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    Whip & Wander » Recipes » Desserts

    Published: Oct 4, 2017 · Modified: May 17, 2024 by Jenni · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Paleo Lemon Curd

    This page may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    This Refined Sugar-Free Paleo Lemon Curd blends the creaminess of butter, the tartness of citrus, and the richness of egg yolk. Paleo and SIBO-friendly!

    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.

    This Refined Sugar-Free Paleo Lemon Curd blends the creaminess of butter, the tartness of citrus, and the richness of egg yolk. Paleo and SIBO-friendly!
    This Refined Sugar-Free Paleo Lemon Curd blends the creaminess of butter, the tartness of citrus, and the richness of egg yolk. Paleo and SIBO-friendly!
    Print
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    Lemon Curd in a glass with a white bowl of lemons on a green background

    Paleo Lemon Curd

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 30 reviews
    • Author: Whip & Wander
    • 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
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    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

    Scale
    • ½ cup ghee (or unsalted butter if not strict Paleo)
    • ½ cup lemon juice
    • ¼ cup lemon zest
    • ¼ cup raw honey
    • 4 egg yolks

    Instructions

    1. Melt butter over low heat.
    2. Remove butter from heat and whisk in lemon juice, lemon zest, and honey until well-incorporated.
    3. Add egg yolks and return to low heat, whisking continuously until curd begins to thicken.
    4. 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.
    5. 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

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @whipandwander on Instagram and hashtag it #whipandwander

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lily Rosie Wilder says

      May 05, 2025 at 1:32 pm

      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.!!

      Reply
      • Jenni says

        May 08, 2025 at 12:02 pm

        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.

        Reply
    2. Elizabeth says

      March 08, 2024 at 2:10 pm

      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.)

      Reply
      • Jenni says

        March 19, 2024 at 9:43 am

        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.

        Reply
    3. Jaclyn says

      February 21, 2021 at 6:13 am

      Would it be possible to use maple syrup in place of the honey? Looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Whip & Wander says

        March 19, 2021 at 2:33 pm

        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!

        Reply
    4. Jacqui DeBono says

      February 13, 2020 at 2:46 pm

      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!

      Reply
    5. Tammy says

      December 30, 2018 at 10:22 pm

      Mmm I love lemon curd and this paleo version sounds awesome! It looks so delicious too!

      Reply
      • Natalie says

        March 16, 2024 at 3:50 pm

        Do you think this could work with vegan butter? I typically use the miyokos brand

        Reply
        • Jenni says

          March 19, 2024 at 9:46 am

          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!

    6. Holli says

      December 29, 2018 at 8:52 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Whip & Wander says

        January 11, 2019 at 9:53 am

        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!

        Reply
    7. Mahy Elamin says

      December 29, 2018 at 8:26 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Whip & Wander says

        January 11, 2019 at 9:54 am

        It's hard to keep from eating the whole batch with a spoon. I hope you give give this recipe a try!

        Reply
    8. Veena Azmanov says

      December 29, 2018 at 6:20 am

      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.

      Reply
    9. Denay DeGuzman says

      December 28, 2018 at 12:34 pm

      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!

      Reply
    10. Danielle says

      July 11, 2018 at 10:17 am

      I've always bought lemon curd - now I'm inspired to try and make it myself! Beautiful photos!

      Reply
    11. Lorie says

      July 01, 2018 at 9:03 pm

      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!

      Reply
    12. Anne Murphy says

      July 01, 2018 at 6:42 pm

      I love lemon curd! There are so many things you can do with it, and it's so delicious! This looks beautiful.

      Reply
    13. Anne Lawton says

      July 01, 2018 at 6:27 pm

      I just love lemon curd and this recipe sounds amazing and I love the beautiful yellow!

      Reply
    14. Kim @ Berly's Kitchen says

      July 01, 2018 at 3:37 pm

      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!

      Reply
    15. Veronika's Kitchen says

      July 01, 2018 at 7:40 am

      Love Lemon Curd!!! especially, during the summer time! It is so refreshing and works well for breakfast and dessert!)

      Reply
    16. Veena Azmanov says

      June 29, 2018 at 2:17 pm

      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.

      Reply
    17. Dominique | Perchance to Cook says

      June 29, 2018 at 1:25 pm

      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!

      Reply
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