Homemade Lemon Curd (Printable)
Silky, tangy lemon curd with fresh zest, juice, butter and eggs - ideal for scones, tarts or yogurt.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fruit & Citrus
01 - 3 large lemons, zest finely grated and juiced (about ½ cup juice)
→ Dairy
02 - ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
→ Eggs
03 - 3 large eggs
04 - 1 large egg yolk
→ Sugar
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
# Directions:
01 - In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice until smooth and well blended.
02 - Place the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 1 inch of 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 pour the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, pressing through with a spatula to ensure a silky, lump-free consistency.
05 - Press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the curd 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 -
- It takes only 25 minutes from start to finish and tastes like something from a specialty shop.
- The texture is luxuriously silky and spreads beautifully on almost anything you can think of.
02 -
- If your heat is too high the eggs will scramble and you will end up with lemony sweet scrambled eggs, so keep that water at a gentle simmer.
- Straining is not optional if you want that perfectly smooth texture everyone associates with good curd.
03 -
- For the richest possible curd replace the whole eggs with six egg yolks and enjoy an almost custard like texture.
- Use a silicone whisk if you have one because it is gentler on your bowl and makes scraping down the sides much easier.