Can You Freeze Lemon Curd? [Yes, Here’s How]

Here’s everything you need to know about freezing lemon curd. Learn how well it freezes, how to go about the process, and how to defrost and use it.

Too much lemon curd on hand and thinking about freezing it? Can you freeze lemon curd?

That’s the 3-sentence version of the answer if you’re in a hurry.

Now, there’s (obviously) more to it. Here’s what we cover below:

• how well lemon curd freezes
• freezing lemon curd step by step
• defrosting the spread
• using lemon curd

Interested? Read on.

Does Lemon Curd Freeze Well?

Lemon curd freezes perfectly fine without any side effects. That’s why every recipe suggests freezing as the easiest method to preserve the lemon spread.

And since homemade lemon curd only lasts a week or so, having an easy way to preserve the leftovers is quite useful.

Related: How long does lemon curd last?

Now, there’s one thing about the process that you need to know: lemon curd doesn’t freeze exactly solid. Instead, it ends up quite firm, but if you freeze it in a container (say a silicone muffin tin), it doesn’t come out clean and is still sticky.

(It doesn’t remain liquid as frozen condensed milk does, but it’s not as firm as an ice cube.)

That’s important if you’re considering pre-freezing the desert and then freezing all the portions in a single freezer bag. If portions are squeezed together in the bag, they’ll probably freeze together, and the results of pre-freezing will be gone.

Because of that, I strongly recommend freezing lemon curd in small portions and storing each one in a separate freezer bag. This way, they can’t merge back together.

Oh, and how sticky or solid your frozen lemon curd is depends on the recipe. All the more reason to go with the approach I suggest.

Having said that, it’s time to cover the freezing process.

How to Freeze Lemon Curd

Here’s how you freeze lemon curd:

1. Decide portions. If you’re only using a small amount of lemon curd at a time, you’ll probably want to divide yours into multiple parts. This way, you can defrost exactly as much as you need for a dish or meal. But, knowing that defrosted lemon curd lasts a couple of days, you can go with bigger portions that will be enough for like 4 to 5 days.
2. Portion into separate containers. Spoon each part of your lemon curd into a container, bag, or freezer-safe glass jar. If you’re using a bag, squeeze out extra air. For containers and jars, leave a bit of head-space.
3. Freeze. Label each portion with the name and date if you like, and put them all in the freezer.

That’s it. Quick and simple, isn’t it?

How Long Can You Freeze Lemon Curd?

Use your frozen lemon curd within 3 to 6 months for best quality.

While the National Center for Home Food Preservation says you can freeze lemon curd for up to a year without any significant quality changes, I suggest limiting that period to about half a year.

Of course, nothing that bad will happen to the desert even if it sits frozen for a few more months than I recommend.

Pre-freezing and Storing Portions Together

As you can tell from my photos, I pre-froze lemon curd in silicone muffin tins and transferred frozen portions into a single freezer bag.

That approach kind of works, but you have to make sure the portions in the bag only touch a bit (the sticking surface is small). This way, they’ll freeze together, but you’ll still be able to break them apart easily (that’s what I did).

If you throw the chunks willy-nilly into a bag, they’ll probably freeze together, ending up in one big chunk. Which is the opposite of what you want.

That said, lemon curd usually doesn’t freeze solid, so you still might be able to scoop some using a spoon or cut off a piece with a knife. It’ll be a bit time-consuming and frustrating but doable.

Overall, freezing every portion in a separate bag or container is the best option.

How to Defrost Lemon Curd

Thaw lemon curd overnight in the fridge. If you’re defrosting a large portion, start early, allowing up to 24 hours of refrigeration to make sure it has thawed thoroughly. Once thawed, give it a good stir and it’s ready for use.

Defrosted lemon curd can sit in the fridge for at least a few days. So even if you have some leftovers after using it, you can probably use them up in one way or another.

Here’s my lemon curd before defrosting:

And here’s the same portion after thawing in the fridge overnight:

How to Use Defrosted Lemon Curd

You use defrosted lemon curd the same way you use fresh lemon curd. Freezing doesn’t affect the quality of the spread, so the fact that you froze yours doesn’t limit how you can use it.

If you’re looking for ways to use lemon curd, here are some examples:

• top your muffins, pancakes, scones, and the like
• use as a filling in cupcakes (here’s the recipe I used), cakes, crepes, etc.
• sweeten dairy products such as yogurt or cottage cheese
• spoon on ice cream
• fold into whipped cream
• make lemon bars (if you have a lot of leftovers)

If you need even more ideas on using frozen lemon curd, google a phrase like “lemon curd uses.” You’ll find dozens of options.