Print
Save this recipe!
Get this recipe sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from C+K every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Lemon Posset

  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes (plus 3 hours chill time)
  • Yield: 8 to 9 servings 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 25 reviews

Lemon posset is a creamy, citrusy dessert—the perfect small treat. It offers a rich texture and balanced lemon flavor that teeters irresistibly between tangy and sweet. Posset is so easy to make! Allow 3 hours for chilling. Recipe yields 8 to 9 small (2-ounce) servings.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream 
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon zest*
  • ⅓ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • Optional garnishes: Fresh berries (blackberries, raspberries or blueberries), mint leaves, or crushed graham crackers or pistachios

Instructions

  1. Combine the cream, sugar and zest in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Place a 2-cup glass liquid measuring cup next to the stove, because you’ll need it to determine when the cream has finished reducing.
  2. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar, and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. (If the mixture begins to boil over, it’s much too hot—briefly remove it from the heat before returning it at a lower temperature). Cook until the mixture is reduced to 2 cups, about 15 to 20 minutes. 
  3. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Let the mixture rest for 20 minutes.
  4. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and discard the zest. 
  5. Divide the mixture evenly between 8 individual ramekins or serving glasses.
  6. Refrigerate, uncovered, until set, at least 3 hours. Once chilled, possets can be stored in a carton with a lid (or wrapped in plastic wrap) and refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months. Unwrap and let them rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving (if frozen, allow them to defrost for 30 minutes or longer in the refrigerator). Garnish as desired and serve.

Notes

Recipe was created with references to America’s Test Kitchen’s method. 

*Lemon note: I typically need 2 to 3 lemons to yield the required zest and juice for this recipe. (Perhaps buy an extra lemon just in case.) When using the zest, buying organic citrus is best to avoid pesticide residues.

Change it up: Substitute another citrus for the lemon. Orange and lime varieties would make delicious posset. The interaction between citrus and heavy cream is key to the posset’s thickened texture (no dairy substitutions will work).

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

Find it online: https://cookieandkate.com/lemon-posset-recipe/