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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Classic English Lemon Curd

    By Chula King · April 10, 2023 6 Comments

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    With only four ingredients, Classic English Lemon Curd is smooth and silky with a tangy and tart flavor that overwhelms your senses. It’s perfect for topping biscuits (a.k.a. cookies), scones, yogurt, ice cream, cheesecake, cupcakes, and so much more! In addition, it’s luscious on its own. What’s even better is that it takes less than minutes to make!

    Classic English Lemon Curd.
    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need
    • Simple Steps
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Recipe Tips and Tricks
    • Recipe

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    • Easy to make: Making lemon curd is a simple process requiring only a few simple steps that take no time at all.
    • Versatile: Once you’ve made this lemon curd, you can use it in a number of different ways. Use it as a topping, spread, or filling in various dishes, like toast, scones, pancakes, cakes, tarts, and even yogurt or ice cream.
    • Thoughtful gifts: Lemon curd can be a thoughtful, homemade gift for friends, family, or coworkers. Package it in a decorative jar, and you have a unique, personalized present that your recipients will treasure.
    • Long-lasting: When properly stored in an airtight container, lemon curd can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator, making it a convenient option for meal planning and last-minute desserts.

    Ingredients: Here’s What You’ll Need

    Four simple ingredients for an amazing Lemon Curd!

    Ingredients for lemon Curd.
    • Sugar: I used granulated sugar for sweetness and to complement the tartness of the lemon.
    • Eggs: For structure and thickness, I used large eggs.
    • Lemons: You can’t have lemon curd without lemons. I used fresh lemons that provided both lemon zest and lemon juice.
    • Unsalted Butter: For richness and creaminess, I used unsalted butter.

    Simple Steps

    Making Classic English Lemon Curd is super simple using the following steps.

    1. First, I whisked the sugar, eggs, and lemon zest together in a stainless steel saucepan.
    Adding eggs to sugar in a saucepan.
    1. Next, I added the fresh lemon juice and whisked the ingredients together until they were well combined.
    Adding lemon juice to the sugar, eggs and lemon zest in a saucepan.
    1. After that, I added the unsalted butter that I had cut into small cubes and whisked the mixture constantly over medium heat until it thickened. This took about six minutes.

    I continued whisking the mixture for several more minutes until it started to bubble before removing the pan from the heat.

    Whisking the lemon curd until thick and bubbly.
    1. Once the lemon curd was thick and bubbly, I poured it into a wire mesh strainer set over a measuring cup.
    Pouring the lemon curd into a wire mesh strainer set over a measuring cup.
    1. Then, I used a rubber spatula to help push the lemon curd through the strainer. In my opinion, this is a critical step in producing velvety smooth lemon curd. The reason is that the strainer stops bits of egg and lemon zest from being combined with the final lemon curd.
    Bits of egg left in the lemon curd.
    1. Finally, I pressed a piece of plastic wrap onto the lemon curd and put it in the refrigerator to cool completely. The plastic wrap prevents a film from forming on the top of the lemon curd.
    Plastic wrap placed onto the lemon curd.

    I ended up with about 1-⅓ cups of velvety smooth and amazingly tasty Classic English Lemon Curd. The Master Taste totally approved of it as he spread it on his English biscuits. Yum!

    Lemon curd spread on a Digestive with a bite taken out of it.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can bottled lemon juice be substituted for fresh lemon juice in this recipe?

    While it’s possible to use bottled lemon juice, fresh lemon juice is highly recommended for the best flavor and quality. Bottled lemon juice can contain preservatives that may affect the taste. Also, the lemon zest from a fresh lemon adds to the overall lemon taste of this lemon curd.

    What causes lemon curd to not thicken properly?

    Making lemon curd is somewhat like making custard in that the egg is the main ingredient for the thickening. If the lemon curd doesn’t thicken properly, you probably didn’t cook the mixture long enough. Once the mixture begins to thicken, you should continue cooking it for several more minutes until it begins to bubble.

    Is there an easy way to determine when the lemon curd is ready?

    Lemon curd is done when it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and hold a line drawn through it with your finger. Keep in mind that the lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools.

    How do you keep lemon curd from developing a metallic taste?

