This easy Lemon Curd recipe is super simple to make and tastes so delicious! A smooth and creamy lemon spread that makes a great filling for cakes and tastes heavenly spread on scones, muffins, or bread.
This fool-proof Lemon Curd recipe takes less than 10 minutes to make and uses ingredients you already have at home! Made with lemons, butter, sugar, and eggs, this simple lemony spread is not only a great breakfast addition for lemon lovers but also a perfect filling for baked goods like cakes and cookies!
My Raspberry Lemon Curd Cupcakes are a perfect example! They are filled with lemon curd which makes them so yummy and bursting with lemon flavor. In this recipe, I add a spoon of lemony goodness before baking so the lemon curd will be a surprise after the first bite.
But this easy lemon spread tastes also great spread on toast, muffins, or scones! A perfect addition to an Afternoon Tea Party or to your next brunch with friends.
How to make lemon curd from scratch
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), and a clean glass jar with an airtight lid to store the lemon curd. The eggs and butter need to be at room temperature so the curd will be easier to whisk together and smooth.
Whisk all the ingredients together in the saucepan over low-medium heat until the curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk. This will take about 6-8 minutes. You need to keep stirring continuously but after a few minutes, you’ll be rewarded with a smooth and silky lemon curd. The hardest part about this recipe is to let it cool, and not just eat it warm, out of the bowl, with a spoon.
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Easy Lemon Curd Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and eggs.
- Add the butter and cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk, until the first bubble appears on the surface of the mixture and the curd is thick enough to hold marks of the whisk, about 6-8 minutes.
- Strain the lemon curd through a fine-mesh strainer if you don't want the lemon zest in the curd. Transfer the hot lemon curd to a bowl or jar and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold, then take off the plastic wrap and replace with a lid.
- The curd keeps fresh in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
Notes
- If your lemon curd curdles, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve.
- I use a Microplane Zester to finely grate the lemon zest so I don't have to strain the curd after cooking.
Nutrition Information
If you like this recipe, you might also like this Easy Lemon Raspberry Cake:
Charlene M Noblick says
Absolutely the easiest and best lemon curd I have ever made. Thank you so much!
Sandra says
I’m living in Greece at the moment & the lemon tree in the garden has produced 100’s of beautiful, big lemons, so I was searching for a quick & easy lemon curd recipe, luckily I found this one. Made exactly as the recipe stated, it turned out fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Lissa M says
My go to lemon curd for my famous lemon coffee cake!
pete says
Simple – Great result , doubled the batch to use up the lemons – will save and use again and again. # blokescoolingincovidlockdown !
Melinda says
I actually tweaked it & used pineapple Jell-O instead of a half a cup of sugar & just 2 eggs, left out the 2 egg yokes because I figured the Jell-O would turn it yellow enough, and it turned out nice and thick And delicious. 👍🏻