Velvety sweet and tangy lemon curd is made easily on the stovetop in about ten minutes. This rich and vibrantly tasty dessert topping, filling, or spread is a delightful addition to baked recipes.

Have you ever watched an episode of a bake-off and wondered why they always seem to make lemon curd?
What is Lemon Curd?
Lemon curd is a velvety smooth and yellow-colored lemon spread and filling. It’s made on the stovetop with eggs, sugar, butter, and lemons over low heat. It couldn’t be any easier to make!
For years, I honestly thought it was some cottage cheese-like “lemony substance” that took forever to make.
If you want to try your hand at making homemade lemon curd, I am going to share some tips and tricks for ensuring your results are as tasty as possible.

Ingredients
Before starting this recipe, you’ll want to verify that you have the following simple and easy to find ingredients:
- Lemons– Fresh lemons are truly the KEY to making the best, freshest tasting lemon curd. I used traditional lemons that had a thick, bright yellow skin with a slight hint of green. Try to choose these types of lemons versus dull, soft, and thin-skinned varieties. You will also need the zest of your lemons (one tablespoon worth).
- Sugar – This recipe needs to the sweetness of granulated sugar to balance out the VERY tart fresh lemon juice and zest. Do not skimp on it!
- Butter – Unsalted butter helps make this lemon spread rich, silky, and slightly buttery in flavor. Use 1/2 a cup or one stick’s worth.
- Eggs – 3 large eggs make the custard-like texture of this curd possible. We used large farm-fresh eggs which are preferred when making curd.
Equipment and Supplies Needed
We used the following equipment and supplies to make this recipe. Items that are optional or can be substituted will be noted.
- Saucepan – You will want to use a 3-quart stainless steel pan. The pan’s material is very important because your curd will take on a metallic taste if you use cast iron, enamel wear, or nonstick pans.
- Whisk – A metal or rubber-coated whisk is what will ensure your curd is whisked into a thick, rich spread.
- Juicer – I love my CitriStar Electric Juicer and wouldn’t trade it for the world. This compact machine gets every single bit of juice out of my precious lemons.
- Zester – A standard zester with get that gorgeous yellow peel zested off. Just be sure to not zest the white pith or you will have some bitter-tasting curd.
- Stovetop – This recipe is cooked on the stovetop so it is 100% necessary.
- Jar- A jar or jars with lids are preferred to keep your lemon curd fresh. This recipe makes about 2 cups so prepare accordingly.

Recipe Tips
This recipe is easy to make if you know the right tips and tricks! Here are my tips for ensuring your Lemon Curd comes out perfectly.

Stovetop Cooking
Besides using the right ingredients, the most crucial part of this recipe is the cooking step.
Lemon curd takes patience to come together. Therefore, you will need to find 10-15 minutes of good music, or a video to watch as you whisk your curd steadily over low heat. That’s right, turn the cooktop all the way to the low setting, because this is a low and slow recipe that cannot be made quickly. I have a gas stove. When making lemon curd, I set my knob between 1-2 Low Heat.
If you try to cook this on high heat, the eggs will not be tempered, they will be scrambled. No one wants lemon-flavored scrambled eggs so keep that dial to the lowest setting from start to finish!
Making Lemon Curd
- Add the butter to your saucepan. Allow it to melt 75% of the way before adding the sugar. Start whisking to combine the two into a thick substance.
- Then, add the lemon juice and zest, stirring continuously.
- Add each egg and whisk until fluffy, and then keep on whisking for the next 10 or so minutes. Do not increase the heat! You will notice the curd start to thicken until it reaches a spoon-able consistency.
- Once it is thickened, remove the pan from the heat and allow the curd to sit for 10 minutes before transferring it into a heat-safe bowl.
- Cover the curd with plastic wrap (so it touches the curd) and place it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.
- Once fully cooled, remove the plastic wrap and transfer the curd into lidded jars for storage. This curd lasts up to 7 days for best taste when stored properly. Chances are, it will not make it that far though because it is so good!!

Storage
If you want to store your cooked, and cooled lemon curd, just follow these easy steps.
Refrigerator
Store any leftover, cooled Lemon Curd in an air-tight mason jar with a lid. Our recipe makes roughly 2 cups of curd. Since this recipe is made with eggs and butter it must be refrigerated at all times. The properly stored lemon curd will last for up to 7 days.
Freezer
Lemon curd can be frozen. Store any leftover, prepared, and cooled lemon curd in an airtight freezer storage container or bag for up to 3 months.
Thaw in the refrigerator to enjoy when you are ready to consume. You cannot safely refreeze thawed curd so be sure to use it within 7 days of thawing.
Recipes That Use Lemon Curd
If you’re looking for some ideas on how to use your fresh lemon curd, here are our favorites.
- Mini Lemon Tarts
- Muffin Tin Cheesecake
- Scones
- Hand Pies
- Lemon Curd Danish
- Layered Cakes
- Cupcakes
- Cookie Cups
- Pancake/Crepe/Waffles toppings
- Cream Puffs

Recipe
Follow the recipe below to make Stovetop Lemon Curd! This recipe makes about 2 cups, but you can adjust the recipe card for other serving sizes.
Easy Stovetop Lemon Curd Recipe
Equipment
- 3-quart saucepan
- juicer
- Zester
- Whisk
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter unsalted
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cups lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 3 large eggs
Instructions
- Add the butter to your saucepan. Allow it to melt 75% of the way before adding the sugar. Start whisking to combine the two into a thick substance.
- Then, add the lemon juice, and zest stirring continuously. Add each egg and whisk until fluffy, and then keep on whisking for the next 10 or so minutes. Do not increase the heat! You will notice the curd start to thicken until it reaches a spoon-able consistency.
- Once it is thickened, remove the pan from the heat and allow the curd to sit for 10 minutes before transferring it into a heat-safe bowl. Cover the curd with plastic wrap (so it touches the curd) and place it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Once fully cooled, remove the plastic wrap and transfer the curd into lidded jars for storage.
This lemon curd recipe is easy and delicious! It’s my go to recipe for lemon curd. All the family begs me to make your lemon hand pie recipe with this lemon curd.