Delicious homemade curd made with mango (fresh or frozen mango or canned/tinned mango pure). Perfect on toast, as a tart or cake fillings, macaroons or chocolate truffles.
Why make this recipe?
- Great way of using up ripen mangoes
- Makes a lovely food gift for your family and friends
MORE FRUIT CURD RECIPES
What to serve mango curd with?
Just think about mango curd as any jam or marmalade type of spread. It’s great on toast, pancakes or fruit scones. You can also use it as a filling for cold puddings, such as cheesecakes, mouses, whipped cream deserts or pies.
I also use my homemade mango curd as a filling for my chocolate truffles, macaroons or little fruit tarts.
Mango curd is perfect with these homemade breads
- Sourdough Style Bread without Starter >>
- Soda bread (no buttermilk) >>
- Kentish Huffkings >>
- No-Knead Bread >>
My top tips on making mango curd recipe successfully first time round
Use very ripe mangoes for the best flavour
If not using a completely ripe mango, stew (cook) the mango before adding the sugar and other ingredients (this will help with the flavour)
Add lemon or lime juice and a pinch of salt to help intensify the flavour.
Any specialist equipment needed?
- Medium size saucepan
- bowl (glass) to fit inside/above your saucepan
- Sieve
- 2 medium sized jam jars
Ingredients & Possible Substitutions
Mango
Fresh Mango
Use ripe and soft mango for the best result. Mango has quite a subtle flavour, so it’s important to use very, perhaps even overripe fruit.
Frozen Mango
You can also use frozen mango cubes for this curd recipe. The only thing is that the frozen mangoes are likely to be made from firmer mangoes, which means that the flavour is not going to be that intense.
To counteract that, you will need to add more lemon or lime juice or citric or malic acid to add sharpness and slight sourness to the mango.
Depending on what flavour you end up with, you might also want to consider adding in a few drops of mango essence. I would rather get the flavour from the real thing, but if it’s not possible I think it’s nice to have that option of creating a mango curd that actually tastes like a mango.
Tinned (canned) mango
This is a very cost-effective way to make mango curd, just make sure you adjust the flavour of your tinned mango with extra lemon or lime juice or other flavourings.
Tinned mangoes are often preserved in a sweet syrup, so you might need to adjust the amount of sugar you are adding in. You might not even need to use any, depending on how sweet you want your mango curd to be.
Mango Puree
If you buy mango puree in the shop, the chances are that it will be already made with the perfect mango flavour balance, sugar and lemon juice.
If you can check the percentage of sugar in the mango puree, this gives you a good idea of how much sugar you still need to add. If you start with 1/2 of the quantity in my recipe, that gives you a good base for your homemade mango curd.
Since you are using a ready-made mango puree you can skip the first few steps, add the sugar in straight away and carry on making the recipe.
MORE MANGO RECIPES
Butter
Unsalted butter is best for this recipe, but you can use a part salted and part unsalted butter as well. Make sure that if you use salted butter you don’t add more salt to the recipe.
For the traditional mango curd recipe I use regular dairy butter.
Sugar
Caster sugar is best for this recipe, because it dissolves quicker (the sugar crystals are small). You can also use granulated white sugar.
Mango has quite a subtle flavour, you want to be careful with what type of sugar you use.
I wouldn’t recommend using any brown or dark sugars, coconut sugar or its alternatives as it would change the flavour of the mango curd too much and the sugar would also spoil the colour.
Saying that you can actually use honey or agave syrup with this recipe. Just swap the same amount of honey or agave syrup for the caster sugar.
You will achieve a slightly mellow, sweeter taste and the honey or agave syrup will come through really nicely. Again, I wouldn’t use any darker natural sugar syrups (like date, maple or carob syrups) because the flavour and colour would suffer.
If you want to know more about what type of sugar to use, you can refer to my Marmalade Making Tips Guide which covers this topic really well.
SUGAR SYRUP RECIPES
Eggs
The fresher eggs you use the better because they will emulsify (cream in) better. It’s your call if you use whole eggs or egg yolks, there are some advantages and disadvantages to both methods.
I prefer to use just egg yolks because it thickens the curd a lot quicker and the eggs don’t scramble. You also won’t get that ‘eggy’ taste which could be a problem with some less flavour intense kinds of mango.
