Paleo Lemon Curd
This Paleo Lemon Curd is easy to make, super silky, and perfectly tart. It’s a refined sugar-free honey-sweetened curd recipe made with just five ingredients. It’s perfect to drizzle on pancakes or waffles, swirl into your yogurt, use it in baked goods, or just eat it with a spoon!
I’ve been sitting here staring at the blank screen for a few minutes now, wondering what to type. I’m in a coffee shop and the guy next to me keeps giving me weird looks, cause I’m just sitting here staring, not doing anything…soooo I had to start typing something. (Bloggers – this happens to you too, right?!)
Since I don’t have anything wildly exciting or revolutionary to talk about, we’ll focus on the delicious topic at hand: silky smooth, perfectly tart paleo lemon curd.
I’ve been feeling the citrus love a whole lot more this year, and I was craving lemon curd recently – which is not usual for me. I usually am not about sweet citrus-flavored things, so most curds are way too sweet for me.
That said, I had to make my own to satisfy the craving, cause nothing store-bought would satisfy the tart lemon curd I wanted. Luckily, it was so easy to make myself and I was enjoying spoonfuls of (hot) lemon curd in less than 20 minutes.
I’ve made curds before, a while back, but I’d forgotten just how simple and easy it is to make them. Squeezing the lemons was the most annoying part of the whole process, and that was probably only because I had little farmers market lemons.
What do you need to make this Paleo Lemon Curd?
This recipe only requires 5 ingredients!
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Honey or maple syrup
- Eggs
- Ghee or coconut oil
Because there are so few ingredients, you’ve got to use the good stuff!! Make sure all of your ingredients are fresh and high quality for the best results.
Please do not try to make lemon curd with store-bought lemon juice – I’m cringing just thinking about it! It just doesn’t compare to freshly squeezed lemon juice in terms of flavor. Plus, you need fresh for the zest :)
I used some raw organic honey, and it provided the perfect amount of sweetness. I like my curd tart without too much sweetness, and the honey flavor complimented the lemon perfectly. You can add a touch more if you like sweeter lemon curd.
How do you make this Paleo Lemon Curd?
To make it, just whisk together all the ingredients except for the ghee, and heat them over medium heat. Once they’re warmed up, add the ghee so it melts right in. You can also use coconut oil if you prefer – I ended up using half and half of each because I was almost out of ghee.
After heating for a few minutes, the curd will start to bubble and get thick enough to hold the trail of your whisk. Once it’s thickened to your preference, take it off the heat, strain out any egg bits that may have cooked, and let it cool down in the fridge to thicken up.
I kept my lemon curd a bit thinner so I could drip and drizzle it on all the things. I’ve had it on a smoothie bowl, drizzled on oatmeal, and uh…lots on a spoon. Also planning a few more recipes using this lemon curd to share soon, so whip up a batch so you’re READY!
This Paleo Lemon Curd is an easy recipe that turns out an incredibly luscious and silky lemon curd that’s not too sweet, and not too tart. If you’re a lemon lover, you’ll want to put it on everything! Enjoy :)
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Paleo Lemon Curd
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x
- Category: Dessert
Description
This Paleo Lemon Curd is easy to make, super silky, and perfectly tart. It’s a refined sugar-free honey-sweetened curd recipe made with just five ingredients. It’s perfect to drizzle on pancakes or waffles, swirl into your yogurt, use it in baked goods, or just eat it with a spoon!
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
- ⅓ cup honey
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 6 tablespoons ghee OR coconut oil
Instructions
- Whisk together juice, zest, honey, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Once it’s warm, whisk in the ghee or coconut oil and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6-8 minutes.
- Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to get out any cooked egg bits.
- Cover the top of the lemon curd with plastic wrap and chill until cold, at least 1 hour.
So pretty! Great minds think alike with our lemon posts today :). Your lemon curd would be perfect in my coffee cake!
Thank you!!! I used to make so much with lemon curd before I went Paleo, amd certainly before hubby became diabetic! This is do wonderful and such a treat!! Thank you again! Going to make a batch right now!
