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
A Perfect Welcome Summer Treat!!! Fresh, Light and Party Fav!!! Thank You!!
You’re welcome, Jenny! It really is quite perfect.
Could I use other milks if I want to make this for my family that can’t do dairy? It is really so wonderful!
Hi Chrissy! It won’t set properly. You can use canned full-fat coconut cream and serve it as a thick pudding or in a parfait.
Can this be made using Allulose in place of sugar?
Hi Robin! I haven’t tested that, so I can’t say for sure. In theory, it should work- but it doesn’t behave like regular sugar. It may be softer than traditional posset.
Thus is so easy to make. I started with room temperature lemons, but found i was having trouble getting the lemons out of the skin. So I put them in the fridge overnight and it was much easier to handle.
I’m glad that helped it, Kelly! Thank you for sharing that with me. I’m glad you found it easy to make.
Hello Natasha,
I will be making this for a dinner for 8 in a few days. How many days in advance can I hollow out the lemons before making the actual dessert and once hollow do I need to keep the shells in the refrigerator? I feel they may become soft in the cool dry air of the fridge. Thoughts?
Cheers!
Hi William! That’s a great question. The shells are delicate so I would not prep them too far in advance- maybe 1 day. Keep them refrigerated but protect them well: Place in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. I would keep them cut-side down to help maintain shape.
Super simple and really beautiful! We tested this recipe out for Easter and everyone loved it. My son decorated each one with berries and mint. Thank you!
Yay I’m happy to hear that it was a huge hit!
I made this for Easter dinner and it turned out perfectly. The thing that takes the longest time is scraping the lemon from the shell! I used 3 large seedless lemons and could have gotten enough juice from just two, but I wanted to serve it in the scraped peel-cups. (I may just use ramekins next time.) This recipe filled all six lemon halves plus 4 ramekins, and at first taste, I feared it was not flavorful enough. I was hesitant to add any more juice or flavorings since this was my first attempt, but thankfully, the lemon flavor intensified once chilled. I served with a small dollop of sweetened whipping cream and a blackberry. It was super simple, silky, light, and happily, a big hit! Thinking cara-cara oranges will make a nice posset, too.
Thank you for sharing your experience trying this recipe! I’m happy that you loved it!
This was delicious and turned out perfectly. Great for our Easter dinner.
i cut the recipe by half and added a 1/2 t of my homemade vanilla. it filled 4 good sized lemon shells with about 1/3 cup leftover. i did fill to the top with no issue setting. delivious easy dessert. i used a serrated grapefruit spoon to remove the lemon flesh
I made these with an alternative sweetener blend of xylitol, erythritol and stevia. It is twice as sweet as sugar so I used half the amount. I also strained it immediately after adding the lemon juice and put it in cups, then straight in the fridge as I was short on time. They set perfectly and are absolutely delicious!
That’s great to know, Mercy! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Hi! I’m making these for Easter tomorrow. Quick question, I go Dairy free whipping cream, and I see The comment about it not setting properly with substitute. Can I add gelatin into the mix to fix that issue?
Hi Jen. I haven’t personally tested that, but I think it would be a reliable workaround. I would try about 1 teaspoon of unflavored gelatin per 2 cups per cream. Let us know how it turns out.