I usually use medium to large size eggs, but over the years I’ve probably used mixed sizes too. It’s just a matter of simmering the curd for a bit longer if you need to towards the end of the cooking process if the mixture is too liquidy.
Salt
Salt is totally optional, but I think it helps to balance out the flavours and especially helps if you have a bland flavoured mango.
Lemon or Lime Juice
Great to finish flavouring your homemade mango curd to achieve that zingy and sharp flavour.
Citric or Malic Acid
As weird as these ingredients sound, these are completely natural ingredients. Made from lemons (citric acid) or apples (malic acid) they come in small containers looking like larger sugar crystals. They are great for adding sharp and zingy flavour (citric acid) and sourness (malic acid).
They are very inexpensive to buy and last a long time, which means it’s quite handy to have them at home especially if you are into sweet making, curds, jams or marmalade making.
To use citric or malic acid, just add a few crystals into your curd, jam or sweet and let them dissolve. Taste and add more if needed as a little goes a long way and you only want to support the flavour of the fruit that’s already there, not to overpower it.
MORE FRUIT PUREE RECIPES
The method – How to make mango curd
Peel and chop up the fresh mango (or scoop out the mango flesh).
Grate the lemon rind to get as much lemon grind as possible, but avoid grating the white pith under the lemon skin.
Juice the lemon and pour the juice through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of any pith, pips or large pulp.
Add the lemon juice and the lemon zest with the fresh mango to a medium size saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer over a low to medium heat on your hob until the mango softens.
You can also do this in a microwave (stir and check the mango every minute or so until soft). If you are using canned or tinned mango puree you don’t need to do this step.
Pass the softened mango through a sieve to get rid of any large parts and to make sure the puree is very smooth. You can also use a food processor to puree the mango, but pass it through the sieve too at the end.
In a suitable bowl (glass or heat proof plastic) mix sugar with the mango puree and add a pinch of salt.
Place the bowl over the saucepan and let the sugar dissolve first. Stir gently to make sure all ingredients are incorporated and the sugar has dissolved properly (check on the back of a clean spoon for any sugar crystals).
Add the butter and let the butter melt into the puree.
Taste the puree and add more lemon juice or citric acid if the flavour is not sharp enough.
In the meanwhile, beat the eggs together first (using either 4 egg yolks or 2 whole eggs).
Add the eggs to the main mixture slowly and lower the heat to very low.
Carry on stirring the mango curd mixture, ensuring that the heat is very low and that the water doesn’t boil (only simmers).
Stir gently for another 10-15 minutes or until the mixture thickens and becomes smooth and creamy. Check on the back of your wooden spoon how runny the mixture is (if it doesn’t run off the spoon, it’s ready).
To achieve a smooth mango curd, pour and press the hot mixture through a fine sieve.
Pour carefully into a prepared (sterilised) jam jar or deep bowl. Cover with a jam jar lid or place a cling film over the bowl.
Keep in a refrigerator and use within 1-2 weeks.
MORE JAMS & MARMALADE RECIPES
How else you can make this recipe?
- Mango & Gin Curd – add 2 tablespoons of gin right at the end of the cooking process
- Mango & Honey Curd – swap the sugar for honey and follow the recipe as it is
- Mango & Ginger Curd – add ground ginger to the mango puree to add warmness to the curd
- Mango & Cardamom Curd – crush a teaspoon (or two) of cardamom pods and add them to the first stage of making the mango puree to let the fruit infuse with the cardamom. Pass through the sieve to discard the cardamom and carry on with the recipe
- Mango & Vanilla Curd – Add vanilla essence or paste to the finished curd to soften the sharpness of the mango flavour
- Mango & White Pepper Curd – add a pinch of ground white pepper to the existing recipe to add warmness and a little kick to the mango curd
Allergies, dietary requirements
This recipe contains eggs and although we have cooked them, this recipe might not be suitable for anyone who is avoiding fresh (raw) eggs.
This recipe is not suitable for vegan diets and it’s not dairy free as it contains butter.
- Gluten free
Batch Size
This recipe makes 1 large jar or 2 small sized jam jars or similar size glass jars. I purposely made this recipe on a smaller size because curds have a shorter shelf life and unless you want to give some away, they are not going to last very long.
I scale up or down this recipe?
