Total Time: 11 minutes
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Making homemade lemon curd can be a complicated process. Not this Microwave Lemon Curd! It's silky smooth, bursting with bright lemon flavor and color and comes together in minutes!
Lemon curd? Ridiculously easy? No way! I know, I know, making lemon curd can be a bit of a pain. Some recipes involve a double boiler, some careful watching, stirring and standing over the stovetop. This microwave lemon curd? Not so much! It comes together in about 10 minutes and much of that time is hands-off cooking in the microwave.
Don't believe me? I wouldn't have believed making lemon curd could be easy either, but the first time I tried it, I was totally sold. These are the simple steps:
- Combine fresh lemon juice with sugar, eggs and egg yolks.
- Stir until everything's smooth and a sunshiny yellow.
- Add the butter.
- Microwave in 45-second increments, whisking in between. It will take 4-6 45-second microwave stints/stirs till the mixture turns to a thickened, glossy curd.
- Done!
See what I mean? Easy!
Ridiculously Easy!
Every now and then I come across (or come up with) a recipe that's is so good and so easy it just has to be designated as part of our Ridiculously Easy Series (you can see many of these recipes in the thumbnails above this post). Ridiculously Easy recipes here at The Café are super popular with our readers because they are simply so easy that it's almost, well… ridiculous! But that’s not the only criteria for ridiculously easy recipes. For those of you who are new to The Café, there is a list of attributes a recipe must have to be deemed “Ridiculously Easy”:
- A recipe that takes minimal effort and minimal hands-on time to put together. (Resting, rising or chilling time is not taken into consideration.)
- It’s also one that produces fabulous, super delicious results, ie, results that “appear” to have taken lots of time, talent, prowess and/or hard work.
- Ridiculously easy recipes have to work well on those busy days when time is short and expectations are high.
- And last, ridiculously easy recipes are perfect for entertaining, mostly because of the first two characteristics. They take the stress out of dinner parties as well as gatherings of families and/or friends and allow you more time to enjoy your people.
- Bottom line? They’re super simple, something anyone can do. (Shhhh! We’ll keep that part our secret.)
This microwave lemon curd definitely checks ALL of the boxes! On top of that, it's smooth, silky, not-too-tart and not-too-sweet. Besides just eating it with a spoon, there are lots of ways to use lemon curd.
What to do with lemon curd
- Spread it on toast, English muffins or these wonderful homemade biscuits.
- A spoonful would be fabulous on these Ridiculously Easy Sugar Top Scones.
- Lemon curd is delicious on pancakes, waffles, etc
- Spoon it over ice cream and serve with shortbread cookies.
- Fill homemade or store-bought crepes with lemon curd and topped with fresh berries and Raspberry Coulis
- Use lemon curd as a cake filling
- Lemon curd is a delicious filling for Pavlova or meringues.
- Combine whipped cream and lemon curd for a light, delicious lemon mousse.
- Pour it into small jars tied with a pretty label and give a jar as a gift. (If you'd like a PDF for the labels, just leave a comment below the post.)
- Serve it with fresh fruit for breakfast or brunch. I like to serve it in a pretty bowl next to the fruit. It's fun to add a small bowl of poppy seeds too for a fun and gourmet touch.
So, you know how they say "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade? I say, make lemon curd! Even if life doesn't shower lemons on you, be sure to pick some up at the store. You probably have everything else you need for this simple, elegant recipe. And if you make a batch today, you'll be all ready for our fabulous Lemon Curd Shortbread Tart (below) which we'll be sharing tomorrow. It might not look like it, but this is another super easy recipe you'll be making again and again!
Café Tips for making thisEasy Microwave Lemon Curd
- This recipe calls for lemon zest. The "zest" is just the yellow part of the peel. The white part (the pith) is bitter. To easily zest a lemon (or other citrus fruits) use a microplane-style zester. These are wonderful little tools to have in the kitchen as they also work for parmesan cheese, ginger, garlic, etc. Just a note, these zesters do get dull and need to be replaced after a couple of years.
