Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Ultra silky and smooth.
Taste: Bright citrus with the perfect amount of sweetness.
Ease: SO easy to make! You only need 3 ingredients.
Top Tip: It’s VERY important to make sure the cream mixture has reduced to exactly two cups. Otherwise, the dessert will not set properly.
Would I make this again? Absolutely! Lemon posset is so underrated in my opinion! It’s a delightfully light dessert to round out so many meals. Plus you can make it in advance!
xoxo erin
Featured Comment
From Christa: “I was a little nervous to try this recipe because the boiling down part seemed fancier than what I am used to. It ended up being really easy and the result was delicious! Fiancé asked if we can add this one to our list to make again!”
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this lemon posset. Jump to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Cream: Be sure to use heavy whipping cream for a rich, cream flavor that sets up properly in the fridge. There’s no substitute! Using anything else will make it runny.
- Juice/zest: Both contribute to the bright lemon flavor, but the juice is key to helping the posset set up. You can use regular or Meyer lemons. You could also try this recipe with lime juice/zest for lime posset or use oranges for orange posset.
- Berries: This lemon posset pairs so well with fresh raspberries, but blueberries, strawberries, and other fresh fruit will also work. You could also top it with raspberry compote or raspberry coulis!
How to Make Lemon Posset
Here’s an overview of how to make this recipe. You can jump to the recipe for the full instructions!
Be ready to keep a close eye on the mixture while it cooks so it doesn’t boil over! Bring the cream, sugar, and zest to a boil, then simmer to dissolve the sugar. Stir frequently!
Reduce it to exactly 2 cups! I start checking it around the 8 minute mark. You can pour the mixture into the measuring cup to check and then pour it back into the saucepan if it needs to reduce more. Keep it in the measuring cup once it hits 2 cups.
Add the lemon juice and let it cool for 20 minutes. I recommend using a fine-mesh strainer to remove the zest before dividing the mixture into the 6 ramekins. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 3 hours. Top with berries to serve!
Lemon Posset (3 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
- 2/3 cup (133g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest, about the zest of 2 large lemons
- 6 tablespoons (90ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup raspberries or blueberries for serving
Instructions
BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
- Have a 2-cup glass measuring cup ready as you prepare this posset. You want to reduce the cream and lemon mixture to exactly 2 cups for the best consistency. The best way to do this is to pour the mixture into the measuring cup once or twice during boiling to monitor the amount. Set out 6 small ramekins or dessert cups to pour the custard into once reduced.
FOR THE POSSET:
- Combine the heavy cream, sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer the mixture, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar, for8-12 minutes until the mixture is reduced to 2 cups (start checking the amount around 8 minutes of simmering). Do not leave the mixture unattended as it can boil over.
- Pour the mixture into the 2-cup glass measuring cup and stir in the lemon juice. Let the mixture cool for about 20 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Divide the mixture evenly among the 6 individual ramekins or dessert cups.
- Refrigerate the possets (uncovered) for at least 3 hours, then cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Serve topped with fresh berries.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in July 2022. It was updated with new photos and instructions in September 2025.
Do I have to strain the lemon zest out or can I leave it in?
Hi Sarah, we recommend straining the cream before portioning it into the individual ramekins/cups to get a smoother finish. The longer the zest stays in the posset, the greater chance of it adding a bitter note to the dish too. We hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe!
Can this be scaled up easily? Need to make at least 24 instead of 6.
Hi there, yes you can quadruple the recipe to make 24 ramekins. It may take longer to simmer so it will still be key to measure out the mixture along the way. You want to make sure it reduces to exactly 8 cups. If you don’t have a measuring cup and pot large enough, you could also make the recipe in batches to keep it more manageable. We hope you enjoy the posset!
I would like to make this for a luncheon and was wondering if you think cherry pie filling would be good for on top instead of fresh fruit?
