This Lemon Curd recipe with ideas on how to use it is addicting. This is the most amazing lemon curd you’ll ever eat. Smooth, creamy and oh so good! 6 ingredients, 25 minutes and you’ll have a tasty treat that will make you happy!
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As I was sitting down to write this post, my daughter sits next to me and says, “Is that the yummy lemon sauce you make mommy?”
Why yes, yes it is!
So here’s the story of the curd.
Really it’s just one of my stories regarding lemon curd, and all are about my family being obsessed with how good this tastes!
I made lemon curd one day which smell’s absolutely divine.
(Photo of Lemon Buttercream Frosting using Lemon Curd to flavor the frosting!)
After making the lemon curd, I pop it into the fridge to chill.
As I was preparing the curd for photos, I offer each of my children a spoon dipped in curd.
This was the great mistake of my life.
I should NOT have offered a taste BEFORE I took photos.
My 1 year old LOVES this Lemon Curd immediately upon first taste.
(Photo of pure lemon curd ready to be used!)
My 4 year old, watches the 1 year old with great curiosity – will he die, will it poison him?
Will he shutter and shriek and gasp for air from it’s horrid flavor?
No. In fact, he asked for more.
And not in a polite way, but in an urgent you MUST GIVE ME MORE kind of way.
So my 4 year old sees this {world’s pickiest eater} and decides she’ll take the smallest of tastes.
She then falls in LOVE with it and joins her brother in BEGGING for more!
Now imagine her doing EVERYTHING in her power to get another {ok, like 4th} taste of it and my trying to shoo her away so I can take a photo of it.
Well she wasn’t giving up.
(Photo of Lemon Curd Mousse. Lemon Curd on bottom with a Lemon Curd Whipped Cream on top)
So imagine me holding the jar of curd and running from the kitchen to the front entry way.
I then turn the corner to the living room, then to the dining room, and back to the kitchen.
I’m literally looping my house in an effort to keep her from sticking her fingers in my perfect lemon curd.
After about 5 or 6 loops around with my 1 year old watching, not sure what to think, and my 4 year old who is determined to tackle me and take the curd.
All of this is happening while we are both shrieking and laughing.
I finally give up and make a deal with her.
(Photo of No Bake Lemon Cheesecake topped with Lemon Curd)
I’ll give her ONE more spoon full if she’ll let me take some pictures of it.
We agree and call a truce.
HOWEVER, every time I whipped it out for making something with it, I would discover her sticking her fingers in it for a quick taste!
As you can see, this was the most eventful, exercise inducing, delicious treat we’ve had in a long time.
Both my kids LOVED it and we adults thought it was especially yummy!
Homemade Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 3 lemons, zested
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cup white sugar
- 5 large eggs
- Pinch of salt
- 3/4 Cup Butter (1 1/2 sticks of butter cut into 1 Tablespoon sections = 12 Tablespoons total)
Instructions
Tip: Zest lemons before juicing. This is MUCH easier to do!
In a saucepan, add lemon zest, lemon juice, white sugar, eggs and salt. Mix well.
Place saucepan on burner and turn to medium heat.
Whisk continually for 15 minutes. This is to prevent egg from curdling. Curd will begin to thicken between 10 and 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove from heat and add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking until melted and mixed in.
Pour curd through a fine mesh strainer. This will remove the zest and any partially cooked egg.
Chill curd for 3 hours or overnight. Curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
Notes
Curd can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks in either a quart jar or a sealed container.
Yum! I was discussing my love for all things lemon today with a co-worker. I’d surely love this!
Leslie, all things lemon is right! I am a lover of them too! Stay tuned for more lemon recipes!
Are the eggs just yokes only, or are you using the whites as well? Kent Jardine.
I use the entire egg – 5 full eggs, yellow & whites. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
What a fun post ( I love when kids want more of something in an urgent way) and a fabulous recipe! I can’t wait to try it out!
Thanks Jen! I hope you do love it!
you don’t say how to store and how long can you keep it. Can you put in half pint jars?
