The Best Homemade Lemon Curd

Name: Homemade Lemon Curd
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh); 1 cup sugar; 2 tbsp lemon zest; 4 egg yolks; 1 whole egg; 8 tbsp butter; pinch sea salt (optional if using salted butter)

Lemon curd may sound like a fancy treat you only serve at high tea, but it’s actually a simple stovetop spreadable custard that can be used in many different ways. Homemade lemon curd takes just about 10 minutes to cook, plus a little cooling time to set up. After that, you’ve got a wonderful, citrus-flavored, pudding-like spread to slather onto English muffins, layer onto a cake, or eat however you like. It tastes like something you’d find at an elevated bakery, but it’s easy enough to make in your own kitchen.

Pull Up A Chair

Rachel: I love lemon and anything citrus, and there’s something extra special about lemon curd. I love that it makes my breakfast yogurt or toast feel fancy without actually having to do anything fancy to make it.

Emily: This is one of those things that you make and afterwards you’re like, “Did I actually make that?” It’s so professional! You’ll impress yourself with how good it tastes but how simple it is to make.

Before You Start (Helpful Tips To Simplify Things)

If you can whisk something over gentle heat, you can make lemon curd. If you need more tips to help you feel confident making this treat, check these out first:

Read the recipe all the way through before you turn on the stove. Lemon curd comes together quickly, so it helps to know the steps beforehand.
Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready before adding them to the bowl. You’ll need to whisk constantly when cooking, so being prepared ahead of time makes things go more smoothly.
Remember: it doesn’t need to be perfect. Even “imperfect” lemon curd tastes amazing.

Crumpet on plate with lemon curd on top, bite taken out of crumpet, lemons and jar with curd in background.

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Lemon Curd

Bright, punchy lemon flavor. If you love lemon, then you’re going to love this lemon curd. It’s super fresh and citrusy. It makes simple food, like toast, feel really special.
Simple ingredients. This recipe required only 4 main ingredients: lemon, eggs, sugar, and butter (plus salt).
Cooks super quickly. All you need is about 10 minutes to cook this curd and a couple hours to chill it.
Easier to make than you might think. If you have a medium sized pot and a heat safe bowl that can rest on top of the pot, you can make this. No fancy techniques required.

What is Lemon Curd?

Don’t get thrown by the “curd” in “lemon curd.” Lemon curd does not actually contain anything curdled. The name is a holdover from when curds were made differently; it comes from the process of adding acid to thicken milk. Modern fruit curds are technically not “curds” in this traditional sense, but the name remains. A curd in dessert world is actually just a thick, creamy spread made with eggs, sugar, butter, citrus (like lemon), and sometimes other fruit juice. It’s closer to a custard than a jam, but more spreadable like softened butter.

Ingredients in Homemade Lemon Curd

Lemons – we use fresh lemons here for juice and zest. Fresh lemons give the curd its bright flavor.
Sugar – granulated sugar balances the tartness.
Eggs – eggs thicken the curd and give it a creamy and custardy texture. This recipe uses 4 egg yolks for richness and 1 whole egg for stability.
Butter – butter adds smoothness, rich flavor, and also helps the curd set as it cools.
Salt – just a pinch for balance.

Lemon curd ingredients like eggs, butter, lemon juice and zest, sugar, displayed on countertop.

How to Make Homemade Lemon Curd: Step-by-Step

Mix up the ingredients. Whisk the lemon juice, sugar, and eggs together in a heatproof bowl (tempered glass or stainless steel), off heat. The bowl should be big enough to rest on top of a medium sized pot with the bottom 1 to 2 inches of the bowl resting below the pot rim.

Make a double boiler. In our experience, the best, most forgiving way to make lemon curd uses a double boiler. To make a double boiler. To make a double boiler, fill a pot with about an inch of water and bring it to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer (usually around low to medium-low heat). Set the bowl with the whisked ingredients on top of the pot.

Double boiler full of lemon curd cooking in a bowl.

Cook the lemon curd. Cook the egg, lemon, and sugar mixture gently over low to medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. If it doesn’t coat a spoon after 10 minutes, keep cooking and whisking for a few more minutes until it thickens slightly.

Add the butter. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. For best results, whisk the butter for about a minute so that it fully emulsifies into the curd without breaking or splitting. You can also use an immersion blender to mix it in for an even smoother texture.

Strain and chill. For extra smoothness, strain the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer. Place the lemon curd in an airtight container and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours or overnight for best results.

Homemade lemon curd in a glass container with a lemon tree in the background.

Our Tips for The Best Homemade Lemon Curd

Rachel and Emily from Cooking with Conks, standing side-by-side in green and yellow aprons.

Use fresh lemons for the best flavor. Bottled won’t have the same effect.
Use a glass or metal bowl that’s just a little larger than your pot. Too large and it won’t get warm enough, and too small and it’ll fall into the pot. The bowl should rest on top of the pot with the bottom 1 to 2 inches of the bowl below the pot’s rim.

