• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Girl Heart Food®
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Sauce, Spread and Seasoning Recipes

    Easy Lemon Curd Recipe

    Published: July 26, 2018 Updated: August 22, 2019 / By: Dawn | Girl Heart Food 41 Comments

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    Jar of homemade lemon curd.

    Ever wondered how to make lemon curd? Look no further! With just a handful of simple ingredients you could make your own easy lemon curd from scratch. This easy lemon curd recipe is tart, not too sweet and ultra lemony. Ready to make it?

    Jar of homemade lemon curd next to lemon halves.

    Hi friends!

    How about an easy homemade lemon curd recipe? Once you make your own, there’s no going back to store-bought. It’s just too easy (and tasty).

    I used curd in lemon cream tarts a while back. I decided that this deliciousness needs to shine on its own.

    So today, I’ve brought you simple step by step instructions on how to make lemon curd right in your own kitchen!

    Lemon Curd Versus Lemon Pie Filling

    Lemon curd is a type of preserve made simply from lemon, butter, eggs and sugar and a pinch of salt. 

    You can actually make a variety of fruit curds, like grapefruit, pineapple or orange. Today, though, it’s lemon!

    The difference between curd vs pie filling is primarily the thickening agents, the thickness and potency of lemon flavour.

    The thickeners in curd are actually the egg yolks and pectin in the fruit. 

    Whereas, lemon pie filling typically has a thickening agent, like cornstarch. 

    Also, pie filling is typically thicker than curd. Flavour-wise, curd is a lot more potent and punchy in lemon flavour than lemon pie filling too.

    Ingredients for a homemade lemon curd recipe.

    How To Make Lemon Curd

    Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

    1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
    2. Add sugar and salt and stir to combine.
    3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add lemon zest.
    4. Then add lemon juice.
    5. Finally, add egg yolks. Then, place the saucepan back on the heat and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
    6. The curd is ready when it’s thick enough to cover the back of a spoon.
    7. Pour the curd into a strainer (that’s over a bowl).
    8. Strain curd through a sieve and press with a spatula. This will remove any solids, especially those egg solids.
    9. When the curd is pressed through a sieve, pour into a glass jar, allow to cool slightly, cover, and refrigerate. It will thicken further as it cools (and it’s best enjoyed when cooled, if ya ask me). Told ya it was easy!
    Collage of steps to make a homemade lemon curd recipe.

    Ways To Enjoy Lemon Curd

    • Fold cooled curd into whipped cream for a delicious dessert topping
    • Enjoy over Greek yogurt
    • Dollop over granola and berries
    • Spoon over vanilla ice cream for an extra special treat
    • Eat straight from the jar!
    • Spread over toast
    • Use in no bake dessert in a jar
    Overhead shot of a jar of homemade lemon curd.

    Tips for Making This Recipe

    • Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
    • Just melt the butter. You don’t want it too hot.
    • Add the lemon juice to the melted butter before adding eggs to cool down the butter. You don’t want scrambled eggs.
    • Once you start making the lemon curd, whisk, whisk, whisk!
    • While optional, I like to strain the cooked lemon curd through a sieve to remove any egg solids. This makes for a creamier lemon curd.
    Spoonful of homemade lemon curd from a jar.

    More Easy Lemon Recipes

    • Baked Coconut and Lemon Donuts
    • No Bake Lemon Cheesecake

    I’ve made other curds in the past too. Perhaps I’ll share one of those another day.

    If you make this lemon curd recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!

    Jar of homemade lemon curd next to lemon halves.

    Easy Lemon Curd Recipe

    Dawn | Girl Heart Food
    Ever wondered how to make lemon curd? Look no further! With just a handful of simple ingredients you could make your own easy lemon curd from scratch. This easy lemon curd recipe is tart, not too sweet and ultra lemony. Ready to make it?
    5 from 16 votes
    Print Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Cooling Time 2 hours hrs
    Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
    Course Condiment
    Servings 20 tablespoons, approximately (1.25 cups)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    • ¼ cup unsalted butter
    • ⅓ cup sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 5 large egg yolks

    Instructions

    • Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
    • To butter, add sugar and salt and whisk for 1 to 2 minutes.
    • Remove the saucepan from the heat and add lemon juice, lemon zest and egg yolks, whisking to combine.
    • Place the saucepan back on the heat and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 8 to 10 minutes. Don't boil.
    • Remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any egg solids. This makes your lemon curd extra creamy!
      Tip: You can use a spoon or spatula to encourage the curd to go through the sieve, while leaving any solid bits. 
    • Pour the curd into a storage jar. Allow the curd to cool slightly, cover, then store in the refrigerator. Mixture will further thicken as it cools. Enjoy within 3 to 5 days.

    Notes

    • Use a heavy-bottomed pot.
    • Just melt the butter.
    • Add the lemon juice to the butter before adding eggs to cool down the butter. You don’t want scrambled eggs.
    • Once you start making the lemon curd, whisk, whisk, whisk!
    • While optional, I like to strain the cooked lemon curd through a sieve to remove any egg solids. This makes for a creamier lemon curd.

    A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

    © Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.

    Keyword easy lemon curd recipe, fruit curd

    Tried this recipe?

    If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!

    « Strawberry Mango Kefir Ice Pops
    Roasted Blueberry Goat Cheese Crostini Recipe »
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    © Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      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.

    1. Nini

      February 14, 2022 at 11:46 pm

      5 stars
      Just made this with Meyer lemons… I had never made curd before and this was so easy and so, so delicious! I could just eat the entire thing with a spoon!

      Reply
      • Dawn | Girl Heart Food

        February 15, 2022 at 5:37 pm

        Thank you kindly!! So happy you enjoyed!!

        Reply
    2. Bernice Hill

      August 17, 2018 at 4:11 am

      Perfect curd! You really can’t skip that strainer step no matter how careful you are. Curd is so delicious and versatile…

      Reply
      • Girl Heart Food

        August 17, 2018 at 11:16 am

        Totally!! Thank you so much Bernice 🙂

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    Profile picture of Dawn from Girl Heart Food.

    Hi, I'm Dawn! Welcome to Girl Heart Food, a food blog that's all about easy comfort food recipes (especially cheesy recipes) that'll satisfy your taste buds and make your belly happy. Have a look around and find something that'll inspire you to get into the kitchen and whip up something delicious to enjoy today!

    More about Girl Heart Food →

    Currently Trending

    • Stack of six cheesy ground beef quesadillas.
      Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
    • Old-fashioned cabbage rolls with tomato sauce and dill garnish in a serving dish.
      Old-Fashioned Cabbage Rolls (Inspired by Nan)
    • Cheesy baked broccoli and cauliflower in a dish.
      Broccoli Cauliflower Bake (Vegetable au Gratin)
    • Ground turkey rice bowl.
      Ground Turkey Rice Bowls
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for emails & updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2023 Girl Heart Food Inc.

    Girl Heart Food® is a Registered Trademark.

    Use of this Website constitutes acceptance of its Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.