Saving Room for Dessert

Delicious easy-to-follow recipes for food lovers!

Homemade Lemon Curd

5 from 13 votes

Homemade Lemon Curd tastes like crustless lemon pie and is great served over Angel Food Cake, Pound Cake, Biscuits, Scones or pancakes!

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Tangy, bright and ultra-creamy, Homemade Lemon Curd!

A jar of homemade lemon curd on a plate

Lemon Curd is great on biscuits, pancakes, pound cake, angel food cake, muffins, or just about anything!

This easy peasy treat has been my go-to lemon curd recipe for almost a decade. It’s a lovely lemon sauce that’s easy to make, and tastes out of this world fantastic. Why buy expensive lemon curd when you can make your own at home for pennies, 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
  • unsalted butter
  • lemon zest
A jar of homemade lemon curd on a plate with a spoon

How to make homemade 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!

If you’re been with us for a while, you probably know we have a small 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.

Don’t miss this Lemon Curd Pound Cake with Limoncello Glaze, too. What a treat.

Lemon Ice Cream with a blackberry swirl is so good, you’ll want to keep a batch in the freezer all summer.

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!

 

A sealed jar of creamy lemon curd with a spoon

This is an easy lemon curd recipe that comes together in minutes.

If you’ve got extra lemons, don’t let them go to waste. Make a batch or two of this easy lemon curd and share a jar with your favorite friends or family. They’ll love you for it!

Made with just a few simple ingredients you probably have on hand already: sugar, salt, eggs, butter, lemon juice and lemon zest. The curd cooks up in about 10 minutes making it great for a quick topping for just about anything.

 

Take care when zesting your lemons:

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 made end up with a bitter aftertaste. For this recipe we recommend fresh, ripe organic lemons.

What if your lemons are not very 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!

An overhead view of a jar of creamy lemon curd

Lemon Curd tastes like a crustless spreadable pie filling!

Since originally posting this luscious Lemon Curd way 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!

Thanks for PINNING!

a small jar of homemade lemon curd

 

Let’s be baking friends! If you make our recipe please feel free to leave a comment on this post. I’m sure your experience and insights will help all our readers, and it helps me too. If you’re on Pinterest feel free to leave a comment and photo there if you have one!

If you share on INSTAGRAM tag @savingroomfordessert so we can stop by and give your post some love. FOLLOW Saving Room for Dessert on FACEBOOK| INSTAGRAM| PINTEREST | TWITTER  and subscribe to our YOUTUBE channel for all the latest recipes, videos and updates.

 

Homemade Lemon Curd

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8
Course: Dessert Sauce
Author: Tricia
Pin RecipePrint RecipeRate Recipe
5 from 13 votes
A lemony sauce that tastes just like a crustless lemon pie! Great served with pancakes, waffles, biscuits, scones, pound cake and angel food cake

Ingredients

  • 2 whole eggs, and 1 egg yolk lightly whisked
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • dash of salt
  • ¾ cup lemon juice (about 4 large lemons)
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
  • zest of 2 lemons

Instructions

  • Zest two lemons and set aside. Juice 4 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 thickened and coats the back of the spoon.
  • For a silky smooth texture, blend briefly with an immersion or stick blender.
  • Cool for at least 10 minutes then cover and refrigerate until chilled. Serve over cake, muffins, pancakes or waffles!

Recipe Notes

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 18mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Here are a few more recipes you might enjoy:

Sliced Lemon Cheesecake on a cake platter
Lemon Cheesecake topped with our easy homemade lemon curd
sliced pound cake on a platter
Our favorite Pound Cake Recipe is delicious topped with lemon curd. Try toasting a slice of cake then spread with lemon curd – so good!
Lemon Curd Cookies decorated with a simple icing.
Lemon-Lime Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies are made with Lemon Curd. They’re a tasty and fun summer cookie!
Originally published July 2011, updated July 2016

Free Email Bonus

Weeknight Dinners Made Easy

Tips & recipes for delicious meals...no matter your skill level

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

73 Comments

  2. Rhonda

    5 stars
    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!!

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  6. Jess

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply

  7. molly

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply

  10. Paul

    5 stars
    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?

    Reply

  11. Basia

    5 stars
    Just made it today as a filling for blueberry tarts, OMG amazing! Just one question, how long can this stay in fridge?

