Learn how to make the perfect homemade Lemon Curd Recipe! My easy version makes a tart curd that’s perfect for using as a filling or spread. Recipe includes a how-to video!
When Life Gives You Lemons…
Make lemon curd! Have you ever made your own before? If so, then you already know that it’s so much tastier than the store-bought kind. My homemade recipe is bright and sunny, creamy and tart, and completely refreshing. Plus, it’s surprisingly simple to make. So simple, in fact, that you need only five ingredients!
If you’re a lemon lover, chances are you may have already made this recipe. My lemon bars use a sweetened version of today’s recipe for their filling, and it’s a key ingredient in the bright yellow filling of my lemon cake and my lemon frosting.
Why You Should Try Homemade Lemon Curd:
- It cooks in just 10 minutes and is so easy to make!
- The texture is silky smooth (as long as you strain it!).
- It has a fresh, perfectly tart flavor that truly outshines the store-bought stuff.
- It pairs well with so many desserts, from cakes and cupcakes to pavlova.
What You Need
My lemon curd recipe uses only five ingredients for the simplest, easiest, and tastiest results! Here are a few of the key players:
- Egg yolks. If you’d rather not throw your egg whites away, check out the list of egg white recipes I included in the recipe notes.
- Lemon juice. You’ll need fresh squeezed lemon juice for today’s recipe. I find that I usually need about three lemons to get enough juice.
- Lemon zest. Always zest your lemons before you juice them! It’s almost impossible to zest a juiced lemon.
SAM’S TIP: Once you break through the yellow skin of your lemon, the bright white layer underneath is called the pith. The pith is bitter and doesn’t taste very good, so only zest until you reach that point, then stop!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Lemon Curd
- Add the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and salt to a medium saucepan.
- Whisk until everything is combined, then set the heat to low/medium-low and add the remaining ingredients.
- Stir constantly and cook until the mixture is thickened, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl.
- Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the curd and allow it to cool to room temperature before transferring to the fridge for several hours.
SAM’S TIP: Watch your heat! Keep it low, stir constantly, and don’t let your curd come to a boil–you don’t want to end up scrambling your eggs!
Frequently Asked Questions
While I find this lemon curd recipe to be delicious straight from the jar, here are a few (more civilized) options for enjoying:
Add a sunny layer in lemon blueberry cake or petit fours.
Serve it with freshly baked scones.
Use it as a filling in my macaron recipe.
Add a dollop to a slice of pound cake or (my favorite) angel food cake.
Fold it with some whipped cream and use it as a filling for cream puffs.
Pair it with crepes, pancakes, or waffles.
Spread it on a warm slice of gingerbread.
This may happen if the curd isn’t cooked properly, for example if it is cooked too quickly on too high of heat or if it isn’t cooked until thickened as indicated. Keep in mind that the curd will thicken as it cools, so while it still may seem a bit loose as it is cooking, it’ll thicken in the refrigerator. If your curd is still runny after cooling, it may have needed a few more minutes on the stove.
Up to two weeks if stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Let me know if you try this one!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Lemon Curd Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks¹
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice²
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest³
Recommended Equipment
- Medium-sized saucepan Must be non-reactive metal, see note
Instructions
- Combine egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a non-reactive medium-sized saucepan (see note). Whisk until well-combined.6 large egg yolks¹, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice², ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Transfer to stovetop over low/medium-low heat and add butter and lemon zest.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest³
- Cook, stirring constantly (do not let the curd boil) until thickened and it coats the back of a spoon (see video below if a visual is helpful to you). I also like to use an instant read thermometer to check that the curd reaches 160F (to ensure eggs are cooked all the way through).
- Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the lemon curd to avoid a skin forming. Allow to cool to room temperature for 20-30 minutes then transfer to the refrigerator or divide into serving jars. Chill for several hours then use as desired.
