Sous Vide Lemon Curd is a fail-proof way to make this traditional springtime condiment. With only 4 ingredients, there is no excuse not to make your homemade lemon curd!
Lemon curd is one of those items that is so useful in the kitchen. You can use it on tarts, Air Fryer Scones, cakes, or in my Lemon Curd Muffins.
This sauce has a beautiful citrus flavor from fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. The result is a sauce that is smooth, tangy, zesty, sweet, and creamy!
This curd recipe is one of my favorite sauces to have around. With a few simple ingredients, you'll be on your way to making the best lemon curd!
Cooking lemon curd sous vide is easy to make and you never get curdled eggs. We set the machine to cook for 1 hour at 180 degrees, which is the perfect time and temperature.
Jar up this sweet and tart lemony sauce for special events like afternoon tea, Easter, and Mother's Day!
For brunch spread this lemon curd on my Gluten Free English Muffins or my Air Fryer English Muffins.
This is a great recipe to have in your repertoire and I know you will make this recipe time and time again.
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⭐️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
We love Lemon Curd for Springtime brunches, if you are looking for more suggestions I highly recommend my Lemon Blueberry Cookies.
- Lemon curd freezes beautifully! Perfect for all your dessert needs, whether it's cheesecake, meringues, or pavlova.
- With only 4 ingredients homemade lemon curd is only 1 hour away. Just pop egg yolks, butter, lemon juice, sugar, and lemon zest into a ziplock bag for a fail-proof Sous Vide Lemon Curd.
- There is no whisking or stirring with the sous vide method. I like to strain my curd through a fine mesh sieve, for an extra smooth consistency.
🍳 What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is a cooking method that utilizes an immersion circulator, also known as a sous vide machine. This device circulates water in a temperature-controlled bath, ensuring your food is always cooked perfectly.
To learn more about sous vide cooking, head over and read What is Sous Vide Cooking.
What is the Water Displacement Method?
The displacement method involves slowly submerging a ziplock bag in water, which pushes the air out through the slightly open top of the bag.
Use a clip (I prefer sous vide magnets) to attach the bag to the side, preventing it from floating and letting air or water inside.
Equipment Used
- Anova Precision Sous Vide Cooker
- EVERIE 12 quart container
- FoodSaver vacuum sealer machine
- Vacuum sealed bags
📝 Key Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the lemon curd's main ingredients. Scroll to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Lemons - When zesting a lemon, make sure to only get the yellow zest and not the bitter white part. Juice lemons that you zested because they will dry out quickly.
- Sugar - You need sugar to balance out the tart and sour lemon flavor.
- Egg Yolks - You can use egg yolk or whole eggs in a lemon curd recipe. Egg yolks yield a thicker consistency.
- Butter - Adds a touch of richness and a silky smooth texture!
See recipe card for quantities.
🥘 Substitutions + Variations
- This lemon curd recipe works with other types of citrus as in lime curd and yuzu curd.
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
Sure you can buy prepared lemon curd from the store, but why? Follow along and I will show you how to make lemon curd in sous vide!
Step 1. Wash lemons under cold water and dry them with paper towels. Using a microplane, zest 4 lemons. Only remove the yellow zest and not the bitter white part, that's bitter.
Step 2. Cut lemons in half using a sharp knife and juice the lemons. I like to use a citrus juicer like you see in image 2, or you can juice lemons by hand.
I also like to pass my lemon juice through a fine mesh strainer to remove any pulp.
Step 3. Separate 10 egg yolks from the whites. I like to save the egg whites for meringues or egg white omelets.
As you can see in image 3, I use my hands to separate the yolk, but you can use the eggshell method too.
Step 4. Microwave lemon juice for 30 seconds. In a large bowl, whisk together warmed lemon juice, lemon zest, and melted butter.
Slowly whisk in the egg yolks one at a time until every last egg yolk is incorporated, just like in image 4.
Step 5. Pour the lemon curd mixture into a gallon-size ziplock back. I like to place the bag into a bowl to catch any spills.
Step 6. Preheat your sous vide machine to 180°F/82°C and lower the lemon curd into the water bath using the water displacement method.
Secure the bag with a clip and cook for 1 hour.
Step 7. After 1 hour, remove the lemon curd from the hot water bath and give it a shake.
Pass the hot curd through a fine-mesh strainer to remove lemon zest or any other cooked egg for a smooth texture.
Step 8. Put a piece of plastic wrap directly over the top of the lemon curd and poke it with a couple of holes for the steam to escape. Refrigerate for 4 hours.
The plastic wrap prevents skin from forming on the surface of the lemon curd.
👨🏻🍳 Chef Tips
- Only zest the yellow part of the lemons and not the white bitter part.
- Squeeze more lemon juice by rolling the lemons on the cutting board before cutting them in half.
- Zested lemons dry out quickly, so use them for the lemon juice.
- Heating the lemon juice will help dissolve the sugar.
- Give the ziplock bag a couple of vigorous shakes to emulsify the lemon curd.
- Strain the hot lemon curd for a silky smooth consistency.
❓Recipe FAQ's
There are so many great recipes using lemon curd, including cookies, mini tarts, blueberry scones, muffins, and lemon cakes.
Yes, lemon curd freezes beautifully! Place room temperature lemon into a jar or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. I always have some on hand for the last-minute lemon tart or to spread on my Gluten-Free Fruit Loaf.
Sous vide cooks lemon curd perfectly every time! There is no stirring or whisking. No overcooking your eggs. It's a set-it-and-forget-it method for 1 hour.
The origin of lemon curd dates back to the 19th century in England. Lemon juice, zest, and cream were mixed and passed through a cheesecloth, saving the curds left behind. The lemon curd was also known as lemon cheese.
Today's lemon curd is made from lemons, sugar, eggs, and butter.
No, they are similar but not the same thing. Lemon curd contains lemon, sugar, egg yolks, and butter. The main ingredient in lemon curd is lemons.
Lemon pudding or lemon custard contains milk for cream with the addition of lemon juice and zest.
🍽 More Springtime Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @thefrizzledleek on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
Sous Vide Lemon Curd
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large lemons
- 10 large egg yolks
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Heat sous vide water bath to 180°F/82°C.
- Rinse lemons under cold running water and pat dry. Using a microplane, remove the yellow zest from the lemons. Cut and squeeze the lemons and strain the juice. You should have about ⅔ cup.
- Whisk together warmed lemon juice, lemon zest, melted butter, and sugar.
- Whisk in egg yolks one at a time until incorporated.
- Pour the mixture into a ziplock bag.
- Slowly lower the bag into the hot water bath using the water displacement method. Clip the bag to the sides of the container.
- Cook for 1 hour. Pass lemon curd through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the curd, and pierce a couple of holes to let the steam escape. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Notes
- You can freeze lemon curd for up to 3 months in a jar or airtight container.
- Only remove the yellow zest from the lemons, not the bitter-white part.
- Straining the lemon curd removes the lemon zest and any overcooked egg particles for a smooth consistency.
- Chilling the lemon curd will take 4 hours in the refrigerator before the lemon curd is set.
- If you don't mind the texture of lemon zest you can chill the lemon curd in an ice bath.
Cinda Raupe says
This recipe turns out perfect every time and is oh so delicious!