4.7 from 111 votes
Easy Lemon Curd Recipe
Homemade lemon curd is sweet, tangy, and so much better than store-bought! This easy homemade sauce is whipped up in just about 15 minutes with only 5 simple ingredients. This is a kitchen staple that you need to make today!
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Servings: 16 tablespoons
Calories: 102 kcal
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Ingredients
- 5 large egg yolks
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- ½ cup unsalted butter cubed (1 stick)
Instructions
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place a medium-sized heatproof bowl on top.
- Add the egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the bowl. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, for 10-15 minutes. The mixture should thicken quite a bit and resemble hollandaise when it’s fully cooked.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the butter.
- Place plastic wrap on top of the bowl so that it is touching the curd-- this will help keep a skin from forming.
- Once the curd has cooled completely, remove the plastic wrap and transfer the mixture to an airtight container.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- Storage: Store lemon curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- This recipe makes 1 cup of lemon curd.
- While you need to cook the lemon curd for about 10-15 minutes to get the right consistency, don't cook it for too much longer than that or it will curdle.
- If your lemon curd is a little bit lumpy, that's okay! It just means that the eggs didn't fully separate. You can blend the mixture for just a few moments to break up any lumps you see.
- Jars of lemon curd make the cutest gifts! Hand these out to friends and neighbors during the summertime to make everyone smile.
Nutrition Information
Serving
1tablespoon
Calories
102kcal
(5%)
Carbohydrates
9g
(3%)
Protein
1g
(2%)
Fat
7g
(11%)
Saturated Fat
4g
(20%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
2g
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
76mg
(25%)
Sodium
4mg
(0%)
Potassium
14mg
(0%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
8g
(16%)
Vitamin A
259IU
(5%)
Vitamin C
2mg
(2%)
Calcium
10mg
(1%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 16tablespoons
Amount Per Serving
Calories 102
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1tablespoon | |
| Calories | 102kcal | 5% |
| Carbohydrates | 9g | 3% |
| Protein | 1g | 2% |
| Fat | 7g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat | 4g | 20% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 76mg | 25% |
| Sodium | 4mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 14mg | 0% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 8g | 16% |
| Vitamin A | 259IU | 5% |
| Vitamin C | 2mg | 2% |
| Calcium | 10mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.