Homemade Mango Curd

This homemade Mango Curd is deliciously tangy, creamy, and sweet. A foolproof, kitchen-ready recipe that’s easy to follow with perfect results.

Jump to Section

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 Mango Curd at home

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.

step by step process how to make mango curd

How to store Mango Curd

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.

What to use Mango Curd for

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

Why does my mango curd taste metallic?

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.

Why did my mango curd split?

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 "sauce," 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 "cook" 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.