Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/13/2026
Processing details
Source & provenance
Safety classification: Tested recipe from NCHFP.
Safety summary
Use bottled lemon juice only; do not alter the formulation, skip the 170°F endpoint or straining, make other fruit curds, or use larger jars.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Half-Pint Jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Processing time
- 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. Follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation source exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare jars and a boiling-water canner.
- Use bottled lemon juice and the exact egg, sugar, zest, and butter formula; cook in a controlled double boiler to 170°F, strain, and fill hot.
- Fill half-pints only, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- 15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
- Cool undisturbed 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, appropriate nonreactive cookware and preparation tools, jar lifter, and half-pints only.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Use exact ingredients and source-specific preparation.
- Pack: Hot pack; maintain 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process: Keep jars covered by boiling water and use the altitude schedule.
- Cool: Leave jars upright and undisturbed.
Safety essentials
Use bottled lemon juice only; do not alter the formulation, skip the 170°F endpoint or straining, make other fruit curds, or use larger jars.
About this recipe
Lemon Curd is a tested NCHFP boiling-water home-canning recipe using hot pack.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water canning
- Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Half-pints only
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
Altitude and processing schedule
15 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 20 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 25 minutes above 6,000 ft.
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Lemon Curd — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups superfine sugar do not use powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon zest optional
- 1 cup bottled lemon juice required for standardized acidity
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter chilled and cut into pieces
- 7 large egg yolks
- 4 large whole eggs
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
- Canning jars Use specified jar size.
Directions
- Preheat canner water to 180°F; do not exceed 180°F before loading jars.
- Mix sugar and optional zest and stand 30 minutes. Whisk yolks and eggs, slowly whisk in sugar mixture, bottled lemon juice, and butter.
- Cook over gently boiling water, stirring continuously, to 170°F. Remove from heat, stir about 5 minutes until thickened, then strain.
- Fill hot half-pint jars with 1/2-inch headspace. Process 15/20/25 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve or use this preserved product according to its texture and flavor after opening; refrigerate leftovers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the recipe?
Only make changes expressly permitted by NCHFP. Use bottled lemon juice only; do not alter the formulation, skip the 170°F endpoint or straining, make other fruit curds, or use larger jars.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours with a new lid and the complete tested process when permitted.
How this recipe compares
This tested process applies only to lemon curd, not other fruit curds.
Troubleshooting
Preheat canner water to 180°F without exceeding it before jars are loaded.
Discard jars showing leakage, bulging, spurting, mold, or other spoilage. Never taste to determine safety.
Source & provenance
Typical canning season
Season: Winter, Spring, Fall
Months: January, February, March, November, December
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
12–25 lb of Mixed produce per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.