Hi Melissa! You can store it in any kind of glass jar with a lid or any tupperware type container with a lid. It will store for up to 2 weeks in the fridge. I’ve updated the recipe to reflect this! I hope you enjoy it!
Please try to print for me.
Hi Linda! I’m sorry but I cannot print the recipe for you. Where the recipe is on the website, right next to the name (on the recipe part) it should say to the right of it PRINT. Click on that and your computer and printer should then work together to print it for you! Thanks for stopping by! I hope that helps!
Can I can the curd and pressure it to keep it longer that the 2 weeks?
Hi Lindsey, That is a great question! I would think so but did a quick Google Search to see if you could (because of the egg content) and the answer is YES! However after canning you’ll still want to use it within 3-4 months. Here is a helpful chart I found
Table 1. Recommended process time for Canned Lemon Curd in a boiling-water canner.
Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack Jar Size 0 – 1,000 ft 1,001 – 6,000 ft Above 6,000 ft
Hot Half-pints 15 min 20 25
Original chart found on National Center for Food Preparation
sounds wonderful. Do you think it would be possible to substitute oranges and orange zest using your recipe? Or would this only work with lemons?
You can absolutely use oranges!! I’ve used this recipe with both Limes for lime curd Lime curd as well as raspberries for raspberry curd and both turned out FANTASTIC!! I also tried it with strawberries but that was blah. I would not recommend strawberries. Oranges however I would 100% recommend!
Thanks so much for this yummy recipe, I’ve just made it and my whole house smells amazing! Just wondering if I end up not using it up in time (unlikely but you never know!) have you had any luck freezing this? Many thanks x
Hi Gabriella! Sorry to not respond right away. We were doing some website stuff and I wasn’t allowed to do ANYTHING on the website for a while and am now just getting to comments. I’ve never tried freezing it. If you do freeze it, let me know how it turns out!
Sounds wonderfully delicious!! What do you serve it with?
Hi Monica! I am so excited that you are interested in lemon curd! A few of my favorite ways to use lemon curd (aside from eating it by itself!) is to layer it with whipped cream for a tasty and easy dessert, use it as a filling for cupcakes or as a filling between layers of a cake. It’s also tasty in thumbprint cookies! It also makes a GREAT gift! If you do try it, let me know how you used it! Enjoy!
I put it in phyllo cups and it was a nice appetizer.
Dianne that is a GREAT idea! What a tasty dessert or appetizer! I am going to have to try this idea next time I made curd for sure! Thanks for the tip!
Hi! This might sound like a silly question, but I was hoping you might answer so I can try this later tonight- I am making some candied lemon peels. If I want to use the peels for that and then the lemon fruit/juice to make curd, does it severely negatively impact the flavor/consistency to leave out the zest?
Candied lemon peels? YUMMY! I’ve done candied orange peels and they were tasty! The lemon zest does add quite a bit of flavor to the curd. However you can make it without the zest, it just wont be as flavorful. If you do make it without the zest, let me know how it turns out! I’ve never tried that myself and can’t wait to hear what your thoughts are!
I have been looking for this recipe for ages. I can’t wait to try it. I would like to find a recipe foe biscuit pudding. Thanks .
Hi Melvin! I’m so glad you’ve found a recipe for Homemade Lemon Curd. I have made this MULTIPLE times and absolutely LOVE it. I’m not familiar with Biscuit pudding. Does it go by another name?
I am SO excited to make this! My son came home from Christmas and surprised me with Sunshine Yellow Lemons straight from the tree in Phoenix. They smell like little bursts of sunshine! I have picked them before, while visiting there and another time had him send me some. I made several things, including a lemon orange hummus, which was delightful spread on crisps, and have been hunting a new recipe. :0)
I am 100% jealous! I used to have a meyer lemon tree and it was amazing! Nothing beats fresh lemons for sure! Well give this lemon curd a try and then open yourself up to a million possibilities on how to use it! Yum Yum!
I love lemon but I hate zest – have you ever cheated and used lemon juice from a bottle?
Hi Shirley! I have made this with lemon juice from the bottle and it comes out bitter. Don’t worry about the zest. Follow the directions as given WITH the zest. After it cooks, you’ll see that you run the mixture through a fine mesh sleeve and filter out the zest. So all you’re left with is creamy ZEST FREE curd. 🙂 Trust me, you wont regret it!
Hello! I love everything lemon!! I have a question, my apologies. Would that be salted or unsalted butter?? I love to cook but I know that baking is a science. Thank you for a yummy recipe, can’t wait to try..
Gloria, not a silly question at all! And I love questions so never hesitate. Honestly, it wont matter. I know all the professionals out there swear by unsalted butter for some things and salted for others, but I have never been able to tell the difference when I’ve cooked or baked with it. The salt amount is so minimal. So I use salted for EVERYTHING. And I’ve never had an issue. So I say use whatever you have in the fridge! Just make sure it’s real butter! Thank you so much for your comment! I hope you like it as much as we do!
I just made this today. Fabulous recipe. Made it exactly as the recipe stated. Thank you so much for sharing. I am using it as the filling in a lemon chiffon cake.
Anita your cake sounds absolutely delicious! I’m so glad you loved it! I’ve actually got some curd in my fridge that I’ve been snacking on because it’s so good! Thank you so much for your fabulous review!
What do you recommend eating the lemon curd with? Besides a spoon, of course. 🙂 Trying to think of a way to use it in a dessert.
Oh man Chellie! The list is endless but a few of my favorite ways are: Lemon Curd Mousse (on this website) or No Bake Lemon Curd Cheesecake (on this website). You can also use it in thumb print cookies instead of jam and bake according to your and in lemon bars. For Lemon Bars make your crust as directed then just pour your curd on top of your crust. Bake according to your lemon bar directions, chill and enjoy. I have a tasty version of Coconut Lime Bars on this site which uses Lime Curd of which you can substitute for Lemon Curd. I also like to use it as a filling for cakes and cupcakes. I hope this helps give you a few tasty ideas!
I love adding it to plain yogurt for a healthy treat!
Teresa, that is a fantastic idea! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe gets Five Stars from me! So easy, so tasty! Tis the season for all things lemon. Summer is coming. I’m pinning this on my Pinterest. My daughter loves it (I’m secretly eating it now!…So yummy!) She’s back for another spoonful. “It’s soooo good!”
Pauline, well you’ve just made my day! What a fabulous compliment! Sounds like you and your daughter have great taste in good food! so glad you loved it. I suspect it will be a repeat recipe in your family as it is in ours!
Hi Janelle,
I’m going to be making this tomorrow (I want to put it in a lemon bundt cake!) and I was wondering if you had an idea of how many tsp/tsbp the zest of three lemons is? I live in India and the size of the lemons here is considerably smaller than in the US/UK.
Thanks very much in advance 🙂 x
Hi Niyati! 1 lemon zested = approximately 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. So I would go with 3 teaspoons of lemon zest. Adding this to a lemon bundt cake sounds like a divine idea! Thank you so much for your comment! Let me know how it turns out!
Janelle, as soon as I get a few more lemons I am going to try this. I have been making lemon curd for years – some in double boilers and more recently I have done it in the microwave and it turns out very well. However, I love the sound of your recipe and it sounds so smooth and sounds like it makes a little more than mine. I use it at Christmas especially when I have an open house and sell sewing and baking. I make delicious shortbread tarts and put the lemon curd in them. They go like hot cakes. Thanks for the “new” recipe.
Betty it sounds like I need an invitation to your next open house! Your tarts sound divine!
Hi Janelle,
I want to use this as the filling for a lemon merangue pie. Does it lend itself to that or would it be too rich?
Thanks!
Pat
Hi Patticia! Yes the curd “should” work well in a Lemon Meringue Pie. I’ve never tried it myself (though it’s on my list for next time I make lemon curd) but I would whip up the curd as usual, pour into pre-baked pie crust. Whip up your Meringue and place on curd then bake! If you try it before I do, then let me know how it turned out!
