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Lemon curd recipe

Lemon curd dripping from a silver spoon into a 1/2 pint jar of curd. Lemons in a bowl and lemonade in a decanter in the background.
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5 from 1 review

Everything about this 5 ingredient lemon curd will brighten your day: It's velvety, perfectly sweet and tart, and oh so easy to make!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, combine the granulated sugar, lemon juice, zest and egg yolks.
  2. Place over a pot of simmering water and, whisking occasionally, cook until thickened considerably (about 10 minutes).
  3. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
  4. Cube the butter into 8 pieces.
  5. Stir in the butter until completely incorporated.
  6. Pour into a bowl or jar, and press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd to keep a skin from forming.
  7. Refrigerate before use and up to 7 days.

Notes

    • Don't use bottled lemon juice: The best lemon curd is made with freshly squeezed lemon. I promise it's worth the effort.

    • Estimating lemons: Depending on their size and how pithy your lemons are, you'll need 1-2 lemons to make 1/4 cup of juice.

    • Extra thick lemon curd: If you want an extra thick curd, substitute one egg yolk for a whole egg.

    • Use a fine mesh sieve for ultra smooth lemon curd: Because the zest is so fine, I usually skip this step. But if you want the smoothest possible lemon curd, run it through a mesh sieve before adding the butter.

    • Storage: Lemon curd can be refrigerated for up to seven days and frozen for up to three months.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thesimple-sweetlife.com/how-to-make-lemon-curd/