Silky Raspberry Curd Recipe |Seedless & Foolproof Method|
This Raspberry Curd is intensely fruity, silky smooth, and surprisingly easy to make. I use a foolproof mixing method that helps prevent cooked egg bits and that unmistakable eggy taste, plus I’ll show you how to strain out every last pesky seed for a beautifully smooth, luscious curd with pure raspberry flavor in every spoonful.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Smooth, silky texture – I use a simple, effective ribboning technique that helps prevent both eggy flavor and small bits of cooked egg in the finished curd, giving it a smooth, silky texture.
- Seed-free finish – Makes the most of expensive berries! I show how to properly strain the raspberry purée, so you get the most from the fruit, and the curd stays luscious, without stray seeds.
- Bright raspberry flavor – The recipe keeps the raspberry flavor front and center without overpowering it with too much butter or sugar.
- Easy to enhance flavor – I frequently use lemon juice to bring out the best in the raspberry flavor, but orange juice or even a splash of red wine can beautifully enhance the raspberry notes.
- Freezer-friendly – Raspberry curd freezes beautifully for up to a year!
- Perfect for desserts – Delicious in cakes, meringue tarts, pavlovas, thumbprint cookies, spooned over sponge cake, cheese mousse or swirled into yogurt.
WHAT IS RASPBERRY CURD
Raspberry curd is a smooth fruit spread made with raspberry puree, eggs, sugar, salt and butter. It’s cooked gently until thick and creamy, creating a rich fruit filling that’s sweet, tart, and intensely flavorful. While citrusy lemon curd is probably the most well-known curd, the raspberry one deserves just as much attention. It has the same smooth, silky texture, but with a deeper berry flavor and gorgeous ruby color.
INGREDIENTS
- Raspberries – To make the purée, I almost always use frozen raspberries. They’re more affordable, available year-round, and easy to keep on hand. Fresh raspberries rarely make it that far in my kitchen. I tend to enjoy them too quickly to ever save enough for a purée. I usually save the fresh ones for garnish instead.
- Sugar
- Butter
- Lemon Juice
- Lemon Zest
- Eggs
- Salt
RASPBERRY PUREE
For a simple fruit purée, I cook 12 oz of frozen raspberries with 1/4 cup water until the fruit is very soft. Then I use an immersion blender to break them down into a smoother, more manageable texture before passing the mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
HOW TO REMOVE SEEDS
For even better juice extraction and a completely smooth purée, you can use a cheesecloth. It does an excellent job of trapping even the smallest seeds. If the weave feels a bit too open, simply double it up for extra security. Gently twist the bundle until no more juice comes through, then discard the seeds. If the purée seems too thin, just return it to low heat and let it simmer until it reduces slightly and thickens.
FOOLPROOF MIXING METHOD
My favorite way to make the curd is to cream room-temperature butter with sugar, then add the eggs, a pinch of salt, and finally whisk in the fruit purée. This “ribboning” method works so well because the butter fat coats the egg proteins right from the start. That coating helps buffer them against heat and acidity, both of which normally cause eggs to curdle too quickly and form little cooked bits. Instead of seizing up on contact, the eggs heat more gently and gradually as the mixture cooks, which is key for a smooth curd.
At first, the mixture may look a bit loose or even slightly separated, but as it cooks, it transforms into a silky, stable curd with a satin-smooth texture. Since I started using this method to make lemon curd, I no longer worry about scrambled egg bits in my curd.
WHY GENTLE HEAT IS KEY FOR PERFECT CURD
- It’s paramount that you cook curd gently, over a low heat. Heat that is too strong causes the mixture to heat up too quickly, which makes the eggs cook before they have a chance to gently thicken the curd. When this happens, the proteins seize rather than slowly coagulate, which can cause the curd to separate, develop a slightly eggy taste, and contain small bits of cooked egg in the final curd.
Egg Coagulation Science – Here are some fun facts: Individual egg whites coagulate at 144°F-149°F (62°C-60°C) and egg yolks at 149°F-158°F (65°C-70°C). Luckily, adding sugar raises the coagulation temperature to 176°F (80°C). - Indirect method – Use this method if gentle heat is difficult to achieve or control. Most curd recipes cook curd over indirect heat, using a bain-marie, over a pot of simmering water. This method provides gentle heating of the mixture, while constantly stirring, preventing the egg from cooking too quickly.
- Direct method – I cook the curd in a nonreactive pan (stainless steel) over low heat, stirring constantly. Using the foolproof mixing method makes it possible to cook the curd mixture over gentle direct heat.
HOW TO KNOW WHEN RASPBERRY CURD IS DONE
- Thermometer – Use a candy thermometer and watch the temperature closely. You don’t want the mixture to boil. Keep the heat steady and be patient, and once it reaches 170°F (76.6°C), the raspberry curd is ready.
- Spoon test – You can also check doneness with a simple spoon test: coat the back of a wooden spoon with curd, then run your finger through it. If the line stays clear and doesn’t run back together, it’s done.
- As it cooks, you’ll notice it gradually thickens and deepens in color, so be sure to stir constantly for even cooking.
COOLING
Even though I almost never end up with any cooked egg bits in my curd, I still like to strain the raspberry curd as a final step just to be safe and ensure it’s perfectly smooth. Then I cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. As it chills, it naturally thickens into a rich, silky curd.
