Easy Homemade Lemon Curd
You only need 5 simple ingredients for homemade lemon curd—and the recipe comes together on the stove in 10 minutes! If you know how to whisk, you can make this delicious spread.
Equipment
- 1 Pot
- 1 Bowl heatproof; metal or glass
- 1 Whisk electric or hand
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks large eggs; for thicker lemon curd, see Note on eggs
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar 134g
- 1 tbsp lemon zest about 1 lemon
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 80ml; about 2–3 lemons
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter 85g; softened to room temperature and cut into 6 pieces
Instructions
- Fill the bottom pot of your double boiler with 1–2 inches of water. (Or use the DIY double boiler method listed in the notes.) Place on high heat. Once the water begins to boil, reduce to low heat to keep the water at a simmer.
- Place egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt into the top pot of your double boiler. Whisk until completely blended, then continue to whisk as the curd cooks. Constant whisking prevents the egg yolks from curdling.
- Whisk and cook until the mixture becomes thick, resembling the texture of hollandaise sauce, about 10 minutes. If curd isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk.
- Remove pan from heat. Whisk the sliced butter into the curd. The butter will melt from the heat of the curd as you whisk. Pour curd into a jar or bowl. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Refrigerate the curd for up to about 10 days.
Notes
Tips for making this recipe:
- Butter: You can use salted butter instead of unsalted butter. Simply omit 1/8 teaspoon salt in the recipe.
- Thicker Lemon Curd: For thicker lemon curd, replace 2 of the egg yolks with 1 whole egg. This means you will use 2 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg. Keep the rest of the recipe and instructions the same.
- No Double Boiler? Create a Bain Marie, if you do not own a double boiler, you can place a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk. WEAR OVEN MITTS!!
- To Strain or Not To Strain: I strain the lemon curd. But I've also not strained it as well. The zest is very tiny and has been cooked, so you can hardly detect its texture.
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, you can freeze the curd up to 3–6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.