How to make delicious, smooth lemon curd in the microwave.
While I was developing my lemon curd recipe, I decided to also test out the best way to make it in the microwave.
It turns out that making lemon curd in the microwave is just as simple as making it on the hob. The eggs, lemon (juice and zest) and sugar are heated in
Once the curd has thickened, you then whisk the butter into the hot curd and serve (or store in sterilised jars).
The secret to a great microwave lemon curd is to turn down the heat in your microwave. When I was testing the recipe, I found that if I left it on high, the eggs were more likely to scramble leaving the curd lumpy. Reducing the power to c. 500W cooks the lemon curd much more gently, leaving you with a beautifully smooth curd.
Other curds that can be made in the microwave
It’s not just my lemon curd that can be made in the microwave. You can also apply the method below to these other flavours:
Just remember to switch in the right citrus! 🍋 🍊
Microwave Lemon Curd
INGREDIENTS
- 4 medium eggs
- 200 g caster sugar
- 4 lemons - juice and zest
- 100 g unsalted butter
INSTRUCTIONS
- Finely grate the zest of 4 lemons and squeeze the juice.
- Cut the butter (100g) into cubes.
- Lightly beat the eggs (4 eggs) and place them into a microwave-safe bowl with the caster sugar (200g) and lemon juice and zest. Mix together the ingredients.
- Turn your microwave down to c. 500W. Cover the bowl and then heat the lemon/egg/sugar mixture for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and whisk. Repeat the heating and whisking until the lemon curd has thickened (it will coat the back of a spoon).Once thickened, add the butter and stir until the butter has melted.
NOTES
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
TIP For super smooth lemon curd, store your curd with the zest left in and then pass it through a sieve just before you want to use it. This will allow the zesty flavour to develop while the curd is stored.
Andy says
Recipe says 200g sugar and the method says 100g
Charlotte Oates says
Thank you for letting me know Andy, I have a changed the error in the method to 200g which is the correct amount.
Chloe says
I’ve made lemon curd in the microwave before but I’d forgotten how easy it is! Off to squeeze some lemons…!
Jill says
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe for lemon curd.
I have just made the microwave version, and it is delicious.