Fundamentals: Simple Microwave Lemon Curd

by Jamie on March 1, 2011

Post image for Fundamentals: Simple Microwave Lemon Curd

I am a big fan of all things lemon, so as spring creeps its way through Ohio, I thought I’d try and speed along the process with a week full of delectable lemon posts. First on the agenda is this recipe for simple lemon curd. If you have never made lemon curd before, it’s a very basic process of heating eggs, butter, sugar, lemon juice and zest. This combination of ingredients creates a thick, tart lemon cream that you’ll want to eat with a spoon.

The recipe that I am going to feature today is made in the microwave, so it really can’t be any more simple. Although making lemon curd on the stove top is really not all that difficult, I get a lazy and sometimes don’t feel like messing with a double boiler. With this microwave method, you’ll feel like you’re cheating a bit and possibly become a serious lemon curd addict since you can whip up a batch in about 5 minutes!  Once you taste this lemon curd, you’ll be digging through your pantry and fridge just searching for something to slather it on. Stay tuned later this week for ways to use up this simple microwave lemon curd.

Fundamental Information

Lemon curd is a thick, tart, spreadable lemon cream that is made by heating eggs, butter, sugar, lemon juice and zest.

Fundamental Gear

-large microwave safe bowl
-whisk
-sterile, airtight jar

Fundamental Uses

  • Use it as a spread on toast, scones, muffins, or other baked goods.
  • Use it as a filling for crepes. Simply spoon the lemon curd into a crepe, roll it up, top with fresh berries and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  • Use it as a topping for vanilla ice cream, cheesecakes, and cakes.
  • Stir it into whipped cream and serve with fresh berries for simple dessert.
  • Stir it into yogurt, oatmeal, or Cream of Wheat for a luscious lemon kick.
  • Use it as a filling for mini tarts, thumbprint cookies or cupcakes.
  • Eat it with a spoon, I do!

Looking for other great ways to use up lemon curd? Check out these recipes:
Lemon and Raspberry Tart on Simple Bites
Meyer Lemon Curd from Smith Bites
Steel Cut Oat Pancakes with Lemon Curd from Babble

Save Recipe Print

Microwave Lemon Curd

Yield: about 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
zest of 3 lemons
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in lemon juice, lemon zest and butter.

2. Cook in the microwave on full power for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute. This process will take about 3-5 minutes depending on the strength of your microwave. You will know the lemon curd is done cooking when it coats the back of a metal spoon.

3. Remove from the microwave, push through a fine, mesh sieve and pour into sterile jar.

Notes:

- Store lemon curd in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- Recipe adapted from allrecipes.

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{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }

avatar 1 Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen March 1, 2011 at 7:47 am

Who knew lemon curd could be so easy! This is a great quick recipe to have when I’m overrun with lemons like I am now.

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avatar 2 Katie | GoodLife Eats March 1, 2011 at 8:39 am

It’s been way too long since I’ve made lemon curd. I’m craving it now! I never knew you could make it in the microwave.

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avatar 3 Katrina March 1, 2011 at 8:49 am

Knowing this could be dangerous. I LOVE lemon curd, and would just spoon so much of this in my mouth!

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avatar 4 melissa @IWasBornToCook March 1, 2011 at 8:51 am

I love how easy this is! Definitely trying this soon.

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avatar 5 Ryan March 1, 2011 at 8:55 am

Love! This will be great with poppy seed muffins or cake, too! Mmm…I have lots of ideas how we can use this! Thanks for sharing!

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avatar 6 Daisy March 1, 2011 at 9:20 am

I know what I’m going to make today :) . I’ve never had lemon curd. Thanks. No shortage of lemons here. I had to zest and squeeze over 200 lemons.

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avatar 7 Charlotte March 1, 2011 at 10:53 am

thanks so much for this easy recipe, can’t wait to try it.

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avatar 8 Emilie March 1, 2011 at 10:56 am

Thank you for the “lemon week”. I LOVE lemons!
I have lemon curd in my fridge right now, just eaten with a spoon. I can’t wait to try it in the microwave instead of on the stove. Although the stove method is not that hard either.

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avatar 9 Lindsey @ Lindselicious March 1, 2011 at 10:57 am

This is genius! I can’t wait to try it!

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avatar 10 Evan @swEEts March 1, 2011 at 11:33 am

I love that this is made in the microwave! So much easier than preparing a double boiler and all that that I usually do for my curds! Thanks for this :)

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avatar 11 Katie @ Overflowingbrain March 1, 2011 at 12:25 pm

This is the lemon curd recipe I use and loooooove. One thing that I tend to do is pass the final product through a sieve before refrigerating it. A couple of times I’ve had little bits of eggs that detracted from the beautiful taste and texture of the lemon curd and the sieve did the trick. I’m sure it’s not necessary, but it’s a quick and easy fix if you’ve got some clumps in your curd.

