Store-bought lemon curd doesn’t even deserve to share the same name as homemade. This from-scratch lemon curd is deliciously tangy, creamy, and sweet. You only need 5 ingredients and it comes together on the stove in 10 minutes! Lemon curd is perfect for scones, crepes, angel food cake, quick breads, pound cake, and so much more.
Let’s talk lemon.
- Are lemon bars your main squeeze?
- Is lemon blueberry cake your favorite dessert?
- Are you head-over-heels for lemon meringue pie?
If your answer is YES to all of the above, you’re going to flip for this creamy, dense, intensely flavorful spread. Homemade lemon curd is 1 million times tastier than store-bought, which is filled with ingredients we can’t pronounce and has likely been sitting on the shelf for too long. Spread the blissful homemade version on scones, biscuits, homemade English muffins, and so much more. This is the recipe you never realized you needed!
What Is Lemon Curd?
Lemon curd is a very rich dessert topping or spread. It’s buttery and sweet with intense tart lemon flavorโlike a creamy lemon version of jam. Lemon curd is made from simple ingredients and comes together quickly on the stove. Lemon lovers, this is your jam.
Get it? Get it? ๐
How to Make Lemon Curd
Here’s how we make DIY lemon curd. The full recipe and instructions are below.
You need 5 ingredients for lemon curd recipe: egg yolks, fresh lemons, sugar, salt, and butter. Each ingredient serves a critical purpose for thickening and flavoring. The egg yolks thicken the curd, just as they do in creme brรปlรฉe, pastry cream, pumpkin pies in a jar, or butterscotch pudding. Use real lemons; you need both the zest and juice. The sugar supplies sweetness and structure, while the salt balances out the flavor. Add the butter after the curd finishes on the stove. Butter makes it superย creamy.
Make lemon curd on the stove. Make sure you are constantly whisking as the mixture thickensโwe’re talking about 10 minutes of whisking. The good news? That’s the only step in this recipe: whisking!
Use a Double Boiler
I strongly recommend cooking the lemon curd in a double boiler because mixing these ingredients over direct heat quickly leads to burning. Don’t fret! If you don’t have a double boiler, craft a makeshift double boiler by placing a heatproof glass bowl on top of a larger pot. (You can see my DIY double boiler in my brownie baked Alaska post!) Make sure the bottom of the top pot or bowl does not touch the simmering water. It’s worth repeating: lemon curd should never be cooked on direct heat.
Why Does My Lemon Curd Taste Metallic?
Lemon curd may have a metallic aftertaste if you cook it in a metal double boiler. It’s a result of the eggs and lemon reacting with the pan, but is easily avoidable! Use a non-metal double boiler (this one has a porcelain insert) or the glass bowl option I mention above (but make sure it’s heatproof glass, like Pyrex). While you’re at it, use a silicone whisk too!
FAQ: Can I Make This With Other Citrus Fruits?
Absolutely! You can use this same recipe for lemon curd and swap the lemons for limes, grapefruits, or oranges. You can even use pineapple juice, just like we do for the layers of pineapple curd filling in this pineapple coconut cake or a make a cranberry version like we do in this cranberry curd tart.
Uses for Lemon Curd
There are so many ways to enjoy lemon curd. Here are a few suggestions:
- Enjoy on scones, muffins, buttermilk waffles, whole wheat blueberry pancakes, or a Dutch baby pancake
- Use as a filling for crepes, lemon cupcakes, or lemon coconut cake
- Use as a topping for pound cake or pavlova (uses the egg whites!)
- Fill French macarons, choux pastry, or eclairs
- Layer on strawberry shortcake
- Make a lemon berry trifle
- Spread on English muffins, homemade biscuits, toast, croissants
- Mix it with whipped frosting for the fluffiest filling in a citrus cake
- Top your classic cheesecake, lemon cheesecake, or easy cheesecake pie
- Stir in yogurt, cottage cheese, or spoon on ice cream
- Try it on gingerbread waffles (seriously, try this!)
- Use as a filling to add extra flavor to lemon blueberry cupcakes
- Fill your lemon thumbprint cookies
- Fill your favorite cupcake recipe (see my How to Fill Cupcakes post for details on how and for flavor pairing inspiration!)