Notes
¹Ways to use leftover egg whites
Looking for a recipe for your leftover egg whites? Here are a few suggestions:- Meringue Cookies
- White Cake
- Angel Food Cake (you would need even more egg whites for this one)
Saucepan
You must use a non-reactive pan when making lemon curd. Acceptable materials include stainless steel, glass, enameled cast iron. Avoid using aluminum, copper, or iron (such as non-enameled cast iron) pans, which can react with the lemon and cause a metallic taste.How to Store
Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Marie
I’ve never made lemon curd before, and was kind of scared to get started. but it really was easy. I ended up adding about a half teaspoon of pure vanilla to this also and it turned out really great. I’m going to use it for filling cupcakes.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Marie! 🙂
Annie Tarling
Bought back wonderful childhood memories. Have recently retired and really enjoying cooking at leisure again. Great taste, beautifully thick, very easy to make. I kept the temperature down quite low (electric glass hot plate) as I didn’t have a thermometer and it turned out perfect right on the 10 minute mark. Thank you for sharing such a perfect recipe.
Sam
I’m so happy to hear this, Annie, thank you so much for trying my recipe!
Jodie
This is my go to recipe! I absolutely love it. I’ve made it twice to fill lemon cupcakes and the last time I made it to use on toast. It is delicious on buttered toast 😋! I am making orange now and I can’t wait to try it on toast too! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you love it, Jodie! Let us know how the orange version goes–yum 🥰
Nana_France
This us the easiest and most delicious lemon curd ive ever made. its a great recipr. Thank you for posting.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Kristen
my lemon curd turned out tasty but it was too liquid. I followed recipe perfectly. What went wrong?
Sam
Hi Kristen! It sounds like it needed to cook a bit longer. Definitely take a peek at the video if you haven’t already. I hope that helps! 🙂
Debbie
I’d give this 10 stars if I could! I recently tried a microwave method, and was so disappointed with all the unavoidable chunks of cooked egg in it. Yours worked perfectly! I had the stove on very low, and stirred it ever few minutes. I didn’t time it, but it took well over half an hour to finish. It was already gelling as I passed it through a metal sieve, (My microwave recipe never set—even though I did the spoon test—and I had to rewarm it and add cornstarch to thicken).This will be my only recipe from now on! I’m making cheesecake filled chocolate Easter eggs, and a dollop of the lemon curd will be the yolk. I also can’t wait to try lime, orange, grapefruit…..
Monica
When I add 3/4 cups of granulated sugar to my digital, calibrated scientific scale it is 175.17 grams, not 150 grams. Which do I use–3/4 cup or 150 grams?
Sam
Hi Monica! If you ever have doubts, it’s best to use the weight measurements. 🙂
Deanna
My new favorite lemon curd recipe. It is DELICIOUS!!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Deanna! 🙂
Monica
Did you measure the sugar or weigh it?
Miriam Rose Blanar
Could I use this for your lemon frosting. I have 6 egg yolks to use up and I plan to make this curd with them and make your lemon blueberry cake and use the curd for the filling and frosting….
Sam
Hi Miriam! That should work just fine. 🙂
RLH
If I use this as a filling for a cake, would the cake need to be refrigerated because of the lemon curd?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Enjoy ❤️
Tasha
Can I just use lemon use from a bottle? Does it need to be fresh squeezed?
Sam
Hi Tasha! Fresh is preferred, but bottled will work. 🙂
Audrey
Where can I get the beautiful little jars?
Sam
Hi Audrey! I actually find them on Amazon. They are called “Weck 762 Tulip jars.” 🙂
Jan Flewelling
Can anyone who has made this recipe comment on the amount it makes? I want to use it as the filling for a white cake. Should I double the curd recipe to have enough?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jan! We use a half batch for our lemon cake, so a whole batch should be more than enough. Hope that helps!
Penny
Made lemon macrons, with lemon flavored shells, vanilla buttercream, and a surprise dollop of this curd in the middle! My absolute favorite combination now, and this curd was the perfect consistency for it. Bookmarked this to use again and again! 🙂
Danielle
Such a simple and delicious recipe! I literally eat it but the spoonful!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That’s our favorite way to eat it! Enjoy, Danielle 😉
Joan
Easy and delicious. I’ve made it twice now and everyone raved about it.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy our recipe has been such a success for you, Joan! Thanks for your review ❤