This easy homemade lemon curd recipe uses eggs to thicken it. The end result is a luscious, thick and smooth curd.
It’s the perfect addition to cakes, pies, pancakes, yoghurt and ice cream.
My ideal lemon curd is tart and not too sweet. It needs to scream lemon. I also like mine thick. Thick enough to spread lavishly over whatever I am jazzing up. Toast, pancakes, waffles, cake, pie…
It’s wonderful over ice cream or swirled in yoghurt too.
Ingredients
The ingredients are simple in this homemade lemon curd recipe, there are only 4! Eggs, lemons, sugar and salted butter. If you don’t have salted butter, adding in a pinch of salt will bring you to a grand total of 5 ingredients.
I use the 3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg. The remaining egg whites can be saved to be used another time, for a pavlova or something. Egg whites freeze very well.
Because the eggs are thickener in the curd, it’s important to control the temperature when cooking them. It’s not hard to do, the curd is just cooked over a double boiler so that eggs don’t accidentally scramble.
Cooking the curd
I make my own double boiler by placing the glass bowl of ingredients over top of a saucepan filled with simmering water.
Mix all the ingredients except the butter in this bowl over the heat, for around 10 – 12 minutes until it thickens slightly. It won’t thicken much, just enough so that when you dip in a spoon and run your finger down the back of the spoon, it leaves a line.
Then it’s taken off the heat and the butter is whisked in.
The hot curd is then poured through a sieve, into a clean jar. The sieve will remove the lemon rind in there and any bits of egg that may have overcooked. It makes a much smoother curd.
If you accidentally took it off the heat too soon, and it doesn’t thicken in the fridge, it can be reheated over a water bath and cooked a bit longer.
How good would this be sandwiched in the layers of a Lemon and Coconut layer cake!
Other Citrus
If you have an abundance of other citrus, like limes, clementines, oranges or grapefruit, you can use this recipe for those too!
Have you made this? Tag me and let me know! @home_grown_happinessnz
Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 medium egg yolks
- 1 medium whole egg
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (165g)
- 100 grams cold, salted butter, cubed
- 1/8 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter only)
Instructions
- In a glass bowl add in the eggs, lemon juice and zest, sugar and salt (if using unsalted butter.)
- Bring a saucepan of water to boil, then turn the heat down so the water is simmering. Place the glass bowl over top.
- Using a whisk, whisk all the ingredients together and keep whisking for around 12-15 minutes until the curd starts to thicken.It will only thicken slightly. Check to see if it is thick enough by dipping in a spoon, running your finger through the curd on the back of the spoon and seeing if it draws a line though the curd, that stays there.
- Once thick enough, take off the heat and whisk in the butter cubes.
- Pour through a sieve into a clean jar. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two weeks or freeze it for up to three months.
Cathy says
I just made this and it is delish, it goes awesome on your hot cross buns when they are toasted.