My easy apple curd is delightfully rich, full of flavor from cinnamon and sweet apples, and it's wonderful in so many desserts! Making a cinnamon apple curd is as simple as mixing a few basic ingredients on the stovetop, though it tastes anything but basic!
Apple curd: the must-have spread you’re missing out on!
Many people are aware of apple butter, but fewer are familiar with recipes like this apple curd. It’s a well-kept secret recipe that deserves to be shared!
Apple curd is a rich spread with robust apple flavor complemented by cinnamon in a rich, eggy spread. It’s like lemon curd but made with apples! While it’s a bit unusual, I would argue this is kid-friendly.
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The long-lasting leftovers make this a great addition to snacks, breakfasts, and desserts all week!
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
Perfect for Fall Favorites! Put this on pumpkin spice cake or shortbread cookies!
Amps Up Your Morning Meal! Curd is delicious with pancakes or English muffins.
It's a Unique Spread! This isn’t something you see every day. No surprises here. These are classic ingredients in all things apple-related.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*
🥘 Ingredients
Grab some fresh apples and get ready to enjoy this best ever treat! It's such a delicious spread for toast, English muffins, pancakes, waffles, and more!
- 1 pound Apples - This ends up being about 4 to 5 medium apples.
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice - Lemon prevents the oxidation that results in brown apples.
- 2 tablespoons Water - Add more, if needed.
- 3 tablespoons Butter - Portion this out into 1 tablespoon pats.
- ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar - Be sure to firmly pack the brown sugar when measuring.
- 1 large Egg - Bring your egg to room temperature then whisk it before beginning.
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon - As in most apple dishes, this can be combined with other related spices to taste if desired (cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, etc.).
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 Instructions
This recipe only takes 15 minutes to prepare and just under an hour to cook. You’ll need a fine-mesh sieve, a peeler, and a saucepan.
- Prep the apples. Start by peeling, coring, and dicing 1 pound of apples. Add them to a large saucepan with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- Cook with water. Pour 2 tablespoons of water in with the apples and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once you have a few bubbles, reduce the heat to low and allow the apples to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender.
- Cool the apples. When the apples are fully cooked and tender, mash or puree them until smooth. For a more textured curd, mash the apples by hand. And for a smoother texture, puree them in a food processor.
- Add remaining ingredients. Pour the puree back into the saucepan and add 3 tablespoons butter, 1 whisked egg, ¼ cup light brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Mix well and cook over low heat, stirring frequently. Don’t turn up the heat, or the egg will scramble.
Return to Heat & Thicken
- Cool and store. Once the mixture is thick, strain it to remove any lumps. Allow the curd to cool completely before storing.
Apple curd is delicious on many things, but I particularly love it on apple cider pancakes. Garnish with whipped cream or thinly sliced apples. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Add more lemon juice. If you’re using super sweet apples, drizzle in a bit more lemon juice and a little less sugar. Do the reverse if using very tart apples. I prefer to avoid the latter.
- Use creatively. Apple curd can be used as an ice cream topping, spread on muffins, or used as a filling in macaroons, cupcakes, or pastries. The options are limitless.
- Note the yield. This recipe will make enough for 6 servings, roughly 1 ½ cups of curd.
🥡 Storing
Store apple curd in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week or, if sealed in a sterile container, for up to 4 weeks.
Freezing
If you decide to store it in the freezer, you should do so immediately after cooking. Do not wait and freeze after leaving your apple curd in the fridge for a few days.
Be sure to leave space for expansion at the top of your freezer jars and eat within 6 months.
🍎 More Delicious Apple Recipes!
- Bisquick Apple Cobbler
- Baked Cinnamon Apples
- Apple Banana Bread
- Apple Strawberry Crisp
- Crockpot Applesauce
❓ Recipe FAQs
While they seem like they would be similar in that they are both apple spreads, they’re quite different. Apple butter is like concentrated apple sauce. It’s essentially blended apples with spices and sugar. Apple curd, on the other hand, contains all of those things with the addition of butter and eggs. Both are delicious on pancakes, muffins, oatmeal, bread, etc.
You might put apple butter in chicken and pork dishes or with a cheese plate, but you would be unlikely to do so with apple curd. It’s a richer, more dessert-like spread.
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe Card
Apple Curd
Ingredients
- 1 lb apples (4-5 medium apples)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon water (or more, as needed)
- 3 tablespoon butter (portioned into equal 1 tablespoon pats)
- 1 large egg (room temperature, whisked)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- To start, peel, core, and dice the apples. Add the apples to a large saucepan as you slice them, drizzling a small amount of the lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Add water and bring the saucepan of apples to a low boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender (about 20-30 minutes).
- Once apples are cooked and tender, allow them to cool before either mashing them (for a more textured curd) or puree them (for a smoother curd).
- Return the apples to the saucepan and add the butter, whisked egg, light brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Then, cook the mixture on low heat (to keep the eggs from scrambling), stirring frequently until the mixture thickens.
- Once thickened, strain the apple mixture to remove any lumps. Allow the mixture to cool before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- For sweeter apples, you may want to add slightly more lemon juice and less sugar. Vice versa for apples that are more tart. I usually avoid very tart apples like Granny Smith and opt for something a little sweet, like Honeycrisp.
- Apple curd can be mixed into ice cream, spread on top of muffins, used as a filling in macaroons, cupcakes, or pastries- and so much more.
- This recipe will yield 6 servings or 1 ½ cups of apple curd.
Angela says
Your ingredient and prep photos, and 'Notes' show or reference brown sugar, but your recipe & text instructions don't include it. Could you clarify if that's an omission, or if your photos don't match the recipe?
This looks interesting and I'd really like to make this.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Use 1/4 cup of light brown sugar to make this easy apple curd. Enjoy!