Lemon Curd
You only need a couple lemons to make this tangy and delicious lemon curd. Spread some between the layers of a cake or fill donuts, or just eat it by the spoonful!
Use fresh lemons
Fresh lemons give you the best flavor and in this case, are more economical. The amount of juice you need is right around what you get from 2 large lemons. Every time I make this lemon curd, I just juice the lemons and use all of the juice without measuring it. Make sure you strain out the seeds.
The other bonus to using fresh lemons is that you can use all of their zest in this recipe. It makes me happy to use the entire fruit and not waste anything.
Blend the zest and sugar
I use a similar method with my triple citrus cookies, where I agitate the sugar and zest together to get more oil out. You can either use a food processor or just your fingers. The food processor is less messy and has more power, but your fingers have a little more heat to help draw out the oil/flavor in the zest. Choose whichever is best for you.
When the curd comes off of the heat, you can strain out the zest before cooling if you don’t want bits and pieces in your final product.
Add butter
Butter adds richness and a more luxurious feeling to this lemon curd. You could do without it, but you don’t want to!
This lemon curd sets very fast as it cools, so you won’t need to wait long to enjoy it!
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Lemon Curd
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Chilling Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours + 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Condiments
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This silky smooth lemon curd is rich and sweet and perfectly lemony.
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- zest from 3 lemons
- 6 large egg yolks
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
- 8 TB unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
- Add the sugar and lemon zest to a heavy bottomed saucepan. Use your fingers to work the zest into the sugar for at least 30 seconds. The heat and friction will pull more lemon flavor from the zest.
- Make a small well in the center of the lemon sugar and add the egg yolks to the well. Whisk well until all the sugar has been combined and then add the lemon juice. Whisk again until smooth.
- Cook over medium low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. The lemon curd is done when it has thickened considerably, begins to bubble and coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from the heat and immediately pass the curd through a fine mesh sieve and into a heatproof bowl. Whisk in the cold butter until it has melted and blended into the curd.
- Cover and refrigerate until chilled before using. Lemon curd will keep in the fridge for one month.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
- Calories: 50
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Sodium: 2.4 mg
- Fat: 3.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.6 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 0.7 g
- Cholesterol: 51.8 mg
