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Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Lemon Curd Recipe

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This Instant Pot Lemon Curd is a creamy sweet and tart dessert topping that is perfect for spreading on biscuits, cakes, or even on yogurt. This Lemon Curd made in the Electric Pressure Cooker is an easy way to make this amazing dessert topping.



 

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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the 
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blog post.

Oh lemon curd, the wonderful lemon topping that not everyone knows about but everyone should know about. Lemon curd, a sweet yet tangy dessert topping, can usually be found in a grocery store near the jellies and jams. Let me just say that the store-bought stuff comes nowhere close to being as amazing as the curd you can make at home. 

My first time making lemon curd, I opted for the stovetop, which calls for a double broiler and a good bit of whisking until the lemon curd thickens. I’m talking about 15 minutes of constant stirring. It can be soothing and a great arm workout, but I found myself wanting an easier method. Enter the Instant Pot to the rescue. 

Lemon curd in the Instant Pot is mostly hands-off and only requires a little bit of whisking. Your arm muscles will thank me.

How to Make Lemon Curd in an Instant Pot

First, squeeze the juice from about 4 large lemons. This should give you about 1 cup of fresh lemon juice. I use a citrus juice extractor. It helps keep the seeds from falling into the juice. Set aside. 

Next, separate 2 eggs, leaving the egg whites for another use. Then add the 2 yolks, 2 additional whole eggs, 1 ¼ cup sugar, and ⅛ tsp salt to a glass bowl. Use hand mixer and beat for about 1 minute, until eggs are thoroughly beaten. 

lemon curd mixture in bowl before mixing

Add lemon juice and beat for about 1 minute more. Stir in 6 Tbsp of softened unsalted butter that has been cut into small pieces. Pour mixture into an oven-safe bowl that can fit inside your Instant Pot. You’ll want to make sure that this bowl is either stainless steel or an oven safe baking dish. Cover the bowl loosely with foil. 

lemon curd mixture in stainless steel bowl on oxo bakeware sling

Pour 1 cup of water into the Instant Pot insert. Use a trivet with a foil sling to place the lemon curd inside the Instant Pot or use a bakeware sling

Cover and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, then allow it to naturally release for 10 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure. 

Open and remove from the Instant Pot. Remove the foil and whisk immediately until the mixture thickens. Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge for at least 4 hours to allow it to thicken some more. 

lemon curd in steel pan with whisk sticking out

And there you have it, the easiest lemon curd recipe ever.

lemon curd on spoon in front of lemon curd in jars

Notes:

  • Most lemon curd recipes call for using grated lemon peel and then straining the curd after cooking. I opt to skip the peel so I don’t have to strain the curd afterward. 
  • Lemon curd will last on your fridge for 1-2 weeks or it can be frozen up to 3 months. 
  • Don’t use bowls that can react to the lemon in the recipe. Certified stainless steel or pyrex glass bowls would be your best bet for this pot in pot cooking. 
lemon curd in jars with granola and blueberries in photo

Looking for other Instant Pot Dessert recipes? Try this Instant Pot Rice Pudding.

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5 from 2 votes

Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Lemon Curd

This pressure cooker Lemon Curd recipe is an easy way to make the sweet and tangy dessert topping.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword instant pot lemon curd, lemon curd recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Additional Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 43 minutes
Servings 12 people
Calories 155kcal
Author Tanya

Ingredients

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1 ¼ cup white granulated sugar
  • teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup lemon juice from fresh lemons
  • 6 Tablespoon unsalted butter softened and cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup water* for IP

Instructions

  • Place egg yolks, eggs, sugar, and salt into large bowl and beat for 1 minute with hand mixer, until eggs and sugar well mixed. Then and in lemon juice. Mix for 1 minute more. Then stir in butter pieces.
  • Pour into an oven safe container. Cover container lightly with foil.
  • Pour 1 cup of water in Pressure Cooker. Place pan on top of trivet.
  • Close the Pressure Cooker and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, then natural release for 10 minutes. Quick release any remianing pressure.
  • Remove Lemon Curd mixture from the Pressure Cooker and whisk until thickened, for about 1 minute. Allow the mixture to cool until room temperature, then place in the fridge to continue cooling, for about 4 hours.
  • Your mixture will thicken while refrigerating and will be ready to serve at that time.

Video

Notes

  • Most lemon curd recipes call for using grated lemon peel and then straining the curd after cooking. I opt to skip the peel so I don’t have to strain the curd afterward. 
  • Lemon curd will last on your fridge for 1-2 weeks or it can be frozen up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Calories: 155kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 258IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
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Although myforkinglife.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will myforkinglife.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.

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Recipe Rating




Denise

Friday 15th of May 2020

Do you use salted or unsalted butter?

Tanya

Friday 15th of May 2020

I use unsalted. I'll update the recipe card with that info. Thanks for asking :)

anna

Saturday 18th of April 2020

Nice, thank you. I use the silicone trivet with heat-resistant handles and it's so much better than the metal trivet that came with the instant pot. I got it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082XZNGPJ

Pamela Schramek

Tuesday 18th of February 2020

I do low carb. Could you use Swerve instead of real sugar?

Tanya

Tuesday 18th of February 2020

Hi Pamela, I haven't used swerve in this recipe but it should work just fine. I've played around with the sugar mixture in this one and the consistency is always the same, even with less or more sugar added. Here's a low carb sugar recipe that uses swerve as well. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-lemon-curd/

Barb

Tuesday 18th of February 2020

This sounds really good. I know lemons come in different sizes, but how many lemons make a cup of the size sold in most grocery stores?

Tanya

Tuesday 18th of February 2020

Thank you. It’s about 4 of those lemons to reach 1 cup.