Olive Oil Lemon Curd

This simple recipe for olive oil lemon curd is a breeze to whip up, so you can enjoy homemade lemony deliciousness in no time. Use it to dip fresh fruit, top your scone with it or drizzle this lemon curd over your favorite slice of sponge cake.

This post was originally published May 8, 2015. It was been updated with new photos and video, plus more content.

If you didn’t know, I wrote an olive oil cookbook a few years back all about the many different ways you can cook with olive oil. And ever since then, I almost exclusively cook and bake with extra virgin olive oil.

And since then, I have developed many, MANY recipes using this wonderful oil, from gingerbread olive oil cookies to my vanilla cake with olive oil. I even swapped out the butter and created several varieties of olive oil scones.

There really is no limit in what you can create using this wonderful oil.

Years ago, I was invited to speak at conference to talk about olive oil and prepared this Olive Oil Lemon Curd as a demo.

And yes, you read that right. You can create a smooth and creamy lemon curd without the butter. The key is to use a high quality extra virgin olive oil. Did you now they come in a variety of qualities and flavors? Choose a mild flavored or even a citrus infused olive oil.

Think I’m nuts? Well, the 100 bloggers that tasted my lemon curd loved it. I loved making this so much that I even made an olive oil pumpkin curd and a blood orange curd, too! This is such a great option for those of you who are allergic to dairy or prefer to eat dairy-free.

Ingredients you need

• Extra virgin olive oil: Choose a high quality extra virgin olive oil that has a mild flavor. You can also use a lemon infused olive oil. For added flavor choose an orange or herb infused olive oil. Click here to learn more about how to choose and how to bake with olive oil.
• Lemons: You will use the zest and juice from fresh lemons.
• Eggs: You will only the yolks for this recipe. Save the egg whites for a healthy breakfast or make a meringue or pavlova.
• Pantry staples: Granulated sugar and salt.

Step-by-step directions

1. Using a heavy saucepan gently heat the olive oil. When oil is warm, but not scalding hot, whisk in the sugar until it dissolves.

2. Stir in lemon juice, zest and salt. Then whisk in egg yolks until smooth. Keep whisking until curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil or your curd will curdle.

3. Immediately pour lemon curd into a clean jar and cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

Recipe tips and FAQs

Now that you have lemon curd, what do you with it?? Well, you can keep it simple and spread it on your favorite scone or a slice of buttered bread.

Lemon curd is also delicious served with fresh fruit like strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or blueberries.

You can also serve it with pound cake or dip a simple vanilla wafer in it for a little touch of sweet.

The key to a creamy and decadent olive oil lemon curd, is to cook it gently over medium to medium low heat. Do not let it boil or the eggs in your curd will curdle. Try saying that ten times fast!

If you cook your lemon curd for too long, it will become more solid when it cools in the refrigerator. Don’t worry. You can still save it. Just reheat it over medium heat and stir in water or more lemon juice until it is a smooth pudding-like consistency.

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Yield: serves 12

Olive Oil Lemon Curd

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This simple recipe for olive oil lemon curd is a breeze to whip up, so you can enjoy homemade lemony deliciousness in no time. Use it to dip fresh fruit, top your scone with it or drizzle this lemon curd over your favorite slice of sponge cake.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 oz extra virgin olive oil
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 3 TBS lemon zest
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 6 egg yolks

Instructions

1. Using a heavy saucepan over medium heat pour in the olive oil. When oil is warm, whisk in sugar.
2. Stir in lemon juice, zest and salt.
3. Whisk in egg yolks until smooth. Keep whisking until curd thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow the mixture to boil or your curd will curdle.
4. Immediately pour lemon curd into a clean jar and cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally.
5. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

Notes

Serving Suggestions: Serve with scones, muffins or toast like jam. Use as a tart filling. You can even stir it into your oatmeal or morning yogurt. Curd will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

Cooking Tips: Choose a mild flavored or lemon infused olive oil. As the eggs are cooked at low temperature, use pasteurized eggs to remove risk of salmonella poisoning.

Lemon curd will last in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to one year.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 141Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 13gProtein: 1g

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