If you’re looking for a perfect way to use up blackberries at their peak or just have frozen blackberries you want to use up, this blackberry curd is it. Smooth and sweet, but also tart and tangy, it sets beautifully and works well on everything from pancakes to crumpets.
If you love homemade curds as much as I do, be sure to try this reader favourite easy lemon curd and my favourite homemade passionfruit curd
What is curd?
Fruit curd is a mixture of butter, eggs, sugar and fruit juice or puree. The ingredients are mixed and heated until thick then left to set so it can be used as a sweet spread or filling.
Ingredients for blackberry curd
With just 5 simple ingredients, this luscious and vibrant curd takes less than 1/2 an hour to make and it’s so so simple.
- Blackberries (2): You can use fresh or frozen and each will give a different flavour depending on how ripe they are when picked. I almost always use frozen in this recipe so I can make it year round.
- Eggs (1): You’ll just need 1 whole egg and 2 yolks
- Butter (3): just a small amount gives it a classic buttery curd flavour.
- Lemon juice (4): This adds tang and also helps the curd set.
- Sugar (5): You can sweeten this curd to taste. I find 1/2 a cup the perfect amount to sweeten it but still leave the curd zingy.
How to make it
You’ll love how easy it is to make this berry-licious curd.
- Start by heating blackberries (this makes them release their juices more easily) then blend them to a puree. Strain the puree (image 1) to separate the seeds and juice (image 2) and discard the seed portion.
- Simmer the puree until reduced and very thick (image 3).
- Add sugar, lemon juice and eggs and whisk together (image 4). Heat and stir to dissolve the sugar.
- Now start adding the butter a few pieces at a time (image 5), stirring and letting them melt before adding more.
- When it’s done it will thickly coat the back of a spoon and will hold a line that you draw in it with your finger (image 6).
Tips for making curd
- Strain out seeds: If you’re using a fruit like blackberries, make sure to strain the seeds out of the puree first.
- Concentrate the puree: I like to simmer the puree on it’s own for around 10 minutes until very thick. This removes excess water giving the curd a thicker end consistency.
- Whisk immediately on adding the eggs: The mixture at this point will still be a little warm, so to prevent the eggs from scrambling whisk them straight away.
- Don’t stop stirring: Once the puree is ready, the curd will only take 7-10 minutes to thicken and you must keep stirring throughout this time so the eggs don’t scramble.
- Strain the curd: Once it’s all finished, press it through a strainer to make sure any lumps or stray seeds, or bits of cooked egg are removed.
Uses for blackberry curd
- In pies and tarts
- Mixed through a no-bake cheesecake
- Mixed with some whipped cream and cream cheese to make a dessert dip
- Mixed through ice cream, to make blackberry swirl ice cream
- On toast, crumpets, pancakes or scones (like below).
- Stirred into your morning oatmeal or porridge
- Or as the sauce on a dessert pizza. Just spread it on your baked pizza dough base, then top with fruits, cream and chocolate shavings.
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Homemade Blackberry Curd
This Homemade Blackberry Curd recipe is silky-smooth and incredibly delicious. Using fresh or frozen blackberries it's so quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen blackberries (approx 330g / 11.6oz) (notes)
- 1 large whole egg
- 2 egg yolks (from large eggs)
- 57 g unsalted butter (¼ cup / ½ stick / 2oz)
- 100 g caster sugar (½ cup / 3.5oz)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (notes 1)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- These small Weck jars are perfect for storage
Instructions
- Heat the blackberries in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, then blend to a puree in a blender.
- Push the puree through a strainer until you have ¾ cup. Discard any seeds and pulp left behind.
- In a small / medium heavy-based saucepan, heat the puree over low-medium heat until simmering. Stirring quite regularly, let it simmer and reduce until you have just over ⅓ cup of reduced puree. It will be very thick by this point. (notes 2)
- In this order so the eggs don't scramble: Add the lemon juice and sugar to the puree in the saucepan and whisk to combine. Now add the egg and egg yolks and immediately whisk until full combined.
- Switch to a spatula and heat over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar completely.
