Lemon Curd is tart and creamy made with ONLY 4 ingredients, perfect for dessert or brunch and ready in under 30 minutes!
Throwing the perfect brunch means pulling out your best recipes like this lemon curd along with Easy French Toast Bake and Easy Cinnamon Rolls.
Lemon Curd is a really sweet and creamy four ingredient dessert that’s simple to throw together on the stovetop, with a bright and fresh tartness that pairs amazingly with fresh Easy Whipped Cream. This has so much more flavor than the store-bought version, I’m confident you’ll want homemade every time from now on.
You can top this with extra lemon zest, or serve with baked goods like muffins or scones. It also goes really will with pastries and sweet breads, or as a topping for cheesecake. Try my Lemon Curd Sticky Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze!
Frequently Asked Questions
Lemon juice can vary depending on the size and variety of lemon that you use. I t’s a good idea to buy a few extra lemons for this reason. A lemon will typically give you between 1-2 tablespoons of juice.
If you have really large lemons you’ll get 2-3, and smaller will get you about 1 tablespoon. You’ll also get 1-2 tablespoons of zest from a lemon. For this lemon curd recipe, I recommend always measuring the juice to make sure you’re not using too much or too little.
If it’s your first time making this, make sure you’ve heated it for long enough. It will take about 15 minutes over medium heat for the curd to thicken properly. If you’r curd doesn’t coat the back of a spoon after about 15-20 minutes, remove the curd from the heat.
After you’ve already made the curd and it’s too thin, you can salvage it by adding unflavored gelatin. Start with 1/4-½ teaspoon, using according to package directions. Whisk in while the curd is still warm, and allow to set in the refrigerator. If you make this lemon curd recipe with gelatin, it would work well as a pie filling in my homemade graham cracker crust.
Make sure you measure the ingredients exactly. You can also add an additional 1-2 egg yolks to help the curd thicken and add some creamy texture. Try making your curd in a double boiler to make the heat distribute more evenly.
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More Lemon Desserts
- Easy Lemon Bars (5 Ingredients)
- Creamy Lemon Crumb Bars
- Iced Lemon Almond Milk Bread
- Lemon Cornmeal Cake with Blackberries and Lemon Glaze
Tips for Making Lemon Curd
- Use this as a layer in a Parfait recipe!
- If you’re getting lumps in your lemon curd, pass it through a fine mesh strainer to make it creamy and lump free. Do this while the curd is still hot.
- When you’re picking out lemons, go for the heaviest ones you can find. Typically, these will be the juiciest.
- Bottled lemon juice usually contains other ingredients, like preservatives, and won’t taste as good or come together as well as freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- If you’re making this as a pie filling, whisk in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch while it’s still cold. It will thicken as it cooks.
- Add a tablespoon of lemon zest right before cooling to add extra tart lemon flavor.
How to Store Lemon Curd
- Serve: Do not leave lemon curd at room temperature for more than a total time of 2 hours. It does have a lot of acid and sugar, but it also has eggs and butter which means it is potentially unsafe in the danger zone (room temperature) for an extended time. This is also best served cold.
- Store: Lemon curd must be refrigerated in an airtight container or jar, and will keep for 1-2 weeks.
- Freeze: Lemon curd is PERFECT for freezing, because you can pull it out for the holidays or for summertime desserts calling for fresh lemon flavor. Seal it tightly in an airtight container, then freeze for up to 5-6 months.
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a stand mixer add the butter and sugar creaming it together until lightened in color and fluffy (2-3 minutes) before adding in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated then adding in the lemon juice and combining fully.
- Move the mixture to a large saucepan over medium heat and whisk constantly until thick enough that the whisk going through the pan leaves a mark in the lemon curd (12-15 minutes), then cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
This recipe is amazing and easy to follow. Turns out every time. I put it on top of my lemon cheesecakes, add it to yogurt, and also add it to my buttercream frosting for a lemon frosting!!! It is a hit!!
I have had great success using this recipe in different ways. How about using curd to frost lemon cupcakes? Should I thicken with gelatin or leave recipe as is? Thank you
I have not tried it that way so I don’t feel comfortable giving that suggestion.
Sabrina, I love this curd recipe. It is simple, not fussy and the texture is supreme – smooth and creamy. I cooked the curd over a double boiler for 15 minutes and did not need to add any thickener. The sugar/lemon ratio are excellent – not too sweet and a good amount of tartness. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I’d like to try this recipe, but I have dairy free family members, so no butter. Can I use Ghee?
I’ve not tested it with ghee but you could use a dairy-free butter or margarine, like Earth Balance. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
If I added lemon chunks to this would it do anything to it? After it’s made?
I would not add lemon chunks until after it is made. It’s a fine balance to get it to curd form and the lemons would alter that during the cooking process.
I made this lemon curd to go in the middle of my husbands birthday cake. Everyone loved it. It didnt want to get think so i added some flour while it was cooking and it thickened it right up.. Thanks 4 the recipe (:
So happy to hear it was a hit!! Thanks for letting me know!
I’m going to make this to put in the middle of my husbands birthday cake in a couple days.. Wish me luck. Thanks 4 the recipe (:
Good luck! Can’t wait to hear how it turns out. What flavor of cake are you making?
Hello. I am going to make your lovely looking curd and mix it with cream cheese and whipped cream for a jelly roll filling. Wish me luck and I will share results.
Best of luck! Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
Divine! The cake roll was very light and the curd was perfect because it spread nicely – not runny and everyone loved the tartness and that it was not too sweet
So glad you enjoyed it!
Pls give butter measurement in grams thank you
113.4 grams 🙂
Thank you ?
How come mine isn’t the same color? It’s more like a milky light yellow and not the bright yellow I was expecting.
Hmmmm, this really has me perplexed. I’ve made this so many times and have never had it be a milky color. There’s so few ingredients and I can’t wrap my mind around what would have caused the difference in color. So sorry.
It could be the eggs. The more organic the eggs the richer the color.
That’s a good point.
I could eat this by the spoonful! Sounds delish!
It’s pretty tempting!
I Love this recipe and very easy… Thanks so much
You’re welcome, Kimberly!
I can’t believe this is only 4 ingredients!! I can’t wait to make it!
So easy, right?!
Love how bright and fresh this lemon curd looks!
Thanks, Melanie!
My first time making lemon curd. It’s an awesome recipe Using it today to make little lemon blueberry tarts for dessert tonight to share with friends. I’ll use this recipe a lot, thank you!
You’re welcome, Mahy!
I’ll have to give this a try for Easter Brunch; looks fabulous and love that it’s quick and easy too!
It’ll be perfect for Easter brunch!
Nothing beats the flavor than a homemade recipe! It’s just so much better!
Agreed!