Sweet, sharp, smooth and creamy grapefruit curd is a revelation. The recipe contains only four ingredients and it’s ever so easy to make. It doesn’t even take that long. Slather it over bread, toast, scones, pancakes or waffles for a joyous burst of citrus. Stove top and blender method covered.
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I love making fruit curds. They’re quick and easy, last for a few weeks in the fridge, are totally delicious and a very handy ingredient to have to hand. Each one I make I think is more delicious than the one I made before – until I make that one again, of course.
Dive Right In
- What Is Fruit Curd?
- Why Make Grapefruit Curd?
- Grapefruit Curd?
- How Long Will Grapefruit Curd Keep?
- Ingredients
- How To Make Grapefruit Curd
- What Can You Use Grapefruit Curd For?
- Other Fruit Curd Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
What Is Fruit Curd?
Fruit curd is a very British kind of sweet and sharp fruity custard that’s thick enough to stay put when spread on toast. It’s made with eggs, butter, sugar and the juice and zest of citrus or puréed flesh of other fruit.
Lemon curd is the mother of all fruit curds. The first written recipe, as we recognise it today, is rather shrouded in mist, but it goes back a long way. You can buy lemon curd in jars pretty much anywhere in the UK, but homemade is infinitely superior. What’s more, if you make your own, you’re not just limited to lemons. Grapefruit curd anyone?
Why Make Grapefruit Curd?
Fruit curds are really fun to make. With just a bit of stirring and heat you can quickly turn four simple ingredients into a luscious spread. But here are a few more ideas as to why you might want to make grapefruit curd.
- Gift Idea – Decant your freshly made grapefruit curd into cute jars and you have a delicious homemade gift for friends and family.
- Health Benefits – Grapefruits are rich in vitamin C and other powerful antioxidants which help to keep our immune systems healthy and and reduce the risk of heart disease. (ref: Healthline)
- Homemade Goodness – As with most things, if you make grapefruit curd at home you can control the ingredients that go into it and adjust the sweetness to your liking. Homemade curd has a fresher taste compared to commercial alternatives.
- Quick And Easy – With only four ingredients, and little in the way of preparation, grapefruit curd doesn’t take long to make. You can cook it on the stove top in fifteen minutes or less. Or make it in a power blender where it will take eight minutes max.
- Unique Flavour – Roll over lemon curd, there’s a new fruit curd in town. Grapefruit has a distinctive, sweet, tart and slightly bitter flavour that adds a refreshing twist to a classic citrusy recipe.
- Versatility – Once made, you can use grapefruit curd in a myriad of ways. Spread it on hot buttered crumpets, use it to fill or top cakes and pastries, swirl it through ice cream or dollop it on pancakes and waffles. All of this and so much more.
Grapefruit Curd
Grapefruit is an acquired taste. If you don’t like it, you may not get on well with this particular fruit curd. On the other hand, this recipe might be a good introduction to this queen of citrus fruit. The eggs, butter and sugar temper grapefruit’s inherent bitterness.
Having said that, I understand that some people don’t actually taste the bitterness. I’m not one of them. But I do like grapefruit.
The curd takes around twenty minutes to make if you use the stove top method, though the cooking takes less time than this. If you make it in a blender, it’s even faster.
How Long Will Grapefruit Curd Keep?
As long as you use clean sterilised jars and lids, sealed grapefruit curd will keep in the fridge for four weeks. Once you open a jar though, make sure you eat it within three days.
My understanding is that you can freeze fruit curd for up to a year. However, I’ve never tried it, so I’m not sure how well it actually works. I only ever make it in small batches, so it’s unlikely to last for more than a month.
Ingredients
You only need four easy-to-get-hold-of ingredients to make grapefruit curd. Two of them are eggs and butter, so this is not a suitable recipe for vegans. I’ve only mentioned grapefruit below as eggs, butter and the fourth ingredient, sugar, don’t really require much explanation.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit has a unique and complex flavour profile that delights many. There is no mistaking its perfume and sweet, tart, bitter citrus notes. It’s incredibly nutritious, which I guess is why it’s such a favoured breakfast fruit.
