The Easiest Lemon Curd Recipe (2024)

I make lemon curd all the time on the stove, and frankly, I'd rather stand there for about ten minutes whisking than having to take the mixture in and out of the microwave all the time while at the same time assembling and cleaning my blender. I put the ingredients in the saucepan and put the whole 1/2 cup of butter in, and let it melt while I whisk. By the time the butter is melted the curd is thickening. I pour it into the jars for my friends and wash one pot and one whisk.

I use a very similar process when I make a Cesar’s salad dressing. I whisk all of the liquids including an egg yolk (with the exception of the olive oil) in a small heat-proof bowl. I then put the bowl into a microwave for about 45 seconds. Every 5 to 10 seconds I remove the bowl and give the mixture a quick whisking. The mixture thickens like a custard, at which point I remove it from the microwave and whisk in the olive oil. Voila! A creamy salad dressing without the fuss of coddling an entire

I’m a retired professional pastry chef who made lemon curd using the traditional method for 30 years. Several years ago I was introduced to the microwave method. I was skeptical at first, but am now a diehard convert. This makes lemon curd accessible to everyone! The results are perfect. I highly recommend straining the curd every time for a smooth silky curd. Thank you, Melissa!

I use a similar method for custard.. whisk egg yolks, milk, a touch of cornstarch and sugar and heat in the microwave, initially in 3 minute increments, and then 1 minute increments once it's thickened. A quart of milk's worth is usually done in 7 minutes, with no scalding or curdling.With this recipe, I think you could use and immersion blender and avoid cleaning/washing a blender jar

Here in California Meyer lemons grow like weeds so we eat a lot of lemon curd on our breakfast toast. For me Craig Clayborn's old recipe is simplicity itself: a stick of butter, four eggs, a cup and a half of sugar, juice and rind of four lemons (maybe five or six lemons depending on size). I make a double boiler out of a large and a small saucepan. Cook while whisking about five, no more than 10 minutes, and we're set for a week or two.

I'm not one to quibble with anything Melissa Clark says, but if your blender is a Vitamix or similar, you only need steps 1 and 2. Set the Vitamix on high and run it for less than 5 minutes till the temperature reaches 170 degrees. Use an instant read thermometer through the lid to monitor the temperature. You'll have luscious, lightly whipped lemon curd.

This is the most misleading recipe title I have ever seen in the NYT. How anyone could say that 15 minutes is the prep time for this recipe has got to be kidding. Unless you have an electric juicer, and amazing speed with a zester, this is going to take well over a half hour (probably more) to get the recipe ingredients lined up. We made it on the weekend, it chilled overnight, and next time I want lemon curd I am going to the store. Enough said.

According to the King Arthur recipe (on which this one is based), you can sub passionfruit purée or concentrate for the lemon juice. They also say this works with any citrus. I’m trying cara caras

In the end I think this recipe is kind of more work than just making it in a sauce pan. All that opening and closing of the microwave was such a pain. Not sure I want to use this technique again. That said, the proportions were very good and made a solid curd, and I was surprised at the good benefits of so much zest.

I’m 10 years old and I made this all by myself. It’s extreamly easy and me and my family loved them!

Thanks for this but can you tell me yr ingredients for your Caesar salad?....because I know it varies. This has nothing to do w yr post but I’m actually looking to recreate the Caesar salad dressing from a NYC restaurant; Noho Star. Wishful thinking I know but I’ll keep trying. Thanks again.

Re: food safety. The acid and sugar in this recipe are effective agents for killing salmonella. In fact, meat is treated with organic acids to kill any salmonella bacteria. Making a curd with lemon juice and sugar is a double whammy, effectively sugar-curing and acidifying the egg.

Can't comprehend cooking Cesar dressing. I put garlic, anchovies and salt that's been chopped into a paste, into the bowl, add the mustard, yolk, lemon juice - whisk it all up, add the oil, whisk it, add the parm. Couldn't be more simple and there is never, ever a need to nuke.

I use the same recipe to make passionfruit curd and just swap out the lemon juice for passionfruit puree. I do sometimes add a bit of lemon zest as it brightens the flavor a bit (and I always use about half the sugar in my curds - I think American recipes are way too sweet!)

This is a wonderful recipe! The microwave is often unfairly maligned. I have been making perfect Hollandaise in the microwave for decades in a measuring cup from a recipe from The Joy of Microwaving. Forget the cumbersome double-boiler and even the blender methods. My Eggs Benedict always gets rave reviews. Why - It's the Hollandaise!! Thank you NYT Cooking. I'm still trying to decide which I enjoy the most - the amazing recipes or the not only helpful, but entertaining reviews.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy! Melissa Clark never steers me wrong. Thanks for the great recipe; it turned out perfectly!

I'm a very occasional cook and found this recipe easy to follow. The curd came out perfectly the first time.

I was amazed at how wonderfully thick the curd became using this method! I only had to nuke it for 3 1/2 minutes and could’ve done fine in 3. I was making it for my mom who is diabetic, so I used under 1/4 c. sugar and less than 1/8 c. Splenda (baking version, seems a bit fluffier). I’ll keep this one in my rotation

best, easiest ever curd. wish I could freeze. Meyer lemon season in California. great with pancakes, yogurt, on anything!

Perfect and so easy!

I have a question as

Easier on the stove.

LOVED the lemon curd! I did make one substitution: since we try to minimize sugar, used 1 cup of allulose instead, and it came out great! We like to put a spoon full of this in our yogurt. Happened to have some Meyer lemons, which made it particularly good.

What a wonderful recipe! Due to the recent winter storm, I had to harvest my Meyer lemon-tangelo hybrid fruit. They're small, so I had just enough juice for the recipe. I will definitely make this again!

I make this all the time. You can do so much with it. And it’s so easy. I use 1/2 cup of Swerve sugar sub, with 1/4 cup real sugar, and a bit more zest. We like it tart!

For those complaining about having to take the bowl in and out of the microwave, try Barbara Kafka’s recipe for lemon curd (also in this database). Just 3 times through the microwave and you’re done. I made it using only one stick of butter and 4 eggs plus a yolk. Delish!!

a thousand thank yous to the person in the comments that said you can do the entire mixing and cooking in the Vitamix. my first time with this recipe, used the vitamix and an instant read thermometer, and it was done and perfect in 6 minutes. no in and out of micro, no whisking, no stove. I made this with the lower end of the sugar range and we thought it was perfect.

I absolutely love the idea of having no cornstarch or flour in the curd! I will make this tomorrow as part of a pavlova with fresh strawberries.

Lemon curd is one of the great foods. I like it on graham crackers but my favorite is to mix it with whipped cream and put a large glop on ginger cake.

This was incredibly delicious. My microwave chose this moment to go on the fritz, so I ending up whisking on the stovetop. No big deal. I can't have dairy, so I made it with Earth Balance. Loved by all.