Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (2024)

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Lemon curd is a custard-like mixture made from fresh lemon juice, sugar, butter, and egg yolks and used as a filling or spread. With this sous vide lemon curd recipe there is no stirring, straining or arm cramps.

Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (1)

This lemon curd recipe is cooked in mason jars. Seriously the silkiest lemon curd I have ever made. There was no need to pass this through a fine-mesh strainer to get our any coagulated egg bits.

If you love lemon curd you are going to want to add this Lemon tart and this rhubarb curd to your recipe box! Be sure to check out my complete collection of sous vide recipes.

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  • Want To Save This Recipe?
  • Sous Vide Lemon Curd
  • Why is the sous vide method better than the traditional cooking method?
  • Lemon Curd Ingredients:
  • What is lemon curd used for?
  • What is the difference between lemon curd and lemon pie filling?
  • What can I do about the foam that forms on the curd when it is in the food processor?
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 👩🏻‍🍳 Sarah Mock
  • Comments

Sous Vide Lemon Curd

Lemon curd is a custard-like mixture made from fresh lemon juice, sugar, butter, and egg yolks and used as a filling or spread. There is a lot of specific temperatures that need to be met and a lot of arm work can go into whisking lemon curd. With this sous vide lemon curd recipe there is no stirring, straining or arm cramps. If you don't have a sous vide circulator, you can check out my recipe for a traditional lemon curd recipe.

Why is the sous vide method better than the traditional cooking method?

The sous vide cooking method will keep the ingredients at a constant temperature, cooking the curd smooth as silk. Plus there will not be overcooking of the egg yolks because the water is kept at a constant temperature.

This recipe is outstanding….a great lemon flavor & smooth texture..
This was my first attempt at making lemon curd and it went well.

★★★★★ ~ Ann

Lemon Curd Ingredients:

  • Egg Yolks
  • Lemons (zested & juiced)
  • Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed
  • Sugar
  • Butter, melted and cooled
Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (2)

What is lemon curd used for?

Lemon curd is known as being served at tea time with scones, in tarts, or in the filling of layer cakes. But don't forget to use lemon curd as a filling for crepes, on top of pancakes or waffles or even used to fill cookies.

Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (3)

What is the difference between lemon curd and lemon pie filling?

Lemon pie filling is usually thickened with flour or cornstarch whilelemon curdis thickened by tempering egg yolks, lemon juice, andzest. Lemon curdis similar topie fillingbut the texture is smoother, thicker and the lemon flavor is more intense.

Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (4)

More sous vide dessert recipes:

  • Sous vide oreo cheesecake
  • Sous vide peanut butter cheesecakein jars
  • Turtle cheesecake
  • Grasshopper cheesecake
  • Homemade clotted cream
Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (5)

What can I do about the foam that forms on the curd when it is in the food processor?

If there is still a bit of foam or bubbles on the top of the lemon curd, and it bothers you, firmly rap the jars on the counter to pop the bubbles. Or you can use a kitchen torch to quickly remove them. Neither of these options is necessary, it is more about getting a smooth texture from top to bottom.

Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (6)
Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (7)
Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (8)
Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (9)

Sous Vide Lemon Curd Printable Recipe:

📖 Recipe

Sous Vide Lemon Curd

Sarah Mock

With the help of sous vide, you can make smooth as silk lemon curd. My sous vide lemon curd recipe is cooked in mason jars.

4.49 from 122 votes

Print Recipe

Note From Sarah

There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

Prep time for the recipePrep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook time for the recipeCook Time 1 hour hr

total time to prep and cook the recipe.Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Sous Vide

Cuisine French

Makes 3 servings

Per Serving 1064 kcal

Ingredients

  • 10 Egg Yolks
  • 6 Lemons (zested & juiced)
  • 1 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 ½ Cups Sugar
  • 1 ½ sticks Butter (melted and cooled)

Instructions

  • Separate the yolks from the whites and save the whites for another recipe.

    10 Egg Yolks

  • Zest 6 lemons and measure out¼ cup of zest.