Red grapefruit are generally sweeter and less bitter than the original white variety and pink is somewhere in between. You can use whichever type of fresh grapefruit you like for this recipe, but the flavour will vary depending on which one you go for. I used a red grapefruit in the images you can see in this post.
Grapefruit are in season during the winter months. Although you can buy them at other times of the year, they’re at their best from December to March.
If you can get an organic grapefruit, so much the better. But if not give it a really good scrub with a bit of soap and water to remove any chemicals used in the growing process.
Like all citrus, grapefruit is high in vitamin C. In fact one grapefruit provides enough to cover our daily requirement. However, it’s also high in beta carotene which the body converts to vitamin A. Likewise it’s a good source of potassium, flavonoids and various antioxidants, especially lycopene. (ref: BBC)
How To Make Grapefruit Curd
You can make grapefruit curd in one of two ways: on the stove top or in a power blender. I’ve given both methods below.
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and quantities of ingredients used.
Either way, start off by sterilising four or five small jars. You can do this in several ways. If you’re not sure how to do this, head over to my guide on how to sterilise glass jars, bottles and lids.
I like to use small jars, so that once opened, I can finish the curd before it goes off. However, it’s fine to use larger jars if you prefer.
Grapefruit Curd: Stove Top
Many recipes call for a double boiler to make fruit curd, but it’s not at all necessary. I just make mine in an ordinary stainless steel pan. The important thing is to ensure whatever pan you use is a non-reactive one. You don’t want your beautiful grapefruit curd tasting of metal.
Step 1: Prepare Grapefruit
Scrub the grapefruit well, then dry it with a clean piece of kitchen towel. If it’s organic, so much the better, otherwise use a little soap to scrub the fruit, then rinse.
Finely grate the grapefruit’s outer peel into a medium sized pan. Make sure you don’t get any of the pith as that’s really bitter. A microplane (affiliate link) is your friend here. I wouldn’t be without mine.
Then cut the grapefruit in half and squeeze the juice into the pan. Depending on what you use to extract the juice, you might want to pass it through a sieve before adding it to the pan.
I didn’t do this and ended up with a load of fleshy bits which didn’t look at all nice. So I sieved it half way through the process instead, which isn’t ideal.
Step 2. Make Custard
Add the sugar to the pan, place over a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the eggs, one by one, whisking thoroughly between each addition. A balloon whisk is best for this.
Turn the heat up to a low-medium and cook until the eggs are steaming and the mixture has thickened. Make sure it doesn’t come to the boil though or you’ll end up with scrambled eggs.
You don’t need to stir continuously, but do give a whisk every thirty seconds or so to stop the eggs from setting on the bottom of the pan.
As soon as the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove from the heat.
Top Tip
If you do end up scrambling your eggs by mistake, pass them through a sieve before adding the butter.
Step 3. Add Butter
Whilst the eggs are cooking, cut the butter into small (ish) pieces.
As soon as the pan is removed from the heat, whisk in a piece of butter. Wait until it’s melted, then do the same with the next piece. Continue until all of the butter is mixed in. It’s this process that give a particularly silky mouthfeel to the grapefruit curd.
Step 4. Pot Up Curd
Whilst it’s hot and still runny, pour the grapefruit curd into your sterilised jars. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
Seal the jars immediately and leave to cool. Then place in the fridge until needed. They’ll keep unopened for four weeks. Once opened though, use within three days.
Grapefruit Curd: Blender Method
The blender method isn’t that much different to the stove top one, but it’s quite a lot faster.
- Blend the juice, zest, sugar and eggs on a medium speed for one minute so that the sugar dissolves.
- Turn up to the highest setting and blend for four minutes. Check the consistency and if it’s thickened and custard like, start adding the butter. If not blend for another minute and check again. It could take anywhere between four and seven minutes.