SUCCESS TIPS & FAQ
- why is my curd grainy?
- how to fix runny curd?
- how to make seedless raspberry purée
- my curd is beyond repair. What can I do?
- how to store curd?
- how to use raspberry curd?
Why is my curd grainy with egg bits?
Heat control is key. Always keep things low and slow. Separation usually happens when the eggs start to coagulate too quickly. My foolproof mixing method helps slow that process down so everything cooks more evenly and stays smooth. Also, make sure there are no stray seeds left in the mixture, and a simple final strain will take care of any last bits for a perfectly silky curd.
How do I fix runny curd?
Make a quick starch slurry. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water or raspberry liqueur. Heat runny curd and pour in starch slurry. Heat until it thickens. Once you see a first bubble, heat for 10 more seconds. Remove from the heat, cover, and let cool. You can use the same method if you desire a thicker curd.
Best way to make seedless raspberry purée
To get a perfectly smooth raspberry curd, proper straining makes all the difference. Start by passing the purée through a fine mesh sieve to remove most of the seeds. For an even smoother finish, you can also use a double layer of cheesecloth, gently pressing or twisting to extract as much juice as possible without pesky seeds.
My curd is beyond repair. What can I do?
I’m sorry to hear that, but don’t. despair. When one window closes, 2 more open.
- Thicken broken, runny curd with starch slurry and use it as a filling in berry babka bread, Moravian kolache, swirl it into a light cheesecake tart, or raspberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies.
How to store curd?
- Fridge – Store curd in an airtight glass or plastic container in the fridge. It keeps for two weeks. I like to store it in the back of the refrigerator where it’s the coolest.
- Freezer – It also freezes well, for up to a year.
How to use raspberry curd?
- Use it as a filling or topping for classic sponge bundt cake, scones, crepes, desserts, cupcakes, and tarts.
- Swirl into the plain yogurt or drizzle some over whipped cream or ice cream.
- Pair it with meringue-based desserts like Pavlova or layered meringue cakes.
Raspberry Curd
Ingredients
Raspberry Puree
- 12 oz frozen raspberries
- 1/4 cup water Or use 1/4 cup raspberry liqueur
Raspberry Curd
- 1 cup thick fruit puree
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks from large eggs if egg yolks are on the smaller side, use 5
- 2 large eggs
- juice from one large lemon
- 1 tbsp zest, from one large lemon
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick, 113 grams
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
Raspberry Fruit Puree
- Cook frozen raspberries (12oz) with 1/4 cup water until soft. About 10-15 minutes.
- Process in a small chopper or use immersion blender to break up the mixture.
- Press through a fine mesh sieve. To extract the most out of the raspberry wrap the mixture into a double layer cheesecloth and twist the pouch until you no longer see raspberry liquid dripping into a bowl.
- If puree is too liquidy, heat it again and simmer for 10 minutes until it thickens slightly. Let cool and store in the fridge or freeze.
Raspberry Curd
- Beat room-temperature butter with sugar until smooth, add lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks, eggs, and salt. Beat well until smooth, then beat in raspberry puree. Mixture will look curdled.
- Pour the mixture into a non reactive sauce pan(stainless steel). Attach a candy thermometer and monitor temperature as you cook raspberry curd. Cook it on low heat. Make sure you heat it slowly. You don’t want it to boil as it may curdle. Keep it under 170F, as it reaches 170F it’s done.
- It the mixture appears too thin even at 170F, keep cooking, stirring frequently and keeping at 170F or slightly under. Mixture thickens and deepens in color as it cooks.Simple Test – coat the back of the spoon and run a finger across the spoon. If it holds the trail then it’s done.
Video
Notes
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Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
Hi, I’m Hani
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting Haniela’s. On my blog, you’ll find delicious sweet & savory recipes made with simple ingredients. Why not start a new adventure? Discover a world of cookie decorating with my step-by-step tutorials.
I always have fresh raspberries in the hose and just bought 3 containers yesterday as they were on a great sale. Would I be using the same amount of berries as you list if they were frozen and the sae amount of water?
also would like to know at what point can I do the water bath with the berries as you do not state that. I would also like to do that so I can use it on some other desserts I am intending to make. Have also gone on line looking for individual tart pans as I will not purchase from Amazon and pay their shipping charges.
Hi Suzanne,
when using fresh raspberries, I’d skip the water and use only lemon juice.
The method I use doesn’t require a water bath to cook the curd. You need to cook it an non-reactive pan – I use stainless steel.
You can try countrykitchensa, they sell individual tart pans.
Hi, do you think this recipe could work with strawberries? Thank you.
I think it should work with strawberries, though I haven’t tried it myself.
I realize this is an older recipe, but just found it wile looking for a curd made with puree! I have some already made puree that is frozen–about how much puree does the 12oz of raspberries make?
Thank you!
Hi Rachel,I use 1 cup thick puree to make the Raspberry curd, and that is approximately the yield I get from 12oz frozen raspberries. What are you making?
Stay Safe.
And doesn’t say when to add eggs.
Why 6 or 7 eggs. What would determine the amount off eggs?
Just updated that bit about eggs in the recipe. Thank for pointing that out.:-) If egg yolks are too small I’d suggest adding the 7th egg yolk.
How much does this make? 1 cup, 2 cups………
1 1/2 cups. Forgot to add that bit in the recipe. Thanks.
Thank you!