    A metallic taste can occur if the lemon curd comes into contact with reactive metal surfaces, such as aluminum or unlined copper. To avoid this, use non-reactive cookware and utensils, like stainless steel, glass, or silicone.

    Recipe Tips and Tricks

    • The first time I made lemon curd, it didn’t thicken properly. The reason was that I didn’t cook it long enough. Next time, and all times since then, I’ve made sure that the lemon curd is cooked long enough to reach the desired level of thickness.
    • Zest the lemons before juicing them. It’s much easier to zest a whole lemon than a squeezed one. Be careful not to include the white pith, as it can make your curd taste bitter.
    • I like to strain the lemon juice through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any seeds or pulp before adding it to your curd mixture.
    • It’s important to continuously whisk the lemon curd mixture while it cooks to prevent lumps and ensure a smooth, silky texture.
    • Inevitably bits of egg white cook into the lemon curd mixture. Therefore, I always strain the lemon curd when it has properly thickened. I’m always amazed at the unwanted bits that remain in the strainer.

    Once you have made this Classic Lemon Curd, you should try the following recipes using it:

    • Yummy Mummy Lemon Curd Bread
    • No-Bake Lemon Curd Icebox Cheesecake
    • Lemon Curd Tartlets

    I hope you liked this recipe for Classic English Lemon Curd as much as I do. If so, please consider rating it and leaving a comment. Also, if you’d like to receive notifications of new posts by email, enter your email address in the Subscribe box.

    Thank you so much for visiting Pudge Factor. I hope you’ll come back!

    Recipe

    Classic English Lemon Curd.

    Classic English Lemon Curd

    With only four ingredients, Classic English Lemon Curd is smooth and silky with a tangy and tart flavor that overwhelms your senses. It's perfect for topping biscuits (a.k.a. cookies), scones, yogurt, ice cream, cheesecake, cupcakes, and so much more! In addition, it's luscious on its own. What's even better is that it takes less than 10 minutes to make!
    4.50 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: British
    Prep Time: 3 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 6 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 9 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 100kcal
    Author: Chula King

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup (3.5 ounces, 100 grams) granulated sugar
    • 3 large eggs, room temperature
    • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
    • ½ cup (4 ounces, 113 grams) fresh lemon juice, 2 ½ to 3 lemons depending on size
    • 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces, 85 grams) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

    Instructions

    • Whisk together sugar, lemon zest, and eggs in a non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel, enameled, glass). Add lemon juice; whisk to combine. Add butter pieces.
    • Place pan over medium heat. Whisk mixture constantly, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Continue whisking constantly for several more minutes, until bubbly.
    • Remove from heat. Pour lemon curd into a wire mesh strainer set over a bowl. Stir with a rubber spatula or spoon to force lemon curd through the strainer. Discard any bits left behind in the strainer.
    • Press piece of plastic wrap on top of lemon curd; refrigerate for at least one hour to cool completely.
    • Yield: 1-⅓ to 1-½ cups.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 25mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Vitamin C: 4.4mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.2mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @pudgefactor or #pudgefactor.

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    Filed Under: Desserts, Easter, Edible Gifts, International, Mother's Day, Sauces

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anne says

      May 27, 2019 at 10:07 am

      Pleeeeeze list gram masses.

    2. PudgeFactor says

      May 27, 2019 at 5:21 pm

      Hi Anne,

      I’ve added the grams. Not sure why I didn’t include them before. Sorry!

    3. Mirjam from Ljubljana says

      December 12, 2022 at 1:23 am

      5 stars
      Perfect, just perfect for my Christmas gifts,
      with marvelous scent.
      The lemons came from Dalmatians island Vis.
      I lost my recepie from decades or it was stolen:)

    4. Chula King says

      December 12, 2022 at 4:06 pm

      Mirjam,

      I’m so pleased that you liked the recipe!

      Chula

    5. Wendy says

      April 07, 2023 at 10:47 am

      Hi. Am going to try this lemon curd recipe. How long will in keep in jars in the fridge please. Many thanks

    6. Chula King says

      April 07, 2023 at 9:10 pm

      Wendy,

      If covered and refrigerated, the lemon curd should last for about two weeks.

      Chula

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