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Lemon Curd | Curl Your Toes Good

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This lemon curd recipe is so tasty it’s going to make you want to curl your toes!  It can be used in many other recipes, including tarts, cocktails, bars and other delightful, flavorful concoctions.

Spoonful of lemon curd over the jar

My grandmother made the best lemon meringue pies.  Seriously.  Actually, all her pies were stellar.  But, doesn’t everyone say that about their grandmother and her cooking?

Her crusts were famous in our family.  They were always light, flaky and so delicious.  I used to save the crust to eat last and I’d savor every delectable mouthful.

She mostly made her own lemon curd and boy, what a difference!  Nana’s pies were the best because she could control the ingredients.  That’s also why her homemade lemon curd was far tastier than canned.

Nothing beats homemade.  Nothing.

Table Of Contents

Tips on Making Lemon Curd:

  • Be sure to wash your lemons before zesting.
  • To wash them, place the lemons in a bowl with three cups of water and 1 cup of white vinegar. After 10 minutes, remove the lemons and run them under cold water, using a brush to scrub the skin.
  • The way to pick a great lemon at the market is to first heft it in your hand.  The heavier lemons have more juice than the lighter ones.
  • When picking a lemon, smell it too.  The more lemon fragrance, the fresher the lemon.
  • Try to gauge the thickness of the rind.  The thinner the rind, the more juice it will yield.
  • Before juicing the lemon, roll it between your palm and a hard surface like a counter. Doing this will help release the juice.
  • Use as much zest as three lemons yield.
  • Here’s a tip on separating the yolks from the whites.  You can use a fancy egg separator or you can just crack the egg and use your hands.  I place the egg in my hand with my fingers just a tiny bit apart and let the whites drip into a bowl to save for another use.  I transfer the yolk back and forth between hands until all the whites have been separated.

How to Make Lemon Curd

Step one

Gather the ingredients – lemons, egg yolks, zest of lemon, sugar and butter.  That is it!

Lemons, eggs, butter and sugar ready to be made into lemon curd

Step two

After you’ve washed the lemons, grab a microplane and zest three of the lemons.  I think one of the problems with lemon curd is people are scared of using a lot of lemon zest. Don’t be afraid!  Be bold!

Avert your eyes, naked fruit ahead

Zest in front of lemons for the lemon curd

Step three

Juice all four of the lemons and set the juice aside.  The lemons I used yielded 1 cup of juice. Adjust the amount of sugar you use to match the amount of lemon juice.  It should be a 1:1 ratio.

Step four

Separate the yolks from the eggs.  Here’s something funny.  I typically use the shells to separate my eggs.  I crack the egg in half and transfer the yolk from one shell to the other and let the white portion slip to the waiting bowl. (A)

So, here’s the funny part.

As I was separating the yokes for this recipe, I said to Christopher that either my grandmother Clara and/or my mom used to separate eggs with their hands, letting the whites run through their fingers.  I had no sooner said that when, cracking the shell, the entire egg slipped into my hand and I was forced to separate it the way they did!  How odd.

But let me tell you.  It is a million times easier.

Collage of process shots for the lemon curd

Step five

Get out a saucepan and whisk.  Add the yolks to the pan and whisk them until they are combined.  (B)

Step six

Add the lemon juice, zest to the egg mixture. (C)

Step seven

Pour the sugar in the saucepan.

Sugar being poured into the lemon mixture for the lemon curd

Step eight

Turn the heat on medium under the pan and whisk until it thickens, which takes around 10 minutes.

You will know it is done when you stick a tablespoon in the mixture and the delicious lemon sticks to the back of the spoon.  Take it off the heat.

Step nine

Cut the butter into pats and add two pats to the lemon mixture and stir until they melt. Keep adding pats two at a time until all the butter is gone.

Lemon curd is my friend

Spoon the curd in a jar, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and keep it on the counter to cool for 1/2 hour.  Cover the jar with its cap and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. It will thicken further in the fridge.

Lemon curd in a glass with lemons in the background

Doesn’t that look awesome?

I’m going to make some lemon bars AND a lemon margarita with this curd.

Vertical view of the lemon curd

I hope you enjoyed this recipe!

Please feel free to comment of what types of lemon desserts you like to eat.

And as always, may all your dishes be delish.

If you’ve tried this lemon curd or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below.  I love hearing from you!  You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST  to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!

