Sous Vide Lemon Curd

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Made from scratch, this Sous Vide Lemon Curd tastes way better than what you can find in a jar at the store! It’s smooth, creamy, tart, and sweet. Put it on anything you’d like from scones to pies!

With only a couple ingredients needed, you can make lemon curd with just a few pantry staples! Lemon curd is like a creamy tart version of jam — it’s buttery, lemony, sweet, and goes with everything! It’s got a beautiful glossy finish and is almost like pudding!

A mason jar of lemon curd with a spoon inserted.

It’s super easy to make, you can even make a large batch and even it throughout the week or even freeze some for later.

With the sous vide, the lemon curd comes together so perfectly thanks to the temperature control of the water bath.

Don’t have a sous vide and want to make it on the stovetop, here’s how you can make lemon curd without a sous vide (you can make lime curd too!).

Got extra lemons? Try using the lemons to make preserved lemons or candied lemon slices!

Jump to:

What is Sous Vide?
Why This Recipe Works
The Ingredients
Step By Step Instructions
Expert Tips
Common Questions
Recipe
💬 Comments

What is Sous Vide?

Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator (i.e. the sous vide machine). This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.

Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.

To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."

Sous vide is my new favorite way to cook my meals. It works great for so many recipes, but these are some of my favorite sous vide recipes:

Sous Vide Lamb Chops (with mint chimichurri)
Sous Vide Flan (one of the best flan recipes EVER)
Sous Vide Crème Brulee (sous vide makes the most PERFECT crème brulee!)
Sous Vide Pork Chops (with apple mustard glaze)
Sous Vide Veal Chops (with miso mushroom sauce)

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Why This Recipe Works

With the sous vide, you don’t have to worry about overcooking the eggs for the lemon curd. Sometimes on the stovetop, your curd gets lumpy because the temperature got a little too high, causing some of the egg to cook. With the sour vide, the temperature is consistent.
No constant whisking needed! On the stovetop, you have to whisk your lemon curd the whole time, in the sous vide, you just have to make sure it’s well mixed before letting the sous vide do its job.
It tastes amazing. A downfall to using a metal double broiler for a stovetop lemon curd is that you may end up with a metallic tasting curd. No need to worry about that with the sous vide.

The Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Lemon juice — Be sure to use fresh lemon juice and not bottled lemon juice. Bottled does not have the same bright fresh taste to it.

Lemon zest — Again, be sure to use fresh lemon zest. Dried lemon zest does not have the same brightness to it.

Egg yolks — Just the egg yolks! Don’t throw out the whites though, you can save the egg whites to make the meringue on theses lemon meringue tarts or make these almond meringue cookies!

Tools Used

You will also want to check out these posts on the best sous vide containers and the best sous vide bags for more information!

Step By Step Instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 180F degrees.

Whisk together the warmed lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar in a bowl.

Whisk in the melted butter.

Slowly whisk in the egg yolks.

Pour the mixture into a sealable ziplock bag.

Slowly place the bag in the water bath, using the water displacement method (see below). Clip the bag to the side of the container.

Cook for 1 hour. Remove and shake the contents vigorously for 30 seconds.

Vacuumed sealed lemon curd placed in an ice bath.

Place in an ice bath and let it cool. Pour the mixture into sealed jars and store in the fridge.

What is the Water Displacement Method?

The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).

Use a clip (I use sous vide magnets) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.

Expert Tips

Using slightly warm lemon juice helps the sugar to dissolve. Make sure the lemon juice is just warm, not hot; otherwise the egg yolks will cook.
Save the egg whites from the yolks to make meringue for lemon meringue tarts or meringue cookies.
If you don't have a zester, you can carefully cut the skin off the lemon and dice it up finely.
It's immensely easier to zest a lemon before juicing it.
I don’t strain my lemon curd as the lemon zest is quite fine. However, if your zest is thick and you don’t want it in the curd, feel free to strain your lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer.

Common Questions

Can I make this ahead of time?

You sure can. You can fridge lemon curd for up to 10 days in the fridge. Just be sure to use an airtight container.

How do I freeze this?

You can definitely freeze lemon curd. Freeze it for 4 to 5 months in a freezer-safe container or bag. Fully thaw before using.

What can I use lemon curd on?

You can use your lemon curd on a variety of things! Top it on scones, muffins, waffles, or pancakes for breakfast. You can also put it on cupcakes, cake, cheesecakes, or macarons for dessert. The possibilities are endless!

Did you make this sous vide lemon curd recipe? rate it and leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out!

Recipe

Sous Vide Lemon Curd

Made from scratch, this Sous Vide Lemon Curd tastes way better than what you can find in a jar at the store! It’s smooth, creamy, tart, and sweet. Put it on anything you’d like from scones to pies!

4.94 from 15 votes

Print Rate

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: servings

Calories: 221kcal

Author: Danielle Wolter

Ingredients

▢ ¾ cup fresh lemon juice NOT bottled, warmed
▢ 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest NOT dried
▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
▢ 6 egg yolks
▢ 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Instructions

Heat a sous vide water bath to 180F degrees.
Whisk together the warmed lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar in a bowl.
Whisk in the melted butter.
Slowly whisk in the egg yolks.
Pour the mixture into a sealable ziplock bag.
Slowly place the bag in the water bath, using the water displacement method (see notes). Clip the bag to the side of the container.
Cook for 1 hour. Remove and shake the contents vigorously for 30 seconds.
Place in an ice bath and let it cool. Pour the mixture into sealed jars and store in the fridge.

Expert Tips:

Using slightly warm lemon juice helps the sugar to dissolve. Make sure the lemon juice is just warm, not hot; otherwise the egg yolks will cook.
Save the egg whites from the yolks to make meringue for lemon meringue tarts or meringue cookies.
If you don't have a zester, you can carefully cut the skin off the lemon and dice it up finely.
It's immensely easier to zest a lemon before juicing it.
I don’t strain my lemon curd as the lemon zest is quite fine. However, if your zest is thick and you don’t want it in the curd, feel free to strain your lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer.