Lemon and Passionfruit Curd (Passionfruit Butter Recipe) - The Irishman's Wife (2024)

ByEmma LeePosted onUpdated on

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

A classic lemon curd recipe, but the addition of passion fruit pulp just takes it next level. As a treat this week I made some homemade meringues and turned them into a really quick Eton Mess. Broken up and topped with the lemon and passionfruit curd (or passionfruit butter), double cream, and some leftover berry compote that we had for breakfast one morning. It got a big thumbs-up!

Lemon and Passionfruit Curd (Passionfruit Butter Recipe) - The Irishman's Wife (1)

I’m using up an abundance of citrus fruit in our house this past week. It’s citrus season, yay, so the dehydrator has been in constant use, humming along in the background. We are now set for a good few months for dried lemon, lime, and blood orange slices – maybe overly prepared for any gin sessions! I’ve now moved on to citrus curds, or butter if you prefer, and experimenting with different curd recipes and flavors. I just love a fruit curd recipe! Lime curd, and lemon and passionfruit curd are two of my favorites. The latter is one I am really happy to just eat out of the jar. The tropical fruit sweetness of the passionfruit meshed with the tart lemon flavor is always a winner for me.

This is an easy homemade passionfruit curd recipe to make and a great way to use up homegrown produce when the lemon trees are full or the chooks are laying an abundance of eggs…

What you need to make this lemon and passionfruit curd recipe

  • Whole Eggs egg yolks and egg whites separated – fresh and free-range eggs are best!
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice. Pips and seeds removed
  • White Sugar
  • Sea Salt flakes – I use Murray River Sea Salt Flakes in most of my cooking.
  • Unsalted butter cut the cold butter into 2cm cubes.
  • Fresh Passionfruit pulp and juices removed and popped aside. You could also substitute with passionfruit puree, however, please note you may need to adjust the quantity. Canned passionfruit is quite stronger in flavor than fresh passionfruit juice.
Lemon and Passionfruit Curd (Passionfruit Butter Recipe) - The Irishman's Wife (2)

The details…

  1. In a heavy-based saucepan, place eggs and egg whites and whisk to combine. Add all other remaining ingredients (except butter) Give a good whisk to combine and incorporate into each other.
  2. Place on top of the stove on low heat. Stir continuously until the curd thickens slightly. Be sure to not let anything stick to the bottom of the pan. This usually takes around 7-10 minutes. To check if the lemon butter is ready, coat the back of a spoon and swipe your finger across the sauce. If the curd doesn’t run, it’s ready.
  3. After the lemon and passionfruit butter has thickened, remove from the heat and gradually add the butter, stirring continuously. When all the butter has been incorporated, spoon the curd into sterilized preserving jars and leave to cool.
  4. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Lemon and Passionfruit Curd (Passionfruit Butter Recipe) - The Irishman's Wife (3)
Lemon and Passionfruit Curd (Passionfruit Butter Recipe) - The Irishman's Wife (4)

The equipment you’ll need

A heavy-based saucepan is essential for making fruit butter. I use my cast iron casserole pots, however, any good stainless steel saucepan will do the job. Some people prefer to make curds with the double boiler method. I’ve never bothered as I find as long as you use a low heat and stir the whole thing continuously, I always get a delicious passionfruit curd.

I use a silicon whisk for stirring and incorporating the cold butter into the curd, however, you can also use a silicon or wooden spoon.

If you don’t like the texture of passionfruit seeds, you can strain them out of the passionfruit pulp with a fine mesh sieve prior to adding to the curd

Cook’s Notes

I like quite a tart lemon curd, a proper English fruit curd, so beware, this one isn’t for the faint-hearted. However, because I love to serve it up in desserts alongside meringues and cream, the tartness works really well alongside all that sweetness. If you like your lemon curd more sweet than tart, just reduce the amount of lemon juice.

Using your curd as a macaron filling? Then, you’ll need a silky smooth curd. To create this just strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve before adding the butter.

If you get a lump or two while cooking your passion fruit butter, quickly, remove the pan from the heat, strain the curd through a sieve, then return it to the pan on a lower heat and keep going. One or two lumps can be removed, anything more than that is probably destined for the bin!

