The Best Homemade Lemon Curd
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,…
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.

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.

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.

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.

Our Tips for The Best Homemade Lemon Curd

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.

FAQs: Homemade Lemon Curd

Homemade Lemon Curd
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.
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!


This is so dang good, I want to just drink it, eat it with a spoon, inject it, basically! LOL! It’s amazing!