This is the easiest lemon curd I’ve ever made. No separating of eggs! Use the entire egg, fresh lemon juice, sugar and voila! Delicious lemon curd that have so many uses as a cake filling, quick lemon tartlettes or just eat it with a spoon!
I would choose anything “lemon” over chocolate, if given a choice. Truth. Lemon Meringue Pie is top on my list and (if I do say so myself) I make an exquisite version of “Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie”. I’ve made Lemon Tartletswith this lemon curd recipe and those are irresistible to me.
I’ve made this lemon curd countless times. It’s always perfect. Every. Time. What I really like about this recipe — besides being fool-proof– is that you use whole eggs. No separating egg whites. I mean, that’s not a bad thing, because I use egg whites to make fabulous meringue, or homemade marshmallow cream. This recipe could not be easier and you will be impressed with yourself if you make it. I promise.
I was gifted with a large bag of Meyer lemons from a friend. She asked me what I was going to make with them. At first, Lemon bars, popped into my head. Choices, choices! However, with all of that juice, I thought that making lemon curd would be perfect. After all, I can use it in so many ways.
She’d never had lemon curd, she remarked. What?! That cannot be! Lemon curd is a thick confection that can be eaten with a spoon, or slathered on scones. Well, that settled it. I was going to make lemon curd, gift her with some and turn her into a convert. Anyone who loves lemons, like I do, loves lemon curd. That’s all I’m saying!
I realized that this post had photos that sorely needed updating, as they were taken with my old point-and-shoot camera. So, here we go!
I doubled the recipe so I added six whole eggs into a sauce pan, added sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Lemon Zest and cut-up salted butter join the party. On medium heat, I began to heat the ingredients so that butter could start to melt– and not scramble the eggs!
Continue to cook over medium-low heat until thick enough to that bubbles appear on the surface and it coats a spoon, about 6 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Strain the curd in a fine mesh strainer, as there are usually some fine bits of egg left behind.
TASTING NOTES: I’ve made lemon curd with Eureka lemons. They are more tart, so I could increase the sugar by about 25%. Meyer lemons are definitely sweeter, and my preferred choice. However, they are seasonal and winter to early spring is the best time to find them. There are many ways that I use lemon curd. It makes a great center filling in a white cake. Lemon curd is also a delicious alternative to pancake syrup and goes perfectly with Ricotta pancakes. I especially enjoy making Lemon Curd Custard Ice Cream with mine, since that’s one of my favorite flavors (well, next to Peppermint Ice Cream). Honestly , I had this batch of lemon curd ready to store in jars in about 20 minutes. Speaking of– you can store the curd in the refrigerator in a sealed jar. Since the eggs are cooked, I’ve water-canned my curd and stored it for a few months and I have lived to tell the tale!
Fool-Proof Perfect Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbs grated lemon zest
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cubed
Instructions
- In a 2 quart saucepan, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, eggs, and butter.
- Cook over medium-low heat until thick enough to hold marks from whisk, and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Strain with a fine mesh sieve, to remove any chunks of egg etc.
- The curd can be stored in the refrigerator, in a tight-fitting jar, for up to one week.
Notes
Nutrition
This looks amazing on top of the ricotta pancakes! Can you just come over and make me breakfast, please? 🙂
I made Meyer Lemon Curd last year (my first time making a curd) and loved it. Ricotta pancakes would have been just the thing to make with it. Yum!
If you can't use it all right away, can you freeze it?
I got one of these pans for christmas and I love lemon curd, so I am super excited to make this. Thanks for sharing your amazing recipes!
I just made my very first batch of lime curd the other day.Heavenly! I am hanging on to this recipe and we'll be having it next Sunday! Wonderful as always Debbie!
I have made lemon curd before, and researched canning it. Because of the butter, you can't safely can it, BUT it does freeze very nicely.
Actually, because the eggs are cooked it can be canned. In fact, I used to buy commercially made at Trader Joe’s!
Hi! Just wondering how to find your lemon curd recipe. Is there a link on the page that I'm missing. This is my first time on your blog. Thanks.
Okay, I've got it! The recipe loaded after I clicked back to the link. Must be my computer. Thanks!
Perfect!
I grew up on lemon curd tarts and lemon meringue pie but these days lemon muffins are the top of my list. I look forward to trying your recipe but unfortunately there are no meyer lemons here but I do have some unwaxed lemons in the fridge ready to use. I can only try!
Rachel, Eureka lemons work fine. You might need to increase the sugar a bit.
Debby,
I just adore lemon curd and hate to buy the jars of it in the market with all of the preservatives included for shelf life. I’ve never seen a recipe to prepare it and now that I have one from you, with your cooking expertise, I know that this must be absolutely phenomenal! Thanks for sharing and I’ll let you know how it turns out at my end!
xoxo
Roz
Please let me know, Roz. This is one of the easiest lemon curds that I’ve ever made!
Can’t wait to make the pancakes!!
I hope you love them as much as I do!
This was by far the easiest curd I have ever made. The most time consuming was zesting & squeezing ( so I finally broke down and purchased an electric juicer!). Made shortbread cookies to spread the curd on top. Very yummy.
Thanks for your recipe.
PattiAnn
This makes me so happy! A juicer definitely makes things easier. Thank you for the positive feedback!