How to use Lemon and passionfruit butter

Eat it out of the jar?! I love homemade citrus curd, like LOVE it, so I’ll maintain that this is a perfectly acceptable way to use Lemon and passionfruit curd. In case this is a step too far, try it on brioche, drizzled over a sponge, or as a filling for a tart.

Spread on freshly baked scones in place of jam with a little cream.

A delicious passion fruit curd can also be used as a filling for macarons (see notes above), or try adding some to buttercream for an easy, and totally tasty, cake icing.

On a Summer pavlova along with double cream and all the Summer season’s best fruits.

For the ultimate Sunday morning breakfast treat, top homemade pancakes with lemon and passionfruit butter, fresh berries, and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Or you could eat it straight out of the jar…

Keep it longer

How long can you keep lemon curd? If you bottle your curd in jars, seal them properly, and pop them in the fridge, the curd will last a couple of weeks. Make sure you preserve your citrus curd in clean, sterilized preserving jars. I use Kilner jars. Their stackable, wide-mouth preserving jars are the best. My pantry is full of them! Perfect for those Saturday night dessert cravings! For the short term, you can also store homemade curd in an airtight container or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. It will last in the fridge for up to a month.

Have a sweet tooth? Here are a few more recipes you might like…

  • Apple and walnut ANZAC crumble
  • Chocolate chip banana brownies
  • Baked Biscoff cheesecake slice
  • Spiced apple cider doughnuts
  • Strawberry Jam Crumble Bars

Do you have a favorite way to use citrus curds? As always, I love hearing from you and seeing what you’ve cooked! If you try this lemon and passionfruit butter, please leave a review or share your creation with me on social media! You can find me onInstagram or Pinterest

Happy preserving

x

Lemon and Passionfruit Curd (Passionfruit Butter Recipe) - The Irishman's Wife (5)

Print

Lemon and Passionfruit Curd (Passionfruit Butter Recipe) - The Irishman's Wife (6)

Lemon and Passionfruit Curd

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Emma Lee
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 700 ml Jar 1x
  • Category: Dessert, Preserves
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Australian
Print Recipe

Description

The best way to use up an abundance of lemons during citrus season.

Ingredients

Scale

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 whole eggs
  • ¾ cup lemon juice
  • 1¼ cup sugar (white)
  • ¼ tsp salt flakes
  • 6 small passionfruit / 4 large (pulp and juices removed)
  • 110 g unsalted butter

Instructions

  1. In a heavy based saucepan, place eggs and egg whites and whisk to combine. Add all other remaining ingredients (except butter) Give a good whisk to combine and incorporate into each other.
  2. Place on top of the stove on a low heat. Stir continuously until the curd thickens slightly. This usually takes around 7-10 minutes. To check if the curd it ready, coat the back of a spoon and swipe your finger across the curd. If the curd doesn’t run, it’s ready.
  3. After the fruit butter has thickened, remove it from the heat and gradually add the butter, stirring continuously. When the butter is fully incorporated, spoon the curd into sterilized preserving jars, pop on the lid, and leave to cool.
  4. Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes around 700ml of lemon passion fruit butter

Notes

You can easily tell when your lemon curd is ready if it coats the back of a spoon and you can swipe your finger through the curd and it leaves a defined line.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 30ml
  • Calories: 151
  • Sugar: 18 g
  • Sodium: 50.5 mg
  • Fat: 5.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 25.9 g
  • Protein: 2.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 50.5 mg
Lemon and Passionfruit Curd (Passionfruit Butter Recipe) - The Irishman's Wife (2024)

FAQs

How long does passionfruit curd last in the fridge? ›

Allow the jars to cool to room temperature before refrigerating. The curd will keep unopened for about 2 months in the fridge or 3-4 months in the freezer. NOTE: To sterilise your jars, wash them in very hot, soapy water or run through the hot cycle of a dishwasher.

Why is my passionfruit curd grainy? ›

Overheating above 85°C will result in a grainy textured curd upon cooling. To control the heat, cook curd in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (double boiler). This will be a little slower but ensures the temperature remains stable. Overheating will result in a scrambled egg texture and flavour.

What is lemon butter made of? ›

Place eggs and sugar into a heatproof bowl. Place bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved. Add lemon juice, lemon rind and butter. Whisk mixture for 20 minutes until smooth and the butter has melted and thickened enough to coat the spoon.

