Lemon Posset (The Easiest Dessert Ever!)
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Have you ever heard of Lemon Posset? If not, run, don’t walk to the nearest grocery store pick up some cream…and some lemons!
“This recipe is absolutely delicious! It is my go to dessert year round due to the rich flavor, creamy texture, and easy prep.”
That’s it, seriously…well, and a bit of sugar. I kid you not, lemon posset is one of the most delicious, easiest and creamiest desserts you’ll ever make! Add some fresh berries and it’s perfect for a dinner party. Even though you make think this is a new “Tiktok dessert”, It’s been on my website for nearly 12 years. (This post was originally published on July 31st, 2013)
Back in 2013, I was researching pub food for a catering company. Not traditional pub food, like Cottage Pie or sausage rolls, but fancier gastro pub food. I stumbled across the website of a gastropub just outside of London and was a bit taken back by the menu. Scanning down to the puddings, (desserts) out popped….Posset! “What IS this posset?” Turns out this classic British dessert has been around for centuries!
What is posset?
Possets were originally used for medicinal purposes, as the The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as a, “hot drink made of hot milk curdled with ale, wine, or other alcoholic liquor and typically flavored with spices, drunk as a delicacy or as a remedy for colds.”
While the Folger Shakespeare Library describes it as having eggs and being similar to our modern day eggnog. We do know that posset has been around for hundreds of years and that Shakespeare refers to possets in several of his plays, including this line from The Merry Wives of Windsor…
“yet be cheerful knight: thou shalt eat a posset to-night at my house; Where I will desire thee to laugh at my wife.”
After researching several posset recipes online, my head was swimming in disbelief!
What is posset made from?
While old versions of posset used ale or wine to instead of citrus, most modern possets use citrus juice; lemon, sugar and cream. Could a dessert with just THREE ingredients really be THAT good? Yep, that’s it. I was still a bit skeptical…no cornstarch…no flour…no eggs?
Although this recipe is made with Eureka lemons, you can easily make a Meyer lemon posset. If you’re using Meyer lemons, which tend to be sweeter, you can reduce the sugar slightly if you wish.
How does a posset set?
Well, that’s where the citrus comes in! After boiling the sugar and the cream together, you add the lemon juice and zest. The lemon juice causes a reaction with the cream resulting in it setting up. The result is smooth and creamy texture very similar to a panna cotta. While it was traditionally sipped as a warm drink, now it is refrigerated to set up. Allow 1 hour of chilling time minimum for best results. Several hours is even better.
What’s the difference between panna cotta and posset?
Panna cotta means “cooked cream” in Italian. The difference between panna cotta and posset is that panna cotta uses gelatin, and posset relies on the acid in citrus to help it set. Here’s a recipe for Vanilla Panna Cotta.
Can a posset be made ahead of time?
Absolutely! This is a great make-ahead dessert. In fact, while it’s a quick dessert to make, it does require at least an hour or two in the fridge to set. It can even be made the day or night before you are going to serve it.
How long does lemon posset last?
Posset lasts about 3 days in the refrigerator, although it never lasts that long around here, as the portions are small, and the recipe only makes 6 servings. This is a rich dessert. So you can also make the portions a bit smaller and serve 8, especially if you add a bit of fruit on top of each serving.
Ingredients for posset
The best part about this lemon posset recipe are the simple ingredients!
- 16 ounces heavy whipping cream or double cream
- 2/3 cup sugar (4 2/3 ounces)
- 6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice and lemon zest from about one large lemon or two medium lemons
How do You Make Posset?
First zest one or two lemons. You should get about 3 teaspoons. Next, juice the lemon. You should get about 6 Tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Combine cream and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over a medium high heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle boil, and continue stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Watch the heat and lower if needed, to avoid the cream boiling over.
- Remove cream mixture from heat.
- Stir in lemon juice and zest and let sit for 10-15 minutes to cool. (This is especially important if you are going to be transferring the posset into crystal glasses.)
