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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!
Why We Love This Easy Orange 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.
Ingredients You Need
- Oranges – fresh oranges are the base of this recipe! You can use regular navel oranges.
- Lemon – for a bit of tart flavor
- Granulated sugar – to sweeten it up!
- Large eggs + egg yolks – for a silky smooth texture
- Butter – round out the curd and makes it more rich in flavor
- Salt – a pinch of salt will balance out the flavors
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! The orange zest is what really lents that orange flavor.
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 saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and all the orange and lemon zest.
Then add sugar, eggs, additional egg yolks, butter, and salt.
Get the Complete (Printable) Orange Curd Recipe Below. Enjoy!
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.
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.
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:
- The Best Sugar Cookies
- Cornmeal Cookies
- Lemon Cookies (For a true citrus mouth party!)
- Scottish Shortbread
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:
- Homemade Waffles and Pancakes
- Orange Cranberry Bread
- Walnut Cherry Scones
- Blueberry Muffin Cake
- Jamaican Johnny Cakes
The citrus curd can even be used as a filling for pies, tarts, eclairs, cupcakes, and donuts; and as a tangy topping for Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and cheesecake. You could even make an orange curd cake with this tangy orange curd as the cake filling!
Get creative and discover your favorite way to eat homemade orange curd!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is fruit curd?
Fruit curd is a dessert spread or topping that is typically made with citrus fruits, but can also be made with other fruits if desired. The difference between fruit curd and fruit jam is the addition of eggs and egg yolks to thicken the mixture and turn it into a silky smooth fruit spread.
Why is my orange curd chunky?
If your orange curd is chunky, that means that your curd has curdled, meaning the eggs in the mixture were cooked too quickly and turned into scrambled eggs in the mixture. To prevent this from happening, you need to whisk the mixture constantly while it is heating up. This will ensure the eggs slowly heat up and integrate into the mixture instead of turning chunky.
What is the best type of orange for making curd?
Any type of ripe orange is good to use in this orange curd recipe. 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 can even use tangerine, for a slightly different but wonderful 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.
How can I turn this into a lemon curd?
If you prefer to make a lemon curd, follow my perfect homemade lemon curd recipe instead!
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.
Looking For More Delicious Dips and Spreads?
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Recipe
- Nutella Chocolate Fondue
- Cranberry Jalapeno Dip
- Retro Cream Cheese Fruit Dip
- Cherry Cheesecake Dip with Pie Crust
Check the printable recipe card below for the prep time, cook time, total time, and nutrition information. Make sure to share this recipe on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Easy Orange Curd Recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes 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
US Customary – Metric
- 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, lemon or 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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