This easy Homemade Easy Lime Curd Recipe is thick, tangy, sweet and overflowing with fresh lime flavor. You only need 4 ingredients and under 30 minutes. It's so creamy, zesty and rich, you'll be happy to eat it on its own!
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Why Make This
- This Homemade Lime Curd is creamy, tangy and delicious: the bright but rich lime flavor makes it taste like summer in a jar!
- Super easy to make: You only need 4 simple ingredients that can be found in most grocery stores and are done in less than 30 minutes! (No double boiler needed.)
- Very versatile: This delicious lime curd can be used in cakes, yogurt, tarts, on toast, or eaten right out of a jar! It tastes like summer in a bottle!
Note: for a savory way to preserve eggs, try this Asian salted eggs recipe.
Ingredients
- Freshly squeezed lime juice, zested and juiced: you can use any type of fresh limes, but I make calamansi lime curd because of the floral flavor. (If you love it as much as I do, here are some Calamansi Sweet Treat Recipes!) Persian limes or Key limes are also good, with the latter having a stronger taste that is better suited to baking. Always use fresh lime juice and not bottled! Add the lime zest to your curd too, but make sure you only take off the green skin and not the white pith (which is bitter. A microplaner would help you with this but I just use a regular grater.)
- Large eggs, whisked well: I use whole eggs to make this easy lime curd. Your citrus curd will be a lighter yellow and will also taste a lot more tangy as it won't have as much richness to balance the acid. (Just add a bit more sugar if you want to counter the extra sourness.) For a richer, less eggy flavor, use only the egg yolks.
- Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes: A small pinch of salt can be a flavor enhancer, but different brands of butter have different amounts of salt. Hence, I don't recommend using Salted Butter as you may end up with an overly salted Curd! If you are allergic to dairy, omit the butter. The curd won't be as luscious and creamy unfortunately but will still taste good.
- Sugar: White caster sugar is better as it dissolves in the lime juice more quickly. However, you can also use granulated sugar or even brown sugar. (Personally I prefer to keep the Lime Flavor fresh and bright so don't recommend using brown sugar or maple syrup which will add caramel notes.)
Variations & Substitutions
- Lemon curd: instead of lime juice, you can replace with lemon juice in a 1:1 ratio to make lemon curd.
- Spiced curd: you can add spices such as ginger, mint or vanilla to your lime juice mixture!
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Gently zest your limes, taking care not to take off the white pith which is bitter.
2. Use a juicer, press or reamer to juice the fruits. Mix with the lime zest.
3. Bring water to boil in a large Dutch oven then reduce to a simmer. (Make sure there is enough water in the Dutch Oven to keep boiling for 30 minutes.)
4. Place a large non-reactive bowl over the Dutch Oven, such that the base is not touching the water. (We don't want direct heat.)
5. Add the citrus juice, zest and sugar to the bowl. Mix till the sugar is dissolved.
6. Whisk in the butter, adding it 1 lump at a time. The mixture will be warm but should not be hot (you don't want to scramble the eggs later!)
7. Whisk 2 Tablespoons of the lime juice mixture into the eggs. Slowly pour small amounts of the egg mixture into the lime- not too much or it will curdle.
8. Once half the lime mix has been added, you can pour the rest in then continue heating it slowly over medium heat, whisking continuously.
To test if the curd is thick enough: Coat the back of a spoon (preferably wooden) with the curd and run a finger through. The lime sauce is at the right consistency when the gap made by your finger remains. (It will continue thickening as it cools and overnight.)
How to Use
Homemade fresh lime curd tastes amazing in:
- Cake Filling: it is the perfect addition to coconut cake and ice cream, for example.
- Lime Tart or Pie, as seen in the photo above. (Try this Key Lime Pie recipe.)The quantity in this recipe is enough for 1 large tart.
- With Cheesecake: the acidity of curd cuts through and lifts the rich flavors of a creamy cheesecake soooo well!
- In Cupcakes, especially with blueberries!
- Cream tea: goes really well with clotted cream and fresh scones!
- Mille Feiulle Crepe Cake: alternate with layers of buttercream so that the Mille-feuille isn't too sour. (You can mix the curd with whipped cream to make a tangy biscuit or cake cream.)
