You may think you’re going to gift these little half-pint jars of Meyer lemon curd, but who are you kidding? Our money says you’ll be lapping it up straight from the jar.
Just try to resist eating this Meyer lemon curd from the jar with a spoon! Pack the lemon curd into jars for gift giving, but save a jar for yourself and spread it on toasted brioche or warm-from-the-oven cream scones.
As a gift-giving tip, offer all these suggestions on a gift card and include a recipe card. Tie each jar with raffia or ribbon and attach card. To turn this into a gift basket, consider including baked blueberry scones, cream biscuits, or even a loaf of poppy seed cake. It’s a perfect hostess gift—ready to be enjoyed at breakfast, at teatime, or for dessert.–Diane Morgan
☞ Contents
Why Our Testers Loved This
Along with the testers, David loved that this Meyer lemon curd was “lusciously delicious and smooth” and slightly sweeter than regular lemon curd.
Notes on Ingredients
- Egg yolks–Save your extra egg whites for making meringue cookies.
- Meyer lemon zest–If you don’t want to include the zest in your finished curd, see the FAQ below on how to use it. You can strain it out after cooking.
How to Make This Recipe
- Prepare the jars. Wash them in hot, soapy water or run them through the dishwasher.
- Make the curd. Whisk the egg yolks, eggs, sugar, and lemon juice together. Cook in a double boiler until the curd reaches 170°F.
- Strain it through a fine mesh sieve. Whisk in lemon zest and butter. Transfer to the jars and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
FAQs
What are Meyer lemons?
Meyer lemons are a cross between regular lemons and mandarin oranges. They are smaller, more round, and sweeter than regular lemons, with a thinner, smoother skin.
I prefer a smooth curd. Can I make it without zest?
Yes, you can still impart a distinct and luscious Meyer lemon-y-ness to the curd and end up with impeccably smooth results by adding the zest a little earlier in the process and then straining it out. We propose adding the zest to the sugar before you whisk in the eggs and egg yolks, rubbing the sugar and zest mixture between your fingertips to really permeate and perfume the sugar with a lemony lilt. (Do note, if you strain the curd, your yield will be closer to 3, not 4, half-pint jars.)
How should I serve this?
Slather on toasted bread or shortbread, or dollop on an angel food cake served with fresh strawberries. The lemon curd is also delightful when layered with raspberries and blueberries for a summertime parfait. We also love the contrast of citrus with chocolate in this stunning Meyer lemon tart.
Can I make this with other types of citrus?
Certainly. Keep in mind that the sugar content of citrus varies, so you may need to adjust your sugar accordingly. One reader tried it with navel oranges, and found that the resulting curd tasted just like an orange creamsicle!
Can lemon curd be water bath canned?
Yes, you can process the lemon curd in a hot water bath for 15 minutes, however, you must still store the processed curd in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 3 months, but once opened, use with in a week.
Helpful Tips
- The curd can be stored for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. It can be frozen for up to 1 year. Thaw overnight in the fridge and use within 1 week.
- To determine if your curd is ready, use an instant-read thermometer. Curd is ready when it reaches 170°F.
- This recipe is suitable for a gluten-free diet.
- To make Meyer lemon mousse, transfer all of the lemon curd to a medium bowl. Whip 2 cups of heavy cream along with 3 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form. Using a silicone spatula, fold a glob of the whipped cream into the lemon curd to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Spoon the mousse into parfait glasses, alternating layers with fresh berries of your choice.
More great Meyer lemon recipes
☞ If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
Meyer Lemon Curd
Equipment
- Instant-read or a candy or a deep-fry thermometer and 3 or 4 half-pint jars with lids.
Ingredients
- 6 large egg yolks at room temperature
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (from about 6 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons grated Meyer lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter cut into pieces
Directions
- Wash the jars and lids in hot, soapy water and dry thoroughly. Alternatively, run the jars through the regular cycle of your dishwasher and wash the lids by hand.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, and sugar. Whisk in the lemon juice. Transfer to a double boiler and cook the curd over barely simmering water, whisking constantly, until the lemon mixture thickens and reaches 170°F (76°C) on an instant-read thermometer. (The mixture will be very foamy on top.)
- Remove the pan from the heat. Strain the curd into a bowl. Immediately whisk in the lemon zest and butter until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.
- Using a wide-mouth funnel and filling one jar at a time, ladle the sauce into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean, seal the jars, and refrigerate until the lemon curd is thickened chilled through before using, at least 4 hours.
Notes
- Make Meyer lemon mousse–Transfer all of the lemon curd to a medium bowl. Whip 2 cups of heavy cream along with 3 tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar until soft peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold a glob of the whipped cream into the lemon curd to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Spoon the mousse into parfait glasses, alternating layers with fresh berries of your choice.
- Storage–Lemon curd can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 1 year. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
- Substitutions–This can be made with other citrus fruits, but you may need to adjust the amount of sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit.
Show Nutrition
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This curd is lusciously delicious and smooth. Being a Meyer lemon curd, it lacks some of the puckery tartness of traditional lemon curds, and that’s a good thing. It’s a bit sweeter, like the flavor of a lemon and a tangerine lovechild.
It did take awhile for the curd to reach 170°, but I like making it in a double boiler—it reduces the chance of any curdling. If you like a perfectly smooth curd, add the zest with the eggs, sugar, and juice, and then strain it.
Me, I was perfectly fine with the tiny bits of bitter zest; it balanced the sweetness of the curd. We had it spooned over brownies. Decadent.
The curd is very delicious, but I think you can get pretty much the same result using regular lemons. Personally, I prefer a very smooth curd, so I’d add the zest during the cooking process and then strain it afterward. (I don’t think you’re compromising the flavor at all if you remove the zest.)
I made the mousse with fresh berries, and it was quite good, although very, very rich—I’d say a step or two away from cloying. Next time, I’ll use a higher proportion of berries to mousse to cut down on the richness of this dessert.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
I have a 22 year old dwarf Meyer Lemon tree that produces between 30 and forty amazing lemons each year. I am very pleased to have found this absolutely delicious recipe for Meyer Lemon Curd. It is heavenly on fresh scones, sourdough toast with butter, and by the spoonful right out of the jar. I leave the lemon zest bits in the curd as they provide an explosion of Meyer Lemon flavor in every bite. I posted about my tree and this Lemon Curd recipe to a Facebook group called Northern Virginia Foodies and it received over 1800 likes and 350 comments.
Wow, Kevin, that is fantastic! Your curd looks gorgeous and appears to have a perfect texture. We’re so glad that you found the recipe as well and we so appreciate you taking the time to let us know how much you love it and for sharing it with your Facebook group. Thank you!
I’ve made this recipe 5x this last Christmas for gifting purposes. Incredibly great recipe!!! My question is.. would you recommend using navel oranges as an alternative? I was given some from a friend’s tree and would like to make curd (or marmalade) and am very curious how it would come out using oranges instead. Let me know your thoughts!
Hi Lisa, you can use most citrus fruits to make curd though you might need to adjust the sugar according to the fruit’s sweetness. Please let us know how it turns out, orange curd sounds lovely.
The navel orange curd turned out pretty good! My husband and I agree it tastes like a orange creamsicle, mild sweetness with creamy orange texture. These navels were more sour than sweet so with the 3 oranges I could see using maybe a little more sugar when I do a second batch. This curd would be great with biscuits, crackers or on waffles or toast. Very unique! I’m taking 3 jars to work tomorrow, hope they like it!
How wonderful, Lisa! So happy that it turned out well. Please let us know what your coworkers thought.
Feedback I got from coworkers is that its sweet, delicious, and definitely tastes like a creamciscle! I’ll make this again!
Yay!!
I made this recipe yesterday. I decided to strain out the zest because I love how smooth citrus curd is. This one has a wonderfully velvety mouth feel. I chose it because I like the ones using extra yolks. The ones that use only whole eggs are definitely not as good. I would put a drop more juice next time and next time might be today.
Hey, many thanks for sharing your velvety smooth experience, Jessica! We had a similar reaction–that is to say, we made it again the very next day. Here’s to lemony deliciousness…
If you want a mousse-like curd, this is the recipe. However, it should not be hot-water processed, but left in the refrigerator to be eaten soon, because this recipe calls for constant whisking, which introduces hundreds if not thousands of tiny bubbles into the curd. When I water-processed, these bubbles caused leaking (see other posts re: leaking) and sub-standard seals. Also, when I opened my jar, the consistency of the curd at the top was sponge-like because of all the air bubbles.
For the second time (grrr), instead of whisking during the cooking, I stirred with a silicone spatula. The curd became thick and heavy. After pouring the curd into a jar, I gently tapped the bottom of the jar against the counter to make any bubbles rise to the surface, which I flattened with a spoon. The curd was smooth and dense and there was no leaking after processing. Yum.
Linda, thanks for your informative comment!
Could someone please answer the question about processing the jars and their results. I did and used the same amount of time as my regular lemon curd recipe and many jars leaked. I always use a steam canner and am very surprised by the results. The curd is delicious but I need it to be stored and not in fridge. I would think that it would spoil in the fridge after a couple of weeks.
Hi, GM. I made the curd again this past weekend, and this time I processed the jars. I used a water bath, and they were perfect; there was no leaking. I have the curd ready to be given as gifts–on the condition the jars are refrigerated and the curd is eaten within a month or so. One thing I did was tighten the rings a bit more than I would for jam because the curd is thinner. The curd will last about a week unprocessed in the fridge.
I do want to caution readers that lemons vary in acidity–and Meyer lemons are even less acidic–so canning curd is tricky. It’s suggested that if you do want to can lemon curd, you use bottled lemon juice because of the standarded acid levels. Here’s an interesting read and recipe.
I’m going to contact Diane Morgan, the author of the book, and have her jump here. I’m sure she’ll shed more light.
Thanks for the update. I am wondering if I filled them more than I should have. My curd was very thick not thin like my tried and true recipe from BA. That recipe only uses yolks. I will be interested in a response from Diane. In the meantime, I cleaned up the jars and they appear to be sealed but I put them in the fridge.
GM, that could be an issue. I know her recipe calls for a 1/2-inch headroom; most jams call for a 1/4-inch headroom. I had to spoons some out of the jars before processing, as I automatically filled them to 1/4 inch.