Easy Lemon Curd

Add a burst of citrus to your recipes with this easy lemon curd. It takes just 15 minutes to make and has the most dreamy texture. Spoon it over angel food cake, layer it in trifles, or use it to fill buttery tart shells for a fresh and easy dessert.

If you love lemon desserts, try these easy lemon bars and lemon coconut cupcakes.

This post on lemon curd was first published in April 2021 and then updated and republished in May 2025.

Jump to:

• Lemon Curd with Whole Eggs
• Why I Love This Recipe
• What is Lemon Curd?
• Main Ingredients
• How To Make Lemon Curd
• Storage Recommendations
• BruCrew Tips
• FAQs
• Lemon Curd Uses
• Recipe

Lemon Curd with Whole Eggs

I used to think making lemon curd was way too complicated. For years, I would always buy it from the store. 

Making it yourself is surprisingly easy and consistently turns out perfectly. Plus, it tastes so much better than anything you’ll find in a store-bought jar.

My biggest dilemma with making homemade lemon curd was that most recipes I found only used egg yolks. Since I didn't want leftover egg whites, I developed a lemon curd recipe using whole eggs. 

Another difference in my recipe is that I add the butter and melt it with the sugar at the beginning. It results in a smooth, sweet, and tart lemon curd.

Why I Love This Recipe

• No preservatives or fillers here! It’s made with simple, real ingredients like eggs, sugar, butter, and fresh lemon juice.
• The texture is super silky smooth. Once it cools, the curd is rich and buttery. It's perfect for spreading, filling, or just eating right from the jar.
• It feels fancy, but it’s really easy to make. It looks and tastes like something from a bakery, yet you can make it in just about 15 minutes on the stovetop.
• There are so many ways to use it! It’s great for filling cupcakes, topping scones or pancakes, swirling into yogurt, or layering in parfaits and tarts.

What is Lemon Curd?

Lemon curd is a smooth fruit spread made from cooking lemon juice, sugar, butter, and eggs on the stovetop, then chilled until thickened.

The buttery and sweet topping has a bright citrus flavor from the lemon juice and zest. Other popular variations include lime, mango, berry, grapefruit, pineapple, and orange curd.

Main Ingredients

I love making lemon curd from scratch because it uses simple ingredients. Just cook everything on the stovetop until it thickens like custard. It should be bright yellow and have a tart lemon flavor. Trust me, once you make it, you won’t buy it from the store again!

• Lemon Juice: For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can also choose bottled juice that is 100% fresh organic juice. Check the labels, as some bottled lemon juices may be concentrated and contain added lemon oils.
• Lemon Zest: Fresh lemon zest helps to infuse more lemon flavor
• Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the tart lemon juice for the perfect sweet and tart flavor. You can also use a powdered sugar replacement, such as Swerve, if you want sugar-free lemon curd.
• Unsalted Butter: Use a good quality cold butter for best results. Do not use a butter substitute.
• Large Eggs: This lemon curd recipe uses whole eggs. There is no need to separate or have leftover ingredients.

How To Make Lemon Curd

Making lemon curd from scratch is very easy to do. It comes together in minutes using five simple ingredients and makes about 1 ⅓ cups.

Place lemon juice, zest, butter, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and dissolved.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. While whisking, gradually add ¼ cup of the hot lemon juice to the egg mixture. This process tempers the eggs and prevents them from scrambling when combined with the hot liquid. Once tempered, whisk the egg mixture into the remaining lemon mixture.

Constantly stir over low heat for 8-10 minutes until the lemon curd thickens. You should not see any bubbles as it cooks.

Pour the creamy mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the zest and any small pieces of egg. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing it directly against the surface of the hot curd. This will help prevent skin from forming as it cools.

Refrigerate for 3-4 hours to allow the homemade curd to chill and thicken.

BRUCREW TIP: You can make a homemade curd with any fruit juice. Some of our favorites are blackberry, grapefruit, and lime curd.

Storage Recommendations

• Refrigerator: To store lemon curd, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate. It will stay fresh for 3 to 4 weeks.
• Freezer: Fill freezer–safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 1 year. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
• Canning: The shelf life for canned homemade lemon curd is only a few months, so it is not recommended. The better option would be to freeze any leftover lemon curd.

BruCrew Tips

• Use a ZESTER to remove the outer yellow peel of fresh lemons. Do not zest the white pith, as it is bitter and will affect the taste.
• Do NOT use a copper or aluminum pan to make lemon curd. The acidic lemon juice will react with the pan and may cause the mixture to turn green or taste metallic.
• Adding the butter WHILE the mixture cooks results in a smoother, silkier lemon curd.
• Heat the lemon mixture for the FULL 8-10 minutes to prevent the lemon curd from being runny. A thin mixture happens when it has not been heated long enough.
• STRAIN the curd to remove any pulp, seeds, or cooked egg pieces. This step may be unnecessary, but it will guarantee that your mixture is smooth and silky.
• Press a piece of plastic wrap DIRECTLY on the hot lemon curd. This will stop a film from forming as it cools.
• Lemon curd will THICKEN after cooling in the refrigerator for a few hours. Once it cools, spoon it into jars or containers with tight-sealing lids.
• You can make silky lemon curd in the MICROWAVE. Just stir everything together and cook it for 4 to 6 minutes, whisking every 45 seconds.

FAQs

Lemon Curd Uses

Lemon curd is very versatile, so there are many delicious ways to use it. It can be used anywhere you use jams, jellies, or custards. However, my favorite way to enjoy it is with a spoon. Wink, wink. 

• Use it as a topping for scones, French toast, or biscuits.
• Layer it with granola, blueberry sauce, and Greek yogurt to make breakfast parfaits.
• Fill tart shells or mini graham cracker crusts with lemon curd and top with whipped cream.
• Spread it on blueberry pancakes or strawberry waffles.
• Dip cookies or graham crackers in it.
• Add it to the top of a lemon meringue cheesecake.
• Use it as a filling for cakes, crepes, homemade donuts, or puff pancakes.
• Spoon it into the center of these lemon meringue cupcakes.

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