- Cookie Sandwich: such as in between 3-ingredients brown sugar cookies, to make a lime curd cookie!
- Spread for bread, such as French toast!
- Dropped into yogurt, smoothies, waffles or pancakes for breakfast!
- Or a Macaron filling!
How to Store
Keep in a sterilised airtight container in the fridge and it'll have a shelf life of 10-12 days.
Alternatively, you can freeze it for 12 months. (Defrost it in the fridge for 1 day before using.)
Tip: Freeze in an ice cube tray so that you can defrost small amounts instead of everything at 1 go!
Expert Tips
Tip #1: Roll your limes or microwave them for 5-10 seconds to help them release more fruit juice. (Unripe fruits, in particular, can be rather dry.) Also pick large limes, so that you won't have to squeeze so many!
Tip #2: Let the creamy curd chill in the fridge for a few hours so that it can thicken up.
Tip #3: You can mix limes with other fruits such as lemon, mango, raspberry, cranberry, blackberry and coconut to make other types of fruit curd such as lime lemon curd, lime orange curd etc etc!
Tip #4: Mix with some tequila for Happy Hour Citrus Curd!
Tip #5: Use a nonreactive bowl to make the calamansi curd so that it won't react with the acid in the limes such as stainless steel or enamel coated cast-iron. Steer clear of aluminium or cast iron which will taint the flavor of the lime curd and make it taste metallic.
Recipe FAQs
Unfortunately your curd got too hot/ boiled. As a result it has curdled and become grainy. The best you can do is to strain it with an extra fine sieve 2-3x but, even then, it won't be as smooth as a non-curdled curd.
You can strain it to make it silky smooth, but I confess that I don't!
Yes you can! Curd is best made from fruits with some acidity (to balance the sugar), so citrus fruits like lemon and grapefruit are great. Passionfruit and cranberry also make for delicious curds. Other fruits such as berries etc will need to be mixed with lemon juice to provide the sharpness.
The curd will continue thickening even after you switch off the fire. If you find it too thick, you have heated it for too long! Conversely, if it's too thin, you've not heated it for long enough!
Other Tea Time Recipes
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Homemade Lime Curd Recipe
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch Oven
- Non reactive bowl This ensures it won't react with the acid in the limes- use stainless steel or enamel coated cast-iron. Steer clear of aluminium or cast iron which will taint the flavor of the lime curd and make it taste metallic.
- Heat proof whisk
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz Lime Juice and zest (100g) I use calamansi limes but you can use other types such as Key limes or Persian limes. Roll your limes or microwave them for 5-10 seconds to help them release more juice. (Unripe fruits, in particular, can be rather dry.)
- 3.5 oz Caster White Sugar (100g) Substitute: granulated sugar, brown sugar etc
- 1.75 oz Unsalted butter, cut into cubes (88% of a stick of butter if that helps!)
- 2 Whole eggs, whisked together
Instructions
Set up your homemade double boiler/ bain-marie
- Bring water to boil in a large Dutch oven then reduce to a simmer. (Make sure there is enough water in the Dutch Oven to keep boiling for 30 minutes.)
- Place a non-reactive metal bowl over the Dutch oven, ensuring the bottom doesn't come into contact with the hot water.
Juice and zest the limes
- Gently zest your limes, taking care not to take off the white pith which is bitter.
- Use a juicer, press or reamer to juice the fruits. Mix with the lime zest.
Make the lime curd
- Add the lime juice, zest and sugar to the bowl. Mix till the sugar is dissolved.
- Whisk in the butter, adding it 1 lump at a time. The mixture will be warm but should not be hot (you don't want to scramble the eggs later!)
- Add 2 Tablespoons of the hot lime mixture to the whisked eggs and mix well.
- Slowly pour small amounts of the egg mixture into the lime mixture- not too much or it will curdle. Once half the eggs have been added, you can pour the rest in then continue heating it slowly over medium heat, whisking continuously till at the desired consistency.
- To test if the lime curd is thick enough: Coat the back of a wooden spoon with the curd and run a finger through. The lime sauce is at the right consistency when the gap made by your finger remains.
- The calamansi curd will continue thickening as it cools and overnight so leave it for a few hours before using (or it will be thin.)
- Once cooled, store it in the fridge!
Notes
Nutrition
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