A Spicy Perspective

Easy Orange Curd Recipe

Homemade Orange Curd Recipe – Bright and sweet orange curd is easy to make with only 6 simple ingredients, and perfect to enjoy with breakfast or your favorite baked snack treats!

Spoon holding orange curd to camera.

Why We Love This Easy Curd Recipe

Creamy and bright citrus curd is a delightful condiment to serve for breakfast or with your favorite snack-time goodies. It’s similar in sweetness to a fruit jam or preserves, but made ultra-rich with egg yolks and butter for a more decadent spread.

If you love classic lemon curd, you will absolutely go nuts over this Orange Curd variation. The flavor is slightly sweeter with less of a tart bite, and pairs perfectly with all types of baked treats – from healthy muffins to decadent cookies and more!

Our practically foolproof orange curd recipe requires 6 pantry staples and takes 15 minutes to prepare. It makes a generous 2 cups of orange curd, which is just the right amount to enjoy a bit right away, and also put up in cute little jars.

Top down view of plate with cookies and dish of fruit curd.

6 Ingredients You Need

  • Oranges
  • Lemon
  • Granulated sugar
  • Large eggs + egg yolks
  • Butter
  • Salt
Close view small white dish with curd and cookie dipped.

How to Make the Best Orange Curd

Use a zester to zest all three oranges and the lemon. Make sure to zest just the color and not the bitter white skin underneath. Collect the zest of both the oranges and lemons. You should have at least 1 tablespoon of orange zest and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Use it all!

Hand zesting an orange above a bowl.

Now cut 1-2 of the oranges to squeeze ½ cup of fresh orange juice. Squeeze the lemon and measure out 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Set a small saucepot over medium heat. Add the 1/2 cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and all the orange and lemon zest.

Hand pouring orange juice and zest into a pot.

Then add sugar, eggs, and additional egg yolks, butter, and salt.

Get the Complete (Printable) Orange Curd Recipe Below. Enjoy!

Glass measuring bowl adding egg yolks and butter to the pot.

Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together as the butter melts. Once the butter has completely melted whisk thoroughly to make sure there are no clumps.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring consistently. Once the curd is boiling, lower the heat if needed and continue to simmer and stir for 5 to 6 minutes until the mixture seems thick.

Pro Tip: I like to use a rubber spatula to make sure to scrape all the curd off the bottom, so it doesn’t burn as I stir.

Pot cooking orange curd with blue rubber spatula stirring.

Remove from heat. Pour the orange curd into two 8-ounce jars or four 4-ounce jars. There will be a little leftover to enjoy right away.

Cover and chill the orange curd until it is set. Then keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Finished jar of homemade orange curd with little spoon.

Suggestions for What to Do With Orange Curd

Fresh and fruity orange curd is delicious to spread on baked treats, like store-bought or homemade cookies. Here are a few of our classic cookie recipes to try:

I love to have a little bowl with biscotti to dip and a cup of coffee for breakfast. And it is fantastic to use in yogurt and granola parfaits! The curd also is great with nearly any sweet breakfast foods, like:

The citrus curd can even be used as a filling for pies, tarts, eclairs, and donuts; and as a tangy topping for Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and cheesecake.

Get creative and discover your favorite way to eat homemade orange curd!

Plate with cookies, one with orange curd on top, and little bowl of curd in the background.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best oranges for making curd?

Any type of ripe orange is good to use. Oranges that aren’t ripe enough won’t be as sweet, so be sure to select fruits that are slightly soft when given a gentle squeeze.

Navel oranges are classic, Cara Cara oranges offer a delicate floral note, and blood oranges have a beautifully deep sweet flavor. You really can’t go wrong!

What other citrus fruits can be used to make this curd recipe?

Lime and grapefruit can be used in place of the orange for unique tasty citrus curds! Lime curd will have a very tart and tropical flavor that is less sweet. Grapefruit tends to be a lighter taste that likewise isn’t quite as sweet as orange or lemon.

Why is my orange curd not thickening?

The curd needs to be cooked for several minutes while constantly being whisked. If it isn’t thickening right away just keep cooking on medium and whisking until it becomes the consistency you like. And remember that it will continue to thicken once it cools.

How long does homemade fruit curd last?

It will keep well for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Hand holding cookie with orange curd towards camera.

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Easy Orange Curd Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Bright and sweet orange curd is easy to make and perfect to enjoy with breakfast or your favorite baked snack treat!
Servings: 18 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 oranges
  • 1 lemon or lime
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs + 4 egg yolks
  • ½ cup butter 1 stick
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Use a zester to zest all three oranges and the lemon. Make sure to zest just the color and not the bitter white skin underneath. Collect the zest of both the oranges and lemons. You should have at least 1 tablespoon of orange zest and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Use it all.
  • Now cut 1-2 of the oranges to squeeze ½ cup of fresh orange juice. Squeeze the lemon and measure out 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
  • Set a small sauce pot over medium heat. Add the 1/2 cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, all the orange and lemon zest, sugar, eggs and additional egg yolks, butter, and salt.
  • Use a whisk to mix the ingredients together as the butter melts. Once the butter has completely melted whisk thoroughly to make sure there are no clumps.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring consistently. Once the curd is boiling, lower the heat if needed and continue to simmer and stir for 5 to 6 minutes until the mixture seems thick. *I like to use a rubber spatula to make sure to scrape all the curd off the bottom, so it doesn’t burn as I stir.

Notes

You can make lime and grapefruit curd with this recipe as well.
Homemade orange curd will keep well for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tb, Calories: 128kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 80mg, Potassium: 56mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 19g, Vitamin A: 234IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Condiment, Dessert
Cuisine: American, French
Author: Sommer Collier

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6 comments on “Easy Orange Curd Recipe”

  1. Just tried this on a whim after filling a birthday cake with raspberry curd. It turned out wonderful and should be awesome as a filling for chocolate cake with orange chocolate glaze!

  2. In your opening description, you say than the Orange Curd can be “put up in cute little jars.” If this recipe safe to can or preserve in a water bath? I surely plan to make your recipe!

  3. Talk about DELICIOUS!! I couldn’t believe how good this was, and it was so easy to follow, thank you!

  4. I had never had orange curd but we loved this! Yum

  5. And, I thought lemon curd was my favorite! This is so zesty & fresh! I am excited to try it with different things!