavor to the lemon curd.
- Butter: If you prefer to use unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt along with the sugar.
- Nutritional values are estimates.Â
Nutrition
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