Smooth, creamy, tangy Homemade Lemon Curd. Easier to make than many recipes and so good that it will have you wanting to use it over and over again!
Basic Recipes
I don’t think I’ve ever shared recipes for ‘basics’. Meaning, I’ll make BBQ sauce for a recipe, and give you the directions for the sauce to use in the recipe, but don’t post it on it’s own.
Today though, I’m going to work on changing that! I want to give tips for recipes that you can use in multiple ways. Like lemon curd.
Lemon Curd
Lemon curd is a recipe I use frequently. And honestly, it can be tough to make just right. After years of experimenting and tweaking it, I have some tips to help you have the most creamy, smooth, zesty lemon curd.
What are uses for lemon curd?
My favorite use for lemon curd is as a cake filling! Tomorrow I will be sharing a cake that uses the lemon curd as part of the filling.
Lemon curd can also be used for:
- Cupcake filling
- Pancake topping
- Crepe filling
- Bread topping
- In bread, cake, cupcakes, cookies bars
And those are just a few ideas. There are a number of great recipes online you can find!
Ingredients for Homemade Lemon Curd:
The ingredients for this recipe are:
- Unsalted butter
- Fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon zest
- Large eggs
- Sugar
- Salt
I rarely use salted butter as I want the most control possible over the amount of salt in my dishes. However, if you have salted butter, you can still use it and reduce or leave out the added salt.
Tips for making Homemade Lemon Curd:
For years I only used my family’s lemon curd recipe. With that recipe I would slowly add the eggs into the melted butter and sugar.
I made it so often that I didn’t think about there being any issues with it. However, one day when I was in a hurry, I mixed the eggs in too fast, and ended up with little scrambled eggs in my curd. It was a lightbulb moment that people who don’t make it frequently could easily do the same thing with the recipe.
I worked on different methods until I found a way to make it that significantly reduces the chance of scrambled eggs in the lemon curd!
- Step 1: Cream butter, lemon zest and sugar until lightened.
- Step 2: Mix in eggs, one at a time, until well combined.
- Step 3: Mix in lemon juice and salt until combined.
- Step 4: Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened to a point that the curd will coat the back of a spoon. Optional: Use a double boiler.
- Step 5 (Optional): Strain curd if you have any thickened bits of curd or egg bits.
Creaming the eggs with the other ingredients before they are hot significantly reduces the chances of having cooked egg pieces in your lemon curd.
Final tip: Avoid using a metal pot or metal spoon/whisk. This can give the lemon curd a bit of a metallic taste.
This Homemade Lemon Curd is an easy, delicious recipe with a variety of great uses!
Homemade Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- 2 large eggs
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Use electric mixer with whisk attachment to mix butter, sugar, and lemon zest until lightened and creamy.
- Mix in eggs, one a time, until well combined. Scrape down sides as needed.
- Mix in salt and lemon juice until well mixed. Note: Mixture will have a curdled appearance.
- Pour mixture in a saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until mixture has thickened to the point that it will coat the back of a spoon (about 10-15 minutes). Note: Do not use a metal saucepan or metal utensils as it can cause the lemon curd to have a metallic taste.
- Remove from heat. Optional: If you have clumps in your lemon curd that bother you, you can strain the curd at this point.
- Cover and refrigerate. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Wait until lemon curd has cooled before using as a filling.
Disclaimer: All nutritional information provided on this website is an estimate only and is not guaranteed.
If you enjoyed this Homemade Lemon Curd, you may also enjoy these other SugarSpicesLife recipes:
Cookie Press Lemon Cookies
Lemon Butter Bars
Lemon Zucchini Bread
Sheet Pan Lemon Chicken with Vegetables
Lemon Strawberry Cake
