Lemon Curd Perfection: 5 Mistakes To Steer Clear Of While Making Lemon Curd (2024)

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Yash Lakhan

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Author : Yash Lakhan

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Lemon curd is a versatile yet easy spread that you can make with 4–5 ingredients. But despite it being very easy, there are some common mistakes that you should avoid to make the perfect lemon curd every time.

Lemon Curd Perfection: 5 Mistakes To Steer Clear Of While Making Lemon Curd (15)

Lemon curd is a versatile yet easy spread that you can make with 4–5 ingredients. But despite it being very easy, there are some common mistakes that you should avoid to make the perfect lemon curd every time.

Lemon spread is a tangy, creamy, and silky spread that you can use in various ways, such as spreading it on top of your breakfast toast, using it as a filling for your cakes or cupcakes, topping them off, making lemon bars, or putting them as a filling for lemon pies. A simple lemon curd goes a long way.

You only need a few ingredients, which you most likely already have in your kitchen when it comes to making your own lemon curd. Although it is relatively simple, it can be tricky if you are just starting out or aren't familiar with the spread. To ensure you get the best lemon curd every single time, you must avoid these common mistakes and become a pro at making this famous fruit curd.

Use Sufficient Egg Yolks

  • Eggs are an important component of lemon curd, but yolks are valued more than egg whites when it comes to making lemon curd. Lemon curd has traces of yellow in it naturally, but its striking golden colour comes from the yolks.
  • Also, incorporating whole eggs is not preferred since the egg whites cause the lemon curd to become lighter. The egg whites also carry an unpleasant smell because of sulphur, which is even worse in older eggs. So always make sure you use the freshest eggs.
  • Adding more yolks will result in a thicker and richer lemon curd.

Prep The Lemons Correctly

Lemon Curd Perfection: 5 Mistakes To Steer Clear Of While Making Lemon Curd (16)

Don't use a cheese grater to extract the lemon zest, as it will cause the pith to get discarded from the lemon. The pith has a bitter and unpleasant taste, which could cause a negative change in flavour in your lemon curd. Use a microplane zester instead, as it is the most effective way to get the lemon zest.

Avoid Juicing The Lemons Straightaway

Another important mistake that many people make is that they immediately start juicing the lemons once they are zested. Although it is not bad, you should microwave your lemons for about 10–20 seconds. This makes your lemons softer and much easier to juice. Not just that, microwaving them also leads to getting more juice, whether you juice it with your hands or by using a gadget.

Avoid Over-cooking The Curd

Lemon Curd Perfection: 5 Mistakes To Steer Clear Of While Making Lemon Curd (17)
  • Your lemon curd could get chunky and grainy if you let it overcook. One thing you should remember while making lemon curd is that you should never let it reach a point where it starts boiling. The ideal temperature for lemon curd is 170 degrees Fahrenheit, and it shouldn't cross that.
  • Especially when you are using a double boiler, the chances of overcooking the lemon curd are quite high, so be careful to get the best results.

Stir In Continuously

This may not look like a big deal, but stirring continuously enhances the texture of the lemon curd a lot. If you want your curd to be as smooth as possible, then keep stirring it because it contains eggs, which means the bottom portion of the curd cooks quickly.

This makes a gluey curd at the bottom, making it difficult to mix well with the rest of the curd. Proper and continuous stirring allows even heat distribution throughout the lemon curd.

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FAQs

What happens if you overcook lemon curd? ›

What happens if I over-cook lemon curd? Overcooking will cause proteins to bond too tightly, squeezing water out from between them and giving them a rubbery, lumpy texture. If you over-heat the lemon curd, the egg proteins can coagulate and you will see little bits of cooked egg.

How to prevent lemon curd from tasting eggy? ›

Although lemon curd uses egg yolks and/or egg whites, the final product shouldn't taste eggy. If it does, it may mean that you've overcooked your eggs. In saying that, traditional lemon curd does have a distinct after taste which doesn't sit well with some.