- As soon as the sugar has dissolved, start stirring in the butter 2-3 cubes at a time waiting for them to completely melt in before adding the next.
- After about 5-6 minutes all your butter will be added and the mixture will be thick enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon – run your finger through it and if the line holds, the curd is ready. If not, continue to heat and stir until thicker.
- Strain into a bowl to remove any stray seeds, lumps or bits of egg that might have scrambled. Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge until cold.
Notes
- I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons)
- Step 3 – reducing the puree: This step is important for concentrating the blackberry flavour and the resulting consistency of the curd.
- You can swap the butter for a vegetable based spread if you would like to make this curd dairy free.
- This curd will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge, unopened. Once opened use within a week. It will also freeze well.
- To sterilise the jars, boil them in a saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes then set aside to drain, dry and cool. The second way is to wash the jars well with soapy water, rinse and then place them in an oven at 120C / 250F for 10 minutes. Let them cool.
Have you tried this recipe?Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.
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22 Comments on “Homemade Blackberry Curd Recipe”
could this be used in a cake filling or is it too loose?
Hi Diana. It can definitely work between cake layers. So there are two ways you can go about it. The first is like I used it in this blackberry chocolate cake in a thin layer on top of buttercream. The other option is the pipe a circle of buttercream around the edge of the cake layer, then infill the middle with blackberry curd. This way, it will be thicker so when you cut the cake, it may start to run but it’s not fluid like liquid.
This sounds like it yields maybe a cup (+/-) of purée. Is that correct? Want to make a tart with it but need to know how much one recipe will yield. Thanks!
Hello Lori. Yes, it makes just under a cup.
Hi Marie! I’m about to get started with your recipe for Blackberry Curd, (I’m using Marionberries), but I have a question. Have you tried canning the curd using the waterbath method? I’m out of freezer space and this is why I’m making the curd, but I’d like to put it on a shelf. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Sorry Sandra, I haven’t delved into the world of canning for extended periods yet, so I couldn’t tell you. I’d love to hear how it goes with the marionberries.
I’m interested in this recipé as have a lot of berries. Trying to cut calories- do you have a calorie count for your curd?
Hi Susan, yes it’s at the bottom of the recipe card but just so you’re aware, curd is a treat food and definitely not a health food.
OMG I just mad this and you are not kidding it is amazing!!! Not set yet, but confident it will as it does all the things it should. It has utterly transformed the nasty metallic tasting purée I started out with (I had already made this by boiling up the blackberries previously so didn’t do the microwave bit). Thank you so much for the recipe
So happy you love it Katy
Marie, thank you! I made it yesterday and it was fantastic! I made mini pavlovas, with meringue shells, the gorgeous blackberry curd, and whipped cream on top, with a blackberry and grated lemon zest for garnish. My friends were blown away by them, and we all loved it.
Terry, they sound absolutely amazing! So happy you loved the curd.
I want to make this but I have a few questions. You say to strain the puree until you have 3/4 cup. Then you say to cook it and reduce it until you have just over a cup.??? In step 5, you say to add the blackberry juice. WHAT blackberry juice??? In step 5 you add the butter…then in step 6, you add the butter! Also: in step 5, you say the mixture will thicken after about 6-7 minutes, while in step 7, you say 5-6 minutes. Your blackberry curd looks and sounds wonderful, but I am completely confused by your recipe as it is written. Please help!
Hello Terry, sincere apologies. This was an update of an old recipe and for some reason both old and new instructions had made their way into the recipe card. All fixed now. Thank you for letting me know.
I love curd, and this recipe was so delicious! Perfect on a piece of toast!
So happy you loved it, April
Is cornflour and corn starch the same thing?
Yes, Judy. They are the same
Does this thicken like a pudding? It reminds me of a dessert my mother made when we were kids. We called it raspberry mush, it was kind of a cross between pudding and jello. We ate it with milk and sugar on it.
No, it’s not quite as thick as a pudding. It’s more like the consistency of lemon curd. Raspberry mush sounds great to me though 🙂
It was sooo good, but none of us can remember how our mom made it. Oh, well.
Oh, such a shame. You could always try making the curd and from there you might be able to work out what it needs to get something like your mums recipe.