I did a blind taste test of four brands last week—yes, I have no shame. The winner wasn’t the $12 French import with a fancy label. It was the mid-range brand from a regular grocery store. The cheap one? Too gummy. The ultra-premium? Too sweet, like a lemon candy’s weird cousin.
Best Store Bought Lemon Curd - The Sweet Picks
The sweet spot is a brand that lists real butter and lemon juice as first ingredients. Bonus points if you can actually see tiny specks of zest. That’s your sign that you’re dealing with the real deal.
When to Make It Yourself (Sorry)
Okay, I’ll be honest: there are two moments when you should never use store-bought. First, if you’re making a lemon tart for someone who lives for homemade pastry. Don’t risk it—they can smell store-bought from a mile away.
Second, if you have lemons about to go bad in your fridge. Then you owe it to the produce gods to make curd. But for those other 350 days of the year? Grab the jar and never look back.