    6 Lemons

  • In a food processor, blend the sugar and the lemon zest until the sugar is a fine powder and the zest has infused the sugar.

    1 ½ Cups Sugar

  • With the food processor running, pour in the 1 cup of fresh lemon juice

    1 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice

  • Add the egg yolks, one at a time, allowing each one to incorporate fully.

  • While the food processor is still running, pour the melted and cooled butter into the yolk/lemon juice mixture.

    1 ½ sticks Butter

  • Strain the mixture through a super fine mesh strainer to help remove any foam.

  • Fill half pint jelly jars with the lemon curd mixture.

  • Place a lid and ring on top of the jars and make the ring finger tight.

  • Heat the sous vide to167 °F / 75 °C.

  • Once heated, carefully lower the jars into the water with a jar lifter. Make sure there is water completely surrounding the jars.

  • Cook for 1 hour.

  • Carefully remove from the water and allow to rest to cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 1064kcal | Carbohydrates: 128g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 769mg | Sodium: 398mg | Potassium: 463mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 108g | Vitamin A: 2330IU | Vitamin C: 146mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition Disclosure

Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

published Jan 18, 2018

Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (11)

👩🏻‍🍳 Sarah Mock

CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger

Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.

    More Ultimate Collection of Sous Vide Recipes

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    • Best Sous Vide Beef Recipes
    • Best Sous Vide Brisket Recipe (24 Hour Smoked Brisket)

    About Sarah Mock

    Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply

    1. Ann

      Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (16)
      This recipe is outstanding….a great lemon flavor & smooth texture..
      This was my first attempt at making lemon curd and it went well.
      One question….a firm waxy crust about 1/4” formed on the top when it cooled.
      Could this have been due to the quality of the butter. it was easily removed and didn’t change the wonderful taste of the curd.

      Reply

      • Sarah Mock

        I am so glad you loved this recipe as much as I do! I am not sure about the crust...it might have to do with the amount of headspace there is in the jar. I try and keep as little headspace as possible in these. I hope that is helpful.

        Reply

    2. Mm

      Can you cook it longer to pasteurize? That’s a lot of curd to eat in 2 weeks!

      Reply

    3. Hank

      Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (17)
      Great recipe, all Sarah’s recipes are sensational.

      Reply

      • Sarah Mock

        Aw! Thanks Hank. I appreciate the feedback. Sarah

        Reply

    4. Aenea

      I've made this sous vide lemon curd recipe and it worked great! You mentioned a rhubarb curd and I was wondering if you were willing to share the recipe.

      Reply

    Sous Vide Lemon Curd Recipe | Savoring The Good® (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the best thing to make in a sous vide? ›

    The Best Foods To Cook Sous Vide
    • Tougher Cuts of Meat. What's important to remember here is that a 'tougher' or 'cheaper' cut of meat, doesn't necessarily mean a 'worse' cut. ...
    • Eggs. Eggs are one of the most popular foods to cook sous-vide for a couple of reasons. ...
    • Pork. ...
    • Lamb. ...
    • Carrots. ...
    • Filleted Fish. ...
    • Liver. ...
    • Fillet Steak.

    What happens if you cook lemon curd too long? ›

    Overcooking will cause proteins to bond too tightly, squeezing water out from between them and giving them a rubbery, lumpy texture. If you over-heat the lemon curd, the egg proteins can coagulate and you will see little bits of cooked egg.

    Why didn't my lemon curd get thick? ›

    Trouble shooting: Most Lemon Curds are runny because they don't get cooked long enough, to 170 degrees F, to thicken the egg yolks – so cook on! If your curd isn't thickened after 10 minutes, or up to 15 if using a double boiler, then increase the temperature of the stove slightly – and don't stop whisking!

    Why does my lemon curd taste eggy? ›

    Although lemon curd uses egg yolks and/or egg whites, the final product shouldn't taste eggy. If it does, it may mean that you've overcooked your eggs. In saying that, traditional lemon curd does have a distinct after taste which doesn't sit well with some.

