Homemade Lemon Curd: A Sweet and Tart Classic Spread

Homemade Lemon Curd

Homemade lemon curd is sweet and tart, and it comes together easily with only 4 ingredients. This homemade version is better than store bought, and it is simple enough to make whenever the craving strikes. It takes about 10 minutes of active time at the stove, and the ingredient list is short enough to memorize.

Spread it on scones, spoon it over pound cake, or use it as a filling for cupcakes and cakes. It works as a condiment, a sauce, and a filling all at once, so it is worth keeping on hand all year long.

this …

A jar in the refrigerator is one of those small things that makes an everyday breakfast feel a little special.

If lemon desserts are your thing, there are plenty more to try after this one, including Lemon Blueberry Crepes, Lemon Pound Cake Muffins, and Lemon Bundt Cake.

What Is Lemon Curd?

The name lemon curd may not appeal to everyone, and that is fair. The combination of fresh lemons, sugar, eggs, and a small amount of butter, however, turns into something wonderful.

Lemon curd is a condiment. Spread it on scones, bread, and biscuits. Use it as a topping for cheesecake or pound cake. Use it as a filling for crepes, cakes, and cupcakes.

It is sweet and tart with a strong lemon flavor, and the texture is extra creamy. If you have ever imagined what lemon jam, jelly, or preserves might taste like, this is the closest and happiest comparison.

Because it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, it holds its shape on a slice of cake instead of sliding off. That is exactly what makes it so useful in the kitchen.

Think of it as sitting somewhere between a jam and a pudding, with the tartness of fresh lemon running through every spoonful. If you have only ever had the jarred kind, the homemade version is a different experience altogether.

Made with only 4 simple ingredients, this is a recipe that can become a household staple. Keep a jar in the refrigerator and you will find a use for it every single day.

Whether you call it a spread, a sauce, or a filling, it does the same job in every case. It adds a bright, tart lift to whatever it touches.

Lemon Curd Uses

Store bought lemon curd usually sits in the grocery aisle near the jams and jellies. It is handy, but homemade lemon curd is easy to make at home and tastes so much better.

Here are a few favorite ways to use a fresh batch:

• Spread it on toast, scones, or biscuits for breakfast.
• Spoon it over waffles or pancakes instead of syrup.
• Swirl it into plain yogurt for a fast, bright snack.
• Use it as a topping for cheesecake or pound cake.
• Layer it in a trifle, such as a Lemon Raspberry Trifle.
• Use it in the filling of Lemon Cream Puffs.
• Fill Lemon Cupcakes with it for a surprise center.
• Spoon it into Lemon Thumbprint Cookies.

The list could go on, but these are the ones that come up most often in a lemon loving kitchen. A batch keeps well, which means you can work through that list one spoonful at a time. Toast in the morning, yogurt in the afternoon, and a spoonful over dessert at night.

Spooned into small canning jars, a batch also makes a simple homemade gift for a neighbor, a teacher, or anyone who loves lemon.

If you bake often, keep a jar on hand for filling and topping in the same week. One batch covers several small projects.

One jar, many uses. Breakfast, dessert, and everything in between.

What’s In Lemon Curd?

Just 4 ingredients. Each one has a job, and each one matters.

That is the whole list. No thickeners, no extras, nothing you would need to hunt for at a specialty store.

Everything goes into the pot at once, which is one of the reasons this recipe is so approachable. The zest carries a lot of the lemon flavor, so grate it finely.

Granulated sugar is the only sweetener here, and it is what keeps the tartness in balance. Egg yolks do double duty, thickening the curd and giving it that bright yellow color, while the butter brings creaminess and flavor.

Let’s Make It!

This recipe takes about 10 minutes on the stove, and most of that time is whisking. Combine all of the ingredients in the top of a double boiler, or in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water. No special pan is required either way.

Heat the mixture while stirring almost constantly with a whisk until it thickens. The gentle steam rising from the simmering water below is what makes this setup work so well for a mixture built on egg yolks. The bowl sits above the water, so the curd heats slowly and evenly rather than in one hot blast.

The curd is done when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. For a quick double check, drag a finger across the coated spoon. If the line stays clean, it is ready.

Once it is ready, remove it from the heat, cover it, and refrigerate until it is cool. Store it covered in the refrigerator, where it will last for up to 2 weeks. A glass jar with a lid, such as a small canning jar, is the best container for it.

Serve it with toast, waffles, pancakes, scones, or yogurt, or work it into a dessert. If you would like the full write up in one place, you can find the complete Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe here.

A few things that help along the way:

• Use a whisk rather than a spoon so the mixture stays smooth.
• Keep the water at a simmer and let the steam do the work.
• Stir almost constantly, since the mixture thickens quickly near the end.
• Run the spoon test before you pull the bowl off the heat.

A little patience at the stove is the only real requirement. Stir, watch the texture change, and trust the spoon test. Once you have made it a time or two, the timing becomes second nature and the spoon test tells you everything you need to know.

This article is based on the original homemade lemon curd recipe from Glorious Treats.

More Lemon Favorites

If this recipe leaves you wanting more lemon, these are worth trying next:

• Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake
• Lemon Blueberry Bread
• Raspberry Lemon Muffins
• Lemon Cream Puffs with Fresh Fruit
• Perfect Lemon Bread
• Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients

This recipe makes a small batch of curd, and every ingredient earns its place:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, which usually takes 1 to 2 lemons
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

You need the zest anyway, so the juice comes along with it. Use fresh lemons rather than bottled juice for this one.

Instructions

Here is the short version, start to finish:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in the top of a double boiler, or in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water.
2. Heat, while stirring almost constantly with a whisk, until the mixture thickens. It is done when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3. Remove from the heat, cover, and refrigerate until cool.
4. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Those four steps are the entire method, and the whole batch comes together in about 10 minutes. If you have made curd before, this will feel familiar. If it is your first time, the spoon test is the one thing to remember.

Recipe details

Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes. Servings: 16.

Nutrition per serving, from the source recipe:

• 53 calories
• 5g carbohydrates
• 1g protein
• 3g fat, including 2g saturated fat
• 54mg cholesterol
• 3mg sodium
• 9mg potassium
• 1g fiber
• 5g sugar
• 130IU vitamin A
• 2mg vitamin C
• 6mg calcium
• 1mg iron

Because the servings are small, a batch of 16 goes further than it sounds. A spoonful here and a spoonful there adds up quickly, especially once you start using it as a filling and a topping in the same week.

For anyone counting servings, 16 small servings means each one is a modest spoonful, which fits neatly into breakfast or dessert.

Keep in mind that the curd needs to stay refrigerated, so plan on storing it in the fridge rather than the pantry.

FAQs

Homemade Lemon Curd

---

• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 16 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Homemade Lemon Curd Homemade lemon curd is sweet and tart, and it comes together easily with only 4 ingredients. This homemade version is better than store bought, and it is simple enough to make whenever the craving strikes.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

---

Instructions

1-Combine all ingredients in the top of: Combine all ingredients in the top of a double boiler (or in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water).
2-Heat, while stirring (almost) constantly with a: Heat, while stirring (almost) constantly with a whisk, until mixture thickens. It is done when it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3-Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate until: Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate until cool.
4-Store in the refrigerator up to 2: Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

• Prep Time: 5 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Method: stovetop

Nutrition

• Calories: 53
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 3mg
• Fat: 3g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Carbohydrates: 5g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 1g
• Cholesterol: 54mg

Keywords: Homemade Lemon Curd