- If you notice any small lumps in your finished lemon curd, you may have overcooked it. Simply push it through a fine-mesh strainer and it will be silky smooth.
- You'll be using a total of 5 eggs for this recipe, 3 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks. The extra egg yolks makes the curd a little thicker. Reserve the 2 egg whites for another use (like an egg-white omelet or some delicious meringues)
- Every microwave brand and model is different as far as power so there isn't an exact time to cook this lemon curd. It will take around 5-7 minutes in the microwave and you can tell when it's done when it coats the back of a metal spoon and/or the temperature is 175-180˚F. (I use my instant thermometer to check the temp.)
- This delicious lemon curd makes a nice gift. I like to pour it into pretty jars like these Weck jars and add a little label. If you'd like the PDF for these Homemade Lemon Curd labels just leave a comment below and I'll email it to you. Receiving a jar of homemade lemon curd is like receiving a jar of sunshine!
- This lemon curd will keep well in an airtight container for a week to 10 days.
- You can also freeze lemon curd. Freeze in freezer storage containers leaving ½-inch headspace to allow for expansion. I've never kept lemon curd this long but the National Center for Home Food Preservation says that "Prepared lemon curd can be frozen for up to 1 year without quality changes when thawed."
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.
4.98 from 144 votes
Ridiculously Easy Microwave Lemon Curd
Making homemade lemon curd can be a complicated process. Not this Microwave Lemon Curd! It's silky smooth, bursting with bright lemon flavor and comes together in minutes!
Author: Chris Scheuer
Course:Condiments, Dessert Sauce, Sauce
Cuisine:American, French
Keyword:Easy Microwave Lemon Curd, Microwave Lemon Curd
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 6 mins
Total Time: 11 mins
Servings: 32 1 tablespoon servings
Calories: 60 kcal
Ingredients
- 1cupsugar
- finely grated zest from 2 lemons
- ½cuplemon juice
- 2egg yolksreserve the whites for another use or discard
- 3large eggs
- 4ouncessalted butter(1 stick) cut into cubes
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, lemon juice and salt (⅛ teaspoon if using unsalted butter) until smooth. Add butter cubes. Microwave on high power for 45 seconds. Remove and stir vigorously with a whisk.
Continue to cook 45-second intervals, stirring after each interval. It will take 4-7 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. Lemon curd is done cooking when it coats the back of a metal spoon. You can also check it with an instant thermometer. It’s done when it reaches 175˚F.
Remove from the microwave and whisk well. Add lemon zest and stir. Allow the curd to cool to room temperature. It will thicken as it cools. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
See Café Tips above for further instructions and more detailed tips.
If using unsalted butter add a pinch (about ⅛ teaspoon of salt).
Calories 60kcal
Fat 4g
Saturated fat 2g
Cholesterol 36mg
Sodium 30mg
Potassium 10mg
Carbohydrates 7g
Fiber 1g
Sugar 6g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 128%
Vitamin C 1%
Calcium 5%
Iron 1%
The Café Sucre Farineis a participant in the Amazon Affiliate Program. The Amazon Affiliate Program is designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon.The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but if you make a purchase through one of our links, we receive a small commission – and we continue delivering delicious recipes to you
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Elaine says
Great recipe and just as easy as it is delicious. I'm a bit of a lemon-aholic so think I'll be using this recipe a lot.
Can I request the labels please? Thank you.
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks, Elaine! Sending them your way.
Reply
Kimberley says
Love Lemon anything! Was looking for a lemon curd that did not use flour or cornstarch. Great that you can freeze. I would like a pdf label
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Sending them your way, Kimberley!
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Hi Kimberley, the labels could not be delivered. Could there be an error in your email address?
Reply
Victoria Love says
Absolutely delicious! And SO easy!
Thank you, Chris!
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks, Victoria!
Reply
Kathy says
I love this lemon curd recipe! I used it as a filling in cookies and everyone loved them at Easter! I would love to make lemon bars using my leftover lemon curd. I was wondering if the leftover lemon curd can be baked or should it just be added to the baked crust? I've only found recipes where the lemon curd mixture is poured onto the crust without any initial cook time.
