Homemade Lemon Curd (Printable)
Silky lemon curd with bright citrus zest and butter, ideal for scones, tarts, or stirred into yogurt and desserts.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fruit & Juice
01 - 3 large lemons, zest finely grated and juiced (about ½ cup juice)
→ Dairy
02 - ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed
→ Eggs
03 - 3 large eggs
04 - 1 large egg yolk
→ Sugar
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
# How to Make It:
01 - In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth and well blended.
02 - Place the bowl over a saucepan filled with gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water surface.
03 - Add the cubed butter to the bowl and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
04 - Remove the bowl from heat and pour the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, pressing through to remove any bits of cooked egg or zest for a silky finish.
05 - Press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving for the best texture.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- It takes barely any effort but tastes like you spent hours, which is the best kind of cooking trick there is.
- Once you master this, you will never buy a jar again and your friends will start requesting it by name.
02 -
- If the water beneath your bowl is boiling rapidly instead of simmering gently, you will end up with sweet scrambled eggs and a bruised ego.
- Straining is not optional if you want that perfectly smooth, jar worthy texture that makes people think you bought it from a fancy shop.
03 -
- Room temperature eggs blend more smoothly and reduce the risk of any cloudy or streaky texture in your finished curd.
- Zest your lemons before juicing them, because trying to zest a squeezed lemon half is a frustrating exercise in futility.