5 from 20 votes
Spoonful of lemon curd over the jar
Print
Lemon Curd
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Needs to set
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

Delicious lemon curd that can be used for many applications: in pies, dessert bars and cocktails!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Keyword: citrus curd, curd, lemon curd
Servings: 32 tablespoons
Calories: 75 kcal
Author: Elaine Benoit
Ingredients
  • 4 lemons (3 of which you zest, juice all, mine yielded 1 cup of lemon juice)
  • 3 tablespoons lemon zest (zest the lemons and whatever it yields - use that amount)
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 cup sugar (same amount as the juice you use)
  • .5 cup butter (cut into pats)
Tools
Instructions
  1. In a sauce pan, add yolks and whisk until combined
  2. Add sugar, lemon juice and zest
  3. Turn the heat on medium and whisk all the contents together
  4. Keep whisking until the lemon curd thickens, it takes about 10 minutes. Do not let it come to a boil
  5. Check thickness by putting a tablespoon in the lemon curd. It should coat the back of the spoon
  6. Remove from heat
  7. Add 2 pats of butter at a time and mix until melted. Continue adding butter until it is all added and melted
  8. Pour into glass container
  9. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on counter for 1/2 hour

  10. Cover the jar and place in fridge and let it sit for at least an hour before eating or using

  11. Spoon some in your mouth

  12. Smile

  13. Enjoy
Recipe Notes

I won't add the time it needs to set (on the counter or in the fridge) But if you need to know, add another 1.5 hours

Tips on Making Lemon Curd:

  • Be sure to wash your lemons before zesting.
  • To wash them, place the lemons in a bowl with three cups of water and 1 cup of white vinegar. After 10 minutes, remove the lemons and run them under cold water, using a brush to scrub the skin.
  • The way to pick a great lemon at the market is to first heft it in your hand.  The heavier lemons have more juice than the lighter ones.
  • When picking a lemon, smell it too.  The more lemon fragrance, the fresher the lemon.
  • Try to gauge the thickness of the rind.  The thinner the rind, the more juice it will yield.
  • Before juicing the lemon, roll it between your palm and a hard surface like a counter.  Doing this will help release the juice.
  • Use as much zest as three lemons yield.
  • Here's a tip on separating the yolks from the whites.  You can use a fancy egg separator or you can just crack the egg and use your hands.  I place the egg in my hand with my fingers just a tiny bit apart and let the whites drip into a bowl to save for another use.  I transfer the yolk back and forth between hands until all the whites have been separated.
Nutrition Facts
Lemon Curd
Amount Per Serving (2 tablespoons)
Calories 75 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 38mg13%
Sodium 27mg1%
Potassium 21mg1%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Sugar 6g7%
Vitamin A 130IU3%
Vitamin C 7.9mg10%
Calcium 9mg1%
Iron 0.2mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Originally published March of 2017

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Comments

  7. Gloria

    With Easter around the corner, lemon everything is perfect. I was just updating an old lemon curd post. Great minds think alike. I could eat this by the spoonful.

    Reply

  8. Aleta

    I am SUCH a lemon fan! Your recipe looks absolutely incredible, I can’t wait to make this for my lemon cheesecake! Thanks for all the great tips, too, they are so helpful for picking the right lemons and how to wash them properly!

    Reply

    • Elaine

      Hehe, Michelle. Thank you! Hubby was chomping at the bit when I made this and told him that I needed it for some recipes. He was happy when I ‘allowed’ him to eat some. 😉

      Reply

  15. Beth Neels

    This looks so scrumptious! I have never made lemon curd! Why? You ask. IDK I absolutely love, love, love lemon! I must rectify this at once!

    Reply

  17. Kelly Anthony

    I absolutely LOVE lemon curd. I can’t even imagine how delicious it is made from scratch. Putting this on the list and pinning for later. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply

  18. Marisa Franca Stewart

    LOVE lemons!! And I’m so glad I came across this recipe. One time I had a dessert I was so excited to make. It sounded out of this world. It required lemon curd. I went everywhere and couldn’t find it. Well, that fantastic dessert idea went down the drain. Now, I can make some delicious homemade lemon and curd then I can continue with the fantastic dessert. This recipe is a keeper, for sure.

    Reply

  19. Amy

    Lemon curd is one of my favorite foods, ever! It really goes so well in almost any dessert! 🙂 And, of course, homemade is a thousand times better! Thanks for sharing this recipe — I’ll have to try it sometime!

    Reply

  23. lauren

    There is a special place in my heart for lemon curd. It’s just so perfect – tart lemon, sweetness, buttery. Ah I just love it. Especially smothered on fresh muffins and blueberry pancakes!

    Reply

  24. Jo

    Love love love lemon curd. It looks sooo good. My favorite thing about lemon curd is eating it with a spoon. Made a lemon curd tart with chocolate drizzle on top and boy my kids looved it. It’s time to make some lemon curd again, thanks for reminding

    Reply

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