You can make a very small batch of this recipe – I’ve done that a few times when I only had one mango. Half all the ingredients and carry on with the recipe as it is. The puree will set a lot quicker when you have a smaller quantity so bear that in mind when you get to the last part of the cooking.
If you fancy making more of this delicious mango curd, you can easily double the quantity of the ingredients in the recipe and make more!
You have to make sure that you get a large saucepan and larger mixing bowl. The simmering time might not be much longer than the standard recipe as the saucepan/bowl/heat will increase with the recipe.
MORE MARMALADE RECIPES
- Tangerine Marmalade (all in one method) >>
- Orange & Lime Marmalade >>
- Traditional Seville Oranges Marmalade (smaller batch) >>
- Orange Marmalade (reduced sugar) >>
How to store mango curd
Store in an airtight container (jam jar or similar) in the fridge for up to 1-2 weeks. Once opened, eat within 7-10 days, but keep an eye on it just in case it goes off sooner.
You can also freeze mango curd by cooling it down completely and then placing it into a strong freezer bag (that can expand if needed) or a suitable plastic container with a lid. You can keep the lime curd frozen for 1-3 months, then defrost it and use it straight away (whilst storing it in the fridge).
Mango curd shelf life
1-2 weeks unopened in the fridge
7 days once opened
1-3 months frozen (could be longer – you are welcome to test it yourself)
1 month unopened in the fridge (if alcohol is added)
LIKE THIS RECIPE? SAVE IT FOR LATER
Mango Curd
Equipment
- Medium size saucepan
- bowl (glass or suitable heat proof plastic) to fit inside/above your saucepan
- 1 large sized jam jar or 2 smaller jam jars
- plastic sieve
- food processor optional (can help, but not necessary)
Ingredients
- 500 grams fresh mango 3 cups packed with fresh or frozen mango chopped in small pieces or 1 and 1/2 cup of ready made mango puree
- 2-4 tablespoons lemon juice depends on your mango flavour & your taste
- 1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest depends on how strong you want the sharpness of your mango curd to be
- pinch fine cooking salt cooking salt
- 120 grams caster sugar or fine white sugar – 1/2 cup
- 100 grams unsalted butter 1/2 cup or 7 tablespoons or 1 stick
- 4 egg yolks or 2 whole eggs
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon citric acid optional if the mango flavour is not sharp enough
Instructions
- Peel and chop up the fresh mango (or scoop out the mango flesh).
- Grate the lemon rind to get as much lemon grind as possible, but avoid grating the white pith under the lemon skin.
- Juice the lemon and pour the juice through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of any pith, pips or large pulp.
- Add the lemon juice and the lemon zest with the fresh mango to a medium size saucepan and bring to gentle simmer over a low to medium heat on your hob until the mango softens. You can also do this in a microwave (stir and check the mango every minute or so until soft). If you are using canned or tinned mango puree you don’t need to do this step.
- Pass the softened mango through a sieve to get rid of any large parts and to make sure the puree is very smooth. You can also use a food processor to puree the mango, but pass it through the sieve too at the end.
- In a suitable bowl (glass or heat proof plastic) mix sugar with the mango puree and add a pinch of salt.
- Place the bowl over the saucepan and let the sugar dissolve first. Stir gently to make sure all ingredients are incorporated and the sugar has dissolved properly (check on the back of a clean spoon for any sugar crystals).
- Add the butter and let the butter melt into the puree.
- Taste the puree and add more lemon juice or citric acid if the flavour is not sharp enough.
- In the meanwhile, beat the eggs together first (using either 4 egg yolks or 2 whole eggs).
- Add the eggs to the main mixture slowly and lower the heat to very low.
- Carry on stirring the mango curd mixture, ensuring that the heat is very low and that the water doesn’t boil (only simmers).
- Stir gently for another 10-15 minutes or until the mixture thickens and becomes smooth and creamy. Check on the back of your wooden spoon how run the mixture is (if it doesn’t run off the spoon, it’s ready)
- To achieve a smooth mango curd, pour and press the hot mixture through a fine sieve.
- Pour carefully into a prepared (sterilised) jam jar or deep bowl. Cover with a jam jar lid or place a cling film over the bowl.
- Keep in a refrigerator and use within 1-2 weeks.
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