Zippy Microwave Lemon Curd
Making microwave lemon curd is easy and it is a great use of fresh lemons. It’s bright, thick, and full of lemon flavor.
This lemon curd recipe uses a microwave method, so it’s super quick and easy! It is zesty and tart, sweet but not too sweet. It has a rich, creamy texture thick enough for spreading on toast or filling desserts like lemon tarts and cakes.
It’s so good stuffed into doughnuts, spread over pancakes, and makes a great cake filling!
You need just four ingredients! Butter, sugar, eggs, and lemons.
If you have an abundance of another citrus, like limes, Meyer lemons, clementines, oranges, or you can use this recipe for those too! Lime curd and grapefruit curdd are delicious and tart. Orange curd will need the addition of a little lemon or other tart citrus juice to balance out the sweetness.
Let’s see how to do it!
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, add the eggs, sugar and lemon
- Whisk to combine.
- Microwave in bursts, stirring after each time
- Once it’s nice and thick, stir through cold butter.
- Pour through a seive into a clean jar. The curd will thicken more as it cools.
If your lemon curd hasn’t thickened enough even after chilling, you can cook it a little more. Add it back to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it again in 30-second bursts until it has thickened more.
Storing lemon curd
Let the curd come to room temperature, then seal the glass jar and store it in the fridge for up to 8-10 days. Lemon curd can also be frozen and defrosted when needed. It doesn’t freeze very solid, so you can scoop what you need straight from the freezer.
Double-boiler method
If you don’t have a microwave, this curd can also be made on the stove in a double boiler. Simply whisk together all the ingredients except the butter in a heat-proof bowl and balance it over a saucepan of simmering water.
Cook it while stirring regularly for around 12-15 minutes until thick, then stir through the cold butter.
Microwave Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 large egg
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 120 g fresh lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 85 g unsalted butter cold and cubed
Instructions
- In a microwave-proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, and salt until well combined. Whisk in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Place the bowl in the microwave and cook in 40-second increments, stirring each time for around 3-4 minutes. This time may increase or decrease depending on your microwave strength. The curd may puff up a little near the end of cooking time. There may be little pieces of cooked egg, but they will be sieved out later.
- Check that the curd is thick enough by dipping it in a metal spoon. The curd should thickly and easily coat the back of the spoon.
- Stir the cold cubed butter through the hot curd and stir until smooth. Pour the finished curd through a fine-mesh sieve, and then into clean jars. It will thicken more as it cools. Once cooled, store it in the fridge.
I absolutely love this recipe!! I have tried several different ones and always have to add corn starch to get the perfect thickness I’m looking for. I didn’t have to do that with this one. I did change it up a little by using half lemon and half clementine juice. Only because I didn’t have enough lemon on hand. It still turned out great! Love the flavor and consistency. Thanks for sharing 👍
So happy you love it Carrie! Lemon and clementine sounds like a delicious combo too
If I use the stovetop method, do the eggs heat enough to get pasteurized? I’m concerned about eating raw eggs and wondering if I should buy pasteurized eggs for this recipe. Thank you!
They do heat enough on the stove to be pasteurised 🙂