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Homemade Lemon Curd from Scratch

Easy to make creamy lemon curd perfect for spreading on toast or to use for baking

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Are you a fan of lemon? Or are you more chocolate and cream kind of person? I am all of that kind of girl and that makes it really hard for me to choose desserts at restaurants :D My boyfriend is the chocolate and cream kind and he does not care much for lemon, so for that reason there are not many recipes I have here with lemon. But the ones I do have, I can tell you I really enjoyed, because I got more for myself :D Some of those recipe are my Traditional Homemade Lemonade and my Oven Baked Lemon and Blueberry Donuts (these were actually something we both really enjoyed and the lucky other family memebers who also got to try them also did).

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Now, this delicious lemon curd is joining the list, now that I finally had the time to film the recipe along making it. I have made it already a couple of times to go as a filling for macarons and for a very lemony cream cheesecake with meringue clouds (YUM!) and also just to use up some egg yolks. If you are reading this post now and there is no link for the cheesecake, don´t worry, you only need to wait until Sunday and that is when I will publish the recipe :) And if you love lemon, this cheesecake is what you need in your life, believe me. It got me literally screaming out "OMG" after I had my first bite and I do admit I also did my little happy dance :) It is the best cheesecake I have ever tried! But hey, this is about the lemon curd, so lets get back to that.

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There are many different ways of making lemon curd, as there are many different preferences on how the perfect lemon curd should be. Should it be thick or more spreadable? Should it be bright and vibrant yellow or can it be pale? I tend to make lemon curd whenever I have egg yolks that I need to use up, so I just get some lemons and make lemon curd. That is why I use only yolks in my recipe and I also love how using only yolk gives a much brighter yellow color for the curd. It is great because you can use up a lot of egg yolks at once and then you can freeze the lemon curd to use it later if you don´t need it right away. This lemon curd freezes perfectly and defrosting doesn´t affect its taste or structure. That way you can make a big batch and not worry about it going bad. Also you can add less butter to make it more spreadable, or add more to make it very thick, whichever way you like it more and depending on the purpose you are making it for. I would make a runnier lemon curd if I would be using it for cakes and baking and thicker for macarons and spreading on toast. 

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If you have friends who also love lemons, then I can tell you that homemade lemon curd makes a great gift and they will definitely be asking you for more :)​

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Enjoy!​

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Step by Step Video

RECIPE

Homemade Lemon Curd from Scratch

Easy to make creamy lemon curd

​INGREDIENTS

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  • 6 large egg yolks (~120g)

  • 225g sugar

  • 150g fresh strained lemon juice (3 lemons)

  • 100-150g soft butter

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DIRECTIONS

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  1. Wash the lemons well and press the juice from them. I suggest to weigh the juice as lemons can vary highly in size and that will also affect your results.

  2. In a small pot beat the egg yolks shortly with a whisk. Add the sugar and mix until combined.

  3. While mixing add the strained lemon juice and continue mixing until all well combined.

  4. Transfer the pot to a stove and start heating on medium heat while mixing continuously. Use a thermometer and heat the mix until it reaches 85°C. Then remove from heat and transfer into another bowl to speed up the cooling process. Again using a thermometer allow the mix to cool to 50°C.

  5. Once it has cooled to 50°C add the butter and mix it in with an immersion blender until smooth and glossy. If you want to have a really thick lemon curd you can add 150g butter, if you prefer it to be runnier then add only 100g. In both cases the lemon curd will look very runny right after mixing in the butter, it will thicken up once it has had time to cool in the fridge.

  6. Transfer the still warm lemon curd into clean jars (two 200ml jars) and allow to cool completely in room temperature before storing it in the fridge.

  7. Store the lemon curd for up to two weeks in the fridge. This lemon curd can also be frozen and it defrosts perfectly without the defrosting affecting the structure or the taste. Freeze for up to one year.

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