Extra rich, extra creamy and extra delicious! This homemade lemon curd recipe is made with egg yolks (instead of whole eggs) resulting in a thicker texture and a more vibrant color. Enjoy on biscuits, scones, cakes and more!
Interested in an egg-free version? Check out my vegan lemon curd recipe!
⭐Lemon Curd Highlights⭐
- Simple Ingredients: It’s made with only five basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
- Easy to Make: There’s nothing too complicated here. The DIY double boiler might look intimidating, but it’s quite simple.
- Mouthwatering Flavor: It’s the perfect balance of sweet, tart and rich flavors.
How to Make Lemon Curd from Scratch
Tools
- DIY double boiler: A small or medium saucepan and a heatproof glass bowl.
- The sides of the bowl should create a loose seal around the sides of the pan.
- You want a few inches of clearance between the bottom of the bowl and the bottom of the pan.
- Whisk: Use a stainless steel or silicone whisk. You want to use a non-reactive metal/material or your curd might pick up a metallic aftertaste.
Why Use a Double Boiler?
You can cook curd directly in a saucepan, but you have to be much more careful you don’t accidentally overcook the curd or scramble the eggs.
It might seem like more work to cook via the double boil method, but the reduced risk makes it much easier.
Ingredients
- Fresh Lemons: Zest one lemon and juice 2-3 lemons.
- Egg Yolks: Large eggs are ideal.
- Sugar: Feel free to play around with the sugar amounts. Add more sugar for a sweeter curd or less sugar to lean into the tangy flavor.
- Butter: I like using salted butter but feel free to use unsalted if you prefer.
Why Use Just the Yolks?
Some recipes (like this one) use yolks only while others use whole eggs.
Why the difference? Mostly preference.
Whole eggs will make for a lighter lemon curd, both in texture and color. The potential downside is that the egg whites could end up making the curd stiffer and possibly a bit rubbery due to the extra protein/structure.
Yolk only curd is extra rich and creamy because they’re mostly fat. The downside? Having to find something to do with the leftover egg whites. Pro Tip: freeze the leftover egg whites for later!
It’s also fattier, but then we’re making lemon curd so why not just lean into it?
Basic Steps
- Boil water in saucepan with heat-safe bowl on top.
- Reduce heat to maintain a simmer.
- Add yolks, juice, zest and sugar to the top bowl and whisk together.
- Whisk & cook until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in cubed butter until melted and combined.
- Cool and enjoy.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Make sure to use non reactive materials – avoid aluminium utensils and saucepans. The acidity of the lemon will can react with the aluminium and lead to discolouration and metallic flavor.
- If your curd still hasn’t thickened up after about 10 minutes then it’s probably not hot enough. Increase the temperature and keep stirring.
- For an extra silky curd, stain out the lemon zest through a fine-mesh strainer.
What to Do with Homemade Lemon Curd
- Use it as a lemon filling in cupcakes or in-between cake layers – My GF Victoria Sponge is perfect for this!
- Spread over pancakes, french toast or waffles. The bright citrus flavor pairs especially well with blueberry waffles!
- Serve over vanilla ice cream or mixed into milkshakes.
- Pipe into fresh homemade donuts.
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this homemade lemon curd recipe! Leave a comment and review with your thoughts. I always appreciate the feedback and serving suggestions that you come up with!
Lemon Curd
Rich and creamy homemade lemon curd made with only 5 simple ingredients!
Ingredients
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar (134g)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (80ml)
- 6 tbsp room temperature butter, cut into small pieces (84g)
Instructions
- Fill a small saucepan with 2 inches of water. Find a glass heatproof bowl that’s large enough to sit over the top of a pot without the bottom touching the water. Bring the water to a boil over a high heat, then reduce down to a medium-low heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Add sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest to the bowl. Use a non reactive spoon or whisk (silicone, rubber or stainless steel) to whisk together. Stand by and keep whisking as the curd thickens - constant whisking will prevent the egg yolks from overcooking and curdling. Time to thickening may vary, but it should take about 10 minutes. If your mixture isn't thickening, raise the temperature and keep whisking until it does.
- Remove the bowl from the pot. Stir the butter into the hot curd until fully melted and combined.
- Pour the curd into a storage jar or airtight container to cool - it will continue to thicken as it cools. Once cooled, cover curd and keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks or freeze up to a year.
Notes
- Optional: For an extra an extra smooth texture, pour through a fine-mesh sieve to remove zest.
- Freeze: Store in an a freezer safe container. Leave at least 1/2 inch headspace at the top to account for expansion. Thaw overnight in the fridge before use.
- Use vegan butter to make it dairy free.
- If using unsalted butter, just add a pinch of salt.
- Save the egg whites to use in other recipes or freeze for later.
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