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avatar 12 laura March 1, 2011 at 2:41 pm

5 minutes? oh no… lol. i just hit the “bookmark” button on my online cookbook (http://cookmarked.com) without even skipping a beat!

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avatar 13 Tracy March 1, 2011 at 2:59 pm

I love lemon curd! It’s just one of those things that just screams spring to me. Yours looks delicious and easy!

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avatar 14 Kristi March 1, 2011 at 3:26 pm

I’d like to try this for a cake filling, will it be room temperature stable since it’s cooked? Thanks!

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avatar 15 Sarah B. March 1, 2011 at 3:57 pm

I’ve never made lemon curd but I am trying this recipe tonight! It looks so easy, and so good. Thanks for sharing!!

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avatar 16 Wenderly March 1, 2011 at 4:13 pm

I had no idea that making lemon curd could be so easy! I so psyched! Can’t wait to try this Jamie!!!

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avatar 17 Sherry March 1, 2011 at 4:15 pm

YUM! I love lemon curd. I didn’t know you could make it in the micro. Sooo dangerous! LOL!

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avatar 18 J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) March 1, 2011 at 5:00 pm

Great recipe! That sounds delightful, and easy to boot! I love lemon anything. YUM!

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avatar 19 Sheila March 1, 2011 at 5:35 pm

Sounds delicious – I was just looking for something to do with some lemons and I saw your post on facebook. I’m off to try this right now!

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avatar 20 Becca March 1, 2011 at 5:38 pm

Ooooo Jamie… you are a woman after my own heart. I adore lemon curd and have never tried making it myself. Seeing how simple it is, I have NO idea why I’ve never made it, but you can be sure I will now! Thanks so very much <3

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avatar 21 Happy When Not Hungry March 1, 2011 at 6:33 pm

Wow this is such a great and easy recipe! I’ve never heard of making lemon curd in the microwave, but I’m def trying. Thanks!

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avatar 22 Jennifer (Delicieux) March 1, 2011 at 6:57 pm

I think a lot of people can be put off the idea of making lemon curd because it seems complicated and fiddly, but this recipe makes it so easy. Thanks for sharing!

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avatar 23 Stephanie March 1, 2011 at 6:59 pm

I would have never thought to make lemon curd in a microwave. Great idea and it sounds so simple!

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avatar 24 Sheila March 1, 2011 at 7:07 pm

Good news: Recipe turned out GREAT! Super easy and delicious :-) Thanks for sharing…Bad news: I got so excited about making it that I forgot to pick up my son from school :(

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avatar 25 Lindsey March 1, 2011 at 7:34 pm

Whereabouts do you live in Ohio? I live in (and miss) Cleveland but am currently stuck in Athens for school :(

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avatar 26 Jamie March 1, 2011 at 7:48 pm

Lindsey-
Thanks for visiting! I am in NW Ohio, but I am originally from the Cleveland area!
-Jamie

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avatar 27 Lauren March 14, 2011 at 11:23 am

Hey – I’m from Athens! Went to OU also – LOVED every second of it. Enjoy your time as a Bobcat! :)

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avatar 28 Sharon March 1, 2011 at 9:38 pm

Really?! I had no idea you could make lemon curd in the microwave. I’ve made it many times, but my recipe has you standing over the stove stirring constantly and it seems to take forever. I can’t wait to try this!

One of my favorite uses for lemon curd is in Ina Garten’s Fruit Salad with Limoncello–so yummy, especially when the berries are in season. Highly recommend.

Great post!

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avatar 29 Danielle March 1, 2011 at 9:52 pm

This is pure genious! What a clever idea. I love using lemon curd as a base for tarts.

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avatar 30 Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles March 1, 2011 at 10:11 pm

I’ll echo in. I had no idea lemon curd could be made in the microwave! That’s fantastic news! My mom makes lemon curd quite a bit – I’ll be sure to pass this on to her. Thank you!

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avatar 31 Michelle (What's Cooking with Kids) March 1, 2011 at 10:44 pm

My lemon tree is bursting – I may have to get some cute jars and make a bunch of this for our teachers or neighbors…YUM! It’s the ideal gift – it looks fancy, but is super easy! Love it.

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avatar 32 Christina March 1, 2011 at 11:51 pm

I can’t wait to see the lemon recipes. I have some Meyer lemons that I need to use in my refrigerator. I made lemon bars with some of them and they are incredible!

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avatar 33 Gail March 2, 2011 at 7:00 am

I make my curd by putting everything in the pot and stirring til it coats the back of the spoon…I thought that was revolutionary til I read this.
KICKING MYSELF THAT I DIDN’T THINK OF THIS!

Great job!!

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avatar 34 Charlotte March 2, 2011 at 3:29 pm

Where do you get the beautiful storage jars? I must have some!

