Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

easy peasy lemon curd

★★★★★ 6
a recipe by
Nickole Smith-Palacios
New York, NY

This may just be my favorite thing to make (and eat, lol) but it's not so friendly to the waistline. It's absolutely delish on scones and muffins. I use it to fill tarts, pour it warm over pound cake, and even as a cake filling! Super versatile and makes a great addition to any welcome, or condolence basket. Hope you love it as much as we do.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Nickole said it: This would be AMAZING served over pound cake or in a tart. I bet it would also be terrific simply spooned atop some creamy vanilla or blueberry ice cream too!

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
★★★★★ 6
serves 32
prep time 15 Min
cook time 5 Min
method Microwave

Ingredients For easy peasy lemon curd

  • 2 c
    sugar
  • 6
    eggs
  • 6
    lemons, zested
  • 2 c
    lemon juice, fresh
  • 1 c
    unsalted butter, melted

How To Make easy peasy lemon curd

  • 1
    In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave on high.
  • 2
    In a separate bowl, combine sugar, beaten eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Slowly whisk into the hot melted butter until well combined.
  • 3
    Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
  • 4
    Remove from heat. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve to remove all the white egg bits to ensure a perfectly smooth curd.
  • 5
    Cover by laying a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd (this prevents skin from forming on the surface). The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
  • 6
    ***********TIPS*********** Do not skip mixing after the 1-minute intervals and do not let the lemon curd boil, as it can cause the mixture to curdle. * Cold lemons are much easier to grate. Always grate your lemons first, and then juice them. Grate lemons just before using as the zest will lose moisture if it sits too long. ** Do not use the bottled lemon juice - only use fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Room temperature lemons produce more juice. Always use fresh lemons when making lemon curd. *** Use good quality butter. Do not use butter substitutes. **** DO NOT store in a metal bowl, it will react with the acid in the lemons, discoloring the curd and giving it a metallic flavor.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT