Tangy, creamy and delicious lemon curd is one of those kitchen classics that once you’ve mastered, you’ll never want to buy it again. It’s world’s away from shop-bought and takes no time at all either. I love how tangy and bright this homemade recipe is. It gives a real edge to your bakes and you can use it on this lemon meringue tower, lemon meringue tart or lemon meringue cheesecake. It’s also delicious with perfect scones, on classic pancakes, or even on toast.
It’s probably simpler than you think to make lemon curd. You whisk up the eggs and sugar with some lemon zest until pale and thick. Then add warmed lemon juice and stir quickly. Transfer it back to your pan and whisk over a gentle heat until thickened. Then add butter and stir together until glossy and thick.
Making The Best Lemon Curd
There are two key pointers with a lemon curd. Firstly, it has to cook on gentle heat. You want to avoid scrambling the eggs at all costs but you do need some heat in order to thicken it so just go slowly.
Secondly, have you ever found lemon curd has a slight metallic taste to it? It's rather odd but it does happen and I've found the best way to avoid this is to not use metal kitchen equipment. This means you should use a glass or ceramic bowl, a silicon spatula or whisk, and even a cast iron or enamel pan too. It does make a difference.
Why you will love this recipe:
- It takes 20 minutes and is so much more delicious than the shop-bought version.
- This lemon curd is sharp and tangy, rather than too sweet which can often be the case.
- You can adapt the recipe based on how you like lemon curd or make it with other citrus fruit to make lime, orange or grapefruit curd!
- It has so many uses across many desserts but it’s equally as delicious on toast or a dollop on porridge.
Ingredients:
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Caster sugar - This sweetens the curd, balancing out the acidity of the lemon, and helps create a silky texture by stopping the egg yolk setting too firm.
Lemons - you need both the juice and zest here. This is how I like to do it for the most amount of zing.
Egg yolks - use the leftover egg whites in my lemon meringues, and then serve with this lemon curd. I recommend free-range large eggs. Try to find ones stamped with the British Lion mark.
Butter - use unsalted here as then you can control salt level yourself. Make sure you use proper butter here and not a baking spread.
Substitutions and Variations:
Other citrus - you could also make this with other citrus fruit such as limes, oranges or grapefruits. Delicious! Even mandarins would be delicious.
Sugar - golden caster sugar works here but will give your curd a darker hue. Granulated sugar also works too but caster is best as it dissolves better into the eggs. This is known as superfine sugar in the States.
Dairy-free - swap the butter for dairy-free butter (a block ideally over spread) and you will have dairy-free lemon curd.
How to make Easy Lemon Curd:
Here's a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of page for detailed instructions.
ONE: In a large heat-proof glass or ceramic bowl, mix together the sugar and lemon zest using your fingertips. Rub together until clumpy and totally mixed.
TWO: Add the egg yolks and, using a rubber spatula or silicone whisk, whisk until thickened, pale and slightly foamy.
THREE: This is the thickened, pale, foamy texture you want.
FOUR: In a large saucepan, heat the lemon juice over medium-high heat until it just comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and gradually pour over the foamy lemon-sugar egg whites, whisking constantly until all the lemon juice has been added.
FIVE: Return the lemon-egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
SIX: This should take around 5 minutes. Make sure you keep it over a gentle, low heat and stir constantly - if you leave it or let it boil, you will end up with a peculiar lemon scrambled egg yolk situation (not what we are looking for!).
SEVEN: Once it has thickened, remove from the heat and gradually add the butter. Stirring to ensure it is fully melted and incorporated.
EIGHT: Strain through a fine sieve and then pour into a jar and leave to cool completely before covering and chilling in the fridge.
Cooking Tips:
Metal-free equipment: when making the lemon curd, try to avoid using metal kitchen equipment. I find it gives the lemon curd an odd metallic taste. Use a glass or ceramic bowl and a plastic/silicon spatula or whisk. Use a cast iron or enamel pan too.
Gentle heating: whilst making the lemon curd, make sure the water in the pan underneath is just gently simmering and that you are stirring constantly - if it overheats or you leave it too long, you will end up with sweet lemon scrambled eggs (which could be delicious, but isn’t quite the vibe we’re going for here!). If you are worried it’s scrambling - remove from the heat and gently pour through a sieve set over a bowl, pushing it through with the back of a spoon to remove any lumps.
