This homemade Mango Curd is deliciously tangy, creamy, and sweet. A foolproof, kitchen-ready recipe that’s easy to follow with perfect results.
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What is Mango Curd
Mango curd is a mixture of fruit, sugar, eggs, and butter that is cooked into a rich dessert topping or spread with a silky smooth, pudding like texture. It’s buttery and sweet with intense tart mango flavor. It’s super easy to make and comes together quickly on the stove.
How to make
- Combine all of the ingredients except the butter in a nonreactive bowl (like glass)
- Set bowl over a pan of simmering water without allowing the bowl to touch the water. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. The temperature should reach 170°F.
- Remove the bowl from the simmering water and whisk in butter.
- Strain the curd into a nonreactive bowl. Press plastic wrap over the surface of the curd and refrigerate until chilled.
How to store
Refrigerator: Store mango curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 10 days.
Can you freeze mango curd? Yes! Store in the freezer up to 1 month. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Tips for success
- Use sweet, ripe mangos and fresh lime juice for the sweetest, most vibrant flavor.
- Use a nonreactive bowl, like glass, ceramic, or stainless steel when making mango curd. Acid in the curd can react with metal, giving the curd a metallic taste. (Stainless steel is nonreactive.)
- Make mango curd in a double boiler. It is highly recommended to use a double boiler when making mango curd. Double boilers heat much more gently than direct heat, which will lessen the risk of your curd breaking and your eggs scrambling.
- To make a double boiler, simply fill a saucepan with about 1 inch of water. Bring the water to a gentle simmer and set a bowl that sits comfortably over the saucepan without touching the water.
- Use a heatproof rubber spatula and whisk. I like to alternate between a spatula and a whisk. The whisk to make sure it’s smooth and the spatula to scrape the edges of the bowl.
- Stir the curd often as it cooks. Move your spatula or whisk constantly all over the bottom and sides of the bowl to control the coagulation reaction. You want it to be slow and gentle so that the curd becomes creamy and smooth.
- Take your time! Be patient and do not try to heat it too quickly or the eggs will scramble.
How to use
Mango curd is very versatile and is wonderful anywhere that you’d love a burst of refreshing mango flavor!
- Spread on English muffins, homemade biscuits, toast, or croissants
- Use as a filling for tarts, sandwich cookies, macarons, meringues, cakes, pies, or crepes
- Use as a topping for bread, scones, pancakes, waffles, or cheesecake
- Use as a sauce for desserts or ice cream
- Stir in yogurt, cottage cheese, or spoon on ice cream
- As a topping for my Mango Cheesecake
FAQs
The most common reason curd tastes metallic is due to using aluminum or metal bowls. The acid in lime juice tends to react with metal, and eggs can react with aluminum, turning them green. Use a glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl when making mango curd.
In addition, processed white granulated sugar has the tendency to make curd metallic. If your curd has a slight metallic flavor, try substituting raw sugar, like cane sugar, for the white sugar.
The most common reason why your homemade mango curd split is cooking the curd on too high temperature. Because curd is an egg yolk based u0022sauce,u0022 it requires gentle cooking so that the egg doesn't become scrambled. If the egg yolks become scrambled, the curd will no longer be creamy and will not bind together like a smooth sauce.
Another reason why your curd may have split could be because your butter wasn't cold. Cold butter is essential for emulsifying butter into a sauce. If the butter is melted or softened, it'll melt too rapidly in the mango curd, which makes it hard for the curd to emulsify the butter.
Another reason is combining the egg yolk and sugar too early. If the sugar is added to the egg yolks too early or before the rest of the ingredients are prepared, the sugar could potentially u0022cooku0022 the yolks. The yolks will turn chunky and no longer be able to produce a smooth sauce.
Do I need to strain homemade mango curd?
Straining the curd is up to personal preference. If you want a silky smooth curd, you should definitely strain it. If there are any bits of egg whites that got cooked, straining will remove them.
Is mango curd supposed to taste eggy?
