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Our homemade Lemon Curd Recipe is practically fail-proof and great served on biscuits, pancakes, waffles, muffins or scones.
It’s also terrific slathered between layers of white cake, dolloped on Pound Cake, Angel Food Cake or stirred into tapioca pudding. Mix the curd with whipped cream and spread over crepes for an incredible treat.
This recipe makes about 2 cups of tangy, bright and ultra-creamy lemon curd. Homemade is so much better than store-bought!
What is Lemon Curd? 🍋
Lemon Curd is a jam-like dessert sauce made in a saucepan with eggs, sugar, salt, fresh lemon juice, butter and lemon zest. It cooks quickly, keeps well for up to a week in the refrigerator and is freezable.
This easy treat has been my go-to lemon curd recipe for more than a decade. It’s a lovely lemon sauce that’s easy to make and tastes fantastic. Don’t buy expensive lemon curd when you can make your own at home for less… and eat it warm by the spoonful! Just saying 😁
Ingredients needed to make Lemon Curd:
- whole eggs and one egg yolk
- granulated sugar
- salt
- fresh squeezed lemon juice (strained of pulp and seeds before measuring)
- unsalted butter
- lemon zest
How to make Lemon Curd
- First zest the lemons and set aside. Juice the lemons and strain out the pulp and seeds.
- Next whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, salt and lemon juice in a heavy bottom saucepan. Add the butter and lemon zest.
- Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the curd thickens.
- Blend briefly with an immersion blender for a silky smooth consistency.
- Cool, cover, refrigerate and serve!
Our lemon obsession
Lemon desserts are some of the best ever! Lemons make the best pie, blondies, macarons, and one of the easiest desserts in the world, Lemon Posset.
Try our Pink Lemonade Recipe for a delightful and refreshing summer beverage.
Squeeze lemon into your marinades and on your salads. You can also rub lemon juice on your hands to remove onion or garlic aromas. LOVE me some lemons!
Another popular and incredibly delicious dessert is our Lemon Cheesecake. This show-stopper is topped with our homemade lemon curd adding plenty of extra tangy lemon flavor. So good!
Lemon Tips 🍋
Lemon zest adds incredible flavor to many recipes. However, you must make sure you only zest the outer yellow layer of the lemon, and no white pith.
If you zest the white pith you’ll end up with a bitter aftertaste. For this recipe we recommend fresh, ripe organic lemons.
What if your lemons are not juicy?
Warm lemons juice much easier than cold. Don’t be afraid to microwave the whole lemon for about 15 seconds to warm it up. Repeat if needed until the lemon is slightly warm to the touch.
Also, to get the juices flowing firmly roll the lemon on a hard counter top or work surface under the palm of your hand. Don’t push too hard, but let it know who’s boss. After you roll a few times, the lemon should soften. Now you’re ready to squeeze out every last drop!
Since posting this luscious Lemon Curd back in 2011 it’s become a staple in our house. It comes out perfect every time. Give it a try and you’ll be hooked too!
Lemon Curd Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs lightly whisked
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 cup granulated sugar (222g)
- dash of salt
- ¾ cup lemon juice strained (6oz) about 4 or 5 large lemons
- ½ cup unsalted butter cubed (113g or 4oz)
- zest of 2 lemons (no white pith)
Instructions
- Zest two lemons and set aside. Juice 4 or 5 lemons or enough to make ¾ cup juice. Strain pulp and seeds before measuring.
- In a medium heavy bottom saucepan whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, salt and lemon juice until blended. Add butter and lemon zest. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the curd is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 5-8 minutes.
- For a silky smooth texture, blend briefly with an immersion or stick blender. Pour into a jar and cool. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Recipe Notes
- Makes 2 cups (2 tablespoons per serving)
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freeze lemon curd for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Lemon Curd is great on just about anything!
Lemon Cheesecake Recipe
A New York-styled lemon cheesecake with a sweet graham cracker crust, melt in your mouth filling and a nice zing from the tangy lemon curd topping.
View this Recipe
Lemon-Lime Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies
A lime infused shortbread cookie filled with homemade Lemon Curd and topped with a simple lime icing – a real summer treat!
