My Lemon Curd is a scrumptious home made recipe that consists of lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, sugar and butter. Good to make use of in baked items, in addition to an expansion on biscuits or pancakes!

My Do-it-yourself Lemon Curd Recipe Is Simple And Scrumptious!
If there’s one factor that may brighten up any dessert or breakfast unfold, it’s the tangy citrus sweetness of home made lemon curd. With its silky texture and vibrant taste, lemon curd is a flexible deal with that can be utilized as a filling for desserts, a topping for pancakes, an expansion for scones, or just loved by itself by the spoonful…which I’m undoubtedly responsible of!
I like a lemon recipe, which is hard in my home, as a result of I’m the one one. I’ve tons of lemon recipes right here on my web site that I like, however need to share with family and friends simply to get them out of my home…in any other case I’ll eat all of them! No matter that I gained’t ever cease making them as a result of I do know you’re keen on them too! SO at this time we’re making Do-it-yourself Lemon Curd, and I’ve realized some ideas and methods that I’m excited to share with you.
What Is Lemon Curd?
It’s a creamy, citrus-based candy unfold or filling. Consider it quite a bit like a jam or jelly, however completely easy, nearly just like the filling of a lemon meringue pie. The method of creating lemon curd entails cooking the lemon juice, zest, sugar, and eggs collectively till thickened to create a luscious and velvety consistency. The addition of butter make sit wealthy and silky, make it a real candy deal with. How you employ is it completely as much as you, however I particularly love spreading it in desserts together with buttercream. The 2 paired collectively is outrageous.
Solely 5 Substances Wanted!
The ingredient checklist is easy: lemons, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, and salt. Past recent lemons you almost certainly have all the opposite components in your kitchen proper now! And don’t skip utilizing recent lemon juice…the bottled juice is okay in a pinch for recipes, however recent is greatest for this recipe.
TIP: Ensure all of your components are at room temperature! All the things will thicken up smoother and nicer with room temperature butter, eggs, and lemon juice!


Particular Instruments:
There may be nothing out of the extraordinary wanted for to make this recipe, however having the correct gear is at all times a key to success. Nothing on this checklist is critical to make this recipe, they’re all simply useful instruments!
- Zester. A zester is a quite common kitchen device, and in case you don’t have one, I extremely advocate it. They’re cheap and ideal for grating zest from citrus fruits in addition to Parmesan cheese! In the event you don’t have one, use any advantageous grater you have got.
- Lemon Squeezer. That is TOTALLY optionally available, however I’ll say that when i purchased one I can’t think about not having it. I take advantage of my squeezer WAY greater than I believed I might. It makes squeezing lemons/limes/small oranges SO straightforward and will get out far more juice from the fruit than I ever received out by hand. Plus is catches all of the seeds!
- Ceramic coated, or porcelain heavy bottomed saucepan or Dutch Oven. I like to recommend (if doable) not utilizing a metallic saucepan for lemon curd. You’ll be able to and it is going to be advantageous…I do occasionally (as you see in my footage). However utilizing a metallic pan can typically give your lemon curd a metallic taste because the citrus reacts to the metallic. I’ll hit on this a bit of later, however it’s only a tip to notice.
- Silicone whisk. Like I mentioned above, metallic can react with the citrus, so use a silicone whisk in case you have one.
- Strainer. If you would like impossibly easy lemon curd, go forward and pressure it!
Find out how to Make Lemon Curd:
Prep: In a small saucepan/Dutch oven over medium warmth, whisk your eggs, sugar, salt, and lemon juice collectively till mixed.

Cook dinner: Add within the butter and lemon juice and cook dinner the combination at medium-low warmth till it’s thickened. You have to to whisk it persistently, so don’t depart it alone! This step will take 10-ish minutes. However you’ll know when it begins to thicken, and a straightforward take a look at is to see if the curd coats the again of a spoon, quite a bit like syrup would. If not cook dinner a bit of longer.


Chill: Switch the curd to a small glass bowl. In case you are selecting to pressure it, that is while you would do this. Permit the curd to chill at room temperature for quarter-hour or so, after which press a chunk of plastic wrap gently into the highest and pop it into the fridge till utterly chilled. The custard texture will proceed to thicken because it chills.