Lemon Curd
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes (includes cooling)
- Yield: 1 – 1.5 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You only need 5 simple ingredients for homemade lemon curdโand the recipe comes together on the stove in 10 minutes! If you know how to whisk, you can make this delicious spread.
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks (for thicker lemon curd, see Note on eggs)
- 2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2โ3 lemons)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 6 pieces
Instructions
- Fill the bottom pot of your double boiler with 1โ2 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. Using a silicone whisk, 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 youโd like to be precise and use a candy or instant-read thermometer, the temperature will rise to about 170ยฐF (77ยฐC). 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 and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd. (This prevents a skin from forming on top.) The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Once cool, the plastic wrap can be removed.
- Refrigerate the curd for up to about 10 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, you can freeze the curd up to 3โ6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Egg Separator | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester | Non-Metal Double Boiler | Silicone Whisk
- 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.
- Lemon Juice: Do not use bottled lemon juice. Use fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
- Butter: You can use salted butter instead of unsalted butter. Simply omit 1/8 teaspoon salt in the recipe.
- No Double Boiler? No Problem! If you do not own a double boiler, you can simply place a small heatproof glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering waterโyou will cook the curd in the top pot/bowl.
- No Straining: I don’t strain the lemon curd. The zest is very tiny and has been cooked, so you can hardly detect its texture. It’s really just there for flavor. However, feel free to run the finished lemon curd through a fine mesh sieve if you want to take the extra step.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally,
My question was in regards to the Lemon Coconut cake- could coco oil be sub’d for butter? (Not the lemon curd).
Sorry about the mix up
Hi Stephanie! Solid coconut oil could potentially work in that cake recipe, but the results may be a little greasy (and taste like coconut). We haven’t tested it ourselves but let us know if you do!
Hello,
I am wondering if it is possible to double this recipe? I am hoping to use as filling for 30 cupcakes and am not sure if the 1.5 cups will be enough for that.
Hi Ivy! You can make double batches of this lemon curd. The cooking time should be about the same.
Easy recipe, I didn’t have a double boiler, so I did a glass bowl on a pot of water. Started with a whisk, I was concerned that whisking for 10+ mins would be too much, had a hand mixer ready and switched to that a few minutes in. Texture was excellent, husband absolutely loved it and he’s very picky about lemon recipes (never enough flavor for him). I’ve never used a store version and never will, this was easy and delicious!
I have used this recipe several times love!
However I have always used a metal bowl for cooking and it does leave a metallic taste. So today I used a Pyrex bowl per your instructions and before it even thickened the bowl popped and broke into so many pieces.
What double boiler do you recommend that will leave no after taste? What heat resistance glass bowls would you recommend?
Hi Cindy, so sorry that happened! We use this double boiler.
If needing to make a non-dairy lemon curd, do I just omit the butter? Substitute margarine? Coconut oil? Some other fat?
I know butter is unique so no substitute will be โperfectโ. Iโm looking for the next best option.
Hi Beth, we havenโt tried this recipe with any dairy-free alternatives so weโre unsure of the results, but you can certainly give it a try, perhaps with a plant-based butter to start. If you do, please let us know how it goes!
I am thinking the same – dairy allergies! I would love to hear if this works.
Everytime I make it I have to cool it before it gets super thick. I love it still tho. Thank you so much!
How much lemon curd does this recipe make?
Hi Michele, about 1-1.5 cups. Enjoy!
I always come to this website first when looking for a recipe and it’s always a great result. I made this twice now. The first time I followed the amounts pretty closely except I probably halved the sugar – and used brown sugar as it is what I had. I thought it was good but not as lemony as I wanted, apparently I like my lips to pucker involuntarily.
This time I added the zest of three lemons and the juice of 2 1/2 (juice I kept the same). I also put probably the same amount of sugar as the first time (somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of a cup). It took more like 20 minutes of whisking, I used a homemade double broiler as well. This one took the cake. I am currently also making a mix of the apple (though I’m using pear) and the lemon cinnamon rolls from this site and the lemon curd will be its topping. I am pretty excited and the lemon curd is more lemony so am even more happy.
Could this recipe be used in ice cream?
