Meyer Lemon Posset

by Dorothy Reinhold on March 24, 2022


Print This Post Print This Post 2 glass cups of yellow dessert with lemon zest on top with 2 lemons behind them on a white marble counter

Meyer Lemon Posset is a creamy, light, lemon-flavored dessert, sort of a cross between a pudding and mousse. Made from nothing more than cream, sugar, and lemon juice, it is impossibly light!

A posset is such a fantastic dessert, on several counts.

  • It uses a tiny number of ingredients
  • It tastes light and lemony tart, yet perfectly sweet
  • It thickens like magic. Even when you think it can’t possibly work, it does!

This is my second posset on the blog; 2 years ago at this time I made an orange posset. Both of them are wildly good, and I recommend either or both. For instance, if you were making desserts for a celebration or event, I recommend making them both and letting people choose.

How to Make Meyer Lemon Posset

A bag of sugar, lemons and a carton of cream are laid on a white marble counter to make Meyer Lemon Posset on ShockinglyDelicious.comFirst, gather your ingredients. For this Meyer Lemon Posset, you’ll need…

  • heavy cream (whipping cream)
  • granulated sugar
  • Meyer lemons, both juice and zest
  •  

White sugar being poured into a small silver saucepan with cream, sitting on a stovetopHeat the sugar and cream in a small pot on the stove, until the mixture simmers. Remove from heat and set it to cool for 20 minutes.

Left photo has a hand holding a microplane tool with lemon zest on it hovering over a white bowl, right photo shows a white bowl of lemo zest

Meanwhile, zest 2 lemons. It’s easiest to zest them first before you juice them.

Left photo shows a hand holding half a cut lemon with other lemons and the juicer in the background; right photo shows a hand pressing on half a lemon on the juicer with other lemons and a measuring cup in the background

Meyer lemons will have a few seeds. Flick them away! Cut 1 lemon in half and juice it. If you don’t have enough, cut the other lemon and juice it. You need 1/4 cup. 

A hand pours lemon juice from a small measuring cup into liquid in a silver pan, with a white bowl of lemon zest in the background
Once the cream and sugar mixture has cooled a bit, stir in the lemon juice and half the zest. You will be able to feel it thicken up a bit as you stir.

Meyer Lemon Posset in a silver saucepan sits in a skillet filled with ice cubesHere’s a trick I do to cool the whole thing quickly before I get ready to put it in the refrigerator. I fill a big skillet with ice cubes and nestle the saucepan into it, which will cool the posset down nicely.  This is entirely optional, but I do it to be more efficient with the refrigerator.

A hand holds a baster filled with liquid being transferred into 4 small glasses alongside a pot containing the rest of the liquid

Here’s the other trick: I use a turkey baster to transfer the Meyer Lemon Posset to the small glasses, to avoid splashing. Since I was going to take photos of this dessert, I didn’t want the glasses to look messy, so the baster helped keep it controlled. You don’t have to do that, but it’s a handy trick to know. Or you could use a pitcher with a spout to direct the liquid exactly where you want it to go.

A hand sprinkles lemon zest on top of a glass with Meyer Lemon Posset in it next to 3 other glasses on a white background

Sprinkle the rest of the lemon zest on top of the puddings.

4 glasses with Meyer Lemon Posset are on a refrigerator shelf with other jars and items

Put the puddings in the refrigerator for a least 6 hours, and ideally overnight. (See that yellow dragon fruit in there? Come to think of it, that would be great as a dramatic garnish on top of this! Or the kumquats behind that would be wonderful chopped small and sprinkled on top.)

Questions about Meyer Lemon Posset

What makes it thick? There are no eggs or thickeners like cornstarch, gelatin or flour in it.

Citrus juice acidifies the cream, which causes the proteins in the cream to clump. But the fat in cream prevents it from clumping tightly (like milk would if it sours and curdles into clumps or becomes grainy), and instead the posset thickens luxuriously. Heating the cream before adding the juice also affects the proteins and helps stabilize the gelled cream.

Can I use regular lemons instead of Meyer lemons?

Of course! I’m a big fan of using what you have and of trying new things. If you use regular lemon juice, it is likely more sour than Meyer lemon juice, so increase the sugar by 1-2 tablespoons (that’s my guess).

How far ahead can I make Meyer Lemon Posset?

You need to make it AT LEAST 6 hours ahead so it has a chance to set up, but 24 hours is ideal. So, if you’re serving it tomorrow night, make it tonight after dinner. I have had it in the refrigerator for 3 or so days with no problem, but I cannot speak to any time greater than that because mine didn’t last that long. If you plan to keep it longer than 24 hours in the refrigerator, I would cover the top with plastic wrap, so it doesn’t begin to dehydrate.

4 glass cups of Meyer Lemon Posset with 2 spoons alongside, on a white marble counter with a white napkin
Doesn’t that look delicious? Shall we make it? Let’s go!

Meyer Lemon Posset

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 7 hours

Yield: Serves 4

Meyer Lemon Posset

Meyer Lemon Posset is a creamy, light, lemon-flavored dessert, sort of a cross between a pudding and mousse. Made from nothing more than cream, sugar, and lemon juice, it is impossibly light!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice (it took me 2 lemons to get this; your mileage may vary depending on lemon size)
  • Garnish: Zest of 1 Meyer lemon, or coconut flakes, mint leaves, strawberries, etc.

