Making Your Own Lemon Curd Is Actually Much Simpler Than You Think

Lemon curd is a fantastic creamy spread that’s a perfect addition to cakes, tarts, pavlovas, and even plain old bread. You might think that this delicious treat is finicky to make, but that couldn’t be farther than the truth. Yummy lemon curd takes just a few simple ingredients that you likely already have at home and takes just 10 minutes to whip up. Here’s how to make your own lemony spread.

What You Need

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 large eggs at room temperature

1/4 cup butter at room temperature

What To Do

Combine the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and eggs in a small saucepan. Over low heat, start cooking the mixture and add in the butter. Make sure you are constantly stirring the mixture with a whisk.

Whisk until you see bubbles on the surface and the curd has thickened to the point when it holds the shape of your whisk. This will take about 6 to 8 minutes, so do be patient.

Once you’ve reached your desired consistency, strain the curd through a fine mesh strainer and then transfer to a bowl or jar. Cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap, making sure that it directly touches the surface in order to prevent a skin from forming.

Refrigerate the curd until it has completely cooled and then remove the plastic wrap and cover with the cap. You can keep the curd in your fridge for about a week.

If you notice that your curd has curdled, strain it. If you want to avoid straining the lemon zest, you can use a microplane zester to get a very fine zest that won’t have to be strained out.