Name: Homemade Lemon Curd
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 1/3 cups sugar; 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest; 4 large eggs plus 4 large egg yolks; 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice I used organic; 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt; 10 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces (I used vegan sticks)

This homemade lemon curd comes together in 10 minutes and with just 5 ingredients! All you need to do is whisk it all together and you’ll have a delicious spread to use in so many ways!

This lemon curd is just amazing and so refreshing! To be totally honest, we even eat it with just a spoon. It sometimes does not make it for whatever recipe it was intended (like this fluffy and gorgeous Angel Food Cake)! It is seriously that good! Since we love Angel Food Cake so much, there is usually a batch of homemade lemon curd here about once or twice a month.

How much do you love lemons?

Are lemon bars what you dream about?
Is lemon ricotta cake your favorite dessert?
Are you crazy for lemon meringue pie?

Our homemade lemon curd comes together in just minutes and is so creamy and full of wonderful tart lemon flavor with just the right amount of sweetness. Homemade lemon curd is so much better than store-bought, which has all these extra ingredients that let it have a long shelf life. You could spread it on and scones. Perfect to have with waffles or pancakes. Use it in your favorite Bundt cake recipe or fill a tart and make the most elegant dessert.

What is Lemon Curd?

Lemon curd is a a buttery and sweet dessert topping (or spread)that has lovely tart lemon flavor. You can make it with 5 ingredients with a whisk and a sauce pan on your stove top and use it in so many recipes. If you are a lemon fan, this recipe is just for you!

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE LEMON CURD

Making lemon curd at home is really simple. You won’t ever need to buy lemon curd at the store again! This recipe is fool-proof, takes less than 10 minutes, and makes about 1 1/2 cups lemon curd.

You’ll need a 2-quart saucepan, a whisk, a fine mesh strainer (if you want to strain the lemon zest after cooking). If you aren’t using it immediately (for like a tart like this Lemon Curd Tart)you’ll need a clean glass jar with an airtight lid to store the lemon curd. Butter and eggs should be at room temperature, which makes it so much easier to whisk and get a smooth curd.

Whisk all the ingredients together in the saucepan over low-medium heat until the curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk, which could take about 8 minutes. Be sure to keep on stirring and stirring until the curd is smooth. Try have your family (and yourself!) resist from eating it while it’s still warm! This lemon curd is dairy-free, as we made it with vegan butter sticks. Whether you make it with butter or the dairy-free version, it is still delicious!

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Print Recipe

Homemade Lemon Curd

This homemade lemon curd comes together in 10 minutes and with just 5 ingredients! All you need to do is whisk it all together and you'll have a delicious spread to use in so many ways!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: lemon, lemon curd

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
4 large eggs plus 4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice I used organic
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces I used vegan sticks

Instructions

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the colored zest from the lemons, leaving the white pith and add the zest to your sauce pan.
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and eggs in a small saucepan on medium heat, whisking constantly.
Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking the entire time for at least 10 minutes.
Place the diced butter in a medium bowl.
Place the pan over medium heat and add in the butter (or vegan butter). Stir until the butter has melted. Keep stirring until the curd is thick enough to coat back of a wooden spoon. Take care not to boil and to whisk very quickly; 5-7 minutes.
Spoon out the curd over a fine-mesh sieve into a glass bowl. Be sure to spoon it out a small portion at a time into the sieve. Place plastic wrap over the surface of the curd let the lemon curd cool slightly. If using for a lemon tart, spoon into tart shell. Leave in refrigerator to cool down if you are using for another recipe.

Notes

Freezing Instructions: The lemon curd can freeze for to 3-6 months. Simply thaw in the refrigerator.
Thicker Lemon Curd: For thicker lemon curd, replace 2 of the egg yolks with 1 whole egg. This means you will use 2 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg. Keep the rest of the recipe and instructions the same.
Lemon Juice: This recipe is not the same with bottled lemon juice. Be sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice only.
Butter: You can use salted butter instead of unsalted butter and just omit the salt that is in the recipe. We have made this with butter and with vegan butter sticks. Either way, it's delicious. So if you have someone dairy-free, make it with the Earth Balance butter sticks (or your favorite vegan sticks).

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