Mixing the lemon zest and sugar: by using your fingertips to mix together the sugar and lemon zest, you release the citrus oil that is held in the zest which makes it even more lemony.
Straining the curd: optional but I like to strain the curd through a sieve once done to make sure it’s really silky smooth. If you have a plastic mesh sieve, this is ideal over a metal one.
Covering: If chilling in the bowl until later for a separate recipe, cover with clingfilm directly on the surface of the curd. This stops any skin forming over the top of the curd which can make it lumpy (although doesn’t spoil the taste, it’s still delicious!)
Frequently Asked Questions
In short and very basic terms, lemon juice is acidic which denatures the proteins in the eggs. This allows the proteins to form strong bonds with one another which creates the thick texture.
You can use it on this lemon meringue tower, lemon meringue tart or lemon meringue cheesecake. It’s also delicious with perfect scones, on classic pancakes, or even on toast. You could also use it sandwiched between cakes instead of jam like in this white chocolate raspberry cake - you could make it a white chocolate and lemon cake!
Try these lemon meringues as it goes perfectly with the lemon curd. Otherwise, try a pear and chocolate pavlova. A rich chocolate mousse is another favourite. Otherwise, they freeze well if you aren’t sure what to make just yet.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Transfer to a jar and allow to cool. Cover with lid then it can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Cool and transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze the lemon curd for up to 1 month. Defrost fully in the fridge before using.
Yes, it keeps well in the fridge for at least a week. Use it from the jar however you need it. It may keep longer than a week, if it looks good and smells good, it's still fine!
Other recipes you might enjoy:
Try my British pancakes for somewhere to use the lemon curd or these easy scones. My Apple Crumble Cheesecake or White Chocolate & Passionfruit Cheesecake are also delicious. Finally, Cherry Clafoutis is another easy baking recipe.
Made this recipe and loved it?
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PrintEasy Lemon Curd
Tangy, creamy and delicious lemon curd is one of those kitchen classics that once you’ve mastered, you’ll never want to buy it again.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Makes one 300ml jar 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: English
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 large lemons
- 5 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 80ml lemon juice
- 60g unsalted butter, diced
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a large heat-proof glass or ceramic bowl, mix together the sugar and lemon zest using your fingertips. Rub together until clumpy and totally mixed. Using your fingertips to mix together the sugar and lemon zest releases the citrus oil that is held in the zest which makes it even more lemony. Add the egg yolks and, using a rubber spatula or silicone whisk, whisk until thickened, pale and slightly foamy.
- In a large saucepan, heat the lemon juice over medium-high heat until it just comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and gradually pour over the foamy lemon-sugar egg whites, whisking constantly until all the lemon juice has been added.
- Return the lemon-egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon - this should take around 5 minutes. Make sure you keep it over a gentle, low heat and stir constantly - if you leave it or let it boil, you will end up with a peculiar lemon scrambled egg yolk situation (not what we are looking for!).
- Once it has thickened, remove from the heat and gradually add the butter and a pinch of salt. Stirring to ensure it is fully melted and incorporated. Strain through a fine sieve (optional) then pour into a jar and leave to cool completely before covering and chilling in the fridge.
Notes
Scroll up for an easy step by step guide on how to make lemon curd.
To store: The lemon curd can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week.
To freeze: You can freeze the lemon curd for up to 1 month. Defrost fully in the fridge before using.
Metal-free equipment: when making the lemon curd, try to avoid using metal kitchen equipment. I find it gives the lemon curd an odd metallic taste. Use a glass or ceramic bowl and a plastic/silicon spatula or whisk. Use a cast iron or enamel pan.
Gentle heat: make sure you keep the curd over a gentle heat and whisk constantly. Otherwise, you will end up with lemon scrambled eggs!
Straining the curd: optional but I like to strain the curd through a sieve once done to make sure it’s really silky smooth. If you have a plastic mesh sieve, this is ideal over a metal one.
Covering: If chilling in the bowl until later for a separate recipe, cover with clingfilm directly on the surface of the curd. This stops any skin forming over the top of the curd which can make it lumpy (although doesn’t spoil the taste, it’s still delicious!)
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