No-Fail Orange Curd Recipe – Homemade Orange Curd

No-Fail Orange Curd Recipe – Homemade Orange Curd

When oranges are in season you must make homemade orange curd. This simple, easy and effortless recipe for no-fail orange curd is the best you will ever taste. Sweet, tangy with a melt in the mouth luxurious texture.  An orange curd that takes no more than 20 minutes to prepare and can be used as a filling for cakes, pies, and desserts is a must-have recipe on hand.

Orange curd with fresh oranges is a must have. I mean must have. The sweet oranges in a custard-like filling are out of this world.  Personally, I love to add some lemon in there to give it a little zing from my lemon curd. By now you must have tried my lemon curd or at least seen my lemon curd video. It’s simple, easy and really luxurious. It’s a no-fail method because I cook it low and slow. As a result, you will never have a curdled curd whether you make lemon or orange curd.

Did you know the options to make fruit curd using this exact same method are endless? I love using citrus fruits because I really enjoy the tart flavors. If you love fruit curd you must substitute the orange juice in this recipe with any other fruit juice, such as tangerine, passion-fruit, limes, or grapefruits. I’ve even made mango and pineapple. Pineapple curd is absolute heaven.

Double Boiler, Sauce Pan & Bowl for our  Orange Curd Recipe

The common equipment used to make curds or melt chocolate is calleddouble boiler or Baine Maire – Which basically means two pots – that sit comfortably within each other as below. You can do this at home – just find a sauce panand a mixing bowl that sit comfortably so the bottom is just tad bigger than the top.

How do I use orange curd? What can I use lemon curd in? 

This Orange curd can be eaten just out of the jar or as an ingredient in other recipes.

• Spread it on breakfast toast, muffins, scones, trumpets.
• Use it as a filling in cakes, cupcakes or macarons
• Add it to empty shortcrust pastry shells for mini lemon tarts.
• Spread it in a pie pan and top with meringue for an orange meringue pie. 
• Combine with cream cheese for a cream cheese lemon tart
• Use it to make my 3 ingredients no-churn orange curd ice cream.

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (Save/Pin)

• Oranges – Use the measure of orange juice not the number of oranges when making this recipe. So if a recipe says 1/2 cup juice (3 to 4 oranges) usually the number is a guide – the actual measurement you want to use is 1/2 cup or 60 ml. This can make a big difference.
• Lemon – A little tart taste in contrast to the sweet seasonal oranges works a treat. Unless of course, you have sour oranges than lemons won’t do justice. Instead, I suggest you add all orange juice.
• Caster Sugar – Caster sugar is usually a fine grain sugar. Use a fine grain sugar that will dissolve easily in the eggs. If you don’t find caster sugar just pulse the regular sugar in a food processor and that will help give you a smooth finish. The amount of sugar used here presumes you have beautiful sweet seasonal oranges. If, however, the oranges are not sweet I highly recommend you add a few tbsp more of sugar. And yet, NO more than 1/4 cup or 30 grams though.
• Egg yolks – The color of yolks will determine the end color of your orange curd. So if you use light yolks you will have pale yellow color curd. A bright golden yellow or orange is much preferred. I’m using free range eggs that have a nice orange color today.
• Artificial colors – I never use any artificial coloring in my lemon curd, but often I use orange curd in my cakes as filling. So sometimes I do add a dab of orange color just so it will be obvious on the cake. Orange color layers look nicer between two vanilla or chocolate layers.

Can I make this a Sugar-Free Orange Curd?

Yes, you can. Just replace the 1/2 cup sugar with either one of these – 1/4 cup honey, or 1/3 cup agave syrup or 1 tbsp Stevia or similar

Progress pictures and video

Orange curd is done exactly the same way as lemon curd and I have made a video on how to make it. You should be able to see the video on this post as well. The progress pictures and the full video can found here no-fail lemon curd recipe. You can use exactly the same method shown in that video with the list of ingredients found in this post.

No-Fail Lemon Curd Recipe aka Homemade Lemon Curd

This no fail lemon curd recipe will give you the confidence you need to make fruit curd like never before. My step by step pictures, tips and trouble shooting will help you master the perfect lemon curd in just one attempt. This sweet, thick, tangy, creamy and velvet like lemon curd is luscious and luxurious with any desserts or everyday treat from cake fillings to breakfast toast.

