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!

A jar of lemon and passionfruit curd on a wire cooling rack surrounded by small lemons and more curd.

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.

All the ingredients you need to make a jar of lemon and passionfruit curd.

The details…

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.
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.
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.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

a blue saucepan with a red whisk in it stirring all the lemon and passionfruit curd ingredients together.

A saucepan of thickened curd, with the cold butter added to the pan.

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…

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 on Instagram or Pinterest

Happy preserving