Lemon curd makes a delicious addition to so many desserts and toppings. This easy to make lemon curd recipe will become a favorite.
Homemade lemon curd is delicious in my recipe for lemon curd cake with lemon cream cheese frosting, in cupcakes, thumbprint cookies, lemon bars, with scones and so many other goodies. And I promise, once you make your lemon curd, you’ll think of tons of uses for it. If you are like me, you’ll be making lemon curd pretty often when you get your hands on some Meyer lemons.
Making homemade lemon curd is not nearly as complicated as it may sound. You just have to be sure not to walk away from the stove like I did the first time I made it years ago. I totally scrambled that lemon curd! Lesson learned.
I like a rich lemon curd, full of sweet and sour bite. Also, you can adjust the amount of sugar and lemon to your personal preference. This is the ratio that I prefer the most. However, be sure you do not skip the step of straining your curd. It makes all the difference!
Here’s how I make it.
Lemon Curd Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- lemon zest, optional
- 1/4 cup butter, diced and chilled
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Whisk together eggs and sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat.
- Add lemon juice and stir constantly until coats the back of a wooden spoon.
- Pour through a fine sieve strainer into a large glass bowl.
- Add the optional lemon zest and combine.
- Add one tablespoon of chilled butter at a time and stir until completely melted. Add salt and stir to combine.
- Cover curd with plastic wrap directly on top of the curd and refrigerate for one hour up to a few days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
who knew it was so easy! I’ll be trying it tomorrow or Saturday! yeah!
There is nothing better than homemade lemon curd. Yours is so bright and yellow! Love it!
I always buy lemon curd at trader joes and had no idea how ea it is to make it at home. I bet it tastes better too. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Adding the cold butter cubes at the end is very similar to making a crème pâtissière, except with lemon juice instead of cream!
Is it crazy that I become mesmerized when stirring in the cold butter? It’s like a little bit of magic happens each time.
I am really wanting to try to make my own Lemon Curd! Thanks for posting the recipe!
Too funny, our palates are on the same wavelength! Yum. Love lemon curd! I can just eat by the spoonfuls.
What do you strain it in/with?
That looks SO yummy. My kitchen better watch out when we get back in town! I miss cooking. SO. MUCH.
I followed the recipe for the lemon curd and refridgerated it overnight, when I took it out I stirred it as the butter had seperated from the eggy part, when I put it on the cooled cake it just dripped right down the sides of the cake….I took it off and added powdered sugar, it seemd to thicken it a bit but still just slid right off the cake. What did I do wrong the first time? The lemon cake tasted great with the curd and the frosting as well but looked a bit of a mess! Any ideas? I would love to try it again as the taste was wonderful. Thank you!
I had the same issue. My thought was – did I not cook it long enough? I am never sure what “until it coats the bak of the spoon” really means. It coated the back, but was the coasting thick enough? I’d love a picture of how thick the coating was supposed to be!
EXCELLENCE! I knew this would be good.
Hello Robyn!☺ I just made your recipe for lemon curd. I did add some zest as well to make that lemon pop. I just had to taste it before putting it in the refrigerator for an hour. DELICIOUS! A sunshiny lemony flavor exploding in my mouth. Thanks for the recipe. God bless and keep you.❤
Andrea, thank you. I’m glad you like that lemon flavor as much as I do.