Lemon Curd Recipe
Tips for a Perfect Lemon Curd
- You’ll want to cook it over low heat; in the last bit, you’ll turn it to a medium-low temperature.
- Use a double boiler to cook your curd. It provides a more even temperature.
- Also, use cold butter when cooking your curd. The cold butter slows the cooking of the egg, so you’re less likely to get scrambled eggs in your homemade curd!
Meyer Lemons
What is the difference between a Meyer lemon and a lemon?
Do Meyer lemons look different than lemons?
So, they are rounder than a lemon and definitely more orange in color. I used my Meyer lemons in all these photos to see that they are more orange in color.
Can you substitute Meyer lemons for lemons when baking?
Yes! The Meyer lemons are less tangy, which is a bonus in my book. Also, since they are half orange, you can use them when a recipe calls for oranges.
Lemon Curd Ingredients
I love making these little posters! This recipe has very few ingredients, and the results are homemade yummy goodness!
Fresh Lemons
I used my Meyer lemons, but regular lemons are fine, too.
Eggs
You’ll need to bring the eggs to room temperature. You can leave them out to get the right temperature or place them in a bowl of warm water. Keep the water running on them for a couple of minutes. Room-temperature eggs mix better with the other ingredients, thus preventing scrambled eggs in the curd.
Butter
I opted for salted butter, but feel free to use unsalted. Either kind will work. I adore that subtle hint of salt; it enhances the buttery goodness. Funny story—I decided to go with cold butter straight from the fridge recently, which turned out fantastic. The cold butter slowed the egg cooking process, preventing unwanted scrambled egg mishaps!
Lemon Zest
Add as much zest as you wish. The more zest, the more lemon flavor your curd!
Sugar
I used regular granulated sugar, but I have also made it with organic sugar, and the texture is the same despite the sugar’s coarser grains.
Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter Cold butter works best. Also, cube the butter.
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- zest of 2 lemons
Instructions
- Get all your ingredients ready.
- Thoroughly whisk eggs in a bowl.
- Add whisked eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and zest to a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk ingredients thoroughly. Next, add the butter cubes to the egg mixture. Note that the butter will melt while cooking.
- Turn on the burner to the lowest heat setting. Next, place water in the bottom of a double boiler.
- Place the saucepan on the double boiler and constantly stir with a rubber spatula. The heat should be at the lowest setting. Do not boil the curd; it will split, and you'll have scrambled egg bits. Stir with a spatula for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, increase the heat to a low-medium flame. Stir constantly. In the last five minutes, the curd will go from liquid yellow to an opaque creamy color and thicken up quite nicely.
- Once it thickens, remove it from the stovetop and immediately transfer the cooked curd to a bowl. Make sure to keep stirring for a couple of minutes as it cools. If you get bits of scrambled egg, strain the curd or pluck out the bits of egg. The scrambled egg won't doesn't affect the flavor but is just an aesthetic choice.
- This recipe makes 2 cups of lemon curd. Pour into a clean jar and place in the fridge once cooled. The lemon curd should last 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.
This photo has the Magnolia Table Orange Scones, so check out that recipe too. And my friend Leslie has a wonderful citrus Stained Lemon Tart that you might enjoy.
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Lcudak
How long does it keep in the fridge ? It is delicious!
happyhappynester
It lasts up to one to two weeks in the fridge! I hope this helps.
Helene Matthews
I was thrilled to find the Meyer Lemon Curd recipe which I received as I am on your mailing list. No. 1 I too absolutely love lemons, especially Meyer Lemons. I learned about Meyer Lemons in a cooking course I took. Since I live in Ontario, Canada it is somewhat difficult for me to find Meyer Lemons other than in January. How do you get these lemons in the Spring?? What part of the world do you live in? Thank you so very much for all the great lemon recipes. I hope to be making quite a few of them soon.
happyhappynester
Hey Helene! I’m not sure if you can find Meyer Lemons in the store since they are considered a hybrid type of lemon. But in all honesty, regular lemons will do the job just fine. I live in California around the Bay Area 🙂
Christine
Oh!!! I love everything lemon!! I so need to try your recipe! Pinned!
happyhappynester
Thanks for your sweet comment. This recipe is so delicious and comes from an old time English cookbook! It is a pretty authentic recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Claire
I love lemon curd we normally have it on crumpets for an after school /afternoon snack. I’ll have to try your recipe next time my mum brings me a bag of lemons from her trees in Portugal. Too cold to grow lemons here in the UK!
happyhappynester
Oh, sounds lovely, lemon curd with crumpets!
Sarah
Lemon curd is easily one of my favorite things in the world – right after creme brulee. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
happyhappynester
Creme Brulee sounds so yummy right now!
Alison
How much does this recipe make? Can you multiply the ingredients and still get the desired result?
Looking forward to trying this.
happyhappynester
Gosh, I seriously need to make this recipe again. I think it makes maybe two medium to smallish jars. Sorry, I don’t have the exact amount. I’ll try making it again and I’ll be sure to measure. Also, I think it should be fine to double the recipe.
Ashley
This look so good! I am going to make some and give to my mom – she loves lemon curd. xoxo
happyhappynester
I’ll make your mom some!
DENISE
I’ve never tried making lemon curd. It looks easy enough so I’m going to try it. Thanks for sharing!
happyhappynester
Hi Denise,
So happy you are going to try the recipe! Let me know how it comes out. Adding the eggs are the tricky part, so make sure you read my note. 🙂
Laurie
is the label still available for download? i subscribed to your newsletter, tried to contact you, but still dont see
where to download the label. did i miss something?
happyhappynester
sorry, I’m getting to this so late. I will get back to this in an email, I promise.
Colette
So beautiful! I want to hang these pics on my walls!
Love your recipe, too. Can’t go wrong w Meyers.
happyhappynester
Thank you, my sweet friend!