Easy Lemon Curd Recipe & Free Printable Labels

Whip up a batch of this easy lemon curd recipe for gifts, or keep the versatile and yummy spread all for yourself! Be sure to download the free printable jar labels and gift tags with lots of ideas for how to use lemon curd.

What do you do when your aunt and uncle give you bags of fresh lemons picked from their trees in Florida? You make a big batch of this easy lemon curd recipe to share with friends.

I bet you thought I was going to say lemonade!

But when life gives you (lots of) lemons, it’s definitely time to try your hand at homemade lemon curd. The delectable spread is so versatile. It’s great on pastries and in a variety of sweet and savory recipes. Store-bought versions can be pricey, and sometimes hard to find if you don’t have a gourmet shop nearby.

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The homemade version is very economical, and you’ll be surprised at just how simple it is to make using this easy lemon curd recipe.

Homemade Lemon Curd

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 mins

Ingredients

  

• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• ⅔ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Instructions

 

• Cream together the butter and sugar, using an electric mixer on medium, for about two minutes.
• Slowly add the eggs and yolks and beat for another minute.
• Mix in the lemon juice.
• Transfer to a medium saucepan with a heavy base and cook over low heat until the butter melts. The mixture should lose its curdled look and become smooth.
• Increase the heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the temperature reaches 170 degrees F and the curd thickens. When the curd is ready, it should coat the back of a spoon.
• Be careful not to boil or to cook the eggs. (You may want to heat the lemon curd over a double boiler to prevent cooking the eggs.)
• Remove from the heat. Add the lemon zest and stir to incorporate.
• If necessary, strain through a fine mesh strainer. Discard solids.
• Transfer to small glass jars and allow to cool and thicken.
• Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for up to a year.

Notes

Be careful not to boil or to cook the eggs. Slow and low is the way to go. Rather than cooking directly over the burner, you may want to cook the lemon curd in a double boiler to prevent cooking the eggs.

This recipe makes about 2 cups of fresh lemon curd.

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I love giving jars of lemon curd as a food gift to friends, family, neighbors and teachers. If I’m feeling particularly generous, I’ll send along some scones, muffins or other pastries to go with it.

I’ll let you in on a secret, if you promise not to tell my neighbors. Sometimes, I buy those treats at the grocery or the local bakery. But I’ll dress up the presentation so it all looks homemade.

That’s just what I did with these lemon curd and berry scone treat boxes.

This is a sponsored post and it contains affiliate links. I only recommend companies and products I love. Read my full disclosure policy here. 

I partnered up with some other bloggers and our sponsor Online Labels to share our favorite handmade gift ideas. It’s part homemade, part store bought with a little crafty DIY element.

With just a few DIY touches and the clever use of office supplies, I transformed a plain bakery box, boring glass jars and a cheap Ikea tea towel into gift that looks like it came from a high-end patisserie. You can watch the tutorial below, then download the free printables so you can make your own.

Easy, right?

I promised you free printables for the jar and box labels. Download them through the links below:

2.5-inch Round Lemon Curd Jar Label
2.875-inch Round Lemon Curd Jar Label
Uses for Lemon Curd Bakery Box Label
Vintage Lemon Botanical Iron-on Transfer (image is already reversed, so just print as normal)

Use the following products from Online Labels to make your own lemon curd gift set:

2.5-inch round labels (for regular mason jar lids)
2.875-inch round labels for wide-mouth jar lids
Full-sheet labels or 4X5-inch shipping labels for bakery box labels
Light iron-on transfer paper (for inkjet printers only)

To see the handmade other holiday gift ideas using products from Online Labels, watch here.

If you liked this easy lemon curd recipe and homemade gift idea, be sure to check out these others posts:

Preserved Lemons

Homemade Pepper Jelly

Homemade Sno-Cone Syrup

Frosted Frozen Lemonade