Easy Lemon Curd Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to tell if lemon curd is thick enough? ›

Dip a spoon into the curd then run your finger over the back of it. If it leaves a clean line in the curd, it's cooked enough and ready to cool. Curd will thicken up more once cooled completely. Spoon into a container, cover and refrigerate.

The most common reason Lemon Curds is not set is because it has not been cooked long enough to thicken the egg yolks. Lemon Curd needs to be cooked over medium-low heat for about 5-10 minutes until the curd reaches 170 degrees F in order for it to thicken.

Problem: My Lemon Curd is Too Runny

The curd wasn't cooked long enough to allow the egg to thicken, or not enough butter was added. How to fix it: To thicken runny lemon curd, put the curd back into your saucepan, place over the lowest possible heat, and stir constantly.

What happens if I over-cook lemon curd? Overcooking will cause proteins to bond too tightly, squeezing water out from between them and giving them a rubbery, lumpy texture. If you over-heat the lemon curd, the egg proteins can coagulate and you will see little bits of cooked egg.

While in a warm climate, the curd will take around 4 to 7 hours, while it will take a bit longer in winters. In a cool climate it can easily take around 8 to 10 hours. Make sure the temperature of the milk before setting the curd is warm enough during winters, otherwise the curd won't set properly.

Store the curd: Lemon curd will keep in your refrigerator for up to a month according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 1 year. To thaw, transfer your curd from the freezer to the fridge 24 hours before you need it.

Heating milk before adding the yogurt starter ensures that only the beneficial bacteria is cultured. 2. Heating the milk creates a firm spoonable yogurt. At 195°F / 91°C the structure of the whey proteins become denatured and open up.

If the milk does not set well, try again with fresh milk in different ways by increasing the culture, keeping it in a warmer place, adding your culture to warmer milk. Making good curd at home comes by experimenting & experience.

You'll know the curd is ready when it noticeably thickens in consistency and coats the back of a wooden spoon.

The butter makes the lemon curd extra rich and creamy. And after you've chilled the lemon curd in the fridge for a while, the butter will firm up and make sure that the curd sets properly.

Why did my lemon curd scramble? ›

But WHY did the Lemon Curd scramble? I learned that day, based on the scientific fact that eggs do not curdle when cooked in the presence of starch, and because Lemon Curd has no starch (such as flour or cornstarch), it will curdle when the eggs get too hot.

If you don't want to use lemon curd then we would suggest using an alternative flavour of fruit curd. We have seen passionfruit, rhubarb and tart orange (or Seville orange) curds being sold online in the UK. All of these flavours would go well with summer berries.

If you just place all the ingredients in a saucepan without beating the butter and sugar with the eggs first, the curd tends to taste eggy. Add the lemon juice and tablespoons of lemon zest and mix.

Eggs are an important component of lemon curd, but yolks are valued more than egg whites when it comes to making lemon curd. Lemon curd has traces of yellow in it naturally, but its striking golden colour comes from the yolks.

In a warm, hot and humid climate, the time taken for the curd to set will be 4 to 7 hours. Whereas in a cool or cold climate, the time taken can be 8 to 12 hours. Nowadays, I also set the curd in the Instant Pot using the yogurt function. So if you have an Instant Pot, read the instructions to set the curd in it.

*Use whole milk for thicker curd. Further simmering the milk for 10 minutes ensures that the curd thickens when it sets. However, don't burn the milk. *Ensure you use fresh, good quality curd culture and bring it to room temperature before adding it to the milk.

Simply add a small amount of yogurt, like a spoonful, at a time. Stir your yogurt into the curry and keep adding a little more at a time until it reaches your desired thickness. This is great for Indian-style curries as a cream substitute.

The temperature is too low. If the temp is below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the cultures will not ferment properly and the milk will stay runny. The temperature is too high. If the temperature is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the yogurt will ferment too fast and will also render the yogurt runny.