Looking for a quick and easy dessert recipe that’s bursting with tangy lemon flavor? Look no further than this homemade Quick and Easy 4-Ingredient Lemon Curd! With just four simple ingredients – sugar, fresh lemon juice, butter, and eggs – you can make a silky-smooth curd that’s perfect for spreading on toast, dolloping on scones, or using as a filling for cakes and tarts.
I love all things lemon and this simple and easy-to-scale lemon curd recipe can be used as a base for so many other delicious things. This foolproof recipe is easy to follow and yields a luscious, velvety curd that’s sure to become a staple in your recipe collection. Grab your ingredients and let’s get started!
Jump to RecipeThe origins of lemon curd
Lemon curd is a traditional British spread that dates back to the early 19th century. Made from lemons, sugar, butter, and eggs, these simple ingredients were slowly cooked together until the mixture became thick and smooth.
Lemon curd was often served as a spread for bread or scones, or used as a filling for cakes and tarts. It became particularly popular during World War II, when fresh fruit was scarce and lemon curd provided a flavorful and versatile alternative.
Today, lemon curd remains a popular spread and filling around the world. While the basic recipe has remained largely unchanged, there are many variations that incorporate different citrus fruits, sweeteners, and spices. This lip-smacking and delicious spread has become a staple in the repertoire of many home bakers and chefs, who appreciate its tangy flavor and versatility in a wide range of lemon desserts and baked goods.
Although lemon curd is widely available in grocery stores and online, the best lemon curd is hands-down the one you make at home. You simply cannot beat the flavor of fresh lemon curd.
So many lovely options for this Quick and Easy 4-Ingredient Lemon Curd
One of the things I love about this Quick and Easy 4-Ingredient Lemon Curd recipe is how it can stand alone or become a transformative ingredient that can be used in other lemon desserts.
For example, in England, Lemon Sponge Pudding is a traditional dessert that features a light, fluffy sponge cake with a layer of lemon curd. Lemon Trifle will typically include sponge cake or ladyfingers, whipped cream, and a generous portion of lemon curd. Tarts filled with fresh curd may be topped with cream or fruit. These are just a few examples of the many traditional desserts that use lemon curd to add a bright burst of citrus flavor.
Although my husband likes to savor a spoonful straight from the jar, my absolute favorite way to enjoy this lemon curd recipe is to incorporate it into a 4-layer lemon raspberry cake. Whenever I make this cake, I will often double or triple this lemon curd recipe depending on the size of the cake I am making.
Between four alternating layers of sponge, I will add two layers of lemon curd and one center layer of lemon butter cream with freshly crushed raspberries. Sometimes I choose to finish the whole cake in lemon buttercream – a variation of my Easy Basic Buttercream recipe, but other times I love the color variation between all the layers of this cake. To me, the blend of tastes and textures, sweet and tart are pure heaven.
Slow and low is the key to a silky smooth curd
It’s tempting to want to turn up the heat in order to speed things along, but please believe me when I tell you that slow and low is the secret to a silky smooth lemon curd. And yes, you have to stand there and stir it the whole time.
Sorry, but there’s not getting around it. Whether you are making a single batch of this lemon curd or tripling it, it’s imperative that you remain at your station and stir the entire time. Here’s why: the curd needs a slow, gentle heat so that the sugar can dissolve properly and the eggs can cook and evenly distribute throughout the curd without turning to scrambled eggs. It’s really that simple.
The good news is that because this is a small batch recipe that yields just one cup of curd, the cook time goes quickly. I’ve been making this curd for years and on average, it will come together in 5 -7 minutes. When doubling or tripling the recipe, you will need upwards of 15 minutes to accommodate the added volume.
When the curd has finished cooking, I recommend straining it to filter out any solid egg bits that may have formed in the corners of the pan during the cooking process; however, if you are following the slow and low rule, the amount of solids that remain after straining will be minimal.
Once the lemon curd has been strained, it needs to cool to room temperature before covering and placing in the refrigerator to set. A single batch will require approximately 2 hours to chill and set in the refrigerator. A larger batch may require up to four hours to chill and set.
If you’re preparing this lemon curd to incorporate into another lemon dessert, the good news is, it comes together quickly and can be made in advance which is always a bonus in my book.
On life and lemons…
For this lemon curd recipe, you’ll need the juice and zest of one whole regular lemon. Although I love the slightly more mellow flavor of Meyer Lemons, you really need the tartness of a regular lemon for this easy lemon curd recipe.
On average, a lemon will yield 1/4 cup of fresh juice. If you find yourself a little short, it’s perfectly acceptable to use a little lemon juice from a bottle to round things out. I’m usually a fan of using fresh lemons over bottled juice, but prices being what they are at the time of this post, I won’t judge and you shouldn’t feel guilty one bit.
I hope you give this Quick and Easy 4-Ingredient Lemon Curd recipe a try. It’s a great foundation recipe that you can use to build so many delicious, lemon
Quick and Easy 4-Ingredient Lemon Curd
Course: DessertCuisine: EnglishDifficulty: Easy1
cup5
minutes7
minutes2
hoursA silky-smooth curd that’s perfect for spreading or filling cakes and tarts.
Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice, plus the zest of one lemon
3 Tbsp. unsalted, European-style butter
2 eggs
Directions
- Remove zest from the lemon and set aside.
- In a small, heavy-bottom sauce pan, combine the sugar, eggs, butter and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
- Over low heat, gently stir the mixture until it thickens and becomes smooth – approximately 5-7 minutes. Stir constantly to keep the eggs from curdling.
- When the curd has thickened, remove the pan from the heat and pour the curd through a wire strainer. Use the back of a spatula to gently press the mixture through the strainer. Discard any remaining bits of egg.
- Stir in the lemon zest.
- Allow mixture to cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator to chill and set. The mixture should be set and ready to use in 2 hours.
- Covered lemon curd can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
When do you put lemon zest in curd
Hi Peggy, and thanks for your question. The lemon zest should be added after the cooked curd has been strained. I’ve updated the post to clarify this step. Your question helped make for a better post. Happy baking and blessing! Maria