Indulge in Creamy Lemon Posset for a Refreshing Dessert

Posset is a rich, creamy and lemony British dessert. The balanced lemon taste irresistibly fluctuates between tart and sweet. A little goes a long way, so it’s perfect after a big meal. I am passion with this recipe. Keep reading and you will see why!

Posset is an easy-to-prepare dessert that can be offered in individual portions at parties. It would be nice at Easter and Mother’s Day celebrations, baby showers, dinner parties and much more.

To prepare posset, you will need only four ingredients—cream, sugar, lemons and vanilla extract—and a couple of extra hours to cool it in the refrigerator. You can prepare posset the day before and even freeze leftovers.

Posset has been consumed in the UK for over 600 years, although it was originally a hot drink made from sweetened sour milk mixed with plonk or beer. It was often served to cure colds or fever. The modern version with chilled citrus and cream originated in the 20th century. Since the recipe is British, posset is pronounced as a “bag”, but with an S.

I tried the posset first for my cookbook, but I overcomplicated the recipe by trying to serve the posset as cheesecake squares on a Graham cracker crust. Looking back, it’s best to just serve it in small containers and garnish as you like. Years after, my husband reminded me of posset after he made something on a whim after he found the concept on Instagram.

I took out my old notes and changed the cream amounts to use a full pint, used just enough sugar so it wasn’t too sweet, and specified the exact amounts of lemon zest and juice instead of naming two or three lemons, which still vary in size. To get a homogeneous consistency, I found a trick from the American test kitchen—we will know that the mixture is ready for cooking as soon as it is reduced to two cups. This tested and perfected recipe is ready for your kitchen!

Posset Ingredients

You will need only four ingredients to prepare this fantastic treat. Posset can not be made without dairy products, but it is conveniently gluten-free, egg-free and nut-free. Compared to typical pudding recipes, this posset recipe is downright magical in its simplicity (no need for gelatin, cornstarch or eggs).