Homemade Lemon Curd (Printable)

Silky, tangy lemon curd from fresh lemons, butter, and eggs; ready in minutes for scones, tarts, or yogurt.

# What You'll Need:

→ Fruit & Juice

01 - 3 large lemons, zest finely grated and juiced (about 1/2 cup juice)

→ Dairy

02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

→ Eggs

03 - 3 large eggs
04 - 1 large egg yolk

→ Sugar

05 - 1 cup granulated sugar

# How To Make:

01 - In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth and well blended.
02 - Place the bowl over a saucepan filled with gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water surface.
03 - Add the cubed butter to the bowl and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
04 - Remove the bowl from heat and press the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to remove any zest or cooked egg bits.
05 - Cover the surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving for optimal texture.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Once you taste the homemade version, you will never go back to the jarred stuff from the store, and I say that with complete confidence.
  • It comes together in under thirty minutes with ingredients you probably already have sitting in your kitchen right now.
02 -
  • If your heat is too high or you stop whisking, the eggs will scramble and you will end up with sweet lemony eggs, which is disappointing but honestly still edible on toast.
  • The curd will look thinner than you expect when warm, but it thickens dramatically as it chills, so trust the process and resist the urge to overcook it.
03 -
  • For the richest possible curd, replace all three whole eggs with five additional yolks, which creates a denser, more buttery spread that tastes almost like lemon custard.
  • A tiny pinch of salt added at the beginning makes the lemon flavor pop in a way that catches people off guard and keeps them coming back for more.

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