Grapefruit Curd Recipe

A homemade grapefruit curd recipe made with eggs, sugar, butter, and plenty of fresh citrus. The best pink grapefruit curd for piping into tarts and thumbprint cookies, spreading on scones, filling hand pies, or sandwiching between macaron shells.

Why Make This Grapefruit Curd Recipe?

For some reason, grapefruit always feels more fall/winter-ish to me than some of its citrus siblings, like lemon and lime.

Growing up, we always included a grapefruit-heavy citrus salad as part of our Christmas breakfast menu, and I absolutely love to gift chocolate-dipped candied grapefruit peels during the holiday season. And on a frigid day, grapefruit makes a wonderful, warming addition to a citrus simmer pot, too.

Plenty of stores sell commercially-produced lemon curd (although I still prefer to make my own) but pre-made grapefruit curd isn’t quite so easy to find. Thankfully, it’s surprisingly simple to prepare at home. Made with fresh grapefruit juice and zest, this simple citrus curd works for everything from tarts and thumbprint cookies to slathering on homemade scones or slices of toast.

My grapefruit curd only requires a few minutes of prep time, and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your fridge or pantry. You will need plenty of fresh grapefruit, of course, and don’t forget the surprise ingredient! A touch of fresh lemon juice gives the curd its tart, citrus-y zing, which doesn’t come through with grapefruit juice alone.

Grapefruit Curd Recipe Ingredients

To make homemade grapefruit curd, start by gathering the following:

• Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar balances the acidic citrus with just the right amount of sweetness.
• Eggs and Egg Yolks – The curd base requires 2 eggs, plus 2 additional yolks. (You won’t need the whites, but save them to make my French macarons or this cranberry meringue tart!.)
• Grapefruit – You’ll need 8 grams (about 1 packed tablespoon) of grapefruit zest, grated on a Microplane rather than a box grater. You’ll also need 60 milliliters (1/4 cup) of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. Do not use bottled juice. And don’t toss the peels—turn them into candied grapefruit peels instead.

• Lemon Juice – Lemon juice adds a tart, citrus-y note; without it the curd will taste purely sweet. (Don’t worry, the finished product will still taste like grapefruit rather than lemon!)
• Butter – Unsalted butter works best in this recipe. Make sure it is very soft, so it whisks easily into the warm curd.
• Food Coloring – Totally optional, but I like to add a few drops of peach gel food coloring or pink gel food coloring to make the curd “grapefruit colored.” Without gel food coloring the curd will look yellow, which makes it tough to distinguish from lemon curd if you’re serving both at the same time, or plating a mix of lemon and grapefruit thumbprint cookies or hand pies.

How to Use Homemade Grapefruit Curd

You can use this grapefruit curd in the same way you’d use orange, lemon, or lime curd. Spread into a pie crust or tart shell or make a batch of mini tartlets. Fill hand pies, cupcakes, or thumbprint cookies. Sandwich it between French macaron shells.

For simpler serving ideas, slather grapefruit curd on homemade scones or muffins, stir it into Greek yogurt, make an icebox cake (you could definitely substitute grapefruit in this lemon icebox cake recipe) or layer it into a citrus-inspired parfait.

Citrus Curd Tips and Tricks

Tempering (gradually combining hot and cold ingredients) plays an important role in this recipe. If you add the hot juice mixture too quickly, you’ll “cook” the curd into scrambled eggs. Go nice and slow to prevent this from happening; if tempered correctly, your curd won’t be “eggy.” I don’t strain my homemade curds, but if you’re new at tempering and notice little bits of egg in the finished product, you can remove it by passing the curd through a fine mesh strainer.

If you’re new to tempering or making curds in general, I recommend waiting to stir in the grapefruit zest until after cooking the curd. That way, if you do notice any eggy pieces, you’ll be able to strain these out without removing the zest in the process.

Before chilling, stretch a sheet of clingfilm/plastic wrap over the the bowl of grapefruit curd, then use your fingertips to pat the plastic down so it touches the top of the curd. This little trick will keep your homemade curds (and pastry creams!) creamy by preventing a rubber-like skin from forming on the surface.

After chilling, always take time to “knock back” your curds and pastry creams. To do this, peel away the plastic wrap then whisk briskly (or blitz with a hand mixer or hand blender) until smooth and spreadable.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

Store homemade grapefruit curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not freeze.

Other citrus curd recipes you might enjoy:

Lemon Curd
Orange Curd
Lime Curd

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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