Hi Janelle,
First off I would like to say this curd is A- maze-ing!! I don’t know if you have gotten round to making a lemon meringue pie yet- if not you must!! I made one a couple of Sunday’s ago for a family meal and everyone loved it! Not a single crumb was left!!
I am currently baking another as I write this- the smell is delish!!
I had never made one before until a couple of Sunday’s ago. I made it just as you described above and it worked like a charm.
Thank you for such a delicious recipe, I will be sure to pass it on to my little girl when she is old enough!!
Sophie, yayyyyy!!! So so so happy to hear that this lemon curd was such a success for you! The meringue pie sounds absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing! Makes me happy to hear that my recipe will be passed on to future generations in your family! Thanks so much for your comment!
Hello Janelle, recipe calls for 5 eggs… would that be whole eggs or egg yolk only? please clarify! would love to try making this but don’t want to put time and ingredient
in something that will end up in trash bin due to type error.
Thanks, Janelle
Hi Melbie! The recipe calls for 5 eggs, which means the entire egg. It’s delicious and I hope you do make it!
Does the butter need to be at room temperature?
Hi Melissa! No! Cold, or room temperature doesn’t matter. I’ve done both. It melts right into the curd so you are good either way! I hope you love it!
I love love anything lemon and want to make this right away!! I do not own a mess strainer. Will is taste ok if it’s not strained?
Lori, you don’t have to strain it but it will be chunky if you don’t. Trust me, you WANT to strain it. You can get a cheap mesh strainer at goodwill or walmart and it will be well worth the investment!
Hi. I see were every one loves the curd. An english friend gave me her reicpe . In hers you cook it over a double boiler. It doesen’t get scorched. I have used pianeapple juice in there taste grand. Or mix the orange & pineapple yum. . Also if you cant find juice I have used the real. Lemon juice add a pinch more juice. If you are in a hot spot you can had 3-5 tblsp of the frozen or unfrozen concentrate.
Great suggestions Kathy! All sound amazing!
My daughter made this lemon curd tonight and it turned out great! So easy too! Placed in mason jars and added a pretty ribbon. Makes a wonderful gift for lemon lovers.
Sue I’m so glad to hear you loved it! Make sure to give a few suggestions on how to use it. If they’ve never had lemon curd they might be confused on what to do with it. 🙂 Thanks for your comment! You’ve made my day!
Hi I was wondering if you woukd let me know the equivalent of a cup measure (as in oz) please. I would love to make this delicious lemon curd recipe . Thank you.
In the United States, there are 8 ounces in a cup. A quick google search will give you a guide to any conversion you are looking for.
My favourite use of lemon curd is for breakfast on lightly toasted Panettone after Christmas. A Delicious treat.
Olivia I’ve never thought to do that! Great idea! Now I’m dying to try it!
Can you use stevia or trivia in place of sugar?
I’ve never tried but I would think so. Though I can’t tell you how much since I personally never use Stevia or Trivia.
I have made lemon meringue cupcakes with store bought lemon curd and I can’t wait to try this recipe for homemade lemon curd. I simply core lemon cupcakes and place lemon curd inside, then top with meringue and place in oven ’til the meringue is golden. Soo yummy!!
Maria, this homemade lemon curd will be perfect for your cupcakes! Thanks for looking into my recipe! I hope you find that it is delicious and successful for your cupcakes!
Yummy goodness and so easy to make!!
Thanks Denise! It certainly is a favorite of ours!
This sounds like what I need to go on peach cobbler. I have made a lemon sauce almost like this but this sounds better. Poured over warm peach cobbler…delicious.
I’ve never thought of putting this on Peach Cobbler, but now I’m dying to know how it tastes! YUM!! Great idea!
I am making a layered lemon cake with lemon buttercream and a homemade raspberry compote for in between the 4 layers. Would substituting lemon curd for 2 of the layers be a lemon overload? Just need an opinion from an experienced baker.
