Description
This luscious Lemon Curd is a tangy, creamy spread bursting with bright citrus flavor, made from simple ingredients like fresh lemons, eggs, butter, and sugar. Perfect as a spread for scones, a filling for cakes, tarts, or pies, it offers a perfectly smooth, rich texture balanced by vibrant acidity. Homemade lemon curd is far tastier than store-bought and can be whipped up easily in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Primary Ingredients
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- 1 lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup butter (cold and cubed)
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, whole egg, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sea salt until the mixture is smooth with no lumps of eggs.
- Cook the Curd: Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble gently.
- Add Butter: Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately transfer the curd to a non-metal heat-safe container or strain it if there are lumps. Add the cold, cubed butter and stir or whisk until the butter is fully melted and the curd becomes smooth.
- Chill: Cover the surface of the curd directly with parchment paper or plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours until chilled and further thickened before serving.
Notes
- Using a non-metal saucepan like ceramic coated helps prevent a metallic flavor in the curd.
- Cold butter helps enrich and thicken the lemon curd, balancing acidity with a creamy texture.
- Covering the curd while chilling prevents a skin from developing on top.
- This recipe yields about 1 ½ cups (26 tablespoons) of lemon curd, suitable for multiple uses.
- The curd is perfect as a spread, filling for tarts, pies, or breakfast items like scones.
- For best flavor, use fresh lemons and handle eggs gently to avoid scrambling during cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 48 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 33 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 0.01 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 28 mg
