How To Make Lemon Curd (4-Ingredients)

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5 from 16 votes

How To Make Lemon Curd (4-Ingredients)

A creamy, tangy, and buttery lemon curd recipe that takes just 10 minutes to make and uses basic pantry essentials.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Waiting Time6

Total Time6 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 271kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

80 g Lemon juice Freshly squeezed. Approx 2 lemons.
4 Egg yolks
150 g Granulated sugar
Lemon zest Zest of the previously squeezed 2 lemons.
110 g Unsalted butter Room temperature

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Finely zest the lemons into a small mixing bowl using a microplane grater.
Juice zested lemons using a citrus juicer; you’ll probably need about 2-3 large juicy lemons to give you ⅓ cup of juice.
Place lemon juice, egg yolk and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (double boiler) and cook the curd over medium-high heat whisking constantly.
After about 8-10 minutes, the mixture starts to thicken like a custard (at this point the curd will reach around 80C /176F).
Remove it from heat, and pour the cooked curd through a sieve.
With a rubber spatula, mix in room temperature butter in small chunks one by one, making sure each chunk is fully incorporated before adding the next. Hand blend, if desired.
Fold the zest in at this point.
Pour curd into a jar and place plastic wrap directly on top so it is touching the top of the curd. (This prevents skin forming on top.) The curd will continue to thicken as it cools in the fridge.
Store refrigerated for about a week or freeze for up to 3 months

Notes

Don't set the heat too high under the double boiler, and make sure you whisk the mixture continuously to prevent the egg yolks from scrambling.

All the ingredients need to be at room temperature before you begin to emulsify properly. Butter takes around one hour out of the fridge to soften correctly. If you use cold butter, it will not melt into the curd.

Nutrition