The Best Yuzu Curd Recipe: Easy Japanese Citrus Spread

If you’re looking for a tasty and tart curd with a twist, try this easy yuzu curd recipe. Similar to lemon curd, it’s packed with tangy citrus flavor!

If I were to make a Mochi Mommy’s Greatest Hits album, Yuzu Curd would be the title track. I brought this in to work and my coworkers, who hadn’t ever tried yuzu before, raaaaved about this spread. Then I brought a jar of this curd, along with my matcha scones (recipe coming soon!) to a playdate with all Japanese families, and they also all raaaaved about this spread – both the kids and parents! This yuzu curd is universal! It’s suitable for pretty much any occasion. A children’s Japanese-y tea party? Sure. A gift for a hangry girlfriend? Absolutely.

The best part is, it’s already really easy to make, as long as you follow the instructions. The only tricky part is really deciding when you feel the curd has thickened enough, but even a little variation in consistency will not prevent this from being the most delicious, citrus-y spread of your life. If you’re a curd-making pro, hit “jump to recipe” and head on down to the bottom. If this is your first time, I recommend at least skimming through the text to get some extra tips. 

What is Yuzu?

Yuzu is a citrus fruit popular in East Asia, especially Japan and South Korea. Like lemons, they have a yellow rind but are slightly more spherical in shape. Yuzu juice is very tart, with a flavor that withstands cooking and baking even without using yuzu zest. In Japan, you can find yuzu used in jams, jellies, sauces, drinks, and even in home goods like skincare and fragrances.

What is Yuzu Curd?

Like lemon curd, yuzu curd is a spread made by cooking citrus juice with eggs and sugar. Curd can be made as thin or thick as you like, from a drizzling glaze consistency to a thick pie filling. This recipe is meant to be more thin, so you can spread it on a scone. If you’re looking for a thick yuzu curd, like to use as a pie filling, stay tuned for my yuzu meringue pie recipe coming soon!

Some curds use only egg yolks whereas some use the entire egg. I loathe having leftover egg whites, so I made this recipe specifically to use whole eggs. You’re welcome.

Lemon curd also uses lemon zest, but as we’ve established that yuzu juice alone can withstand cooking while maintaining its flavor, this recipe only uses juice! No yuzu zest needed! This is great, because this means you can use bottled yuzu juice and not the actual fresh fruit.

Where to Buy Yuzu Juice? Yuzu Juice vs. Extract

I highly recommend buying bottled yuzu juice for this recipe. Fresh yuzu fruit can be difficult to find in the US. On top of that, yuzu is notorious for not producing much juice per fruit because of its abundance of seeds. UC Riverside found the average weight of juice extracted per fruit to be only 10.0 grams (0.35 ounces)! So unless you’re dead set on getting your arm workout by juicing tons of yuzu, just buy a bottled juice.

Now here’s the problem with bottled juice: different brands of juice might taste totally different. Some bottles will say “juice” but their ingredients will show that it’s actually an extract or concentrate which may or may not be diluted with water. Other bottles similarly labeled juice sometimes use a “second press,” which is much more diluted than first press. Yakami Orchards yuzu juice (picture below) is example of a second press juice. Still, acidity and flavor will just vary from brand to brand.

The only way to know for sure what you’re working with is to taste the juice. However, yuzu juice can be very expensive, and I’m guessing you don’t want to spend time and money tasting bottle after bottle. I recommend Yuzuco 100% Yuzu Juice, which you can buy on Amazon. It is pricy, but a little goes a long way when using a juice with a strong flavor. Another option is to use Shirakiku Yuzu Extract, which I find to be very sour and not quite as floral tasting, but it is cheaper. When using Shirakiku you may want to dilute more with water. 

Tips For Making The Perfect Yuzu Curd

My first tip for making yuzu curd is to always taste test your yuzu juice before cooking, especially if you are not sure how much you love yuzu or how much acidity you can handle. I like my yuzu juice to be more sour than lemon juice but not straight up burning my tongue. Depending on your preference, you may want to change the ratio of juice to water. Alternatively, you can increase the sugar to balance out a very tart juice. Those kinds of changes will not make or break your curd and therefore you can change the recipe to your preferences!

My next tip is to always use a double boiler. I know that some curd recipes say you can cook directly in a pot, but I have overcooked many a curd this way when I wasn’t careful. To really foolproof this recipe, I highly recommend a double boiler situation. You don’t even need to buy a specific double boiler apparatus. Simply bring a small pot of water to simmer and place a heatproof bowl on top. That’s what I do!

Finally, remember that curd will thicken more as it cools down, so take it off the heat when it’s just a little thinner than you like. Again, remember that this curd recipe is not meant to be as thick as a pie filling and will not hold up when sliced, so don’t overcook the curd thinking it will reach that thickness. The end texture should be close to jam.

Serving Suggestions

Once you taste this yuzu curd, you’re going to want to put it on everything. I personally love it on scones. I also ate this on toast with various breads from buns to sliced shokupan. I even used it as a macaron filling! Feeling fancy? Try it on pavlova!

Variations And Substitutions

As mentioned above, one variation you can make is to increase or decrease sugar slightly to your tastes. You could also substitute another citrus juice to make lemon curd, grapefruit curd, lime curd, or another very sour citrus of your choice.

Another variation you could make is to add different floral extracts. I personally think yuzu pairs well with orange blossom water or elderflower extract. Almond extract also works. I’m not a huge fan of vanilla paired with yuzu, but you could try it if you like.

More Yuzu Recipes

Are you as obsessed with yuzu as I am? Try these other recipes and stay tuned for more coming soon!

• Lemon Yuzu Cupcakes
• Easy Yuzu Pie
• Creamy Yuzu Pie Bars
• Yuzu Glazed Donut Hack