Directions

  1. Pour cream and sugar in a small saucepan and stir to combine. Heat over medium-low until mixture simmers, and then remove from heat. Let it stand off heat until it is just cool, stirring once in a while, about 20-ish minutes.
  2. While cream is heating and then cooling, zest both of the lemons using a microplane grater and set that zest aside. Slice a lemon in half and squeeze it. If you have 1/4 cup juice, you're good to go. If you don't, cut and squeeze the other lemon and juice it until you have a total of 1/4 cup.
  3. Stir lemon juice and half the zest into the now-cooled cream. You will notice it thickening. Pour into 4 tiny glass goblets, shot glasses, cocktail glasses or whatever you have. Garnish tops with the rest of the lemon zest. It is very rich so I think it makes 4 servings. Place in refrigerator at least 6 hours, or better yet, overnight, until it firms up.
  4. Garnish with anything else you like, including coconut flakes, mint leaves, strawberries, etc.

Notes

Recipe source: Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/meyer-lemon-posset/

pin this please!Pin the image below for Meyer Lemon Posset to your Pinterest board to save this recipe

4 glass cups of yellow pudding with lemon zest on top are arrayed on a white marble counter, with the recipe title superimposed on the photo

Thanks for visiting…are you hungry for more? Follow Shockingly Delicious on…

FACEBOOK   |   PINTEREST   |   INSTAGRAM   |   TWITTER

…for all the latest recipes, ideas and updates!

This post may contain affiliate/referral links. It is a way for this site to earn advertising fees (at no cost to you) by advertising or linking to certain products and/or services that I approve and prefer. Thank you for using my affiliate link to shop, so I can continue to bring you shockingly delicious recipes!

{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }

Shauna Tomlin August 7, 2023 at 9:02 am

How long do you cook the sugar and cream
Do you bring it to a boil

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold August 14, 2023 at 10:10 pm

Shauna,
So, the recipe has directions that answer those questions.

Reply

Sasha Kaufman January 7, 2023 at 10:22 pm

Absolutely delicious!!!
My sister’s mother-in-law sent me a big box of Meyer lemons from Arizona to the frigid Pacific Northwest. This is my first found recipe and I may just use the whole box to make more posset!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold February 8, 2023 at 5:45 pm

Sasha,
I am so glad! What a wonderful gift.
I have a few other recipes using Meyers, so I hope you try them, too!

Reply

Erika English August 2, 2022 at 10:33 pm

First time making posset and it turned out great! Easy to make and delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

Reply

Angelina June 8, 2022 at 3:01 am

I made it yesterday, I really liked it, thanks! This dessert is very delicate)

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold June 27, 2022 at 4:08 pm

Angelina,
Thank you, and I’m so glad you made it and liked it. I agree with you about the delicacy. You might not think lemon would be delicate, because it can be such a punchy flavor, but the cream really tames it, and this one is!

Reply

Cathy April 5, 2022 at 1:41 pm

Ohh I definitely need to try this!

Reply

Radha March 30, 2022 at 9:43 pm

Oh I love this amazing dessert! Easy to make and full of creamy and tart flavors. YUM!

Reply

Inger March 30, 2022 at 9:16 am

I was so excited to discover lemon posset for this! Love your tips like the turkey baster and skillet cooling!

Reply

Rebecca March 28, 2022 at 7:59 pm

Lemon Posset is the best dessert ever. I love it

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 30, 2022 at 10:38 am

Rebecca,
Ha! I am so glad to hear someone else is in the club with me!

Reply

Erik March 28, 2022 at 9:23 am

Seriously love the flavor in this! Tart and sweet is a great combo.

Reply

Lisa Kerhin March 28, 2022 at 8:25 am

Definitely looks easy to make and so pretty too.

Reply

Beti | easyweeknightrecipes March 27, 2022 at 6:56 am

I am so excited to try this! It sounds like the perfect dessert for spring!!

Reply

katerina @ diethood.com March 27, 2022 at 6:56 am

Such a gorgeous dessert! I love the lemon flavor!

Reply

Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert March 27, 2022 at 5:56 am

This Meyer Lemon Posset looks like dessert perfection! Such a classic!!!

Reply

Hezzi-D March 27, 2022 at 4:41 am

You’ve got to love how easy this is and that lemon flavor? YUM!

Reply

Catalina March 26, 2022 at 3:50 pm

I love lemon flavor and I love creamy desserts. This is for me!

Reply

Jolene March 26, 2022 at 3:59 am

So easy and beautiful!

Reply

Sandra March 25, 2022 at 8:10 pm

Oh wow!! This was so amazing! Everyone at my house was impressed with this dessert! Thanks for the recipe!

Reply

Karen's Kitchen Stories March 25, 2022 at 5:26 pm

Now I’m going to have to get a turkey baster!! What a cool trick! I always get those drips on the side of the glass!

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 26, 2022 at 8:46 am

Karen,
Me too! I think it would work well just with a measuring cup or pitcher with a spout, too, but I saw the turkey baster and that worked perfectly!

Reply

Cindy March 25, 2022 at 4:16 pm

So light! I bet sweet tart Meyer lemon tastes great in here.

Reply

Beth March 25, 2022 at 2:59 pm

That looks absolutely amazing! I love lemons, and this looks so rich and creamy.

Reply

Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: