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If you’re a fan of lemon curd, you’ll love this Blueberry Curd with fresh blueberries and a pop of tart lemon flavor! It’s bright and vibrant and super easy to make. Use it as a spread or dessert filling!
It’s no secret that I love homemade curd recipes. They taste delicious as a spread on toast or pancakes, or work perfectly as a filling for tarts or cupcakes!
We’re loving this blueberry curd in place of lemon curd in this mini pavlova recipe or served on top of these cornmeal blueberry pancakes (for a double dose of blueberries)!
You can also eat this homemade blueberry curd by the spoonful right out of the jar! Seriously, it’s just that good!
Once you’ve given this blueberry curd recipe a try, I also highly recommend trying my lime curd recipe or this sous vide lemon curd (if you hate whisking).
Check out the blueberry curd story!
Why this recipe works
- Some people find homemade fruit curd intimidating to make, but this recipe is easier than you think. You need just 5 ingredients and it comes together quickly on the stovetop.
- It stores well in the fridge or freezer, so you can make this blueberry curd in advance and have it ready for quick additions to brunch or dessert recipes!
- It’s a versatile recipe that can be used like jam to top toast, pancakes or waffles, or it can be used as a filling for a variety of desserts. I’ve included plenty of options at the end of this post!
Ingredients
You’ll need 1 pint of blueberries for this homemade curd recipe and you can use fresh or frozen.
For a pop of tart flavor, the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of lemon zest and ½ cup of fresh lemon juice. Please don’t use bottled lemon juice here. It just doesn’t have the same fresh flavor and sometimes has additives.
To balance the tartness of the lemon, you’ll need ¾ cup of granulated sugar for this curd.
The curd requires 6 egg yolks so you’ll need to separate the whites. Check out this tutorial on how to separate eggs. (Use your leftover egg whites in this no-bake chocolate mousse pie).
Lastly, you’ll need 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter. I recommend using unsalted or your curd may taste a little salty. You’ll want to make sure the butter is divided into 6 tablespoons so you can add one tablespoon at a time to the curd.
Step by step instructions
Place the blueberries, lemon juice and lemon zest in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until simmering.
Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the blueberries have softened and start popping.
Remove from heat and strain through a mesh strainer or sieve into a bowl, pressing the mixture firmly to the sides to extract all the juice and pulp from the blueberries.
**Don't forget to scrape the bottom of the strainer into the bowl as well.
Add the blueberry mixture and sugar back to the saucepan and heat over medium low heat until the sugar has fully dissolved and is no longer grainy.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Beat the egg yolks in a bowl.
Temper the egg yolks by adding a couple tablespoons of the blueberry mixture to the egg yolks while whisking quickly to avoid cooking the yolks.
Add a couple more tablespoons and keep doing the same. Once the egg yolk mixture has been slowly warmed, whisk it into the saucepan with the rest of the blueberry mixture.
Heat the mixture over medium heat until it just starts to simmer.
Whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, letting it melt before adding the next tablespoon.
Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Pour into a glass jar or covered container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Expert tips
- Add additional lemon zest or juice for added lemon flavor.
- Do not pour the hot mixture right into the egg yolks - they need to be tempered first. If not, the eggs will end up cooking.
- Whisking the blueberry curd constantly while it cooks prevents the eggs from cooking and results in a perfectly creamy texture.
- If your curd doesn’t seem thick enough after cooking it, that’s okay. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Common questions
Blueberry curd thickens as it cools, so don’t worry if it doesn’t seem thick enough when you first remove it from the heat. Once cooled, if it still seems too thin, this means it wasn’t cooked long enough. In this case, you can try adding it back to the heat to thicken it.
If your curd is too thick, it usually means you cooked it too long. If this happens, try whisking in additional lemon juice to thin it out.
Blueberry curd will last for up to 2 weeks if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Absolutely! Just defrost them first and drain any excess liquid.
Blueberry curd can be frozen in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to a year. Just thaw in the fridge overnight before using. For convenience, freeze the curd in batches so you can thaw out portions as you need it.
Serving options
- Swirl the blueberry curd into yogurt or use it as a topping for ice cream or frozen yogurt.
- Use it in place of lemon curd in these mini meringue tarts or lemon chiffon pie.
- Instead of jam, spread the blueberry curd on toast, English muffins, scones or these air fryer biscuits.
- We love it on top of waffles or pancakes, like these lemon ricotta pancakes.
- Serve it with whipped cream on top of pound cake or this air fryer cheesecake.
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!
Blueberry Curd
Ingredients
- 1 pint blueberries
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter divided into 6
Instructions
- Place the blueberries, lemon juice and lemon zest in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until simmering.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, until blueberries have softened and start popping.
- Remove from heat and strain through a mesh strainer or sieve into a bowl, pressing the mixture firmly to the sides to extract all the juice and pulp from the blueberries. (Don't forget to scrape the bottom of the strainer into the bowl as well).
- Add the blueberry mixture and sugar back to the saucepan and heat over medium low heat until sugar has fully dissolved and is no longer grainy.
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Beat the egg yolks in a bowl.
- Temper the egg yolks by adding a couple tablespoons of the blueberry mixture to the egg yolks while whisking quickly to avoid cooking the yolks.
- Add a couple more tablespoons and keep doing the same. Once the egg yolk mixture has been slowly warmed, whisk it into the saucepan with the rest of the blueberry mixture.
- Heat the mixture over medium heat until it just starts to simmer.
- Whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, letting it melt before adding the next tablespoon.
- Remove from heat and pour into a heatproof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Pour into a glass jar or covered container and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Expert Tips:
- Add additional lemon zest or juice for added lemon flavor.
- Do not pour the hot mixture right into the egg yolks - they need to be tempered first. If not, the eggs will end up cooking.
- Whisking the blueberry curd constantly while it cooks prevents the eggs from cooking and results in a perfectly creamy texture.
- If your curd doesn’t seem thick enough after cooking it, that’s okay. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Nutrition
Claudia Matusiak
I'd like to ask you about a different way to prepare this blueberry curd. I was laying in bed thinking thru the process and trying to streamline the entire thing. I happen to own one of the best Vitamix blenders on the market and was thinking of trying your ingredients but making it in the Vitamix.....no tempering etc. Have you ever tried this approach? If you started with all your ingredients in the blender from the start, it would take approx. 6 minutes to get to a boil and I would guess that would cook the egg yolks and also pulverize the blueberry skins......hence no straining, no tempering, etc. Maybe even letting the Vitamix run for another minute or two after it reaches the boiling point. I would love to get feedback on this idea before I take a chance of ruining a batch doing this experiment on my own. I've been over the process many times in my mind and can't see why this wouldn't work! Thank you for your recipes.
Danielle
I think you might be on to something. When I cook any curds in the sous vide, I just mix everything together and throw it in and it comes out perfect. With this recipe, I think that may work. I would definitely let it run for a minute or two after it gets to the boiling point to help thicken it. I've never tried it this way, so I can't guarantee it would work, and I don't know how smooth the curd will be with the skins blended in, but it may be worth a try. I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Claudia Matusiak
Sorry it took so long to get back to you with my experiment with the Vita-Mix blender preparation; today was my very first chance to make the curd as I had all the ingredients. I threw everything in the blender and let her rip, walked away and did dishes. Checked it at the 7 minute mark and it was 162 degrees and there was no evidence of the skins at all; just a beautiful shade of purple and it was steaming hot. But I decided to go a few minutes longer so at 10 minutes it had reached 182 degrees, and had thickened to a slurry. I stopped at that point and poured it into a 2 quart glass canning jar. I will now leave it to cool to room temp. and then refrigerate it. I sampled the taste with the remaining curd on the inside walls of the blender and it was great. If when I use it, if I run into any problems I will let you know but at this point, I really believe this is the way to go! Thank you so much for your opinions about my experiment on your recipe. Keep those recipes coming!
Danielle
Wow - what an amazing idea!! I make fruit curds a lot so I am definitely going to try this as soon as I get my hands on a Vitamix!
Ann
Vitamin option worked so well that I will always make curd this way! Thanks for the tip.
Danielle
That's great to hear!
ConfusedPolarBear
Is this something I could use in donuts (and the lemon curd too)?
Danielle
Definitely!
Claudia Matusiak
I personally think it would work well in donuts. It thickens up nicely after being refrigerated. Also, I'm one that is not fond of really sweet syrups and have started using the curds on my pancakes/French toast and also spooning on slices of my cheese cakes! Yummmmm
Danielle
It would be amazing in donuts - great idea!
Natalie
I never tried blueberry curd. Sounds delicious. I will make this and put it on my morning buttered toast. Or on top of vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Danielle
If you like lemon curd, you'll loooove this!
Lizet Bowen
I'll be making a cheesecake and will be adding this blueberry curd right before serving it.
So tasty.
Danielle
It'll be so good on cheesecake!!
Sharmila Kingsly
Look at the color.. It is just awesome.. Next time when I get some fresh blueberries.. I am going to try some !!
Danielle
I hope you do!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
I love making homemade curd so I definitely want to give this delicious blueberry curd a go!
Danielle
Hope you love it!