Orange Curd Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on May 14, 2026 
My orange curd recipe is silky, citrusy, and one of my favorite things to keep in the fridge. I whisk together fresh orange juice, zest, butter, and eggs until it turns smooth and creamy, then spread it over toast, or eat it straight from the spoon. It comes together in just 15 minutes with a handful of simple ingredients.
I am a huge fan of a sweet breakfast and a sucker for pastries, so this silky-smooth and absolutely delicious orange curd is one of my favorite ways to start my day. Whether it’s paired with crisp golden toast, packed into a croissant, or drizzled over some yogurt, every spoonful of this spread is simply dreamy. It’s similar in sweetness to my freezer jam recipe or preserves, except it’s made ultra-rich with egg yolks and butter for a more decadent consistency. Every bite of this elegant and luscious curd is slightly tart and pairs well with almost any baked treat, from healthier bran muffins to more decadent cookies. This practically foolproof recipe requires just six pantry staples and about 15 minutes to prepare, and once you try it, trust me, you’ll be glad you did!
Debbie – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fantastic! I’ve never made anything like this before, but it was easy to follow the recipe and had a good flavour. Made it for a deconstructed pavlova recipe, but like the recipe says, tried the bit that didn’t fit in the jar, yummy.
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Bright and Punchy Flavors – This delicious orange curd is bursting with sweet and tangy citrus flavors from the perfectly balanced combination of orange, lemon, and sugar. It seriously is the PERFECT fruity spread for any occasion.
Simple Ingredients – Not only does a dollop of this sweet and sour stuff totally transform any old bland piece of bread, but the best part is that you can make it on a whim! That’s because it only requires a few staple pantry items, like oranges, lemons, butter, sugar, and eggs.
Great for Make Ahead – I love to keep a jar of this homemade curd in the fridge, ready to go. Sometimes I sneak in a couple of spoonfuls from the fridge when I’m craving something sweet, and other times, I add it to yogurt or pair it with some whipped cream for a fancier dessert.
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Oranges – Any type of ripe orange is good to use in this 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 tangerines, for a slightly different but wonderful flavor. You really can’t go wrong!
- Lemon – To get that signature tart flavor, use fresh lemons as well. It balances the deeper ornage flavor. None of that pre-squeezed stuff!
- Granulated sugar – Just a little bit of sugar totally sweetens up and transforms this curd recipe. I always use regular white granulated sugar, but raw sugar will work as well.
- Large eggs – The egg yolks give that silky smooth texture that this orange curd recipe is known for. It also enhances the orange color and adds a ton of richness.
- Butter – Unsalted butter really helps round out the curd and makes it richer both in texture and flavor.
- Salt – A little pinch of salt balances out all the sweet and sour flavors!
How to Make
Find the full recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Zest, baby, zest! – To kick off this easy sweet spread recipe, I start by zesting all three pre-washed oranges and a lemon. The key here is to zest JUST the colored part of the peel and none of that white pithy stuff underneath because it tends to be very bitter. At the end of this step, I have about 1 tablespoon of orange zest and a teaspoon of lemon zest.
Squeeze – Next, I squeeze about half a cup worth of orange juice and about a tablespoon worth of lemon juice.
Make the curd base – I heat up a saucepan, and add in the orange and lemon juices, the zest from both, some sugar, eggs, egg yolk, salt, and some of that luscious butter.
Mix it all up – As the butter starts to melt, I whisk everything together until all the flavors are combined and the result is a silky smooth, clump-free base.
Let it simmer – Once the curd reaches a boiling point, I lower the heat and let it simmer for a couple of minutes until the mixture thickens a bit. Once it’s ready, I remove it from the heat and use a rubber spatula to scoop it all up! Then, I pour the curd into a couple of jars and let it chill, covered, in the fridge until it’s set.
Recipe Variations
- Other citrus fruits – Lime and grapefruit can be used instead of the orange for a 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.
- Honey – Swap some of that sugar with honey for a more floral flavor.
- Coconut milk – For a tropical twist, add a splash of coconut milk to the curd base. But not too much, or it won’t thicken. About 2 tablespoons will do.
- Herbs – Mix in some fresh herbs like thyme and basil, and make sure to strain them before chilling and setting the curd.
Serving Suggestions
Like my orange julius recipe, this fresh and fruity citrus curd is simply perfect on its own. Like I said, whenever I have a jar on hand, I can’t stop myself from sneaking in a couple of spoonfuls of this sweet stuff! But, of course, there are also so many ways to use it, whether as a filling in cookies and pastries, or a spread on baked treats. Here are a couple of my favorite ways to incorporate this recipe :
- Mix it into these sugar cookies, cornmeal sugar cookies, lemon cookies, or this Scottish shortbread.
- I love to have a little bowl with biscotti to dip and a cup of coffee for breakfast.
- It’s also fantastic to use in yogurt and granola parfaits!
- This is also great with nearly any sweet breakfast foods, like homemade waffles, pancakes, walnut cherry scones, and this blueberry muffin cake.
- Use this citrus curd as a filling for pies, tarts, eclairs, cupcakes, and donuts.
- Use a dollop as a tangy topping for homemade vanilla ice cream and cheesecake.
Storing
This recipe will keep well for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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 whisk until it becomes the consistency you like. And remember that it will continue to thicken once it cools.
More Delicious Dips and Spreads
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Orange Curd Recipe
Video
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.
This is yummy, but next time I make this, I’ll use alot less sugar…maybe only 1 cup
Fantastic! I’ve never made anything like this before, but it was easy to follow the recipe and had a good flavour. Made it for a deconstructed pavlova recipe, but like the recipe says, tried the bit that didn’t fit in the jar, yummy.
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!
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!
Hi Phyllis,
You can can this curd recipe and it should last for 3-4 months. Hope this helps!
Talk about DELICIOUS!! I couldn’t believe how good this was, and it was so easy to follow, thank you!
I had never had orange curd but we loved this! Yum
And, I thought lemon curd was my favorite! This is so zesty & fresh! I am excited to try it with different things!