Why Does My Lemon Curd Style Metallic?
The usage of uncoated aluminum cookware/utensils might be the offender. Lemon juice is extremely acidic and might react with uncoated aluminum cookware, resulting in a metallic style within the lemon curd. To keep away from this, use cookware that’s coated or fabricated from non-reactive supplies, for instance a silicone whisk and a ceramic coated Dutch oven are straightforward options.
TIP: In the event you don’t have a ceramic coated pot you need to use a double boiler. Place a heat-safe glass bowl on high of a bowl of simmering water and whisk till thickened.
What to Do If Your Curd Received’t Thicken
In the event you’re lemon curd isn’t thickening, there are a couple of causes which can be doable:
- Not sufficient cooking time. Proceed cooking and whisking the lemon curd…it can finally thicken!
- The ratio of eggs, sugar, butter, and lemon juice within the recipe is essential for the correct thickening of lemon curd. We now have all mis-measured previously, even while you assume you might be being essentially the most cautious…simply double test you didn’t use further massive eggs, or an excessive amount of juice!
- The warmth is simply too excessive or too low: Cooking lemon curd at too excessive or too low warmth can have an effect on its thickening. If the warmth is simply too excessive, the eggs can scramble too rapidly, leading to a curd that gained’t thicken correctly. If the warmth is simply too low, the curd might take longer to thicken or not thicken in any respect. Ensure to cook dinner the lemon curd over low to medium warmth as per the recipe directions.
Why Pressure Your Lemon Curd?
That is an optionally available step that helps guarantee a easy and velvety texture, freed from any lumps or bits of cooked egg. Right here’s how:
- Place a advantageous mesh sieve or strainer over a glass bowl.
- As soon as your lemon curd is cooked and thickened, take away it from the warmth and punctiliously pour it via the strainer. Any lumps or bits of zest will catch within the strainer.
- Discard any bits the strainer caught!

Methods to Use Lemon Curd:
- As a Unfold: It’s generally used as an expansion on toast, English muffins, scones, biscuits, or pancakes. For breakfast attempt mixing it into yogurt, on French Toast, or as a filling in crepes!
- In Desserts: It may be used as a filling in pies, tarts, or desserts. It can be used as a layer in parfaits, trifles, or desserts.
- As a Dip or Sauce: Lemon curd can be utilized as a dip for fruits, cookies, and even savory objects like hen tenders. It can be used as a sauce drizzled over desserts, similar to cheesecake, ice cream, or pavlova.
- In Baking: It may be used as an ingredient in baking recipes so as to add a zesty taste. It may be utilized in desserts, cupcakes, cookies, or bars so as to add a tangy kick. It can be used to fill pastries, turnovers, or danishes for a burst of citrusy goodness.
- In Cocktails or Drinks: It may be stirred into cocktails or combined with glowing water, lemonade, or tea to create a refreshing and citrusy beverage.
- As a Reward: It may be jarred and gifted to associates, household, or neighbors. Who wouldn’t love a loaf of freshly baked bread and a cute jar of lemon curd?
Recipes To Use Lemon Curd In:
Storing or Freezing Your Lemon Curd
- Within the Fridge: It should hold within the fridge hermetic for as much as 10 days. You’ll be able to take away the plastic wrap that you simply pressed into the curd when it’s chilled and switch to jars with lids if desired. As soon as it’s chilled a pores and skin won’t kind.
- To Freeze: Switch the lemon curd right into a freezer secure/hermetic container for as much as 30 days for greatest freshness. Once you’re prepared to make use of the frozen lemon curd, switch it to the fridge and let it thaw in a single day. Keep away from thawing lemon curd at room temperature or utilizing the microwave, as this may trigger the curd to change into too runny. As soon as thawed, give the lemon curd a mild stir to revive its easy texture. If wanted, it’s also possible to whisk it evenly to carry again its creamy consistency.
Description
Do-it-yourself Lemon Curd may be very straightforward to make and so scrumptious utilized in baking recipes, or unfold on a chunk of toast!
- 3 massive eggs
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 medium lemons)
- 1/2 cup butter, lower into slices at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- In a small saucepan (*see tip) over medium warmth, whisk collectively the eggs, sugar, salt, and lemon juice till easy.
- Add within the butter and lemon zest and proceed cooking till the combination is thickened sufficient to coat the again of a spoon, whisking continually, about 10 minutes. *See be aware
- Switch the lemon curd to a small glass bowl and permit it to chill at room temperature for quarter-hour. Use a strainer or sieve when pouring into the bowl in case you discover the curd has any lumps.
- Press plastic wrap to the floor of the curd to forestall a pores and skin from forming, after which and refrigerate till utterly chilled. (see Tip#2)
Notes
*Tip #1 – I like to make use of a small ceramic coated Dutch oven (like a Le Creuset) to cook dinner my lemon curd to keep away from a metallic style that may occur when utilizing a metallic saucepan. The lemon juice can react to the metallic when it’s sizzling giving the lemon curd that metallic style. Moreover a metallic whisk may cause this to occur as properly, so swap that out for a silicone whisk.
*Tip #2 – As soon as the lemon curd is totally chilled you may take away the plastic wrap pressed into the highest and switch the curd to jars with lids in case you desire.
Retailer hermetic in your fridge for as much as 10 days in a glass container.
Freeze hermetic for as much as 30 days.
Key phrases: cookies and cups, lemon curd, lemons, lemon zest
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