This Paleo Lemon Curd is just plain delightful. The sunshine-hued sweet blends the creaminess of butter, the tartness of citrus, and the richness of egg yolk to make a treat fit for high tea. Or eating right out of the bowl while you sit in sweatpants on the couch. I won't judge you.
Brunch or Dessert?
I whip up a batch of this Paleo Lemon Curd nearly every month because both the fella and I love it so much. I also really appreciate when you can't distinguish whether something is a brunch food or a dessert, and this Lemon Curd recipe falls squarely in that category. It's lovely layered in a parfait with berries and granola, swirled into ice cream, and on top of scones, shortbread, and pancakes.
Make easy work of zesting lemons
If you want to make things easy on yourself, I highly suggest you invest in a microplane as it will make a much quicker job of zesting lemons. For years I zested lemons and other fruit on a traditional fine grater and hated every second of it until I finally broke down and bought a microplane. I have this one from Amazon and use it weekly. I zest the lemon peel right into a storage container that I keep in my freezer, so if I'm feeling extra lazy when I make a batch, I generally have enough stored to just skip that step. If you're looking for a good citrus juicer, this is the one I use.
A note for special diets
This Paleo Lemon Curd is refined sugar-free and friendly for Paleo and SIBO diets. If you'd like to make this more Keto-friendly, the honey may be swapped for Stevia.
Stored properly in the refrigerator, this Paleo Lemon Curd should keep for about a week.
Paleo Lemon Curd
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Breakfast & Brunch, Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Paleo Lemon Curd is just plain delightful. The sunshine-hued sweet blends the creaminess of butter, the tartness of citrus, and the richness of egg yolk to make a treat fit for high tea.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Melt butter over low heat.
- Remove butter from heat and whisk in lemon juice, lemon zest, and honey until well-incorporated.
- Add egg yolks and return to low heat, whisking continuously until curd begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a glass storage bowl, using your whisk to help move the curd through the strainer.
- Let your mixture cool before popping in the fridge.
Notes
The curd will thicken slightly in the fridge and will become slightly more granular as it cools. Give it a quick stir before spooning onto other dishes and it will be velvety smooth.
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 35 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 125 mg
Lily Rosie Wilder says
Hey, thank you so much for making this recipe. I really appreciate it. Especially using honey instead of maple syrup or sugar or anything like that. I was wondering if you could put a pinch of salt in it to bring out the sweetness? Anyhow, it is absolutely amazing and I will add a photo if I possibly can. Thank you so much absolutely love it.!!
Jenni says
Lily Rosie, So glad you enjoyed it—thank you! And you're absolutely right, a pinch of salt can potentially help mellow the sharpness of the citrus so it doesn't overpower any sweetness. I'd love to see a photo if you're able to share.
Elizabeth says
I don't see a single review here from someone who says they actually made the recipe! I'm glad I made it before I noticed that. Because it's great!
I have a Meyer lemon tree and so I use this recipe several times during the 3-4 ish months it has fruit. (I cut down maybe 20% on the honey since Meyer lemons are sweeter than regular lemons.) This has a very intense flavor due to the full quarter cup of zest (I usually have to add a regular lemon to get that amount.) Great in greek yogurt or as a topping for paleo muffins (or mug cakes.)
Jenni says
Elizabeth, thank you so much for making and reviewing this recipe. I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Meyer lemons make for such wonderful lemon curd.
Jaclyn says
Would it be possible to use maple syrup in place of the honey? Looks delicious!
Whip & Wander says
I'm unsure of the result with maple syrup, but this recipe is on my list to reshoot, so I will make sure to try it and will update the post with my notes on using maple syrup at that time. Let me know if you have good results with this!
Jacqui DeBono says
I have made jam quite often, but I have never made lemon curd. So many things I could use it for too. Thank you for sharing!
Tammy says
Mmm I love lemon curd and this paleo version sounds awesome! It looks so delicious too!
Natalie says
Do you think this could work with vegan butter? I typically use the miyokos brand
Jenni says
Natalie, I have not personally tried this with vegan butter so I don't know for sure. But I suspect you can still get good results from it. Please let me know if you try it!
Holli says
My Grandmother makes the best lemon curd I have ever tasted! but she won't give up the recipe so I'm going to try this one. It looks superb.
Whip & Wander says
This comment made me smile because my mom was the same way as your grandmother about a few of her most popular recipes. I hope you love this version!
Mahy Elamin says
What a gorgeous curd, Jenni! 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!
Whip & Wander says
It's hard to keep from eating the whole batch with a spoon. I hope you give give this recipe a try!
Veena Azmanov says
I love lemon curd very much and I could eat it with a spoon. This sound so delicious. Perfect as a filling for tarts and pies too.
Denay DeGuzman says
I love making homemade lemon curd! There are so many fabulous pastries that are taken to the next level with a dollop or two of this delicious treat. Thanks so much for sharing your delightful recipe!
Danielle says
I've always bought lemon curd - now I'm inspired to try and make it myself! Beautiful photos!
Lorie says
This is way random, I was just wondering what lemon curd even was and then boom, here you are! I need it for an upcoming recipe so thanks!
Anne Murphy says
I love lemon curd! There are so many things you can do with it, and it's so delicious! This looks beautiful.
Anne Lawton says
I just love lemon curd and this recipe sounds amazing and I love the beautiful yellow!
Kim @ Berly's Kitchen says
We love to eat lemon curd with pastries and as a filling in cakes. This one would be perfect for either of those. It looks silky smooth and easy to make!
Veronika's Kitchen says
Love Lemon Curd!!! especially, during the summer time! It is so refreshing and works well for breakfast and dessert!)
Veena Azmanov says
I love homemade lemon curd and I can eat it outta a jar with a spoon. This looks perfect. Rich, creamy with such a pretty color. So many possibilities with this one.
Dominique | Perchance to Cook says
I love a good lemon curd! Great idea to use ghee here too. I love all these neat ideas that I am learning. 🙂 This lemon curd looks perfectly creamy and dreamy!