Step 9 – Pour into a heat-proof jar and store in the fridge for up to one week or freeze for up to a year. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Add your butter in chunks and whisk until the butter is melted and everything is combined.
Pro-tip – Removing the curd at 170✯ will yield a thinner consistency while removing at 180✯ will be thicker. If it holds the shape without dripping off too quickly, it’s done! Test the thickness by dipping the back of a spoon into your lemon curd and drag your finger across it. I cook mine for about 2 minutes because I like thick lemon curd. Step 7 – Whisk constantly and cook over medium heat until desired thickness.
Pro-tip – If you do accidentally get some cooked eggs, you can pass your curd through a strainer after it’s done to remove any bits of cooked egg. If you walk away for even a minute, the eggs can curdle and you’ll have lemon scrambled eggs. Since the main ingredient used in lemon curd is egg yolks, we have to be very careful about how quickly we heat the mixture. Step 6 – Now that your egg mixture is warmed up a bit, you can safely add the tempered egg mixture back into the hot lemon mixture while whisking continuously. This is what we call tempering, meaning we are slowly heating up the cold egg yolk mixture with a hot mixture so that it begins to thicken but we don’t accidentally cook the eggs too much by putting them on direct heat. Step 5 – When it has reached a simmer, scoop about 1/2 cup of the hot lemon juice mixture and slowly add it into the egg yolk mixture while whisking continuously. Step 4 – Stir constantly and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Step 4 – Add your lemon juice, granulated sugar, and lemon zest to a saucepan and whisk together to combine. (You will be adding more to this later, so make sure it’s a large enough bowl.) Step 3 – Place your egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Use a small colander or a lemon juicer to keep out any seeds. Step 2 – Then slice your lemons in half and juice them into a measuring cup. Pro-tip – Roll your lemons before slicing to release the juices better. That part is super bitter and will make your curd taste weird. Make sure you avoid the pith (white part) of the lemon.
Step 1 – Zest the lemons with a microplane and place them into a bowl to use later. If you do like sweeter lemon curd, you can add one or two more ounces of sugar and adjust the sweetness to your taste. I’m not a big fan of super sweet lemon curd. In fact, I think lemon curd might have been invented specifically to use up those leftover egg yolks. You might be intimidated by the idea of making your own lemon curd from scratch but I promise it’s super easy! If you’re like me, you end up with leftover egg yolks pretty often from making a white cake or macarons. Don’t need lemon curd right now? No worries! You can make your curd and freeze it until you need it! This thick lemon curd uses a combination of heat and cornstarch so it’s perfect for filling for cakes, tarts, and donuts.
This is the lemon curd recipe for you if you LOVE lots of true lemon flavor and don’t like your curd too sweet (like me).