Reply
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kathy, I haven't tried this lemon curd in lemon bars. You could use the curd from this recipe in your bars: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/french-lemon-tart/#wprm-recipe-container-62764
Reply
Cheryl says
Oops, forgot to give the well-deserved 5 star rating after requesting labels a few minutes ago Delicious
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thank you, Cheryl!
Reply
Cheryl says
New subscriber here. Thank you for this fabulous recipe and several others that I am using for a bridal tea party. For party favors, would you mind sending the labels for the Lemon Curd ? Thank you--I'm enjoying your blog very much.
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
So glad you found us, Cheryl! We are happy to send the labels your way.
Reply
Susan J says
I made the Lemon Curd and Lemon Shortbread Tart for Easter. The flavors were delightful but I had a coupld of problems. Even though the curd coated a metal spoon, it seemed runny and soaked through the crust outside the tart pan's "lift up bottom." So I lost a lot of curd. Wrong pan type? Would appreciate any suggestions. Also, the Tart didn't brown nicely on the bottom crust part. I had several thing coming in and going out of the oven but let the temp. heat up to the 325 degrees for 10 minutes before inserting into oven. Thoughts? It was absolutely delicious and I am certainly going to give it another try! Thank you. I would also like the free printable labels. Thank you., Sincerely, Susan
Reply
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Susan,
I'm sorry you had problems with the tart.
Regarding the lemon curd, did you chill it before making the tart? It does thicken up quite a bit in the refrigerator which would ensure that it wouldn't make the crust soggy before it thickens up more in the oven. The crust should be thick enough that no curd should leak through. I'm honestly not sure why that happened. You might want to try avoiding the edges but a half inch when you spread the lemon curd layer. Again, sorry this was a problem for you!Reply
Debra says
Labels, please.
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Sure, Debra!
Reply
Lyn Wilson says
Hello! I’ve just read your post on the Ridiculously Easy Lemon Curd. My daughter has a lemon tree which keeps giving, and giving, and, as an aside, I have recently purchased a set of those gorgeous tulip Weck jars, and they are just crying out for some lemon curd! If possible, I would love a set of labels as well, thank you!
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
That's great, Lyn! Sending the labels your way.
Reply
Ginny says
We are finally having some sunshine in the NorthWest, and I can't think of anything better than lemon desserts. I would love to have the printable labels to gift jars of the curd along with the yummy baked goods.
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Sending them your way, Ginny!
Reply
Carol Anne Crane says
I am so excited to try this have always wanted to make lemon
Curd.
I would love the pdf for the adorable labels
Thank you for sharing
CarolReply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Sending them your way, Carol!
Reply
Lynne Harms says
Dear Chris,
Thank you for this easy and delicious recipe. I’d love the pdf for the labels.
Thank you,
LynneReply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Sure, Lynne!
Reply
Joan says
Made this recipe - you're right it's easy and tastes great. Would love to have the lemon curd labels. Thank you!
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks, Joan! Sending the labels your way!
Reply
Rukshana says
Appreciate the recipes, will definitely try lemon curd tarts. Please send the pdf for the labels, thanks xx
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Sending them your way, Rukshana!
Reply
FRANCES MORRISON says
Easy, foolproof and delicious! I use my Meyer lemons and less sugar.
I would love labels.Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks, Frances! Sending the labels your way.
Reply
Carol Gleason says
Please forward the pdf link for the lemon curd labels. Thanks so much for this beautiful, easy recipe! It is delicious!
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Sure, Carol!
Reply
Sandy Clifford says
Please send pdf for labels.Plan on making it for Easter .Looks yummy ! I appreciate your fabulous recipes.
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Sending them your way, Sandy!
Reply
Penny Davis Gould says
Lemon curd is a favourite of mine and now I can make it more easily. I will be offering this curd as gifts to my friends. Would you kindly send me the labels? They will look so special. Many thanks.
PennyReply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Sure, Penny! Enjoy!
Reply
CHERYL SCHLEGEL says
I would love to get those adorable labels!
Reply
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Sending them your way, Cheryl!
Reply
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