No-Fail Orange Curd Recipe – Homemade Orange Curd (Save/Pin)

Useful Tips and Tools:

• You will need a largeSauce Pan with a bowl that can fit over it to create a homeamde double boiler or
• Quite similar to a Double Boiler that can be purchased. Often used to melt chocolate, prepare pastry cream or curds.
• A Whisk works best to ensure you have a smooth curd.
• Use a Spatula to gauge the thickness of the curd. 
• Straining the curd thru a fine mesh or sievewill give you a smooth velvet like curd by removing any curdles eggs
• A mason jar works best to store the curd once its ready

Ingredients

• 3 Egg yolks
• 1 Whole egg 
• 1 tbsp – Cornstarch
• 1/2 tbsp – Orange zest
• 1/2 tbsp – Lemon zest 
• 180 ml Orange juice – 3/4 cup 
• 4 tbsp Lemon juice 
• 100 grams -Fine grain sugar (1/2 cup)
• 113 grams Cold unsalted butter cubed 1/2 stick
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Method

Prepare

• Measure all ingredients before you start.
• Cut the butter into cubes – keep chilled.
• Place oranges and lemon in the microwave for 10 seconds before you cut and squeeze this will make it easy.
• Warm the orange juice for about 30 secs.

Cook curd over a double boiler or a saucepan and bowl (read more above)

• In the top bowl of a double boiler-  before you place it on the hot water
• Add egg and yolks, sugar, salt, cornstarch, and zests.
• Whisk until light and fluffy – sugar should almost melt.
• Add orange juice and lemon juice slowly into the egg mixture.
• Now place the bowl on the double boiler/hot water pot.
• Continue to stir on low. The mixture should cook with just the steam from the water in the saucepan below.
• About 8 to 10 minutes – you will notice the foam that was caused by whipping the egg mixture will slowly disappear and the mixture will start to thicken.
• Continue to stir until it coats the back of your wooden spoon or spatula.
• Remove from heat.
• Gradually add cubes of butter one at a time. Make sure each piece is well incorporated.
• The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.
• Once all the butter has been incorporated, strain it through a mesh or a strainer to remove the zest. This will also give you a smooth creamy curd.

Storage

• The curd is best stored in a mason or glass jar in the fridge. The presence of eggs in lemon or orange curd makes it a perishable filling. So any item that has homemade lemon or orange curds such as cakes and pie needs to be placed in the fridge.
• Avoid keeping fruit curd or citrus fillings in metal containers as it can react with the metal.
• Egg yolks can react with the metal such as aluminum and cause it to become green in color.

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Tips and Troubleshooting for the Perfect Orange Curd

• Juice the oranges easily – a great way to exact as much juice from oranges is to microwave the fruits for a few seconds (10 seconds).
• Warm the orange juice – warming the juice helps it incorporate into the egg yolks well.
• Egg yolks / Whole eggs – I find that all egg yolks have a higher risk of curdling but the one whole egg does help stabilize it.
• Whip eggs and sugar until light and fluffy – If you whip the eggs with sugar until the sugar almost dissolves it prevents the egg from curdling.
• Do not let the curd boil – cooking on low will prevent the curd from curdling. If the curd boils, it will give you a lemon flavored scrambled eggs. So no matter how boring – cook on low heat for 10 to 15 mins.
• If you find the curd steaming up – take it off the heat for a few seconds this will help stabilize it.
• How to know if the curd is done? You can use a thermometer and check until the curd reaches 170 F., But I find the best test is taste. Once the curd is thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon, taste it. It should not have any taste of eggs or cornstarch. If necessary cook for 30 secs more.
• Add butter slowly – this will help bring the temperature of the curd down slowly without curdling.

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Frequently asked questions

What is a Fruit Curd

To me, fruit curd is like a dessert on its own. I can eat it out of a jar with a spoon. It tastes delicious on its own! BUT, you can use it for many things from cake fillings, pie fillings, on breakfast toast, donuts, bagels. I love it as a filling in my lemon macaron with lemon buttercream too. Have you tried an orange cake with orange curd cake yet? Always a hit with people who love the orange flavor. I eat orange curd plain with crackers too!

