Our unbeatable lemon curd recipe

Name: Lemon curd
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Makes 2 Cup
Cuisine: Other
Ingredients: 6 egg yolks; 1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar; 80 gram (2½ ounces) unsalted butter, chopped coarsely; 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind; 2/3 cup (180ml) lemon juice

Learn how to make lemon curd and you'll unlock a delicious topping for toast, scones, pikelets and pancakes as well as a dreamy filling for tarts and sponge cake.

Jun 23, 2022 9:00pm

10 mins cooking
Makes 2 Cup

Sweet and tart, lemon curd is a dessert recipe staple that perfectly lends itself to a whole range of recipes.

Head to our collection of lemon curd desserts where you can find cheesecakes, souffles, cookies, pastries and tarts that all make the most of this delicious treat.

Looking for more lemon recipes?

Ingredients

6 egg yolks
1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar
80 gram (2½ ounces) unsalted butter, chopped coarsely
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
2/3 cup (180ml) lemon juice

Method

1
Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl until combined; transfer to small saucepan with remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring, over low heat, about 8 minutes or until mixture thickly coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat immediately; stir for 30 seconds.
2
Pour hot curd into hot sterilised jars; seal immediately. Label and date jars when cold.
3
Variations: You can make this recipe with almost any citrus fruit; simply replace the lemon rind and juice with the same amount of rind and juice of whatever citrus fruit you like - lime, orange, blood orange, mandarin, grapefruit and tangelo would all work well. If your oranges are very sweet, you might want to reduce the sugar to ¾ cup.

Notes

It is important to cook the curd over a low heat to prevent curdling. If you're making curd for the first time, stir the ingredients, in a medium glass or china heatproof bowl, over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water in the pan. You will need about 4 lemons for this recipe. Lemon curd will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. If you prefer a completely smooth curd, you can strain the mixture (to remove the tiny pieces of lemon rind) through a fine sieve before pouring into jars. Freeze the egg whites and use them later in friands, omelettes or in a pavlova.