- Strain through a Fine-Mesh Strainer or sieve and pour into pretty Crystal Gasses, small containers, ramekins or even hollowed-out lemon halves .
- Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and chill to set, 1 hour or overnight.
- Allow to set completely before garnishing. For an elegant presentation add a bit of grated, lemon rind, fresh berries, or mint just before serving.
Can you make posset with any citrus fruit?
Orange Posset is delicious, and I have two varieties; orange posset.
Lavender, Honey and Orange Posset for a delicious floral spin on the original recipe.
Love lime? Try Lime Posset with graham cracker crumbs.
Can you make sugar free posset?
Absolutely! For a sugar free posset which is also low carb and keto friendly, I just substitute erythritol for the sugar. There is virtually no taste difference! Here’s my low-carb posset recipe.
What Can You Serve With Posset?
Lemon Posset is the perfect backdrop for just about anything! Top each serving with a sliver of lemon, fresh berries, a spring of fresh mint, or perhaps shortbread cookies!
Looking for more easy dessert recipes?
Strawberry Fool is another traditional British dessert.
Creme Anglaise with Fresh Berries
Lemon Posset
Ingredients
- 16 ounces heavy cream
- 2/3 cup sugar (4.7 ounces)
- 6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice and zest about one large lemon or 2 medium
Instructions
- First zest one or two lemons. You should get about 2 teaspoons. Next, juice the lemon. You should get about 6 Tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Bring cream and sugar to boil over a medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium, and boil about 8 minutes, stirring constantly, adjusting heat as needed to prevent mixture from boiling over. Remove from heat.
- Stir in lemon juice and zest and let sit for 10-15 minutes to cool.
- Stir mixture again. Pour mixture through a sieve to remove zest, and divide among six ramekins or glasses.
- Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and chill until set, a minimum of 1 hour or overnight.
- Allow to set completely before garnishing. Garnish with fresh berries or mint.
Video
Notes
- Mixture can be strained through a sieve if desired to remove zest.
- Meyer lemons can be used when they are in season.
- This recipe can easily be doubled.
Such a light and fresh dessert. perfect for summer.
This was delicious, refreshing, and so so easy! What a great dessert for the warmer weather.
I added lime zest and a tiny splash of fresh lime juice to it. it was delicious! I intend to try it with other citrus, like grapefruit or kumquat just to see how it goes.
lovely recipe. I topped it with a dollar of whipped cream, lemon/lime zest and a basil leaf. it was so nice, thank you
Super easy to make this yummy refreshing treat!
thank you Kimberly! Glad you enjoyed it!
It was amazin! So easy and so good!
Every time I make and serve Lemon Possett for guests they absolutely love it!!!!
Thanks Charlotte!
Parts of mine set and parts of mine remained liquid. Any idea what error I made? Thank you!
oh my! I’ve never had that issue. Did you use heavy cream? Did you stir it before you poured it into the containers? I’m not sure since it’s just 3 ingredients.
Just made this delicious dessert this week – so perfect and light for summer ! And not only easy but gluten free is a bonus for our family. I cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup and it was still plenty sweet for us- will probably try 1/3 cup next.
Thank you Liz!
I tried 1/3 cup + a scoop of sugar and it was stellar! Thank you so much for the advice!
I tried 1/3 cup + a scoop of sugar and it was stellar! It was tart yet sweet and so smooth! Thank you so much for the advice!
you’re welcome! Glad you liked it!
I wish I had cut the sugar down also. It was good, but far too sweet for me. I’m thinking of heating more cream and adding what I made to that to dilute the sugar. I hope it works because I love lemon!!!
Hi Sheliah, you could add another 1/2 cup of cream and maybe a bit more lemon and see how that works. Or just reduce the sugar as Liz suggested?
