Fruit curds are the finishing touch many dessert-makers don’t realize they need. Fruit curds are a deliciously fruity spread made from fruit juice, zest, eggs, and sugar. Most recipes also include butter, for extra richness. They’re just fruit custards without milk! From cakes to cookies to parfaits, fruit curds add a special zing to every dessert. They’re sweet and tart and luxurious. Plus, they’re a great way to cut the sweetness with freshness. The best part is that you can make them with so many different fruits! Citrus curds are very popular. But berries, tropical fruits, and even melons work well, too! If you couldn’t already tell, let me make it clear, I love fruit curds. I have a feeling that you will too. So, I’ve gathered 13 of them for you to try.
1. Lemon Curd
This list starts off right, with a classic fruit curd. It’s lip-puckering lemon-flavored, silky smooth, and tasty as heck. It’s also very easy to make. All you need are lemons, eggs, sugar, butter, a good arm, and a little bit of time. There’s a lot of whisking, but it’s worth it. This lemon curd recipe only uses egg yolks, but don’t throw away the whites! You can use them for meringues, butter creams, and more.
2. Blackberry Curd
This lovely hued curd is as delicious as it is purple! And it’s very purple. Like with any good curd, this recipe calls for eggs, sugar, butter, and fruit liquid. In this case, the fruit liquid comes from blackberry puree. Pureeing helps get the most liquid. The puree is cooked down to help thicken the custard. This recipe also has a little lemon juice because citrus helps with the consistency. The result is a sweet, tangy, thick curd that tastes like summer.
3. Blueberry Curd
I love blueberry curd, but the process of making blueberry curd does not always love me. In the past, I’ve had a hard time getting the perfect curd consistency. Well, not anymore! The key is (once again) a little bit of lemon juice to help the curd set properly. This recipe features sugar, eggs, butter, lemon, and sauteed blueberries. Cooking down the blueberries helps remove all the juices and bumps up the flavor. This way, you can’t even taste the lemon. Once your curd has cooled and thickened, you’re good to go! It’s great on toast or ice cream.
4. Cranberry Curd
Amp up all your fall and winter holiday desserts with this tangy, tantalizing cranberry curd. You begin this curd like you would start homemade cranberry sauce. Add cranberries and water to a saucepan until the cranberries pop. When it’s bubbly and juicy, strain out the solids. From there, you make the curd with eggs, sugar, butter, and lots of whisking. It results in a tart, bright red curd that’s as visually stunning as it is tasty. This curd is absolutely delicious on cranberry orange muffins, tarts, or with spice cake. Heck, you can skip traditional cranberry sauce altogether and use this instead!
5. Homemade Mango Curd
Anything mango has me dancing with joy. And this mango curd is no exception. It’s sweet, tropical, and luxuriously creamy, and I know you’ll love it! This recipe uses pureed mango as the base of the curd, plus the traditional ingredients. Since mango curd is super thick on its own, it works very well in curd. It’s extra creamy. The flavor is bright, light, summery, and amazing. This is absolutely delicious on anything tropical. I personally love this mango curd with coconut sticky rice or ice cream.
6. Raspberry Curd
If raspberries are your jam, then you’ll love this raspberry curd. It’s tart and absolutely scrumptious. This recipe uses citrus juice to help the curd reach its perfect consistency. Rather than lemon juice, it calls for grapefruit juice. The slightly bitter notes of the grapefruit really balance the sweetness of the raspberries. It’s a fantastic flavor combination. Since both fruits can lean a little tart, this curd complements really sweet desserts well. It’s great in pavlovas or to balance American buttercream in a cake.
7. Strawberry Curd
This curd is sweet, delicious, and sure to please even the pickiest palate. This delicious curd is made with stewed and pureed strawberries, lemon, sugar, eggs, and butter. It’s super creamy and tastes like sunshine. This curd is great on pancakes, yogurt, and angel food cake. Better yet, this curd is a fantastic way to add even more strawberry flavor to a strawberry shortcake.
8. Passion Fruit Curd
Personally, this is one of my absolute favorite curds. You could say I’m really passionate about passion fruit curd. Bad jokes aside, passion fruit is absolutely delectable. It’s fruity, floral, and just a little tart. Since curds are made by concentrating fruit juice, the flavor is brilliantly passion fruit. This crazy-amazing curd requires a bit more love than the average curd. I promise that extra love is worth it because it is insanely good. Usually, fruit curd is a bit overwhelming to eat on its own. But this stuff? I can eat this straight from the jar.
9. Grapefruit Curd
If you tend to avoid grapefruit due to its bitterness, you should try grapefruit curd. The sugar and butter offset the bitterness, leaving only a delicious grapefruit flavor. If you already love grapefruit, then this curd is just an extra special way to enjoy it. It’s made with grapefruit, lemon, sugar, eggs, and butter. It’s creamy and simply divine. This grapefruit curd is fantastic in a meringue pavlova with blueberries, oranges, and mint. Honestly, it’s great in any super sweet dessert because it provides balance.
10. No-Fail Orange Curd
Orange curd is not nearly as popular as the other citrus curds. But make no mistake, it’s amazing. And this no-fail recipe guarantees a perfect curd. You start with orange juice. Fresh is best because there’s something so lovely about fresh-squeezed orange juice. It’s very refreshing and that definitely translates to this curd. A little bit of lemon juice helps it along and adds a super citrus zing! This orange curd is perfect for scones, cakes, cookies, and more!
11. Lime Curd
Wake up your tastebuds with this bright and tasty lime curd! It’s tart, zesty, and seriously yummy. You’ll love it! This curd recipe doesn’t require fresh limes, but I do recommend them. But if you have lime juice on hand, you might as well use that. It’ll still be delicious. I’ve found that, like many curds, lime curd is extremely versatile. Lime curd is great in desserts like no-bake Key lime pie or anything with coconut. I once used lime curd in boozy margarita cupcakes and those were a huge hit! And they’re fantastic with Earl Grey shortbread cookies.
12. Grapefruit Curd with Meyer Lemon and Vanilla
This is not your average grapefruit curd! Yes, it’s zesty, sweet, and bursting with bright citrus flavors. And yes, it’s creamy, extremely spreadable, and delicious. But it’s even better than that! That’s because of the addition of vanilla and Meyer lemon. The Meyer lemon is sweeter than your average lemon and less acidic. So, you get extra flavor without making the curd too tart. The slight warmth from the vanilla perfectly balances the other flavors. It tastes kind of like a creamsicle. It takes what is already a delicious curd and elevates it even higher! This would be delicious on vanilla ice cream, with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.
13. Watermelon Curd
This watermelon curd is the epitome of a summer treat. Outside of summer, it’s practically impossible to find good watermelons. That means you should make a ton of this stuff and enjoy it all summer long! This curd is sweet, refreshing, and delicious. It also just so happens to have a beautiful sunset color. It’s made with pureed watermelon, typical curd ingredients, lemon, and a little cornstarch (cornflour). It’s a slightly different process than your average curd, but the result is the same. Watermelon curd would be amazing in a pavlova or a parfait. Bring it to your next barbecue and it’ll be a hit! Click on a star to rate it!
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