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Preppy Kitchen

Easy Lemon Curd

A silky, spoonable lemon curd made with fresh juice, zest, egg yolks, and cold butter whisked in at the end. Bright and tangy with just enough sweetness for spreading on toast or filling cakes and tarts.

⏱ 145 min1.5 cupsAmericanlemoncurddessertspreadcitrus

Ingredients

  • 1 cupgranulated sugar · 200g
  • 2 tablespoonslemon zest · from 2 lemons
  • 6large egg yolks
  • 7 tablespoonslemon juice · 100mL
  • 1/2 cupunsalted butter · cold, cubed (113g)

Steps

  1. 1

    Zest the lemons. If you have a food processor, pulse the lemon zest with the sugar to extract the oils from the zest, though this step is optional.

  2. 2

    Juice the lemons until you have about half a cup of juice, straining out the seeds.

  3. 3

    Strain the egg yolks into a pot and beat lightly with a wire whisk. Whisk in the sugar until the mixture lightens in color, then gradually stir in the lemon juice.

  4. 4

    Heat over low, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until the mixture thickens, just starts to bubble, and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

  5. 5

    Remove the pot from the heat, add the cold cubed butter, and stir until melted.

  6. 6

    Optionally, strain the finished curd to remove any bits of zest for a perfectly silky texture.

  7. 7

    Transfer the curd to a sealable container or bowl. If using a bowl, press plastic wrap against the surface to prevent a skin from forming.

Creator's notes

The secret to the best lemon curd is adding cold butter at the end — it gives the curd a silky soft texture and thickens it beautifully.

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