Grapefruit Curd Recipe
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Made with eggs, sugar, butter, and plenty of fresh citrus, this homemade grapefruit curd recipe requires just a few minutes of prep time, and consists mostly of fridge and pantry staples. It’s the ideal 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 as easy to find, so I make my own at home using 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.
Grapefruit Curd Recipe Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar balances the acidic citrus with just the right amount of sweetness. You can replace it with another grainy white sugar, such as caster or superfine; measure by weight to avoid an overly sweet curd.
- Eggs and Egg Yolks – The curd base requires 2 eggs, plus 2 additional yolks, which help to thicken the curd and create the smooth, creamy texture. You won’t need the whites, but save them to make French macarons.
- 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 like you’d use for drinking at breakfast—for this recipe, fresh works best. And don’t toss the peels! Add them to a citrus simmer pot, or turn them into mixed peel or candied grapefruit peels instead.
- Lemon Juice – A touch of fresh lemon juice gives this curd its tart, citrus-y zing, which doesn’t come through with grapefruit juice alone—without lemon, the curd will taste purely sweet. Don’t worry about it tasting “lemony,” though. 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 food coloring the curd will look yellow, making it difficult to distinguish from lemon curd if you’re serving both at the same time, or plating a mix of lemon and grapefruit thumbprint cookies.
Tips and Tricks
- Tempering is key. 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.”
- Strain only if necessary. 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.
- Add zest after cooking. 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.
- Cover with plastic. 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.
- Knock back before serving. 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.
Grapefruit Curd Recipe
- Total Time15 minutes
- YieldAbout 1 1/4 cups 1x
A homemade grapefruit curd recipe made with eggs, sugar, butter, and plenty of fresh citrus.
Ingredients
100 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
110 grams whole egg (2 large eggs)
35 grams egg yolk (yolks of 2 large eggs)
8 grams grapefruit zest (1 tablespoon)
60 milliliters freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (1/4 cup; juice of 1/2 fruit)
30 milliliters freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 tablespoons)
85 grams unsalted butter, softened (6 tablespoons; 3 ounces)
2-3 drops peach or pink gel food coloring, optional, for a brighter color
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk granulated sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and grapefruit zest.*
In a medium saucepan, warm the grapefruit and lemon juices until steaming. Do not boil.
Temper** the hot juice into the egg yolk mixture, adding a small amount at a time and whisking well after each addition, until you’ve incorporated all of the juice.
Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. Bring to a low boil and continue cooking until thickened, about 4 minutes. While cooking, continually stir the curd with a whisk or rubber spatula.
Remove from heat. Whisk in the butter and gel food coloring, if using.
Pour curd into a clean bowl. Cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap, allowing the plastic to touch the top of the curd to prevent a tough skin from forming.
Refrigerate until ready to use. Before serving, use a wire whisk to ‘knock back’ the curd, whisking for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
Store grapefruit curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
*If you’re new to tempering, I recommend waiting to stir in the grapefruit zest until after cooking the curd. That way, you’ll be able to strain out the eggy bits (if necessary) without removing the zest in the process.
**See my tempering tips in the post above.
- Category: Frostings and Fillings
- Method: Stovetop
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.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Store homemade grapefruit curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three 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!
