Easy Lemon Curd recipe
A lot of people asking me what to do with egg yolks that are left after baking macarons. And I always answer to make lemon curd. Homemade lemon curd is creamy and taste much better that from the store. I love yellow color of this curd. All natural and no food coloring added. I use in my macaron fillings, cupcakes, or other desserts. This lemon curd recipe is easy and simple to make.
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How to make lemon curd
Ingredients nedded
- granulated sugar
- unsalted butter
- egg yolks
- freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
- pinch of salt
Wash and dry lemons. Juice lemons. Strain the juice for smoothest lemon curd. Set juice aside.
Fill the bottom pot of your double boiler with 1-2 inches of water. Place on high heat. Once the water begins to boil, reduce to low heat to keep the water at a simmer.
Place granulated sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice and pinch of salt into the top pot of your double boiler.
Wisk until completely blended, then continue to whisk as the curd cooks.
Tip from Marina: I would recommend using silicone whisk and non-metal double boiler. Lemon juice and egg yolks will react with metal. You don’t want metallic aftertaste in your lemon curd.
Whisk and cook for about 10 min or until the mixture becomes thick.
It should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a clear pass if you run your fingers through it. If you have thermometer, it should register 75oC/170oF.
Meanwhile, cut room temperature unsalted butter into small pieces.
Remove pan with curd from heat. Strain to clean glass bowl to remove any lumps that may have formed.
Add pieces of butter and mix with the wooden spoon (again, to avoid metal aftertaste). The butter will melt from the heat of the curd.
Transfer the curd into glass jar and cover with plastic wrap “to contact” (place plastic wrap directly on top of the curd). Allow the lemon curd to cool slightly, then place into refrigerator.
How to store
Lemon curd can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze lemon curd for up to 1 month. Be sure to use air-tight container to freeze it.
Where to use lemon curd
I like to use lemon curd in many of my desserts:
- macarons. Check Lemon Cheesecake macarons recipe.
- pavlova. Check Pavlova recipe here
- cupcakes
- cake
- slice of toast
If you make this lemon curd, please tag me on the social media and make sure to leave a rating down below. I would love to see your creations! Check also other recipes:
Easy Lemon Curd recipe
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
Ingredients
- 200 gr (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 113 gr (½ cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter
- 8 egg yolks
- 160 ml (2/3 cup) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Wash and dry lemons. Juice lemons. Strain the juice for smoothest lemon curd. Set juice aside.
- Fill the bottom pot of your double boiler with 1-2 inches of water. Place on high heat. Once the water begins to boil, reduce to low heat to keep the water at a simmer.
- Place granulated sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice and pinch of salt into the top pot of your double boiler.
- Wisk until completely blended, then continue to whisk as the curd cooks.
- Whisk and cook for about 10 min or until the mixture becomes thick. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon and leave a clear pass if you run your fingers through it. If you have thermometer, it should register 75oC/170oF.
- Cut room temperature unsalted butter into small pieces
- Remove pan with curd from heat. Strain to clean glass bowl to remove any lumps that may have formed.
- Add pieces of butter and mix with the wooden spoon.
- Transfer the curd into glass jar and cover with plastic wrap “to contact” (place plastic wrap directly on top of the curd). Allow the lemon curd to cool slightly, then place into refrigerator.