A lot of that will depend on what lemon cake you are using and what lemon frosting you are using. If you are using my lemon buttercream frosting, which is a mild lemon frosting and a mild lemon cake, then go for it. But if you are using a VERY lemon cake then it might be too much. So if your cake and frosting are VERY lemon then I’d say don’t do it. Keep full raspberry compote. However if the lemon cake and frosting is mild then go for it! It will give you that needed lemon punch! 🙂 Hope this helps!
Dear Janelle I feel I have a crazy question but if you don’t ask you don’t learn right? Anyways CD you use the curd for a lemon pie? TIA
Hi Teresa! Not a crazy question at all. A lemon curd pie will probably be a bit overwhelming to the senses to be honest. I would go more with a lemon curd tart with a whipped topping or lemon hand pies or lemon bars but pies are deeper and harder to pack that much punch. I have a great recipe for no bake lemon cheesecake on this site too which uses lemon curd you can try. If you do go with a pie, do mini muffin tin pies vs a full pie. Or if you do try it, then let me know how it turns out!
Sitting inside, cool winters day, tree outside the kitchen window full of lemons, then came across your delicious lemon curd recipe. So easy yet absolutely mouth watering, can’t wait to smother my toast in it…..thanks for sharing ????
Gail, I am so glad your lemon curd turned out and thank you for using my recipe. I love this recipe and I love reading comments of other people loving it as much as I do! Thank you! Enjoy!
I luuuuuv raspberry.How do you prepare the berries to add to mixture?
Lizz, there aren’t any raspberries in this lemon curd recipe. However if you are wanting to make raspberry curd, you can find that recipe here: https://numstheword.com/homemade-raspberry-curd/
Even guys like making this stuff! Goodbye Nutella, hello lemon curd.
Charles I’m so glad to hear it! It’s so good that it doesn’t matter who makes it as long as we all get to eat it! Thanks for your comment!
Afriend of my mother’s used to put a warm lemon sauce on freshly baked gingerbread. I’ve never found a good recipe for that but this just might be the one. I’ll let you know how it tastes.
Janet, thank you for considering my recipe! I hope it turned out great for you! We love this recipe in my family and I hope it turns into a yummy go to recipe for you! Enjoy!
OMG!! I just finished making this and my kitchen smells amazing! Such an easy recipe to follow. I can’t wait to taste this in something! I may make some lemon bars and some thumb print cookies! I think a little lemon icing drizzled over the cookies would be a good addition! I am in a baking mood, and the holidays are coming! This will make a great gift for my foodie friends!
Shannon, sounds like you love this recipe as much as I do! Thank you for using my recipe and I am so glad to hear you will be sharing this with your friends and family! Enjoy!
I just made this recipe for some Christmas gifts. (Fun fact, it fills about 5 baby food jars— yay multipurpose recycling!) This one one of the best tasting lemon curds I have ever had! And I was so delighted to have been able to use full eggs. Great recipe, thanks!
Brittany, you’ve made my day! Great to know and what a fabulous gift! I hope everyone loves it as much as we do! Thank you for your comment!
A friend of ours just returned from Winter in Arizona where they have grapefruit and Lemon trees in their yard. He brought us Lemons the size of large oranges and so I started looking for ways to use them…. Your recipe sounded so good. I was a good judge of recipes…. WOW … Heavenly 🙂 Now I need to make cranberry scones to enjoy it with. Thanks….
Oh Beth I am so glad you love it! Yes we used to live in Florida and the lemons there were huge too, and yummy! Feel free to search my site for lemon curd and you’ll find several other recipes you can make with it! Thanks for your comment!
Your lemon curd recipe looks delicious Janelle and I love stories of convincing picky eaters to eat. I just discovered you tonight, but you’re going on the go to list.
But one thing confused me. You wrote
“3 lemons, zested
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice ”
Is it 3/4 cup in addition to the 3 zested lemons or is that the amount you expect to get from the lemons?
