Citrus Curd: Sous Vide Technique

Last Updated on January 13, 2026 by Lisa Keys

Want a bright start to your day? Try my very best sous vide recipe for citrus curd. Make it lemon, lime, grapefruit or my favorite calamansi. Fresh squeezed juice plus a bit of zest are a must for this recipe. The only other ingredients you need are egg yolks, sugar and butter. You will also need an immersion circulator and a large mason jar.

Why Sous Vide Works for Citrus Curd

While I love my stove-top recipe for calamansi curd it is not as easily prepared perfectly as this beginner sous vide recipe. When you make lemon curd or lime curd, the main food-safety concern is raw eggs. Pasteurization is simply the process of gently heating the eggs enough to make them safe to eat without overcooking or scrambling them.

Sous vide is especially good for this because it holds a precise, steady temperature, which means two very important things:

• The eggs get hot enough to be safe
• But never hot enough to curdle or cook unevenly

Pasteurization does not mean boiling the curd. It means heating the curd to a specific warm temperature and holding it there long enough to kill harmful bacteria.

I like to sous vide citrus curd at 168F for 1 hour. At this time and temperature:

• The eggs are pasteurized
• The curd thickens naturally
• You don't need constant stirring or worry about scorching (stove-top)
• There is no guesswork

Serving Suggestions

• Use it as a tart filling
• Spread over the top of a cheesecake
• Enjoy with scones, biscuits and toast
• Fill cake layers
• Whip with cream or mascarpone for a frosting
• Try my push-up pops

This recipe fills an 8 ounce mason jar. Store in the refrigerator and use within two weeks. Let me know if you give it a try. What else are you going to do with that big box of citrus someone sent you this holiday season?

Citrus Curd

Lisa Keys

Sous vide citrus curd is a set it and forget it process making the richest curd you ever tasted.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Breakfast and Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 16 servings

Calories 94 kcal

Equipment

• 1 immersion circulator
• 1 large mason jar

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons citrus zest 2 whole calamansi rinds if using small fruits
• ½ cup citrus juice freshly squeezed
• 5 egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Instructions

 

• Heat immersion circulator to 168°F. Have a clean mason jar (12 oz.) with a two-piece screw top lid ready.
• In a food processor, blend sugar and zest for 1 minute or until sugar is of a fine texture.
• With processor running, slowly add lemon juice through the feed tube followed by the egg yolks, one at a time, and then the melted butter. Blend well. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.
• Pour mixture into mason jar. Add lid and close until just two-finger tip tight. Do not close lid tightly as air needs to escape once in the immersion circulator.
• Submerge jar carefully into hot water and set timer for 1 hour.
• After time is up, place the jar on the counter and cool for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator. Use within two weeks.

Video

Notes

Any combination of fresh squeezed lemon, lime, grapefruit or calamansi juice may be used.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 94kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 3mgPotassium: 16mgFiber: 0.05gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 213IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.2mg

Keyword calamansi, condiment, fruit spreads, grapefruit, lemon, lime, sous vide

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!