My Lemon Posset dessert recipe looks so elegant with a bright lemony flavor, and it’s the easiest recipe with just three ingredients: lemon juice, cream, and sugar that form a smooth and spoonable custard. I love to serve this in lemon cups or ramekins for a perfect springtime presentation, and it’s a great make-ahead dessert!
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Lemon Posset Video
Watch me use 3 simple ingredients to make lemon posset – a sophisticated lemon dessert fit for royalty. You’ll also see how easy it is to prepare the lemon cups.
Easy Lemon Posset Recipe
When I first tasted lemon posset, I fell in love. Even though it’s so simple, this recipe becomes a sophisticated dessert that makes you feel like royalty, which is a perfect description! Like my Eton Mess and Banoffee Pie, it’s a classic British dessert that was rumored to be one of Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite desserts, and even served at her wedding. I love bringing this dessert to parties and events because the presentation is adorable, served in lemon peels.
If it’s good enough for the Queen, it’s good enough for me! I just love the cheery color of the custard served in lemon cups. The smooth custard is similar to Panna Cotta, but the lemon juice sets up the cream without the use of gelatin or eggs. It’s a no-bake dessert with just 5 minutes on the stove.
Ingredients for Lemon Posset
Grab these three ingredients and a saucepan to make lemon posset in super cute individual-serving cups. To dress these up, once the posset is set, I like to top with fresh berries, mint leaves, slices of lemon, or homemade whipped cream.
- Heavy whipping cream – this reacts with the lemon juice to create the creamy custard—don’t substitute with anything lower fat, since it will only set up with 36-40% milk fat.
- Sugar – adds the perfect sweetness to offset the acidic lemon juice, and it dissolves perfectly when heated.
- Lemon juice – skip the bottled juice here since the flavor is dull and may not set up correctly. Bonus—you use the lemon peels to serve the custard. I like to get a big bag of inexpensive lemons at Costco, which work perfectly.
Can I Use a Different Citrus Juice?
For a twist on this lemon posset, try swapping the citrus for lime juice, half lemon and half orange juice, or even blood orange juice (increase the juice by 1 Tbsp). Be sure you have 5 Tablespoons so the custard will set.
How to Make Lemon Cups
To prep the lemon peels, cut them in half lengthwise and spoon out the inside juice and membrane. Reserve the juice for the recipe by mashing the pulp and straining it through a sieve.
How to Make Lemon Posset
To make the custard, you’ll need just 5 minutes of active cook time. It’s quick, so be sure your lemon halves or ramekins are ready before beginning. This recipe makes about 10-12 lemon halves or 6 ramekins.
- Boil – heat the cream and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture comes to a boil. Adjust the heat to keep the mixture from boiling over and keep at a medium boil for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. This reduces the cream slightly, resulting in a better set.
- Add the lemon – take the saucepan off the heat and whisk the lemon juice into the cream mixture, then set the pan aside for 15 minutes to cool. Pour it through a fine mesh sieve into a large measuring cup with a spout. This creates the super smooth texture!
- Fill the ramekins or lemon halves with about 3/4” of the lemon custard. If it’s thicker than that, it may not set properly.
- Refrigerate – put the cups into the fridge for 2 hours or until set. If you want to store it for longer in the refrigerator, cover with plastic wrap once it’s set so it doesn’t absorb any refrigerator smells. Garnish to your heart’s delight just before serving.
Why didn’t my lemon posset set?
Be sure to use heavy whipping cream, not light cream or milk. Also, be sure to boil the cream and sugar mixture for 5 minutes to reduce the cream to the right consistency. If the custard didn’t set, add another tablespoon of lemon juice and then boil for 2 minutes, cool, and chill.
Can I make dairy-free lemon posset?
If you swap the heavy cream with canned full-fat coconut cream, it won’t set correctly, but you can still serve it as a thick pudding or in a parfait.
Make-Ahead and Storage Tips
- To Refrigerate: Once the possets have chilled for about 2 hours and are set, cover with plastic wrap and store for up to 3 days. Between friends, I have enjoyed leftovers refrigerated for up to a week while testing scores of these, but they do start to get a bit of liquid condensation at the top that needs to be drained off with longer storage.
- Freezing: I wouldn’t recommend freezing since the custard can turn grainy or icy.
How to Serve Lemon Posset
While I love the simplicity of serving lemon posset in a lemon cup or ramekin, here are more ways to enjoy it:
- In premade crusts, like my Lemon Tartlets, or use it as the filling for a Fruit Tart with a Sweet Tart Crust.
- Layered in a parfait with granola, crushed graham crackers or shortbread cookies.
- Drizzled with Strawberry Sauce for a lemony strawberry cream dessert
- Topped or rolled into Crepes
- Poured over my mini Pavlovas
Lemons are one of my favorite ingredients in Spring. I love serving lemon desserts, like my Classic Lemon Bars, Lemon Cheesecake, and Lemon Curd, since the flavor is so refreshing, and Lemon Posset is in my top list of favorite lemon recipes. You’ll love how sophisticated these look – make them and you’ll impress everyone!
