The Best Lemon Curd Recipe (Less Waste!)

Homemade lemon curd can sound intimidating, but it’s actually so easy to make! Plus, it’s waaayyy better than the jars of lemon curd you can buy in the store. I specifically designed this recipe to reduce food waste because I can’t stand lemon curd recipes that call for several egg yolks and none of the whites. Using egg whites in your lemon curd can actually create a thicker, more flavorful curd.

The best lemon curd recipe contains…

1. Whole eggs: This reduces food waste and creates a thicker, more flavorful curd since the egg whites don’t produce as strong of an egg flavor as the yolks do.
2. Lemon juice: This is where all the flavor of the curd comes from. For this recipe, you will need 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can usually get this much juice from one large lemon, but I like to keep two on hand just in case.
3. Sugar: The sugar in this recipe provides the perfect sweetness and a soft, velvety texture to this recipe. I think this is the perfect lemon curd recipe because it’s not too sweet or too tart!
4. Lemon zest: You will need the zest of 1 large lemon for this recipe. That usually equates to 1/2 Tbs, but a little more or less is okay.
5. Butter: Unsalted butter works best for this recipe. Butter helps create that extra rich, smooth finish.

Tips to make perfect lemon curd every time

1. Whisk the eggs really well!!! The first step of curd is always whisking the eggs with the sugar so that there’s no egg chunks when you place your curd over heat. Otherwise, you will end up with lumps of cooked eggs in your curd.
2. Strain your curd. Some bakers prefer to skip this step, but I prefer a really smooth curd. Plus, no matter how much of a professional you are, there will always be small chunks of cooked egg in your curd. It’s just the nature of the product.
3. Whisk constantly. Yes, it’s kind of a pain to stand over the stove for 7-10 minutes and constantly whisk your curd, but if you don’t you are going to end up with a lumpy lemon curd.
4. Keep your curd at a low-medium heat. I understand the impatience and wanting just to turn the stove higher to cook your curd faster, but I promise that won’t yield the result you want. If your curd starts to bubble at any point, immediately take it off the heat for a few seconds until it stops and turn down your stove.
5. If you think it’s done, it probably is. Once you start to feel the curd getting harder to whisk, it’s almost done. Whisk at that stage for about 30 seconds and then take it off the heat. Remember, your lemon curd will thicken as it cools too!

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Print Recipe

Lemon Curd

This is luxurious, buttery curd is hands down the best lemon curd recipe!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Equipment

• 1 Whisk preferably metal
• 1 Small sauce pan
• 1 Fine mesh strainer

Ingredients

• 2 Whole Large eggs
• 100 g Granulated sugar 1/2 cup
• 59 g Lemon juice (about 1 large lemon) 1/4 cup
• 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
• 3 Tablespoons Unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1 inch chunks

Instructions

• In your saucepan, add sugar, lemon zest, and eggs. Beat 30 seconds – 1 minute with a whisk until there's no more streaks of egg.
• Add the lemon juice and mix well.
• Turn the stove on low-medium heat. Stir the curd constantly for about 7-10 minutes until mixture thickens and can coat the back of a spoon without immediately dripping off.
• Immediately pour the curd through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Add chunks of butter and mix with a rubber spatula until the butter is melted.
• Let cool to room temperature and store in airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.