No. Although mango curd is an egg based sauce, it should not taste eggy. Overcooking or scrambling the eggs can give an eggy taste.
Why is my mango curd not set?
Mango curd should be able to coat the back of a spoon when it's hot and becomes like pudding when it's chilled. Curd may not be set properly if it doesn’t contain enough eggs, has too much liquid, doesn’t contain enough sugar, isn’t cooked long enough, or was cooked over too high of heat and the eggs scrambled.
How thick is curd supposed to be?
While the curd is warm, it should be able to coat the back of a spoon. After it is chilled, it should be spreadable like a pudding.
How long does curd have to chill?
Chill for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. The curd will thicken as it cools.
Recipe
Homemade Mango Curd
Ingredients
- 1 cup mango puree 220g
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces ½ stick
Instructions
- Fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring it to a simmer over medium high heat.
- Whisk the mango puree, sugar, lime juice, eggs, egg yolks, and salt in a nonreactive bowl that fits over the saucepan without touching the water.
- Place the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water and stir constantly with a whisk and/or rubber spatula until the mango curd mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. The temperature should reach 170°
- Remove the bowl from the simmering water and whisk in butter.
- Strain the curd into a nonreactive bowl.
- Press plastic wrap over the surface of the curd and refrigerate until chilled.
Notes
- Use sweet, ripe mangos and fresh lime juice for the sweetest, most vibrant flavor.
- Use a nonreactive bowl, like glass, ceramic, or stainless steel when making mango curd. Acid in the curd can react with metal, giving the curd a metallic taste. (Stainless steel is nonreactive.)
- Make mango curd in a double boiler. It is highly recommended to use a double boiler when making mango curd. Double boilers heat much more gently than direct heat, which will lessen the risk of your curd breaking and your eggs scrambling.
Nutrition
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Jenna says
Can frozen mangoes be used?
Kelly says
Hi Jenna, Yes, frozen mangoes can be used. Just thaw them and puree them before adding to the recipe.
Zoe says
Can I can this recipe??
Kelly says
Hi Zoe, while curds can be canned, I don't know the specifics on the ingredient ratios or timings.
Alaina says
I used Carabao mangos and they were tart as can be. Not much mango flavor. However, I added Amoretti’s natural mango extract, omitted the citrus, and added 2TBL sugar. This is fabulous. I just may make another bath while this one is cooling.
Kelly says
Adding the natural mango extract is a great idea, Alaina!
Cookie Monster says
Fantasia stuff
Kelly says
Thanks so much, Cookie Monster!
mjskitchen says
I really don't know why I've never made a curd. I certainly love eating them. Your mango curd looks exceptional and for a mango lover like me - irresistible.
Kelly says
I eat the stuff by the spoonfull, MJ! Thanks so much!
Laura says
Thanks for all the tips and tricks for this recipe, Kelly! I've been wanting to make a curd from something other than citrus! This looks gorgeous and sounds so yummy!
Kelly says
It's a wonderful curd, Laura! Thanks so much!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Mangoes are one of my favorite fruits, so this certainly appeals to me. Have had plenty of lemon curd, but never mango. Need to correct that. 🙂 Good stuff -- thanks.
Kelly says
They're one of my favorites, too, John! And having them in a curd is pretty wonderful! Thanks so much!
Balvinder says
How tempting this looks! I have tried lemon curd but never thought of making with mango.What a wonderful idea!
Kelly says
It's a wonderful curd, Balvinder! Thanks so much!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
I made mango curd some time ago this year, but while it was quite tasty, the colour wasn't appetizing, kind of greysh/brownish. But those mangoes weren't too good, and I bet the key factor for making mango curd is exceptional fruit.
Anyway, this curd looks impeccable - luscious and such a beautiful colour!
Kelly says
I used some lovely Mexican mangoes, Ben. They were tart and sweet with a beautiful color. Thanks so much!
angiesrecipes says
So creamy, smooth and fruity. Pass the spoon over, please 🙂 I would love to dig right in!
Kelly says
It's wonderful, Angie! Thanks so much!