I hope that you and your husband love it, Dani! I’d love to hear what you think :)
What a gorgeous curd, Rachel! I’ve never made my own before, but now I need to start. I love that silky texture and flavor. I think I would just eat this with a spoon, looks amazing!
Thanks so much Gayle! I’m so surprised you’ve never made curd before – seems like you’d be a pro :) you need to whip up a batch!!
Just one of the reasons I can’t work in a coffee shop — I’m too self conscious! Lol. Lemon curd is one of my favorites and this looks amazing!
Haha! Sometimes I need to get out and be with other humans :) people are always asking what I’m editing though, lol! Thanks so much, Ashley.
haha definitely happens to me!! I usually start talking to my dog :) I swear I’m not crazy!! ANYWAY this lemon curd is gorgeous!! And it sounds just perfect!
Hahaha I should start talking to mine to get some inspiration! Thanks so much Ashley :)
I’m making my son a lemon curd and chocolate cake for his birthday and I’m using this recipe for the curd! Yum!
I’d love to try the Energy Bomb, if you could include that :)
Love this version. Living in the UK people can get quite personal about their curd, and I too find them usually too sweet. I’ll give this a go for sure!
Tart curds are definitely the best, thanks so much Debs! Hope you love it.
Love this curd..as you say a hint of tart..but wonderful! Have not made curd for many years. This will be a regular treat! Thank you.
So glad you’re enjoying it Lynne, thanks for your feedback!
How long does this keep in the fridge?
It should keep for a few weeks in the fridge, or you can keep it in the freezer for a few months. Enjoy!
Soooo delicious!!! I made it with ghee, no coconut oil, just followed the recipe and it came out fantastic!
So thrilled that you’re loving it, Leslie! Thanks for your feedback.
I halfed the recipe as i only plan on using it with my homemade yogurt. It turned out wonderful and no sugar!
So glad you’re enjoying it, Maddie!!
Great and delicious! Thank you! Can I make it exactly the same but with orange (juice and zest?)
And if I want to double the lemon recipe, can I do it without messing up the process of making the curd? In other words, is it better to make one batch, clean pot, make the second batch or can I just x2 all ingredients and I assume it would just take longer?
Thank you!
Nadia
Hi Nadia, you should be able to do it with oranges without issue, but you may want to sweeten to taste so it’s not too sweet! As for doubling the batch, totally fine! Go for it – no need to do it twice.
Awesome, thanks a lot! :)
I love this recipe and have made it 5 times since I discovered it, only 2 months ago! :) Thank you!
I would like to freeze a batch so my question is: do I pour the curd in a tupperware, let cool (in the fridge or room temp?) and then place in freezer? How long can it be frozen? And also, do I thaw it out room temp or fridge for a few hours? And does the creamy silky nature of the curd change from freezing?
Thanks so much!
Nadia
Hi Nadia, so glad you’re loving this recipe!! Refrigerating first will help it cool before freezing so it doesn’t break open the container when it expands as it cools, so I’d recommend letting it cool before putting it into the freezer. It should be able to be frozen for up to 1 years. To thaw out, I’d place it in the fridge about 24 hours before you want to use it. I’ve personally not frozen lemon curd for longer than a few weeks but it stayed nice and silky for me!
This lemon curd was DELICIOUS!! It was my first time at it and the results were AMAZING:) Thanks so much for this recipe!
So thrilled you’re loving it, Aneta!
This is my go-to curd recipe year after year!! I love how tart it is and the extra floral note from the honey is divine!
So glad you’re loving it! Thanks Erin.
Anyway to substitute for the honey with monkfruit or stevia?
You could try to use a 1:1 sugar-free liquid sweetener. I’ve never tried this though, so I can’t guarantee it will work!
Omg. This is so yummy. I used grass fed butter (not paleo I know) and half coconut sugar for the sweetener. So yummy!!!!
Sounds amazing! So glad you loved it, Veronica.