    What does Gordon Ramsay think of sous vide? ›

    He doesn't seem to be an especially outspoken proponent of sous vide cooking, possibly due to a long-ago scandal where patrons of his restaurants felt cheated when they found out that their meals had been prepared in advance and heated up via this "boil in a bag" technique, but he does have a pretty dramatic method for ...

    What is a disadvantage of sous vide? ›

    With sous-vide, you get the benefits of poaching (extremely tender proteins), but you lose out on the delicious flavor compounds that develop when searing and roasting. For this reason, some chefs recommend searing your meat or chicken before cooking sous-vide, to enhance the flavor.

    How do you know when lemon curd is done? ›

    Dip a spoon into the curd then run your finger over the back of it. If it leaves a clean line in the curd, it's cooked enough and ready to cool. Curd will thicken up more once cooled completely. Spoon into a container, cover and refrigerate.

    Why did my lemon curd curdle? ›

    Curdling in lemon curd can occur if the mixture is heated too quickly or if the eggs are cooked at a very high temperature.

    Why did my lemon curd turn green? ›

    When this acid comes into contact with certain metals, notably copper or aluminum, a chemical reaction occurs. This reaction causes the metal to oxidize and release ions, and when these ions mix with the lemon curd, it results in a greenish tint to the mixture.

    Why does my lemon curd taste weird? ›

    A metallic aftertaste is usually the consequence of the lemon curd coming into contact with a metal (especially while it's hot). This could be a metal whisk, a metal bowl, a metal (or metal-coated) saucepan, or a metal sieve.

    Why is my lemon curd foamy? ›

    Between the heat and whisking, lemon curd gets foamy while it's cooking. As the curd begins to thicken, the foam will start to settle down, and then the addition of the butter at the end of cooking eliminates the foam. So don't panic when you see foam, just keep whisking and cooking.

    Does homemade lemon curd need to be refrigerated? ›

    In a covered, airtight container for up to one week. It doesn't really freeze well. Lemon curd does contain eggs and dairy (butter), so I'd be ok leaving it out for the day if I plan on serving it, but anything overnight definitely would need to be refrigerated.

    Why does my homemade lemon curd taste metallic? ›

    To prevent the curd from acquiring a metallic taste, make absolutely sure that all utensils coming into contact with it--bowls, whisk, saucepan, and strainer--are made of non-reactive stainless steel or glass. Since the tart pan has a removable bottom, it is more easily maneuvered when set on a cookie sheet.

    Can you eat out of date lemon curd? ›

    Once opened, a jar of lemon curd should be refrigerated and used within six months for best quality, according to the folks at the J.M. Smucker Co., maker of the Dickinson's brand of lemon curd. Unopened, the jar should have a best-if-used-by date on the label that you should follow.

    What is the shelf life of homemade lemon curd? ›

    This homemade lemon curd will last in your fridge for 1-2 weeks, but you can also freeze it! You guys know how I love freezing everything. In the freezer, the lemon curd will last at least a few months and the beautiful part is that it only hardens about as much as ice cream, so you can scoop it out as needed.

    What is the first thing I should sous vide? ›

    Steak is held up as the best example of just what sous vide can do, so it's probably one of the things that you'll want to try first. It's heartbreaking when you leave an expensive piece of steak just a little bit too long and wind up making it tough and dry, but thankfully, sous vide takes away all the guesswork.

    What is the easiest thing to sous vide? ›

    One of the most fantastically simple things to cook sous vide is a perfect poached egg! There isn't much a poached egg doesn't complement, and this method ensures that you can make them just the way you like them every time!

    Do major steakhouses use sous vide? ›

    Do Steakhouses use Sous Vide Cooking Methods? Pre-cooking juicy steaks using sous vide is common in steakhouses across the United States. This might come as a surprise to frequent steakhouse customers, but using the technique allows chefs to cook great tasting steaks every time.

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