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Jackie. A stick or immersion blender is a hand-held kitchen tool that is used to blend sauces and soups. You can place the end of the immersion blender (with the blade) down into a pot of soup, press the button and blend without having to pour the hot liquid into the carafe of a regular blender. The blender is small enough that you can hold it in one hand. I love my stick blender and use it all the time. Great for smoothies too 😉

      Reply

  16. Maria

    sorry to say, not my favorite. Lemon curd is made much better using egg yolks only. This recipe tasted good but it took way too long to thicken, and was more jammy than creamy.

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      I’ve never had trouble with the recipe and have made it for years. Jam doesn’t usually have eggs in it so not sure how this turned out jammy. Sorry you didn’t enjoy it but we appreciate you trying the recipe and taking the time to comment.

      Reply

  17. N Wakershauser

    5 stars
    Made lemon Curd and English Muffins – Heavenly. Cannot find online recipe for pound cake with lemon Curd – plz send link

    Thanks
    NRW
    Minneapolis MN

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Minneapolis! The link to our regular pound cake is at the end of this post. I don’t have a lemon curd pound cake, but that sounds pretty terrific. Sorry if the post was misleading. Glad you enjoyed the lemon curd. I just love this stuff!

      Reply

  19. Heather M. Whipple

    This looks good.
    I would rather use my ceramic non stick pot for this instead of a heavy bottom pot. Since I am already going to use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture anyway.

    Reply

  21. Karen

    How long can lemon curd be stored in the refrigerator?
    If I sealed it in a water bath canner, how long can it sit on a shelf?

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Karen – I have never canned lemon curd but here’s a good post about processing it for longer storage. Lemon curd will keep at least a week or up to two. Click HERE for canning information. This is a terrific curd, hope you give it a try!

      Reply

  24. Margie Bailey

    Great recipe for lemon curd. Was wondering if I can use it for lemon meringue pie if I add some gelatin or cornstarch to it. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you for a great recipe.

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Margie – thanks for the feedback – we really love this curd too. I was thinking about your question. I made mini-tarts with the curd mixed with cream cheese that turned out wonderful – you can see that recipe here – https://www.savingdessert.com/fresh-fruit-tarts/ I’m not sure about adding gelatin and cornstarch as the filling in pies is normally thickened with eggs, which the curd already has. Blending it with whipped cream or cream cheese would make a lovely filling, but it will have a completely different texture than Lemon Meringue Pie. Perhaps doubling the curd recipe and adding more eggs would work. I would study some Lemon Meringue Pie recipes and compare the differences. Thanks for the great question – I’ll have to think about this!

      Reply

  25. Jean

    We love this lemon delight…and the name of your blog. My daughters and I are allergic to wheat and corn. We have found several good pancake recipes. And now we have your delightful lemon curd to top them off…yum.

    Reply

  26. Becky

    This was so easy to make and so yummy! I’ll definately make it again. I must not have whisked my egg mixture enough as I had some cooked egg whites when done. I simply strained it and it was fine.

    Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Thanks for the feedback Becky – we love this stuff and could sit and eat it with a spoon! Straining is always a great idea when working with eggs – and love the smooth texture. Thanks again and have a very Happy New Year!

      Reply

    • Tricia Buice

      Hi Rhonda. I don’t know if you can since there are eggs in the curd. I’ll research and let you know if I find out anything about canning curd. Great question – thanks so much.

      Reply

  29. Ellen

    Where did you get those Weck jars? Are they large? I was looking for a small tulip size maybe 3/4 cup size. The only ones I could find were huge…Thanks for the tip!

    Reply

  30. Barefeet In The Kitchen

    Hi Tricia, I adore lemon curd and have had it on my list of things to try making for ages. I think I'll move it to this week's list now. You are making me crave it! I emailed you a few days ago, but haven't heard back, so I'll leave my email here like you requested barefeetinthekitchen @ gmail . com<br /><br />Have a great day!

    Reply

  31. Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow

    Oh, Tricia! This is right up my alley of favorite kinds of desserts! Lemon "turd" and pound cake! LOL! It is so sweet that your hubby is interested! I'm sure he enjoys the wonderful benefits of your cooking passion! I'm trying to cut back right now, but this one will be on my bucket list of recipes after I make a little headway with the weight! LOL! blessings ~ tanna

    Reply

  32. Nienke

    Thank you! This looks so delicious. I also have a lemon obsession. So this is one I'll have to make soon! I think it's a good topping for the lemon cupcakes I bake often. Hmm can't wait to taste this!

    Reply

Weeknight Dinners Made Easy

FREE EMAIL BONUS

Tips & recipes for delicious meals...

no matter your skill level!