View this Recipe
Lemon Curd Ice Cream
A bright and creamy lemon ice cream with a thick swirl of tangy lemon curd.
View this Recipe
Granny's Pound Cake
Perfect every time – great toasted or served with fruit. Also freezes beautifully
View this RecipeOriginally published July 2011, updated July 2019 and March 2024
Stephanie
How long does it keep?
Tricia Buice
Hi Stephanie. This lemon curd will keep for a week if stored properly. You can also freeze it with great success. Enjoy!
Rhonda
Amazing lemon curd and so easy. Have made it twice in two weeks. Found recipe when I made the blueberry lemon icebox cake, also made that twice. Serving lemon curd tonight in sugar cookie cups. Thanks so much for both recipes. My friends will love you when they receive their gifts of lemon curd or icebox cake…or both!!
Tricia Buice
Thank you so much Rhonda! We really appreciate the feedback. I love lemon curd 😁
Laura
Taste is wonderful. I ended up with some egg bits despite stirring constantly. Wonder if the double boiler method would help.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for trying the recipe Laura. You can use a double boiler method if you want to use an immersion blender at the end. Enjoy!
Margaret
You can also strain the curd while it is hot to get rid of the egg bits.
Rosanne
Approx how many cups does this recipe makes?
Tricia Buice
Hi Rosanne! This recipe makes about 2 cups of curd. Enjoy!
Nickoli
Instructions unclear. The egg cooked at the bottom of the pan.
Tricia Buice
Sorry you didn’t care for this lemon curd Nickoli. What part of the instructions did you not understand? If you stirred constantly while cooking the mixture, there should not have been any cooked egg at the bottom.
Jess
This was SO simple and SO good! I made it as a cheesecake topping and I really could have just eaten it by the spoonful. Anyone else in the process of making, it does take several minutes to thicken up. Mine was nearing a boil by the time it started to thicken. Anyways, turned out perfect texture, wonderfully smooth.and creamy. It reminded me a yellow starburst!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Jess! We’ve been making this curd for years and just adore it. So much lemon flavor in every spoonful. Thanks for the feedback 🙂
molly
I just made this for the second time and both batches came out perfectly–better than any I’ve tried from the store. You just can’t beat fresh and homemade! 😀 Not to mention it’s incredibly easy. I didn’t bother with the stick blender the first time, but after trying it with the second batch I’d say it’s worth the little extra effort for a creamier result. This would be a great gift.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Molly! I completely agree 🙂 We appreciate you making our recipe 😉
Amy
Can you freeze this!
Tricia Buice
Hi Amy. Yes you can freeze lemon curd. I wouldn’t keep it longer than a month or two at the most, however. Enjoy!
Norma
Looks delicious and I must make for the first time in my over seventy years.
Tricia Buice
I hope you love it as much as we do Norma! Enjoy!
Paul
Delicious. Just applied to your Lemon Cheesecake recipe and the flavors are amazing!
Can you freeze the curd? How long is it good for in the fridge?
Tricia Buice
Hi Paul. Yes you can freeze lemon curd. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week – perhaps 10 days. Enjoy! So happy you tried both recipes 😉
Basia
Just made it today as a filling for blueberry tarts, OMG amazing! Just one question, how long can this stay in fridge?
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Basia! Lemon curd will keep for a week to 10 days in well chilled. Enjoy!
Elaine R
I really like the taste of it mine didn’t thicken as much as I wanted not sure why!
Tricia Buice
Hi Elaine – maybe cook just a little longer? It thickens a lot when chilled so not sure if this comment was posted before it had a chance to set up. Thanks for trying it and for commenting!
Margot Lilley
Can it be used to make the filling for lemon meringue pie
Thank you
Tricia Buice
Hi Margot. It’s a little too sweet for pie filling and it doesn’t set up that thick. Here’s a link to a great lemon pie filling you may like: Easy Lemon Pie with White Chocolate Curls. I combined lemon curd with cream cheese for our Fresh Fruit Tarts – so good! Hope you find what you’re looking for 🙂