Lemon Posset
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream*
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 5 Tbsp lemon juice, from about 3 lemons*
- Lemon slice or berries, optional for serving
Instructions
- Boil – In a small saucepan, heat the cream and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so it doesn’t boil over and keep it at a medium boil for 5 minutes.
- Add lemon – Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, then set aside to cool for 15 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over a large measuring cup with a pouring lip.
- Fill – Divide the mixture between 6 ramekins or between 10-12 lemon halves* if you prefer to serve it that way. Fill your serving cups about 3/4” full so it sets up properly.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until fully set, then top with whipped cream if desired, along with a lemon slice or berries for garnish.
Notes
*Use real lemon juice, not concentrate. *How to Make Lemon Cups: If you want to serve out of lemon peels, cut 5 to 6 lemons in half lengthwise and spoon out the inside juice and membrane. Reserve the juice for the recipe by mashing the pulp and straining it through a sieve. Make-ahead & Storage: Once the possets have set (after about 2 hours), cover with plastic wrap, so they don’t absorb food odors, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Easy Party Desserts
Lemon Posset is one of the easiest party desserts to make and serve. If you want more crowd-pleasing dessert recipes, you’ll love these:
- Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Creme Brûlée
- No-bake Mini Cheesecakes
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad
- Tiramisu
- Flan Recipe
Super simple and delicious. I was in the middle of making a bunch of different sauces and dry rubs and had a ton of left over lemons so I made a huge batch. I also had a bunch of left over ginger so I cut some up and added it to the mix while it was boiling. The flavor comes through very subtlety and made it taste like a tea Almost.
Aren’t simple recipes the best? Especially when they are this good! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Teddy!
Such an easy recipe and absolutely delicious. Do you think you can substitute orange for the lemons? Not that it isn’t perfect, just wanted to try something different.
Hi Shelley! Yes, see the section above, “Can I Use a Different Citrus Juice?”
Thank you Natasha! This recipe is simple, refreshing and delicious. I have made it several times and it’s a hit in my house!
Sooooo delicious. It’s so easy and simple to make and tastes fancy. Very rich in flavor so honestly it’s best in smaller servings. I will be making this again. I added a little extra lemon and some zest and personally would add even more, I only had 1/4 c white sugar so I used brown just didn’t pack it down. Still worked wonderfully and I’m so excited to experiment with it
Hi Natasha!
I made the lemon recipe and overall it tasted alright but I tasted more of the milk flavor than the lemon flavor. I really like the lemon flavor and the recipe overall but I was wondering what I did wrong and what I can do better next time? I was also wondering what temperature to boil the milk at? Thanks!
Hi Hannah! I’m glad you liked the recipe. I wonder if it was the lemons used. I usually get good flavor. You can try adding lemon zest for more flavor. I would not add more lemon juice because it can effect how it sets. I do not use a thermometer to boil the milk, it’s not necessary. Just follow the instructions, once it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium and continue to cook for 5 minutes. I hope that helps.
i just made a lemon batch and lime batch for the first time. they were a HUGE hit! this recipe is SUPER easy. i picked up large lemons so i should have doubled the recipe. i’m planning to have some ‘fun’ with this recipe, finding different variations to see if they work (strawberry in the lemon shell, orange with dark chocolate for garnish, etc.). Thank you so much for posting this!
You’re so very welcome! I bet they were delicious with lime too!
Haven’t tried the recipe yet, but looks good. Do you know how much sugar you would use if you use Meyer’s lemons instead?
Hi Lisa! I didn’t test it with Meyers lemons so I am not sure. One of my readers tried it and it was to sweet, not enough tart but they did not reduce the sugar.
Absolutely Dreamy!! I substituted 1/3 cup honey for the sugar, for health reasons…crazy good!!
Can these be made about 4 days before my event?
You can make this ahead for up to 3 days. I recommend checking this portion in the recipe for tips “Make-Ahead and Storage Tips”
This was so simple and so deliciously lemony. I did use sour cream instead of heavy cream. To make up for the slight difference in milk fat I added a half a tablespoon of butter and some additional sugar too moderate the sour cream and finally I added a half a teaspoon of cornstarch. It’s set up very nicely and very tasty.
That’s great to hear that it works well with sour cream. Thanks for sharing the details on your substitution. I’m so glad you loved it!
Natasha, my granddaughter, now in her mid thirties, loves lemon. I will make this the next time they visit. My question is may I use sour cream instead of heavy cream? I usually use sour cream instead of milk or regular cream or yogurt in any recipe.
And just for funsies the way I found this recipe; I was singing the Candyman and one of the verses references a strawberry lemon pie which I thought sounded good so I plugged it into your website and this lemon Passat showed up.
Hi Gerard! I’m so glad you found this recipe. I think your granddaughter will love it!
I don’t recommend substituting with anything lower fat, since it will only set up with 36-40% milk fat from the heavy cream.
I made this and it’s sooooo good. Can’t wait to make it again soon.
I’m so glad you loved it, Glenda!