My posset was a bit grainy, is there a reason this could have happened or is this how it’s supposed to be. Otherwise I loved it! I added a bit more lemon juice to add more lemony flavor (Is this what impacted the posset?)
Hi June, it’s definitely not supposed to be grainy. It should be very smooth. I’m trying to think what could have gone wrong? You don’t need to boil it for longer than 3 minutes. Just enough to dissolve the sugar and thicken it slightly. “Gritty” sound like the sugar wasn’t completely dissolved? Hope that helps!
Thank you so much! I think last time I only cooked it for 3 minutes and didn’t let it boil for 3 minutes. It worked out wonderfully! It is amazingly sweet and creamy.
Good! I’m glad it worked out!
I made this recipe and it curdled. After reading on the internet, that happens if the cream is too hot. So cool it a bit first before you add the lemon juice to avoid that happening.
Did you read my post? First of all it’s supposed to cuddle. That’s the science behind it!
cook until sugar dissolves. so, cook s bit longer
Right, 3 minutes. Did you read the recipe and notes?
Wuper easy and awesome base. Perfect as is or to add other flavors in as well. I love adding Madagascar vanilla extract and some strawberry or raspberry juice then using some preserves as a topper. So great!
sounds wonderful!
… I always gravitate towards easy — and I love Meyer lemons ….
So easy! How’d you like it?
Me and my son made this together. It was simple and everything everyone said it was. My question is how do I get it a little thicker? It set up but was still a little runny after 2hrs in fridge.
Hi Justin, did you boil it for a full three minutes? If you don’t boil it for the full time, It won’t set enough. When that has happened to me, I freeze it and make a lemon ice cream of sorts!
I have had lemon posset and loved it, but never tried making it. This recipe looks amazing! I didn’t realize how simple it was to make!
So easy!
This was such a quick and easy treat that does not disappoint! Light, refreshing and delicious; perfect for another hot summer day, indeed!
What a perfect summer dessert! Thank you for sharing!
thanks so much!
What a lovely recipe, thanks for sharing!
thank you!
This seems like such a fancy dessert! I can’t believe it’s so few simple ingredients and so easy to make but still so good!
I live all things lemon! Can’t wait to try this!
I love that you explain the WHY of the steps, not just the HOW. Super useful and a very enjoyable watch. Thank you chef!!
I made this yesterday, following recipe exactly, even allowing it to set up overnight. I still found it very soft. It certainly tasted very nice, but I would prefer something like this much firmer. I looked up some other recipes and noted they called for more lemon juice, a half cup, to the same amount of cream. I wonder if that would help it set up more firm? Frankly, I would just as soon stick with custard.
Hi Debba, I’ve made this over and over for the last 10 years. The only time that has happened to me is when I haven’t boiled the sugar and cream for the full three minutes. You can try more lemon juice, but a 1/2 cup seems like an awful lot! Btw. This recipe is one of the oldest on the internet.
obsessed with it, thank you! every time i make it for guests they’re super into it too. and so is my wife who isn’t even much into deserts. i usually add the zest and a crushed basil leaf during the ten minute cool down period, it allows the flavors to infuse nicely and then i stir and strain it. i find that we prefer it smooth without the zest. such an easy beautiful desert! don’t understand why i labored on lemon curd all these years 😉
I LOVE the basil infusion! i can’t wait to try this!
I responded to your question, but you chose to not publish it, I see. The answer is: There’s exactly the same amount of sweetener in your low-carb recipe. So it would’ve changed nothing for Alfredia’s review.
Did you make this recipe and have any problems with it? I’m happy to answer any questions you personally have about this recipe and any problems YOU had.
i made the posset but used less lemon.i can’t wait for my family who are lemon lovers to taste it.
Awesome Janet! Less lemon means it’ll be sweeter though!
I was looking for a quick dessert and had all the ingredients for this. Love it! Sweet, tangy, and delicious!
definitely quick and easy! Thanks
This was such a great dessert! So creamy and delicious!
thank you!