- As soon as the mixture has thickened, turn the speed down to medium and blend for a minute whilst you add the butter. Drop the butter through the top opening, one piece at a time, waiting for each piece to melt and blend in before adding the next.
- Pour into clean hot sterilised jars immediately. Seal the jars and leave to cool. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
What Can You Use Grapefruit Curd For?
Well apart from slathering this delicious spread over fresh bread or toast, as mentioned earlier, there are any number of moreish ways you can use it.
For starters, you can swap it for any recipe that uses lemon curd. It has a similar citrusy tang along with a slight grapefruity bitterness.
Cakes
It not only makes a delicious filling for sponge cakes, but you can use it directly in the cake batter. I have a fabulous recipe for a simple citrus curd cake. For something a bit fancier, I have this recipe for passionfruit curd sponge cake. Just swap the passionfruit curd for this grapefruit curd.
If you’re after a slightly stiffer cake filling, beat your fruit curd into buttercream. It works a treat. I’ve used this to fill a cake on many an occasion. This chilli chocolate cake with apricot curd buttercream is an example.
Scones, Crumpets And Muffins
Instead of topping your freshly made scones with jam, try grapefruit curd instead. Spreading it over hot buttered crumpets is a taste experience not to be missed. The same goes for toasted and buttered English muffins.
Dairy
Fruit curds pair wonderfully well with dairy. Mix them with cream or mascarpone cheese to make a delicious cake or tart filling. Take a look at these chocolate tarts with lime curd if you don’t believe me. It’s good rippled through ice-cream too.
One of my favourite ways to eat it is to serve it on top of pancakes or waffles along with fresh berries and whipped cream. Yum!
And More
Or if you fancy perking up your morning breakfast granola, serve it with a dollop of grapefruit curd along with yoghurt.
For more ideas, click on my fruit curd category and you’ll find quite a few more, including baked lemon curd cheesecakes. Just do a direct swap with whatever fruit curd happens to be in the recipe.
Other Fruit Curd Recipes You Might Like
- Apple lemon curd
- Apricot & cardamom curd
- Blood orange curd
- Ginger & lime curd
- Passionfruit curd
- Raspberry & rose curd
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this grapefruit curd, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for making fruit curds?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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If you’d like more grapefruit recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have a select few. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Grapefruit Curd. PIN IT.
Grapefruit Curd
Equipment
- microplane (affiliate link) optional, but recommended
- balloon whisk (affiliate link) optional, but recommended
Ingredients
- 1 grapefruit juice and zest
- 175 g golden caster sugar or golden granulated sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 100 g unsalted butter cut into cubes
Instructions
- Zest the grapefruit into a non-reactive pan. Then strain the juice and add it to the pan along with the sugar. Place over a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.1 grapefruit, 175 g golden caster sugar
- Whisk in the eggs, one by one. Turn up the heat a little and cook the curd until it thickens. This will take somewhere between ten and fifteen minutes. Whisk it from time to time to keep the mixture light and to stop the eggs scrambling on the bottom of the pan.4 medium eggs
- Once the mixture has thickened to a custard like consistency and coats the back of a spoon, take off the heat. Whisk in the butter, one cube at a time. Wait for each piece to melt and blend in before adding the next.100 g unsalted butter
- Take the pan off the heat and pour into clean hot sterilised jars. Seal the jars and leave to cool. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
Notes
Blender Method
If you have a power blender, you can use it to make your curd. The friction of the blades creates enough heat to cook the curd.- Blend the juice, zest, sugar and eggs on a medium speed for 1 minute so that the sugar dissolves.
- Turn up to the highest setting and blend for four minutes. Check the consistency and if it’s thickened and custard like, start adding the butter. If not blend for another minute and check again. It could take anywhere between four and seven minutes.
- Turn the speed down to medium and blend for a minute whilst you add the butter. Drop the butter through the top opening, one piece at a time, waiting for each piece to melt and blend in before adding the next.
- Pour into clean hot sterilised jars. Seal the jars and leave to cool. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
Nutrition Estimate
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