This lemon pudding couldn’t be easier. It’s made with just four ingredients: whipping cream, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
All you do is warm everything up, then let the pudding set. It’s like magic.
Elegant, simple, and with a velvety texture that is positively dreamy, this lemon pudding is perfect for Easter dinner, Mother’s Day brunch, and everything in between.
No one needs to know it only took you 15 minutes to make.
The recipe is a modern adaptation of a medieval drink called a posset, which was popular from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century. This was a hot milk or cream mixture thickened with acidic wine or cider. It was considered medicinal for treating a cold or flu. Syllabubs, another sweet frothy drink, are closely related.
History lesson over! Lemon posset is fast becoming a trendy dessert, especially in Britain.
The magic is in the thick cream, reduced slightly, and combined with tart lemon juice. The two interact to form an exquisite creamy consistency, especially after you strain out the little bits of zest.
Look through your cupboard for pretty stemmed glasses if you want to be fancy, and make this for your next party!
Easy Lemon Pudding Recipe
PrintRecipe is easily doubled.
Recipe can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (473ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 6 tablespoons (89ml) lemon juice
- 1 cup (about 150g) blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries or blackberries, to garnish
Method
1 Warm the cream and sugar: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cream, sugar and lemon zest. Bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to a gentle boil, and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
Watch carefully and stir frequently to keep the cream from boiling over.
2 Add the lemon juice and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes. Stir frequently.
3 Take the pan off the heat and let the cream cool for 5 minutes.
4 Strain and chill. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a 4-cup liquid measuring cup or other container for easy pouring.
Pour into 4 four-ounce ramekins or pretty stemmed glasses.
5 Refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours, or until set. This pudding can also be prepared and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance. Top each glass with berries just before serving.
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Sally Pasley Vargas is a freelance writer and the author of three cookbooks (Food for Friends, The Tao of Cooking, Ten Speed Press, and The Cranberry Cookbook). She currently writes the column The Confident Cook for The Boston Globe along with seasonal recipes for the Wednesday Food Section.
Easy Lemon Pudding
Would love to know this recipe in grams rather than cups… are you able to share?
Hi, Claire! Just added them!
Can I use lemon extract instead of lemon peel. If so how would I use the extract in this pudding ? Also would it be possible to use whole milk instead of heavy cream ? Maybe half and half ?
Hi, Emmi! Emma here, managing editor. Unfortunately, this recipe doesn’t work well with any substitutes. It’s the specific combination of the sugar, the acidity in the lemon juice and zest, and the fat in the heavy cream that cause this pudding to set. Substituting any of those usually results in a pudding that stays liquidy and doesn’t fully set.
I made this recipe with Pyure granulated stevia but it didn’t thicken. I am unable to eat sugar. Could I thicken this pudding with corn starch or arrowroot?
Hi Alice. I have not tried thickening this with cornstarch, but you probably could. I just don’t know how much you would use. You would have to dissolve it in cold cream, add the lemon juice and then cook it until it boils for at least one minute to cook the cornstarch.You might lose some of the silkiness of this dessert but theoretically, it should work. Let me know if you try it! (see the proportions in the chocolate pudding recipe on this site.
Good luck! and thanks for writing!
Sally
In ingredients it says 2/3 cups of granulated sugar. Is this between 2-3 cups or two thirds of a cup? Please help – I want to make it this week!
Hi, Julie! Emma here, managing editor for Simply Recipes. You need two-thirds cup of sugar for this recipe. Enjoy!
Hi! I want to use this pudding as pie filling. Will this yield enough for that or should I double the recipe/make two batches?
Hi, Emily! Emma here, managing editor for Simply Recipes. What a fun idea — I’ll have to try this soon! Most 9-inch pies hold about 4 cups of filling. This recipe makes about 2 cups, so yes, I’d double it! If you end up with a little extra, you can just pour it into a cup and have it as a special treat. Enjoy!
I made it and it turned out wonderfully! I was so pleased! I baked a shortbread crust and spread the pudding over it to chill. It set like a charm! I whipped lemon juice into heavy cream to dollop on top. The pudding was silky smooth and I didn’t even strain out the zest. This will be my go-to lemon “pie” recipe from now on!
What a great idea! I am going to try this, for sure!
Sally