Why is my lemon curd not yellow? ›

Use Sufficient Egg Yolks

Lemon curd has traces of yellow in it naturally, but its striking golden colour comes from the yolks. Also, incorporating whole eggs is not preferred since the egg whites cause the lemon curd to become lighter.

What to do if your lemon curd does not set? ›

Trouble shooting: Most Lemon Curds are runny because they don't get cooked long enough, to 170 degrees F, to thicken the egg yolks – so cook on! If your curd isn't thickened after 10 minutes, or up to 15 if using a double boiler, then increase the temperature of the stove slightly – and don't stop whisking!

What to do with failed lemon curd? ›

EDIT: I managed to fix it by reheating it, letting it get somewhat smooth, straining it, adding lemon juice, and then stirring more. I did it with one orange so I couldn't just start over again. I'm thankful for the advice though! The curd is now a beautiful orange, a bit thick and sweet, but really good!!

Why does my lemon curd taste weird? ›

A metallic aftertaste is usually the consequence of the lemon curd coming into contact with a metal (especially while it's hot). This could be a metal whisk, a metal bowl, a metal (or metal-coated) saucepan, or a metal sieve.

How to know when curd is done? ›

Dip a spoon into the curd then run your finger over the back of it. If it leaves a clean line in the curd, it's cooked enough and ready to cool. Curd will thicken up more once cooled completely. Spoon into a container, cover and refrigerate.

Why is my homemade lemon curd runny? ›

Problem: My Lemon Curd is Too Runny

The curd wasn't cooked long enough to allow the egg to thicken, or not enough butter was added.

Why did the butter separate from my lemon curd? ›

The solution has to do with when the butter is added to the recipe. After much research and testing, I discovered it should be added at the end of the recipe, not during cooking. It's because butter is an emulsion, when boiled, it separates into fat and water, causing the curd to do the same.

Why did my lemon curd turn green? ›

If your lemon curd turned green, it likely had a reaction to something metal. Avoid using a copper or aluminum pan as those will react with the lemon juice and cause the discoloration in the lemon curd, and could even cause a slightly metallic aftertaste.

Does homemade lemon curd need to be refrigerated? ›

In a covered, airtight container for up to one week. It doesn't really freeze well. Lemon curd does contain eggs and dairy (butter), so I'd be ok leaving it out for the day if I plan on serving it, but anything overnight definitely would need to be refrigerated.

Why does my lemon curd have foam on top? ›

Between the heat and whisking, lemon curd gets foamy while it's cooking. As the curd begins to thicken, the foam will start to settle down, and then the addition of the butter at the end of cooking eliminates the foam. So don't panic when you see foam, just keep whisking and cooking.

What to do if curd didn t set? ›

Here are a few ways you can thicken your yogurt.
  1. Strain out whey until desired consistency. ...
  2. Add powdered milk/unflavored gelatin/pectin/tapioca starch to your mixture and ferment like usual. ( ...
  3. Increase the fat content by either adding 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream. ...
  4. Use whole fat milk.

Can you recook lemon curd? ›

I don't recommend reheating it but you can let it thaw in your fridge overnight if frozen and then it will be the right consistency for use. If you'd like it less chilled, you can let it sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before spreading it on toast or whatever you like.

Does lemon curd in a jar go bad? ›

Shelf life

For best quality, store in a cool, dark place (away from light). Plan to use canned lemon curd within 3–4 months. Browning and/or separation may occur with longer storage; discard any time these changes are observed.

How to know if lemon curd went bad? ›

When it changes colour and darkens it doesn't taste as good.

How do you know when lemon curd is done? ›

Dip a spoon into the curd then run your finger over the back of it. If it leaves a clean line in the curd, it's cooked enough and ready to cool. Curd will thicken up more once cooled completely. Spoon into a container, cover and refrigerate.

What happens when you heat lemon curd? ›

It keeps the protein strands far enough apart from one another to increase the denaturation temperature window. In other words, it makes it much easier to get the right texture. After gently cooking the curd, it will begin to coat the back of a spoon more thickly than prior to heating.

Why did my lemon curd curdle? ›

Curdling in lemon curd can occur if the mixture is heated too quickly or if the eggs are cooked at a very high temperature.

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