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Microwave Lemon Curd couldn’t be easier, or more delicious. It’s perfect for topping yogurt, ice cream, cheesecake and so much more!
If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you are well aware of the fact that I am a sucker for lemon desserts.
From lemon lime cupcakes and glazed lemon blueberry bread to this microwave lemon curd, I’m all about lemons – all summer long.
If you’re a lemon lover and have never made homemade lemon curd, print this recipe, head to the store, grab yourself a bunch of lemons, and get to making this microwave lemon curd.
While you’re at the store, be sure to also grab some vanilla bean ice cream, a cheesecake AND mini tart shells because you’re going to eating this sweet and tart spread on ALLTHETHINGS.
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 spread that you’ll want to eat with a spoon. No shame here, I’m totally guilty of eating spoonfuls of the stuff with a little spray of whipped cream.
There are numerous methods for making lemon curd, but my absolute favorite way is in the microwave.
WHY I LIKE TO MAKE MICROWAVE LEMON CURD
Yes, the microwave.
Now before you tell me it’s easier to make lemon curd on the stove, I hear what you’re saying. And while I agree that making it on the stovetop is pretty simple as well, I find that cooking it in the microwave is just easier.
With this microwave method, you don’t have to mess with a double boiler, or really worry about cooking the eggs too much and ending up with little specks of scrambled eggs in your curd.
You may kind of feel like you’re cheating a bit and possibly become lemon curd obsessed since you can whip up a batch in about 5 minutes!
HOW TO MAKE LEMON CURD IN THE MICROWAVE
To make lemon curd in the microwave, start by whisking together all of the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl.
Then cook the curd on full power in 1-minute intervals, stirring after each minute. After about 3-5 minutes (depending on your microwave), the curd will have thickened so it coats the back of a metal spoon.
At this point, I like to run it through a fine metal sieve, just to remove any bits of egg that may have scrambled during cooking.
After the lemon curd cools, pop it into the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. It will continue to thicken as it cools, making that thick, luscious lemon curd that we all love so much.
HOW DO I SERVE LEMON CURD? ON EVERYTHING
Once you taste this easy lemon curd, you’ll be digging through your pantry and fridge just searching for something to slather it on. Whether you spread it on scones, waffles, or mascarpone pancakes, or spoon it over your favorite angel food cake, this lemon curd is sure to become one of your new favorites!
If you need some ideas to use up your microwave lemon curd, I love to use it in baking recipes, too! I’ve added it to No-Baked Layered Lemon Pie, Roasted Berry Napoleons, Mini Lemon Cheesecakes and Lemon Cheesecake in a Jar, just to name a few.
Microwave Lemon Curd
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs yolks and whites
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice about 4-5 lemons
- zest of 3 lemons
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in lemon juice, lemon zest and melted butter.
- 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.
- Remove from the microwave, push through a fine, mesh sieve and pour into sterile jar or container.
- Once the curd has cooled to room temperature, cover it with a lid and store it in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. The curd will thicken as it cools.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is THE BEST recipe for lemon curd – EVER. Easy to make, foolproof and delicious. My granddaughters eat it every weekend on pancakes. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoy the lemon curd, Lisa! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
Hi,
Thanks for this recipe – am about to cook it now, but have one question.
How many grams of butter equates to a 1/2cup of melted butter please?
Hoping someone is able to help with a quick answer.
Many thanks.
Hello! A quick google search says that 1/2 cup of butter is around 115 grams. I have not weighed it myself, though. Happy baking!
Jamie
I don’t understand, you have to leave it in the fridge for 2 weeks to thicken???
Hello! The curd will thicken as it cools, but that will only take a couple of hours. It will last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Hope this helps! Happy baking.
Jamie
We’ll see how it works but I’m not optimistic this is going to be curd. I have a pink grapefruit tree, so I figured I’d try making curd from it, never having made curd before. Hahaha.
I lost track of how many times I one-minuted and stirred but it was at least six, and while it “coats” the spoon to a degree, it’s not at all like a custard, but I’m afraid to cook it any more, so it’s sitting on the counter, covered with plastic wrap, to cool down before I stick it in the fridge. I’m going to forgo straining it.
Fingers crossed!
The taste is not bad – it’s grapefruit, so …
Anyone else make curd from grapefruit?
Hello! It should thicken a lot as it cools in the fridge. I don’t know if anyone else has tried this exact recipe with grapefruit, but it should work like the lemon would. Hope this helps! Happy baking.
Jamie
I made this for this first time this weekend and I might need to make another batch because I’m sitting here eating big spoonfuls of it out of the bowl.. this is sooooooo yummy and easy!!! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the lemon curd, Cindy! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
Can this be frozen. Want to make it but not sure I will use it all by time it says.
Hello! I haven’t attempted freezing this recipe, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how it turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
YES!!! Stays soft enough to spoon and eaten like sorbet/
I can’t wait to try the lemon curd recipe. It looks delicious.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Shirley! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
How marvelous is this lemon curd!!!
And SO easy!!!
Thanks a bunch
So happy to hear you enjoyed the curd, Carole! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
Made this today to use in Bake from Scratch’s Meyer Lemon-Olive Oil Coffee Cake and it was easy to make and turned out awesome in the cake. I’ll be using some of the leftovers tomorrow on some yeasted Belgium waffles…. yum. Thanks for the recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the lemon curd, Vanessa! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie
Oh, thank you for the link to that lemon coffee cake recipe! SO making both!
I have made this curd repeatedly, it is amazing. I think it is much easier than a double boiler, even when I strain it there is rarely a small bit of cooked eggy stuff. It works every time! Today I thought I would try it with a sugar replacement. My husband and I are doing Atkins. I used a cup of Swerve, which is erythritol. It came out PERFECT!! Now I can have something wonderful when I get a sweet craving. Thanks for the terrific recipe!!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the curd, Karen! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your feedback!
-Jamie