Keep the lemon curd moving while it’s over heat by whisking constantly. Don’t worry, though. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. The important thing is to not let it sit too long because that’s when it actually can create curds.
Keep the heat at a steady low to medium-low. It may take a couple extra minutes this way, but it’ll ensure a super smooth and lump-free curd.
Don’t panic if it looks too thin or too thick. Too thin? It’ll thicken as it cools, and if it doesn’t then you can still use it in plenty of things. Too thick or lumpy? Easy to pass it through a fine mesh strainer or even blend it up.
Use the spoon test. As with all custards, puddings, and other curds, this one is ready to come off the heat when it leaves a thin layer coating the back of a spoon.

What Can Lemon Curd Be Used For?

Lemon Curd can be useful for so many dishes. Some of our favorite uses are:

Breakfast

Spread on toast, English muffins, or crumpets
Swirled into plain Greek yogurt and topped with granola
Mixed into overnight oats or chia pudding
Spooned over pancakes or waffles
Spread onto simple scones

Dessert

Spread between cake layers or swirled into cake frosting, like in our Lemon Curd Cake
Added to trifles or tarts
Spooned over vanilla ice cream
Used as a layer in dessert parfaits

Easy Entertaining

Serve it with shortbread cookies
Add it to a brunch board

Storage Tips

We like to keep our lemon curd sorted in a glass jar with a tight screw top lid or another airtight storing container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Troubleshooting: How To Fix Common Issues

Lemon curd is too runny or didn’t thicken – It probably just needed a little more time on the stove. Return it to low heat and whisk constantly until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. It will also thicken more as it cools.
Lemon curd turned lumpy or scrambled – This usually means the heat was too high. You can often fix it by straining the curd through a fine mesh sieve, which removes the bits and leaves a smooth texture.
Lemon curd tastes too tart – Stir in a little extra sugar or butter to mellow the flavor. Try a tablespoon of either one at a time.
Lemon curd tastes too sweet – Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to brighten it back up.

Black butter knife swiping through a jar full of lemon curd, fresh lemons in the background.

FAQs: Homemade Lemon Curd

Usually that means it just needed a little more cooking time. Cook it for a minute or two longer next time, until it coats the back of a spoon.

The heat may have been too high. Next time try a low to medium-low heat and constant whisking. If you still end up with some clumps, that’s okay. Just strain the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer to remove any clumps.

Short answer, not really. At least not our version. Traditional lemon curd is made with butter to thicken it and add a richer and more luxurious mouthfeel. Because of that, we consider butter to be a defining ingredient.

Honestly, we don’t think you should. Fresh lemon juice gives the best flavor. Plus, bottled lemon juice is usually more concentrated so the lemon curd won’t taste right with it. We’d recommend avoiding bottle juice.

You’ll feel the mixture start to thicken with your whisk and it’ll coat the back of a spoon.

Homemade Lemon Curd

5 from 1 vote

This Homemade Lemon Curd is fresh, sweet, velvety smooth, and has just the right amount of pucker. It’s far superior to store-bought versions and surprisingly very easy to make, requiring only a few ingredients and no fancy equipment. This lemon curd is excellent spread on toast, swirled into plain yogurt, layered in parfaits, mixed with overnight oats, and so much more!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:5

Cook Time:10

Cooling Time (To Set):3

Total Time:3 15

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy

Servings: 12

Ingredients

1/2 cup lemon juice fresh
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp lemon zest
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
8 tbsp butter
pinch sea salt optional if using salted butter

Instructions

Whisk lemon juice, sugar, and eggs together in a medium size bowl, off heat. The bowl should be big enough to rest on top of a medium sized pot with the bottom inch or 2 resting below the pot rim.
1/2 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, 2 tbsp lemon zest, 4 egg yolks, 1 whole egg, pinch sea salt
Create a double boiler by filling a pot with about an inch of water, bringing it to a gentle boil, and placing the bowl with the whisked ingredients over top of the pot.
Cook the egg, lemon, and sugar mixture gently over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Note: If it doesn’t coat a spoon after 10 minutes, keep cooking and whisking for a few more minutes until it thickens slightly.
Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, for about a minute until it's fully emulsified (if it's not emulsified, it may cause the curd to be grainy). You can also use an immersion blender to mix it in for an even smoother texture.
8 tbsp butter
For extra smoothness, strain the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer.
Place the finished curd in a jar or container and cover with a lid. Chill in the fridge until it’s cold and set, about 3 hours or up to overnight. This recipe makes between 1 and 1 1/2 cups of curd.
Enjoy with yogurt, toast, or even as a topping for vanilla ice cream.

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Final Thoughts

Homemade lemon curd is one of those little kitchen magic tricks. Four main ingredients (plus salt), ten minutes on the stove, plus some inactive chilling time in the fridge, and suddenly your toast, yogurt, pancakes, or dessert feel like something from a bakery. After you make it once, you’ll start keeping lemons around just for this recipe. If you’ve made this recipe, let us know how it went by leaving a comment below! Or tag us on Instagram to let us see how it turned out!