Hi Katelyn, Yes! It would be great either as a topping or swirled into ice cream (like our blueberry crumble ice cream as a base for other flavors).
Hi Sally, if I wanted this to last longer would it stand up to being water bathed?
Hi Helen, we haven’t tested anything, but let us know if you do.
Thankyou so much, I used locally “grown” eggs and lemons and am quite sure that elevated the result.
I followed the recipe and it was delicious, nice one Sally.!
hey! im planning on making the margarita cupcakes as a six inch cake with a like curd filling- would the thicker version of this filling be better or should i keep it as the original?
Hi Jayce, either should be fine. We would pipe a dam of buttercream around the edges to prevent the curd from spilling out the sides.
Hi there! I’ve made this a couple times in the past and I love using it as a filling for lemon tarts. I’ve always made as directed but I need to make a big batch for a reunion. Would you recommend making 2 batches separately or could I just double everything and follow instructions otherwise?
Hi Siana, you can make double batches of this lemon curd, and cooking time should be about the same.
I’ve made this 3 times now. Each time I get rave reviews and it’s officially my favorite way to dress up a basic dessert. My favorite is vanilla cupcakes filled with this lemon curd and topped with cream cheese frosting!
i made this for Pavlova topper and am making it again – so good! Only note – it def takes me longer than ten minutes even at full heat to get it to thicken up. But i have a makeshift double boiler – so if anyone else is making this and thinking its taking too long – keep going and keep whisking! worth it!
Made this once for a cheesecake and again for a puff pastry. Definitely would not recommend stevia as a replacement for sugar. Just use sugar. Tasted phenomenal when done correctly
Just made your Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Curd on top. What a divine recipe. Not too sweet, deliciously tangy and creamy. I didn’t add the sugar into the base & made it with Milk Arrowroot biscuits (NZ alternative).
Served with thawed raspberries thickened with arrowroot, folded through cream. Will be making this regularly…. thank you!
So glad you loved it, Amy!
Seriously !!!! I want to lick the bowl clean, easy and amazingly delicious !!! Thank you Sally, as always your recipes are wonderful!
do i have to make the curd thicker if i am filling eclairs with it
Hi Madison, this recipe, as written, should work well to fill eclairs!
Hi Sally! Thank you so much for all of your wonderful recipes. I wonder, can this curd be made with other citrus fruits ie lime or orange?
Hi Lisa, absolutely! See “FAQ: Can I Make This With Other Citrus Fruits?” in the post above for more.
Made exactly as directed, took slightly longer than 10 minutes but came out very well.
If you donโt have a silicone whisk–I used a silicone spatula with no issues.
Can I use an articial sugar in this recipe as my husband is diabetic
Hi Judy, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Hey Trina, Judy. I have just made this with artificial sweetener – I used Natvia and it turned out perfect. Texture and flavour tastes the same as usual – awesome. You can try with other brands, this one give no fake aftertaste for me. Some recipes work well with a 1 for 1 substitute sugar, other not so much but experimenting is part of the fun too.
Eddi.
My first time making this curd. it’s very tasty and easy to make!
Iโve made this recipe multiple times. It takes much longer than 10 mins for the curd to thicken. In my experience with this recipe, it takes around 20-25 mins for the curd to thicken. But always a good result!
I’m always happy with your recipes and how they turn out!
correction/addition the curd was still warm when placed on cold cake
Made the lemon pie with the lemon curd…found that placing the cake in the fridge and making the lemon curd the next day worked well. I placed all the curd on cake when slightly warm and replaced in fridge for several hours…came out perfect – I did the 3 egg thicker version and had accidentally added the butter to the pot with the other ingredients all at once and it firmed up just fine – just took a minute or two longer to thicken to proper consistency.
Hi Sally ,
As usual a huge hit.
I am planning on using the curd with wild blueberries in hand pies.
Any adjustments for baking the curd with blueberries in the hand pies?
Thanks,
Becky
Hi Becky, thank you! Iโm so glad you love the lemon curd. I havenโt tested it baked inside hand pies, and Iโd be a little cautious. Lemon curd can sometimes thin out or leak when baked. If you try it, use just a small amount and make sure the edges are well sealed. Mixing it with the blueberries could help thicken things up a bit. Let me know how it turns out if you experiment!