Hi Ann, that’s a fun idea! It could work, but we’d recommend starting with just a small dollop of cherry pie filling on each since the posset is more of a delicate dessert. The filling will also add more sweetness than the fresh fruit topping. We’d love to hear how it goes!
Regarding the cream fat content is it 35% for it to be “heavy cream”…. In Australia we have thickened cream 35% fat content would that suffice?
Hi Clare, thank you for your question! Heavy cream has about 36 – 40% fat content. Thickened cream is probably the closest thing to American heavy cream, though it has a a little lower fat content. It should work fine, but could result in a little runnier posset due to the difference in fat content. We hope this helps!
There is a mistake in “instructions”. All ingredients have to be combined. Also lemon juice. That’s why it has to boil down to 2 cups.
Hi Helene, thank you for your comment. All ingredients are combined in the instructions. In step 1, the cream, sugar, and lemon zest get reduced to 2 cups and then in step 2, that mixture gets poured into a measuring cup and that’s when the lemon juice is stirred in. We hope this helps!
Is it normal for it to smell a little sour??
Hi Khloe, you may be picking up on the acidic lemon juice combining with the heavy cream. As long the ingredients are not expired and you stir the mixture frequently while it’s simmering, you should be all good. We hope you enjoyed the lemon possets!
Would you be able to use whipping cream instead? I looked for heavy whipping cream at my store but they didn’t have any so I bought whipping cream, its fat content in just slightly lower (35%)
Hi Khloe, the heavy whipping cream (double cream) is what causes the posset to set up correctly in the fridge and achieve the right consistency. Any substitutes will most likely lead to a runny posset, but if you decide to give the whipping cream a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
I have used whipping cream for this recipe as I cannot get heavy cream where I live. It worked perfectly. The posset is amazing. All my guests loved it. Thank you for posting this.
We’re so glad to hear the posset was such a hit! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us!
Would the posset still set if I use more lemon juice (like 3 lemons instead of 2)?
I love extra lemony desserts.
I would add some lemon extract rather than more lemon juice if you want extra lemon flavor. I hope this helps!
I need to make this sugar-free. If I use Splenda, will it thicken up enough, or would I need to add gelatin? Thanks.
I haven’t tried making this with Splenda so I’m not sure how it would turn out. My guess would be you’ll need to add 1 teaspoon of gelatin to the mixture while it’s heating to ensure the posset sets up. I hope this helps!
I’m confused. If your starting with 2 cups cream, how are you reducing it to 2 cups?
You’re also adding sugar and lemon juice – so the mixture starts off as more than 2 cups. I hope that makes sense!
Are you adding lemon juice while boiling or just zest. Or is it 2 cups of cream, sugar, and zest, reduce to two cups. I understood it as the juice went in only after the heating process.
Mine is chilling at the moment but the spatula was delightful!
You add just the lemon zest when it’s boiling and strain it out. This just adds a little more lemon flavor! I hope you enjoyed it 🙂
I was a little nervous to try this recipe because the boiling down part seemed fancier than what I am used to. It ended up being really easy and the result was delicious! Fiancé asked if we can add this one to our list to make again.
So simple and so delicious. I have a ton of lemons and this a great and tasty way to go thru a couple.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s one of my favorite ways to use up lemons too 🙂
Do you have a dairy free option for this?
Do you think coconut cream would give a similar result? I love all things lemon especially with any berry.
I would need to test this with coconut cream! I’m not sure how it would turn out – my guess is it wouldn’t have the same texture!
I am with you, Rhonda. I am Paleo and dairy free. Was wondering if canned coconut cream would you substitute for heavy whipping cream. I will try it.
How did it turn out with coconut cream?
Hi Catharine, unfortunately a dairy-free version would most likely require a whole different recipe and set of instructions. We think something with full-fat canned coconut milk might work but we haven’t tested it yet. Our readers are great about sharing their experiences with substitutions so hopefully they can share if they’ve tried this out. Happy baking!