Lemon Curd Recipe

This is my go- to lemon curd recipe. I’ll be honest, there’s nothing special about it, it’s just a tasty, easy and very reliable recipe. It’s smooth, rich, buttery and super lemony! I use a (not so)secret ingredient as the main thickener for the curd(corn flour). I do also add egg yolks but they smooth out the curd and provide a deep, rich flavour. The method I use below doesn’t require a double boiler and never results in curdled eggs. Use this curd to spread on toast, generously spoon over a pavlova or meringue, swirl through ice cream,. Use it to fill macarons or sandwich together biscuits, fill doughnuts or just eat it straight from the jar.

Okay so how do I make this lemon curd receipe from scratch?

This silky smooth Lemon Curd is the perfect harmony between sweet, sour, buttery and rich. It only takes just a few ingredients and can be made really quickly. If you have an abundance of lemons, this curd freezes really well. Simply pour into a freezer safe (not glass) airtight container and when cold, freeze. Freeze in small, usable portions and it can last for up to 3 months in the freezer.

To begin this Lemon Curd Recipe, place the fresh lemon juice into a small saucepan along with the sugar. Heat this on medium heat until the syrup begins to boil. In a small mixing bowl, add the water and cornflour and mix well until the cornflour dissolves fully. Cornflour and water mixed together like this is called a “slurry” and is a common thickening method in many dishes. Add this slurry to the boiling syrup and whisk vigorously. Continue to cook this on medium heat for another 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly, until fully thickened.

Once the cornflour has been cooked off and the curd has thickened, take the saucepan off the heat. Immediately whisk in the egg yolks until fully combined. Next, whisk in the butter until it has fully melted and incorporated into the curd. There is no need to return the saucepan to the heat, the residual heat from the thickened syrup is enough to cook the egg yolks.

Pour straight into a sterilised jar. To sterilise a jar, wash it in hot, soapy water and then fill fully with boiling water. I usually fill my jar as I begin making the curd and empty out the water just as I’m about to pour the curd in. You can also sterilise jars by putting them in a dishwasher. You can also pop them into an oven for 15-20 minutes on a low heat. Once filled seal tightly with the lid and turn the jar upside down to cool.

When the curd has fully cooled, store in the fridge for up to two weeks. Once opened, use within 5 days for best results.

Any tips for a smooth Lemon Curd?

I’m glad you asked! I do have some tips for the best lemon curd recipe! Although I do claim this recipe to be “no fail”, there are a few issues you may run into and I’d love to guide you through it with a few troubleshooting tips!

– Make sure all your ingredients are weighed up before you begin. This recipe really only has a couple of steps and for best results, some of them should be done quickly. For example; when you are whisking in the egg yolks, you are relying on the residual heat from the boiled mixture to cook the egg yolks. If you didn’t have your egg yolks ready and allowed the mixture to cool while you had to separate and weigh them, it might not be hot enough to cook the egg yolks to create a thick, rich flavour. The curd may taste a bit eggy as a result.

-Similarly, make sure all your equipment is ready and your jars are sterilised/in the process of sterilisation. This recipe needs very little equipment so it’s important to have everything ready to go.

-Don’t mix the cornflour and water until you are just about to add it. Cornflour tends to sink when combined with water and left to stand. It creates a thick paste at the bottom of the bowl and tends to clump, if you don’t mix it thoroughly and right when you need it, you may end up with lumps of cornflour in the finished curd and nobody wants that.

-Follow the recipe exactly and do not put the saucepan back onto the heat once you have added the egg yolks. Egg yolks cook at 71°c (158°f) and if you follow the recipe, the mixture should be more than hot enough to cook the egg yolks. If this still bothers you, and you’d really like to return the mixture to the heat, make sure it is turned down low and you pass the finished curd through a sieve to catch any curdled egg yolk.

Interested in Citrus Curds? Check out my Blood Orange Curd Recipe, Here.

Thinking of Cake Recipes to slather this all over? Try having a look at my Cake Category, here.