Lemon Curd Recipe
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Last Updated on May 20, 2026 by becky
A simple lemon curd recipe made with sugar, eggs, butter, and citrus. The best easy lemon curd for filling tarts, cakes, and sandwich cookies!
Why Make This Lemon Curd Recipe?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent the last couple of weeks overindulging in holiday food. After a December full of rich, heavy dishes, I always find myself craving lighter flavors as we ring in the new year, and this easy lemon curd certainly fits the bill.
Bright and sunny in color and packed with citrus flavor, my lemon curd recipe offers a refreshing change from all of the breads, pastas, cheeses, stuffings, chocolate, cookies, and alcohol consumed during the Christmas season. A few bites of this lemon curd and I’m already thinking spring…even if we do have to make it through the winter doldrums first!
Although you can purchase jarred lemon curd, my recipe is easy to make at home. The ingredients (sugar, eggs, butter, lemons, vanilla bean paste) are things you probably already have on hand, and only takes a few minutes to prepare. You don’t even need to turn on the oven!
Lemon Curd Ingredients
To make homemade lemon curd, you’ll need:
- Sugar – You can use granulated sugar, or caster sugar measured by weight.
- Eggs – This recipe requires two medium eggs, plus two egg yolks. (Save the unused whites to make meringues or French macarons!)
- Lemon – Freshly squeezed lemon juice forms the base for the curd, while a tablespoon of zest adds extra flavor.
- Butter – Softened to room temperature so it blends easily with the hot curd.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – I recommend investing in a good-quality vanilla bean paste. My preferred brands include Nielsen-Massey, Rodelle, Taylor & Colledge, or Simply Organic.
Ways to Use Lemon Curd
This lemon curd recipe offers many possibilities. You can:
- Fill a classic tarte au citron (lemon tart) or a batch of mini tartlets
- Bake lemon hand pies
- Make lemon curd thumbprint cookies
- Spread it on scones, toast, or lemon poppyseed muffins
- Fill sandwich cookies or macarons
- Layer with fruit, whipped cream and crushed cookies for a simple parfait
- Use as a filling for cupcakes
Lemon Curd Recipe Tips and Tricks
Save the egg whites. This curd recipe includes two whole eggs, plus two egg yolks. You can save the leftover whites for meringues or macarons, or do what I did and make an egg white scramble for breakfast the next morning!
Use plastic wrap. Before refrigerating your curd, stretch a sheet of clingfilm/plastic wrap over the top of the bowl, allowing it to touch the curd. This keeps the curd smooth and creamy by preventing a tough “skin” from forming on top.
Whisk. Before serving, use a wire whisk to “knock back” the curd, whising briskly for a minute or two to remove any lumps.
Notes on Tempering
Tempering (gradually combining the hot and cold ingredients) is an important step in this recipe. Add the hot lemon juice to the cold eggs too quickly and you’re likely to find yourself with scrambled eggs, rather than a smooth lemon curd.
Some recipes include a straining step after cooking. If tempered properly, your curd should not be “eggy” and straining won’t be necessary (I don’t usually strain mine). However, if you do find little bits of egg in your curd, simply pass it through a fine mesh strainer (you can use a bench scraper to help push it through) before chilling. If you do plan to strain, stir in the zest at the end of the recipe.
For a deeper look at tempering (including step-by-step process photos) see this tutorial on how to make pastry cream.
Other citrus recipes you might enjoy:
Simple Candied Orange Peel
Sunny Lemon Daisy Cookies
Lemon Drops
Dark Chocolate Grapefruit Peels
Grapefruit Infused Water
Classic Homemade Lemonade
Grapefruit 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!
Print
Lemon Curd
- Total Time15 minutes
- Yield330 grams (about 1 1/4 cups) 1x
A refreshingly simple lemon curd recipe, made with granulated sugar, eggs, butter, and fresh citrus.
Ingredients
100 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
115 grams eggs (2 eggs)
35 grams egg yolks (2 yolks)
Zest of 1 lemon
80 milliliters freshly squeezed lemon juice (1/3 cup; about 2 large lemons)
85 grams unsalted butter, softened (3 ounces; 6 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and lemon zest.*
In a medium saucepan, warm the lemon juice until steaming. Do not boil.
Temper the hot juice into the egg 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 heat. Bring to a low boil and continue cooking until thickened, about 4 minutes. While cooking, gently stir the curd continually with a whisk or rubber spatula.
Remove from heat. Whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste, and continue whisking until butter melts into the curd.
Scoop 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 leftover curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
*If you temper carefully, you won’t need to strain the curd. However, if you’re new to tempering curds and yours turns out slightly “eggy,” you can pass it through a fine mesh strainer to remove any bits of egg. If planning to strain, I recommend waiting until the end of the recipe to stir in the zest, rather than adding it to the uncooked curd.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Category: Frostings and Fillings
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Sweets
