Just four simple ingredients whisked into a golden creamy thick sauce, this lemony, buttery and vibrant honey lemon curd adds a sweet-tart pop to everything it touches.

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This is an easy recipe, plain and simple. You whisk fresh-squeezed lemon juice and zest, fragrant honey, sweet cream butter and egg yolks in a bowl. Place the bowl over simmering water, and every so often whisk everything around. When the curd thickens, press a piece of plastic directly on top, and chill, both you and the lemon curd!
Honey lemon curd is your multipurpose dessert sauce with myriad tangy potential.
Can you freeze honey lemon curd?
Honey lemon curd freezes well. Yes!
Cover the warm lemon curd with plastic wrap so it doesn’t form a skin. Thawed, itโs the same as if you just pulled it off the stove.
> >> This honey lemon curd is the tangy filling in lemon chiffon cupcakes.
>>> It makes a bright center instead of jelly in these cornmeal thumbprint cookies. Lemon curd in the bottom of a fruit tart is just the thing.
>>> Lavish it on breakfast toast with reckless indulgence. It’s irresistible when spread on blueberry muffins or rosemary oatmeal scones!
>>> Honey lemon curd fancies up a slice of whole grain toast. Spread on blueberry muffins or rosemary oatmeal sconesโirresistible combinations!
>>> You can dollop a spoonful on top of fresh berries or adorn a simple cake with lemon curd tang. Imagine filling in the holes in your Sunday waffles bright yellow jewels?
>>> Thinned with orange liqueur and a little water, honey lemon curd turns into a delicious sauce for ice cream or warm bread pudding.
> >> If you are wondering what to do with 6 extra egg whitesโthey also freeze nicely. You’ll need one of the whites (2 tablespoons) for Lemon Honey Chiffon Cupcakes.
> >> And–six egg whites are what you need to make meringue buttercream.ย
> >> When you lighten lemon curd with whipped creamโit becomes a yummy lemon mousse.
> >> You can add gelatin to stabilize the mousse, so it holds a shape. Stabilized mousse is the filling in this lemon raspberry wedding cake I made for my niece. Youโll can also find detailed directions for the lemon cake filling in my cookbook, Chocolate Snowball.ย (Affiliate link.)
> >> There’s also a recipe Lemon and Strawberry Dacquoise made with gelatin-stabilized lemon curd mousse in Chocolate Snowball cookbook.
Note: Some bakers and cooks strain the bits of lemon zest out of their curd to make it silky smooth, but I donโt mind the texture. Itโs part of the charm. If you strain your honey lemon curd, do so right away, before refrigerating.
- Do you need a hostess gift? Pour homemade lemon curd into small jars (affiliate link) and tie ribbons around them. (Be sure to include instructions to keep your it refrigerated.)
- Idea: Pair the jar of lemon curd with a homemade scone mix.
In the photo below, lemon curd is the yellow jewel-like shine inside the lemon chiffon cupcakes.
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Honey Lemon Curd
Ingredients
- Grated zest of 2 lemons
- ยฝ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (2 to 3 lemons)
- 6 egg yolks (reserve whites for another use)
- โ cup honey
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Instructions
- Place zest, lemon juice, yolks, honey and butter in the top of a double boiler. Place over gently boiling water; the upper pan should not touch the water. Cook, whisking often, until the curd thickens, about 15 minutes. The curd will thicken more as it cools.
- Transfer to a clean container. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, so it touches the hot curd, to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate.
I’ve never tried it with honey, but otherwise this is my favorite curd. GREG · 15 April, 2015
Looks yummy! With the abundance of Goleta lemons I will try this for sure. Thanks Letty. ๐ · 16 April, 2015
Thanks Maura. I’m envious of your lemon abundance. I need a lemon tree. · 16 April, 2015
Your recipes are amazing. · 22 July, 2015
I love this recipe. I can’t eat corn or cane sugar, because they cause inflammation to my joints. So, I use raw honey for most things. I’m so happy to have this recipe. Thank you! (I don’t suppose you have a great recipe for meringue, do you?) · 7 August, 2019
Hi Robin. I’m delighted this honey lemon curd works for you! I’ve tried making meringue with honey and maple syrup and it just doesn’t work–too much moisture in the honey and the meringue litterally weeps. They come out kind of chewy. · 9 August, 2019