Can fruit curd be frozen? ›

Allow the curd to cool to room temperature. To prevent a 'surface skin' from forming while it cools, place a clean piece of plastic food wrap down onto the surface of the curd or cover the bowl. Fill cooled curd into freezer container(s), leaving ½-inch headspace, and freeze immediately.

Can you eat old passion fruit? ›

Yes, especially if the fruit is wrinkly. Just scoop out the fruit and discard the thick skin which is inedible.

How do you thicken lemon curd? ›

To make a thicker curd, you can also add another egg yolk to the recipe, or a teaspoon of cornflour mixed into a tablespoon of water and cook until thickened.

Why does my lemon curd taste eggy? ›

Make sure you don't let the curd come to a boil at any point, and don't stop stirring at any point either, because that will lead to the eggs curdling, and the curd will taste like scrambled eggs.

Why won't my lemon curd set? ›

You could try:
  • Reheating it. Continuously whisk until the mixture reaches 170. ...
  • Bloom one package (2.5 tsp or 7g) in 1/4 cup ( 60g ) of water for 5 minutes. Dissolve the bloomed gelatin in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. ...
  • Mix 2 tablespoon of cornstarch in a 2 tablespoons of water and mix into lemon curd.
Mar 11, 2022

How do you know when lemon curd is done? ›

I cook mine for about 2 minutes because I like thick lemon curd. Test the thickness by dipping the back of a spoon into your lemon curd and drag your finger across it. If it holds the shape without dripping off too quickly, it's done!

What is another name for lemon curd? ›

Lemon curd's texture is smooth and silky, similar to a very smooth, creamy custard, and thick enough to be spread on scones and other foods. In Britain, lemon curd is also known as "lemon cheese," and other fruit curds are known as "[name of fruit] cheese."

How do you thicken lemon butter sauce? ›

As we mentioned, flour and cornstarch are the most popular ingredients used to thicken butter sauce for pasta. After you've heated your butter and water combo in your skillet, turn your heat down so nothing scorches as you work in the dry ingredients. Then slowly whisk in your flour or cornstarch.

Why won't my passion fruit curd thicken? ›

It is not thickening: again, making curds can take quite some times because we are working with a low heat. If after 15 to 20 minutes to curd has not thickened, you might want to consider adding a little bit of cornstarch. This could be because your egg yolks were too small.

How long does lemon curd last in the refrigerator? ›

Just be sure to put it in a tightly sealed glass or plastic container so it doesn't pick up any aromas from other things in your fridge. Fresh lemon curd will keep for one to two weeks when stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

Does lemon curd expire? ›

Even with proper storage, lemon curd will eventually expire. As such, it is important to keep an eye out for signs of spoilage to avoid accidentally consuming pathogens like mold or bacteria that can make you sick. Examine old lemon curd with your senses of sight and smell for evidence that it is past its prime.

How long can you keep curd in the fridge? ›

Buy the freshest curds that you can. Eat what you want, but if you can't finish the bag right away or if you intend to keep it for a while put it into the refrigerator. Once refrigerated, you can usually keep the curds about two weeks.

How long does homemade fruit curd last in the fridge? ›

Pour the passion fruit curd into a clean bowl or jar, cover the surface with plastic to prevent skin from forming, and let it cool to room temperature. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

How long does passion fruit last in the fridge? ›

Keep passionfruit in a plastic bag in the fridge and it will last up to a month, in the fruit bowl it will last two weeks. To enjoy a passionfruit on its own, chop the top off like a boiled egg rather than cutting in half and you won't lose the delicious juices.

How long before curd goes bad? ›

Easy tips to store curd for about 4–5 days in the fridge, Curd should be stored at the back of the fridge shelves where the fridge is the coldest, preferably the down last shelf will be the best choice. You should also avoid mixing fresh and used curd. And make sure you use a clean spoon every time you use it.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Jamar Nader

Last Updated:

Views: 6314

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (55 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jamar Nader

Birthday: 1995-02-28

Address: Apt. 536 6162 Reichel Greens, Port Zackaryside, CT 22682-9804

Phone: +9958384818317

Job: IT Representative

Hobby: Scrapbooking, Hiking, Hunting, Kite flying, Blacksmithing, Video gaming, Foraging

Introduction: My name is Jamar Nader, I am a fine, shiny, colorful, bright, nice, perfect, curious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.