Whole egg lemon curd is the easiest way to infuse a bright and tangy flavor into your favorite breakfast or snack. The sunshine-yellow spread has a good balance of acidity and sweetness and the added lemon zest amps up that lemony flavor. This method uses whole eggs instead of just egg yolks so you don’t have to worry about using up the extra egg whites in another recipe and you get a perfectly silky textured curd.
This recipe is from my mom, and she makes batches and batches throughout the year from her lemon tree in Panama. She’s the one behind this Microwave Hollandaise Sauce, too! She uses a double boiler to cook her curd, but I’ve come up with a method that doesn’t require one. The secret is whisking, lots and lots of whisking. This isn’t a recipe you can walk away from while cooking it, but it’s worth your attention!
Whole egg lemon curd can be used in any recipe that calls for lemon curd, like these Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies or Lemon Curd Cheesecake Bars! Use it as a filling for cakes or muffins, in a tart, or sandwiched between cookies or macaron shells.
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Ingredients
I include ingredient notes here when I think they’ll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!
- Salted Butter - This recipe was developed with salted butter because that’s most often what we have on hand. If you have unsalted butter instead, add a pinch of salt to the egg mixture before cooking it.
- Lemons - Using fresh lemons for this recipe is non-negotiable. Bottled lemon juice will not give you the same results with the clarity of lemon flavor and balanced acidity. Lemon zest also plays a big role in the well-rounded lemon flavor of the curd.
- Eggs - Three whole large eggs are needed to help thicken the lemon curd and give it the spreadable texture.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar adds sweetness without any other flavor to distract from the bright lemon!
Instructions
Wash and then zest the lemons using a microplane zester or the small holes of a box grater. Consider zesting the lemons over the bowl you’ll strain and chill the lemon curd in so that you don’t lose any of the oils that are released when zesting. You’ll need two teaspoons of zest.
Juice the lemons and strain the juice to remove any seeds or large pieces of lemon pulp. You’ll want to juice enough lemons to yield ½-cup of juice.
Start by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. While the butter is melting, add the eggs and lemon juice to a cup with a spout (like a 2-cup liquid measure).
Whisk the lemon juice and eggs together until frothy and the eggs have been thoroughly blended.
Add the sugar to the egg mixture and whisk until the sugar is partially dissolved.
While whisking the butter constantly and vigorously, stream the egg and lemon mixture slowly into the melted butter. Continue to whisk until all of the egg mixture is in the saucepan.
Switch to a wooden spoon and continue to cook the curd. Stir constantly. Do not let the mixture come to a simmer or boil or it will affect the final texture of the curd.
Cook the curd until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon. This means that when you pull the spoon out of the mixture and turn it over, you can run a finger down the center of the back of the spoon and get a defined separation that doesn't ooze back together. Once you have this texture, quickly remove the pan from the heat.
Strain the curd using a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. This will catch any fragments of over cooked egg or pulp that you missed.
Add the zest to the curd (if you didn’t zest the lemons straight into the bowl) and stir it well to combine.
Cover the curd with plastic wrap. Allow it to touch the surface so that the curd doesn’t form a skin while chilling. Chill for at least one hour, the curd will thicken with cooling.
Substitutions and Variations
The substitutions listed below have been tested in this recipe and work well. If you successfully make any other ingredient substitutions, let us know in the comments!
- Lime Curd - For a zippy lime curd, use fresh limes in place of lemons. You’ll likely need 5-7 limes to yield ½-cup of juice.
- Grapefruit Curd - If you like a bitter note to play with the sweet and sour flavors, use grapefruit juice and zest in place of the lemons.
- Blood Orange Curd - This version has the most beautiful rosy hue. Simply swap blood orange juice and zest in place of the lemons. This will generally yield a sweeter curd than lemon curd.
Serving Suggestions
Add this whole egg lemon curd to just about anything, we use it most often on toast! It’s especially good over a layer of cream cheese for a creamy contrast to the tart curd. Pile it on muffins, bagels, pancakes, in cookies, tarts, and more!
Equipment
This recipe for whole egg lemon curd doesn’t need a lot of fancy kitchen equipment, but here are some favorites that help make the job easier:
- Whisk - Use a whisk that is appropriately sized for the saucepan you are cooking the curd in. I have what may be an excessive number of whisks to choose from, but an 8-inch whisk I got years ago as a wedding gift is my favorite for small saucepans.
- Microplane Zester - These long wand-style graters make quick work of any citrus, Parmesan cheese, or chocolate but don’t cut so deeply that you end up with bitter pith.
- Liquid Measuring Cup - I use these constantly in the kitchen, in ¼- 1-, and 2-cup sizes. The one pictured in the instructions above is especially helpful since the volume gradations are on a slant and can be read from above.
Storage
Store lemon curd in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container so that it doesn’t pick up any aromas from other foods. Stored like this, it can last for up to two weeks. Lemon curd also freezes very well for up to 6 months. Thaw it by moving it to the refrigerator overnight.
FAQ
Whole egg lemon curd can be used right out of the jar to top pancakes, toast, or muffins, baked into cookies, bars, or tarts, and spooned over ice cream.
Lemon curd can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and in the freezer for up to 6 months.
The texture of your lemon curd will be smooth and silky if you take care when cooking it to never let it come to even a simmer, let alone a boil. Cook the curd over a medium-low heat and if you start to see wisps of steam before coats the back of the spoon, remove it from the heat to cool a bit before continuing cooking.
More for Lemon Lovers
If lemon is your favorite way to flavor meals, whether sweet or savory, here are some other recipes to try:
Pairing Ideas
Lemon curd is perfectly delicious spooned right out of the container! If you want to pair it with something extra delicious, try these recipes:
Try It and Share
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Recipe
Easy Whole Egg Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 4 medium lemons (fresh squeezed)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Zest the lemons so that you have 2 teaspoons of fresh zest and then juice them to yield ½-cup of fresh juice. Strain the juice to remove any seeds.
- In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
- While the butter is melting, whisk together lemon juice and eggs in a cup with a spout. A 2-cup liquid measuring cup works well.
- Add the sugar to the egg and lemon juice mixture and whisk well to partially dissolve the sugar and combine all of the ingredients.
- Whisking the contents of the saucepan vigorously, pour a thin stream of the egg mixture slowly into the melted butter. Once all of the egg mixture has been added, switch to a wooden spoon for stirring. Continue to stir over medium heat until the curd coats the back of the spoon. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Pour the cooked curd through a mesh strainer in to a bowl. Stir the zest into the curd. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for one hour, tightly covered.
Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts caculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.
Rocky says
Yummy