Hi Carol! So lemon zest isn’t lemon juice. Lemon zest is actual lemon peel that you zest or “grate” on a fine grater. So you’ll want to zest the peel off your 3 lemons, then you’ll want to squeeze the juice out of those lemons until you have 3/4 cup of fresh squeezed. Depending on the size of your lemons this will be 3 or 4 lemons for the juice. I hope this helps clarify!
Has anyone tried making this with oranges? I have some edible chocolate baskets I thought I would fill with this if it could be orange instead of lemon. I want to make the mousse and put it in the baskets. I don’t think the lemon would taste as good as the orange with the chocolate.
Lynn, I think that you should give it a shot and let me know how it goes! This recipe is focused more on the lemon flavor but let me know if the orange turns out! Sounds like you are a creative baker! Thanks for using my recipe! Enjoy!
You mentioned using raspberries to make this curd, have you ever tried blueberries and so how did it turn out. Blueberries are my favorite fresh fruit and taste so good with a bit of lemon mixed in.
Kathy I have not made blueberry curd. Though I NEED to! If I were attempting it, I’d make it the same as my raspberry curd but with blueberries and some lemon zest. However I have no idea how it will turn out. But it sounds delicious!
Hi Janelle
My daughter gave me a whole heap of lemons and I have just made my first batch of lemon curd using your recipe. Had to have a taste test (of course!) and it is very yummy! I will have to fight off both my daughters if I want some for myself. Oh well, I can always make some more.
Sandy you are so lucky to have a daughter with lemons! This lemon curd is the best and I’m so glad you agree! There are so many ways to use it and I hope you try them all!
I just made your lemon curd and it is absolutely delicious! It is not too sweet, not too tart – just perfect. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
Terrie, yayyyy! This makes me so happy that it was so yummy and delicious! Glad it came out perfect and I appreciate your comment! Enjoy!
I needed some lemon curd for a cookie recipe I wanted to try. After a whole lot of searching, I decided to try your recipe. I just got finished making it and oh my…. it is FABULOUS!!!! I followed your recipe exactly and it was so easy and tastes phenomenal. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
DeLisa, I am so happy to hear that this recipe fulfilled your need! Isn’t Lemon Curd the best? So glad it didn’t disappoint and you found what you were looking for! Thank you for your comment! It made my day!
Going to try your lemon curd. Can I just make it and eat it like pudding.
Marlene lemon curd is a very strong lemon flavor. You can certainly eat it with a spoon (and we definitely do) but only in small quantities because of it’s bold lemon flavor. However you could add it to yogurt or whipped cream and eat it with a spoon! Type Lemon Curd into the search bar and you’ll find a few ideas on how to enjoy your curd! Enjoy!
I just completed making your lemon curd recipe. I was straining it, so had a taste, and I cried because it tastes like my late mom’s. Very lovely flavor and consistency. Thank you!
Thank you Andrea! I just made a batch too and LOOOVE it so much! Your comments warmed my heart and I’m so glad you were able to think happy thoughts of your late mom because of it! I’m sorry for your loss. Any woman who could make good lemon curd is a good woman in my book!
Is there a reason you use the whole egg instead of just the yolks? Thanks!
Hi Pam! Why would you want to use just the yolk? No need to waste half and egg! Trust the recipe and enjoy the results! Thanks for your comment!
Made your recipe using fresh Meyer lemons from my tree. We served this at the Christmas Tea my daughter puts on every year for friends and family. It was a huge success.
Judy, thank you so much for using my recipe! So glad to hear it was such a success for your friends and family! Hope this recipe turns out to be a tradition for your get together every year!
Is there any way to make this a vegan recipe? That, of course would mean replacing the eggs with something.
Robert that is a great question. Perhaps another reader would know the answer. I do not. You can google Vegan Lemon Curd and see if anything comes up. This recipe though is not. Good luck!
WOW! This is the first time I have made Lemon Curd and it was SO good! It was fast, easy, and oh so yummy!! This recipe is a keeper for sure!
Samantha, I love how this turned out perfect for you! This is such a yummy popular recipe and one of my favorites! Thanks for your comment! Hope you find other recipes on Nums the Word!