Microwave Lemon Curd
Bright and tangy, this homemade microwave lemon curd comes together in about 10 minutes. It uses eggs as the thickener (no cornstarch), and it’s thick enough to spread on toast, fill donuts, or layer into cakes.
About this lemon curd
I make this lemon curd all the time. It shows up in so many of my recipes, like my lemon curd donuts to lemon poppy seed rolls to the layers of my lemon curd cake.
The microwave works beautifully for lemon curd because you have so much control. You cook it in short bursts and whisk between each one, so there’s very little risk of the eggs scrambling or the curd overcooking. The whole thing takes about 3 to 4 minutes of active cooking time. Try it in lemon curd crumble cookies or lemon Swiss roll!
If you have an abundance of other citrus, like limes or grapefruit, you can use this recipe for those too. I have a grapefruit curd on the blog that’s delicious and tart. Orange curd will need the addition of a little lemon or other tart citrus juice to balance out the sweetness.
Just a few ingredients
- Egg yolks and whole egg: This is what thickens the curd. The yolks give richness, color, and body, while the whole egg adds a little extra structure so the curd sets firmly enough for spreading and piping. No cornstarch needed.
- Granulated sugar: Balances the tartness of the lemons. The amount here gives you a curd that’s sweet but not too sweet, so the lemon flavor really comes through.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest: Always use fresh. Bottled lemon juice doesn’t have the same brightness. The zest adds a deeper, more aromatic lemon flavor that the juice alone can’t provide.
- Salt: Just a small amount to bring all the flavors together and keep the curd from tasting flat.
- Unsalted butter (cold and cubed): Stirred into the hot curd at the very end. The cold butter stops the cooking process and emulsifies into the curd, giving it a smooth, glossy, rich finish. This is why you want it cold, not room temperature.
Method
- 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.
Tips
Storing
Let the curd come to room temperature, then seal the jar and store it in the fridge for up to 8-10 days. Lemon curd can also be frozen for up to three months. It doesn’t freeze very solid, so you can scoop what you need straight from the freezer.
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.
Notes
- Freezing: Lemon curd can be frozen for up to three months. 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, whisk together all the ingredients except the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook while stirring regularly for around 12-15 minutes until thick, then stir through the cold butter.
- Cup sizes: The cup sizes given are for US cups. Note that these are smaller than metric cup sizes.
- Metric is recommended: Using a kitchen scale to measure grams will give the best and most consistent results.
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 🙂
I did not use any microwaves, just used my stovetop, this came out perfectly!! WOWW that flavour is PERFECT. None of the egg even overcooked, I just kept constantly stirring off/on burner, and let it sit for a minute on the burner at the end, to get a chance to thicken appropriately. The only thing I needed to sift out was the lemon rind.