Fruit Filling vs. Fruit Curd

One must make sure they have all the necessary information to make it right.

A fruit filling is usually the easiest to make. It mostly involves a fruit, some sweetener, and a starch, which come beautifully together into a thick gorgeous fruit filling. It looks and tastes beautiful when done right. As I shared with you in my Blueberry (Cake) Filling, cherry cake filling or simple Strawberry (cake) Filling.

Fruit curd, on the other hand, requires a bit more tact because it involves a citrus fruit like lemon, lime or orange, a few egg yolks and emulsification with butter. Unlike a filling, you can’t just put it all in a pan and cook it. You need to exercise a bit more caution. Again it’s not difficult; it only requires caution.

How long will this orange curd last?

If sealed and properly stored orange curd and be kept in the fridge for three months, however, once you have opened the jar do not keep the open jar for more than ten days to a maximum of 2 weeks. The curd on the surface will get slightly darker when exposed to air, but it is not a health concern.

Can I freeze orange curd?

Yes, lemon curd freezes well and can be kept for up to 1 year if stored properly. For best results, thaw in the refrigerator overnight or 24 hours before use.

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No-Fail Orange Curd Recipe aka Homemade Orange Curd

Author: Veena Azmanov

5 from 21 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Orange Curd Recipe

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

Calories: 761kcal

Adjust Servings Here: 2 cups

When oranges are in season you must make homemade orange curd. This simple, easy and effortless recipe for no-fail orange curd is the best you will ever taste. Sweet, tangy with a melt in the mouth luxurious texture.  An orange curd that takes no more than 20 minutes to prepare and can be used as a filling for cakes, pies, and desserts is a must-have recipe on hand.

Ingredients

• 3 Egg yolks (large)
• 1 Whole egg (large)
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch
• 1/2 tbsp Orange zest 
• 1/2 tbsp Lemon zest
• 180 ml Orange juice
• 4 tbsp Lemon juice
• 100 grams Sugar fine grain
• 113 grams Unsalted butter chilled, cubed
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Metric – US customary

Conversions – Please switch between Metric & US for more measurement options

Instructions

Prepare

• Measure all ingredients before you start.
• Cut the butter into cubes – keep chilled.
• Place oranges and lemon in the microwave for 10 seconds before you cut and squeeze this will make it easy.
• Warm the orange juice for about 30 secs.

Cook curd over a double boiler or a saucepan and bowl (read more above)

• In the top bowl of a double boiler-  before you place it on the hot water
• Add egg and yolks, sugar, salt, cornstarch, and zests.
• Whisk until light and fluffy – sugar should almost melt.
• Add orange juice and lemon juice slowly into the egg mixture.
• Now place the bowl on the double boiler/hot water pot. 
• Continue to stir on low. The mixture should cook with just the steam from the water in the saucepan below.
• About 8 to 10 minutes – you will notice the foam that was caused by whipping the egg mixture will slowly disappear and the mixture will start to thicken.
• Continue to stir until it coats the back of your wooden spoon or spatula.
• Remove from heat.
• Gradually add cubes of butter one at a time. Make sure each piece is well incorporated.
• The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.
• Once all the butter has been incorporated, strain it through a mesh or a strainer to remove the zest. This will also give you a smooth creamy curd.

Recipe Notes

Storage

• The curd is best stored in a mason or glass jar in the fridge. The presence of eggs in lemon or orange curd makes it a perishable filling so any item that has homemade lemon or orange curds such as cakes and pie need to be placed in the fridge.
• Avoid keeping fruit curd or citrus fillings in metal containers as it can react with the metal.
• Egg yolks can react with the metal such as aluminum and cause it to become green in color

 

About Videos – most recipes has two videos – a quick version in the post & longer detailed version on this recipe card. Please do subscribe to my channel if you like my videos

Nutrition Information

Calories: 761kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 55g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Cholesterol: 496mg | Sodium: 449mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 40.2% | Vitamin C: 46.2% | Calcium: 6.1% | Iron: 6.2%

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it was.Mention @veenaazmanov or tag me on Instagram #veenaazmanov

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• Strawberry filling and
• Cherry filling 
• Lemon curd
• Caramel filling
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