Lemon Posset
Lemon posset is a British dessert made from just cream, sugar, and lemon juice, no eggs, no gelatin, no oven, the acid in the lemon juice alone sets the cream into a soft, silky custard as it chills. It sounds almost too simple to work, and that’s exactly the appeal: 10 minutes of actual effort for something that tastes like you tried much harder. The name goes back centuries, long before it looked anything like the version in a glass in front of you. Top it with berries and a few crumbled pieces of our lemon scones for a bit of crunch.
Quick answer: Lemon posset is a 3-ingredient British dessert made by simmering cream and sugar, then stirring in fresh lemon juice, whose acid sets the cream into a soft, silky custard as it chills. No eggs, no gelatin, no baking, just 10 minutes of active work and a few hours in the fridge.
Instructions
Combine the heavy cream and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced slightly and coats the back of a spoon.
Remove from the heat and let sit for 1 minute. Stir in the lemon zest if using, then whisk in the strained lemon juice until fully combined. The mixture will look thin at this point, that's expected.
Let the mixture rest at room temperature for 20 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher or measuring cup to catch any curdled bits.
Pour evenly into 6 small glasses or ramekins. Refrigerate uncovered until fully set, at least 3 hours, or overnight for the best texture.
Serve chilled, topped with fresh berries, a few crumbled shortbread cookies, or a small dollop of whipped cream.
Questions people actually ask
The most common causes are not reducing the cream long enough during the simmer, using a lighter cream like half-and-half instead of full heavy cream, or not using enough lemon juice. Heavy cream needs at least 36% fat to set properly, and the full 6 tablespoons of juice in this recipe is the amount that reliably works.
This usually happens when the lemon juice is stirred in while the cream is still too hot. Let the cream sit off the heat for a minute before adding the juice, and always strain the finished mixture before chilling to catch any small curdled bits.
Yes, but Meyer lemons are less acidic than regular lemons, so the set can be softer. If you're using Meyer lemon juice, a pinch of citric acid powder added along with the juice helps ensure a firmer set.
Posset dates back to medieval England, where it originally described a hot, spiced, curdled milk drink often used as a cold remedy. The cold, lemon-set custard version most people know today is a much later development, and it's the one that's stuck around as a genuine dessert.
Covered, it keeps well for up to 3 days, which makes it a genuinely good make-ahead dessert for guests.
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