Easy Lime Curd

This easy homemade lime curd is silky smooth and creamy. It is tart and sweet and full of fresh lime flavour. Use it in pies or tarts, on top of cakes, or as a spread for biscuits or scones. Made with just 4 simple ingredients, it can be used in place of lemon curd in any recipe or eaten straight off the spoon.

Jump to:

• What is Lime Curd?
• Ingredients
• Step by Step Instructions
• Storage
• Ways to use Lime Curd
• Top Tips & FAQS
• More Lemon and Lime Desserts
• Printable Recipe

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What is Lime Curd?

Lime curd is a creamy, luscious sauce or spread made with fresh lime juice, butter, sugar, and eggs.

Just like lemon curd, it is tangy and sweet and can be used in pies and tarts, as a spread on fresh scones, as a dip for graham crackers, or in any recipe that calls for fruit curd.

It is also perfectly acceptable to eat it straight out of the jar with a spoon.

This homemade lime curd recipe is easy to prepare and is made with only 4 simple ingredients. It comes together in minutes and can be stored for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.

This curd recipe is nice and tart with a strong lime flavour. If you prefer your lime curd a bit sweeter you can either reduce the lemon juice by a few tablespoons, eliminate the zest or increase the sugar by ¼ cup.

This recipe makes approximately two and a half cups of curd but it is easy to scale it up if you need more.

Ingredients

For a full list of ingredients and measurements, see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

This recipe comes together with just 4 ingredients. You will need:

• Butter – I use salted butter for all of my recipes. If you are on a reduced salt diet you can use unsalted butter if you prefer.
• Fresh limes – You want to use fresh limes for the best flavour. You will be using both the zest and juice of the limes. You will need 6-7 fresh limes depending on the size.
• Eggs – This recipe calls for both whole eggs and extra egg yolks. The eggs are what give this curd its thick, luscious texture. Using more egg yolks than whole eggs helps reduce the chance of the curd having an eggy flavour.
• Sugar – Sugar sweetens the curd, balancing the flavour of the lime, and also helps thicken the curd.

Step by Step Instructions

Prepare the Limes

Step 1 – Zest one or two limes until you have 1 tablespoon of lime zest.

Step 2 – Using a juicer, press or reamer, juice the limes until you have ¾ cup of lime juice.

Pro-Tip: To squeeze more juice out of your limes you can roll them on the counter a few times to soften them, or pop them in the microwave for about 10 seconds before cutting and squeezing them.

Mix the Ingredients

Step 3 – Place the butter, sugar, and lime juice in a non-reactive pot and heat just until the butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. It should be warm, but not hot.

Step 4 – Whisk the eggs and egg yolks in a medium-sized bowl until well combined. Then slowly pour the warmed lime juice into the eggs in a steady stream while continuously whisking until fully combined.

Pro-Tip: To prevent making scrambled eggs, or curdling the sauce, it is essential that the warm liquid is slowly added to the eggs. The warmed butter and lime juice mixture should be added very slowly in a steady stream until fully combined with the eggs. It will then be safe to add the mixture back to the pot.

Heat the Lime Curd

Step 5 – Pour the egg and juice mixture back into the pot and return to the stove on medium-low heat.

Step 6 – Heat while stirring until the mixture thickens and will coat the back of a spoon. Using a thermometer you are looking for temperatures between 160°F-170°F. Do not let the mixture boil!

Pro-Tip: It is important that the curd is heated slowly and not allowed to boil. Boiling the curd can result in a grainy texture and eggy flavour.

Step 7 – Stir the lime zest into the thickened lime curd. Pour the curd into mason jars or other heat-safe containers. Refrigerate the curd and allow it to cool completely before serving.

Storage

Fresh lime curd can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

You can also store it in the freezer in an airtight container for several months.

Ways to use Lime Curd

There are many ways to use lime curd.

• You can use lime curd in any recipe that calls for lemon curd, such as lemon shortbread.
• Use it to fill tarts.
• Use it as the custard filling in your favourite poke cake.
• Use it as a dip or spread for cookies, graham crackers or fruit.
• Spread it on scones or biscuits.
• Use it to top a cake.
• Eat it with a spoon straight from the jar.

Top Tips & FAQS

• Don’t let the lime curd boil – Boiling the lime curd will result in a grainy texture and can create an eggy flavour to the finished curd.
• Let the curd cool fully before enjoying – Letting the curd sufficient time to cool will allow the curd to thicken properly before using. Overnight in the refrigerator is even better.
• Use a non-reactive pot or bowl for preparing citrus curd – You want to be sure you are using a non-reactive pot, such as aluminum for preparing your curd or use the double boiler method with a ceramic or glass bowl over your pot. Using aluminium, cast iron or copper can give citrus curd a metallic taste.

More Lemon and Lime Desserts

Printable Recipe

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