Homemade Lemon Curd (Printable Version)

Silky, tangy lemon curd from fresh lemons, eggs and butter—ready in 20 minutes and stores chilled.

# What You'll Need:

→ Citrus

01 - 3 large lemons (zest and juice, about ½ cup juice)

→ Base Mixture

02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 2 large egg yolks

→ Fat

05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes

# How To Make It:

01 - Zest the lemons using a microplane, then juice them until you have about ½ cup of fresh lemon juice. Set both aside.
02 - In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, whole eggs, and egg yolks until completely smooth.
03 - Stir in the lemon zest and fresh lemon juice until evenly combined.
04 - Place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water surface.
05 - Add the butter cubes to the bowl. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thickened and creamy, about 7 to 10 minutes. The curd is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
06 - Remove from heat and strain the lemon curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove the zest and any bits of cooked egg.
07 - Cool to room temperature, then transfer to sterilized jars. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It takes exactly twenty minutes from start to finish and tastes like something from a fancy shop.
  • The texture is impossibly silky and once you master the technique you will never buy jarred curd again.
02 -
  • If your heat is too high the eggs will scramble and you will end up with lemony scrambled eggs, so keep that water at a gentle simmer and never a rolling boil.
  • Straining is not optional because even the most careful cook will have tiny flecks of cooked egg and removing the zest creates the silkiest texture possible.
03 -
  • For the most intense lemon flavor, zest four lemons instead of three and strain out the zest after cooking so you get all the aromatic oils without any texture.
  • If you need a dairy free version, coconut oil works surprisingly well and adds a subtle tropical undertone that pairs beautifully with the citrus.

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