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avatar 35 Sarah K. March 20, 2011 at 11:16 pm

Not sure where Jamie gets hers but Ikea has them in a few different sizes for cheap! :)

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avatar 36 Mitchie March 2, 2011 at 4:23 pm

Ahhhhha! I always thought Lemon Curd was with YOLKS ONLY! Thanks for the new recipe!

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avatar 37 Emily March 2, 2011 at 8:12 pm

My Costco still has Meyer Lemons, I’m definitely going to try this lemon curd. Who knew it could be so easy!?

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avatar 38 DessertForTwo March 3, 2011 at 10:02 pm

This is one of the most genius recipes I’ve seen on a blog in a long time. Thanks for sharing, I have 10 Meyer lemons sitting in my fridge, just waitin’ for this!

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avatar 39 Yvette March 7, 2011 at 12:21 am

This was WONDERFUL!!! Thanks for posting! I served it with pound cake, blueberries, strawberries, and whipped cream! YUM…

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avatar 40 Jennifer March 8, 2011 at 5:10 pm

This turned out fantastic. I folded it into whipped cream for a lemon mousse and served it with a blueberry sauce. My guests loved it! This is in my folder of quick and easy favourites.

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avatar 41 Brenna March 29, 2011 at 7:11 pm

I tried this recipe out this afternoon. I was a little concerned at first because the mixture wasn’t coming together like I thought I should, but right at the five minute mark, like magic I had delicious, thick lemon curd!

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avatar 42 Ruby May 29, 2011 at 4:26 pm

just made this for some lemon cupcakes, and it came out WONDERFULLY! such a snap! Now onto my frosting :)

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avatar 43 Tara June 8, 2011 at 2:36 pm

I usually use lemon pie filling or the sleeve of lemon filling. I would like to try this for my mom’s cake this weekend. I have a couple of questions. She REALLY loves lemon, is it very strong and if not can I make it stronger somehow? And will I have to refrigerate the cake with this as the filling?

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avatar 44 laura August 22, 2011 at 2:06 pm

this is such a great recipe – thanks for sharing. i used to work at a bakery and have made lemon curd hundreds of times, but never in the microwave! great shortcut.

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avatar 45 Melanie Corral September 28, 2011 at 3:56 pm

I was nervous about making this… It turned out FANTASTIC! I put it in the center of cupcakes, topped with a lemon flavored cream cheese frosting… they were devoured!
Thank you for all your tips!

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avatar 46 Nancy December 12, 2011 at 5:54 pm

Today I started harvesting my Meyer lemons. I usually juice them and measure out into 1 cup containers, freeze, plop them out onto saran wrap and put in ziploc bags. But today I remembered this recipe of yours so I just got through making it. OMG. I never thought it would taste so fresh and refreshing. I emailed you before about freezing the curd and am going to put the 2 cup recipe into quart bags, and stack them after freezing. Thank you for this recipe

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avatar 47 Debbie December 18, 2011 at 8:09 pm

Just used this recipe to make Xmas presses n it looks great and tastes DELICIOUS

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avatar 48 Angeline Leonardi April 4, 2012 at 7:35 am

Hi, I am planning to try this tomorrow and hope to receive your reply on time. Three whole eggs? I am asking this because several lemon curd recipes I searched ask for egg yolks only.

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avatar 49 Jamie April 4, 2012 at 10:14 am

Angeline-
The recipe is correct, 3 whole eggs. I promise it will be perfect.
-Jamie

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avatar 50 Angeline Leonardi April 5, 2012 at 2:59 am

and it is beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

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avatar 51 Debbie May 16, 2012 at 10:00 pm

Just finished making this to put in tart shells. It is deliscious! My husband thought it was too tart but I think its divine, and so darn simple, glad i stumbled onto this recipe!

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avatar 52 sue August 12, 2012 at 12:09 am

Easy and delicious. Will never make on stovetop again. Thank you for this simple method. Just discovered your blog. Gorgeous pictures. Witty comments. Thank YOU for sharing.

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avatar 53 Jamie August 12, 2012 at 8:03 pm

Sue-
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the lemon curd, thanks for letting me know how the recipe turned out! Have a great day.
-Jamie

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avatar 54 Linda September 6, 2012 at 12:34 pm

I love to make homemade lemon curd. Nothing bought gets close but I do admit I don’t do it often because I get bored with the stove sitting. Never thought it could be made in the microwave. I definitely have to try this. One mention…if you have never eaten it frozen, you should try it. It’s amazing. Mix a little with some good vanilla ice cream and it rocks even more. I tend to freeze all I make and use it later but finding out it is this quick and easy in the microwave might change my tactics!

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avatar 55 anne marie September 28, 2012 at 6:18 am

Have just made it, what a revelation, have always wanted to make lemon curd, but in my head it was to hard to do. haha…10 minutes later it is delicious. Thank you.

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avatar 56 Jamie October 1, 2012 at 7:09 pm

Anne Marie-
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe – thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback! Have a great day!
-Jamie

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