How to Make Lemon Curd – with video
If you’ve been wondering how to make Lemon Curd I think you’ll be surprised how easy it is. This versatile Lemon Curd recipe can be made with or without gelatin.
My custom cake business, Cake Art Studio, had a fairly large menu of cake flavors. One of the most popular was the Luscious Lemon Cake and that cake is now one of the most popular recipes on Baking Sense. The base for that wonderful cake is a really great lemon curd recipe.
For something with such a frankly unappealing name, curd is one of my favorite go-to ingredients for a wide variety of desserts.
I mentioned that I use it as a cake filling, but curd also makes a great cupcake, tart or pie filling, can be used as a filling for shortbread or to sandwich French Macarons, is traditional on a scone with clotted cream and is insanely decadent warmed up and poured over ice-cream.
Tips for making this Lemon Curd Recipe:
- Always combine the sugar with the eggs before adding the lemon juice. If you add the juice to eggs without the sugar, the acidic juice will “cook” the eggs.
- The zest has lemon oil which adds a full lemon flavor. After cooking the zest can be strained out since it has already added the flavor.
- The gelatin is optional. Instructions for blooming gelatin can be found here.
- If you’re using the curd for a spread or sauce you don’t need the gelatin.
- Use the gelatin when you don’t want the curd to be oozy, like in a cake or tart that will be sliced.
- It’s not necessary to cook the curd on a double boiler.
- You can cook the curd directly on the stove as long as you keep the heat on medium-low and stir constantly to avoid burning.
- When the curd is ready it should coat the spatula or spoon.
- The curd will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator and can be frozen for several months.
- The recipe can be adapted for other citrus fruits. See the notes section of the recipe card.
Once you’ve made this lemon curd recipe you’ll find a million ways to enjoy it.
Lemon curd is just the beginning. Fruit curds can be made with any other citrus fruit, mango, passion fruit, and others. If you’ve got extra egg yolks, try this Yolks Only Lemon Curd.
Watch the recipe video to see exactly how to make Lemon Curd!
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.
Lemon Curd Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin powder (optional)
- 12 oz granulated sugar (1 ½ cups)
- 3 large eggs
- 4 oz lemon juice (½ cup, about 3-4 lemons)
- Finely grated zest from all the lemons
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 oz unsalted butter (cut into 1″ chunks)
Instructions
- If you are using the gelatin, bloom 1 1/2 teaspoons gelatin powder in 2 tablespoons cold water in a medium size bowl. Set aside.
- Thoroughly whisk together 12 oz granulated sugar and 3 large eggs in a medium saucepan. Add 4 oz lemon juiceFinely grated zest from all the lemons and ⅛ teaspoon salt.
- Place 3 oz unsalted butter on top of the bloomed gelatin. Put a fine mesh sieve over the bowl and keep it near the stove.
- Heat the egg/juice mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly. You must be sure to keep stirring across the entire bottom and corners of the pot so the custard does not have a chance to stick. The mixture will start out opaque with a fine white foam over the surface. As it heats up the curd will thicken, become more translucent and the foam will disappear.
- Cook until the curd will coat the back of a wooden spoon and just begins to boil. Don't allow it to come to a rolling boil. One or two bubbles is all you need to see.
- Immediately remove from the heat and pour through the sieve over the butter and gelatin. You can skip straining the curd if you like the bits of zest in the curd.
- Stir until the butter and gelatin are melted and thoroughly incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and cool a bit before putting in the refrigerator.
- Refrigerate until completely cooled. If using gelatin, allow it to sit 8 hours or overnight to gel.
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Video
Notes
Lime, Orange, Blood Orange, Pink Grapefruit,
- 1/2 cup of juice (about 3-4 limes, 2-3 oranges, 1 grapefruit)
- 1 1/4 cup (10 oz) granulated sugar
- Zest from the fruits
Annette Cleworth
Hi Eileen
I haven’t yet tried your lemon curd recipe but wondered whether the curd doesn’t set without
using gelatine. I notice you do give it as an option so what is the point of using it?
Many thanks
Annette
Hi Annette, without the gelatin the curd will “soft set”. It will be thickened but will not hold it’s shape. I use the gelatin when I use the curd to fill a tart or cake so that it will not ooze out when the tart/cake is sliced. If your using the curd as a topping, then you don’t need the gelatin.
Amazing! Full of flavor and color. I use this as a basis for lemon mousse for the most delicious Lemon Mousse Cake, which is a favorite dessert amongst our family and friends.
If I quadruple this recipe, would I quadruple the gelatin? And if so, would I bloom it in 4x2Tbsp? or still in 2 Tbsp? Thank you!
Yes, if you quadruple the recipe use 4X the gelatin and bloom that in 4X the liquid.
Can this curd made with gelatin be frozen? I am planning to make brioche buns and I wanted to put frozen balls of lemon curd inside and bake. Thank you.
Yes, I’ve frozen this many, many times.
Thank you very much for this excellent recipe with detailed instructions! I wanted to make an orange curd that was stiff enough to use in cake layers (without running out the sides), and your suggestions on using your lemon curd recipe as a starter for other non-lemon curds were a terrific help. For 3 layers (4-layer cake), I doubled your recipe. Oranges are sweeter and less acidic than lemons, so for the orange curd (single recipe) I found I needed 2 Tbspn lemon juice substituted into the ½ cup orange juice, only 1 cup sugar and only half the gelatin. The curd is a beautiful orange color with sweet but zippy orange flavor and just firm enough to sit by itself on the cake.
This was a wonderful curd. I added an 1/8 the of lemon extract… I shouldn’t have… Gave it a metallicy taste and it was beautiful as it was. Thank you for the description in the tutorial: like adding the bits about the froth on the egg/lemon mixture and the detail about being careful not to cook the egg with the lemons’ acid. I cook better when I understand the why’s behind what I’m doing… So… Thank you. Wonderful recipe, and fabulously taught in how to make it. New family dessert for a lasting tradition.
That cake was my FAVORITE to order from you. I miss your studio so much!
Thank you Sonya. I miss my nice customers like you.