Description
This easy homemade lemon curd recipe is a silky, tangy spread made from fresh lemon juice, zest, eggs, sugar, butter, and cream. Perfect for spreading on toast, filling cakes, or dolloping on desserts, it comes together quickly on the stovetop in just 10 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat lemon juice: Warm the lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan over medium heat until it is hot but not boiling, which helps to temper the eggs later without scrambling them.
- Mix eggs and sugar: In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolk, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until well combined and slightly frothy.
- Temper eggs: Slowly pour the hot lemon juice into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to gradually raise the temperature and prevent the eggs from curdling.
- Cook curd: Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon—this usually takes around 5 minutes.
- Add butter and cream: Remove the saucepan from heat, then stir in the cold butter pieces until melted and smooth. Next, stir in the heavy cream and a pinch of salt to balance the flavors and add richness.
- Strain the curd: Pour the lemon curd through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any lumps or cooked egg bits, ensuring a silky smooth texture.
- Cool and store: Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the warm lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming, then let it cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
- Use fresh lemon juice and zest for the best bright, natural flavor.
- Do not let the lemon juice boil to avoid bitterness.
- Constant stirring is key to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Store the lemon curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- You can also freeze lemon curd for up to 3 months.
- Serve lemon curd chilled or at room temperature.
