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Light and fluffy Lemon Mousse is easy to make and delicious, made with cream, lemon, sugar and eggs. It's an elegant stand alone dessert that can be made ahead.
After a nice dinner, especially if you have guests over, I love the simplicity of a homemade mousse or pudding, served with fresh berries on top. I love that you can make it a day or more in advance, saving on prep time. If you really want to take it next level, serve it with this Berry Cake.
How to Make Lemon Mousse:
- Fill a large saucepan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- In a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together the 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Place the bowl over the pan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly for about 10-15 minutes, until mixture starts to thicken slightly.
- Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes. Pour into a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 – 2 hours or until completely chilled.
- Place the 3 remaining egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat on high speed for 1 minute. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until the whites are stiff. Carefully fold the beaten whites into the cold lemon mixture.
- Place the cream in a bowl and beat on high speed until stiff peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve cold. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Serving Ideas:
- Enjoy topped with whipped cream and fresh berries.
- Use as a mousse filling in a cake, like my Berry Cake.
- Add to a Fruit Trifle dessert.
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Lemon Mousse
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, , separated
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, (3-4 lemons)
- salt
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Fill a large saucepan with a few inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- In a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks (reserve the whites in a separate bowl), 1 cup sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
- Place the bowl over the pan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 15 minutes, or until mixture thickens slightly.
- Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes. Pour into a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture. Refrigerate for at least 1 – 2 hours or until completely chilled.
- Place the 3 remaining egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat on high speed for 1 minute. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue to beat until the whites are stiff. Carefully fold the beaten whites into the cold lemon mixture.
- Add the cream to a bowl and beat on high speed until stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes and serve cold. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe May 2016. Updated April 2021.
Recipe originally adapted from Ina Garten.
Very good idea. Man, but this recipe is confusing. How am I supposed to eat raw eggs!? So I left the egg whites, but didn’t whip them in, because I’m stil trying to figure out how to serve those to my kids. Maybe i’ll put them in scrambled eggs later. i’m too sissy to eat or serve raw egg whites!!!
And white sugar! I have been divorced to refined sugar for a decade, i can’t stand how it’s deteriorating the health of everyone around me ( so says the cook with 2 crowns and cavities). So I had to use maple syrup instead. I know its bad it’s technically sugar too, but at least it has minerals. I tipped in a tbsp of arrowroot powder -corn starch would thicken it too- and i’m glad I did, i like the texture.
I bet i’ll love the lemon pie recipe on this website, though, it’s nicer to my intuition… i’ll have to make the same adjustments though.
By the way I put a gluten-free cookie on the bottom of my mousse. The whole thing was delicious .
People who complain about the zest texture and that it is too sweet are missing the point. The contrast between the sweetness and the bitterness of the lemon zest are what makes it so delightful. I made the zest from strips of lemon peel which I sliced into thin slivers then finely diced. No one minded the texture. I will make this again!
Delicious! It has the flavour of homemade lemon meringue pie and is a great alternative to the pie if you’re gluten free
I intuitively lowered the sugar in this a little and added a 1/4 cup more cream (to ease the sweetness) and it was a HUUUUGE HIT. Like, rave reviews. “Lemony cloud in my mouth.” “Can’t stop eating it” Yes I might strain out the lemon rind maybe in the future but that’s just personal taste.
Wow, nice tip!
I’m obsessed with this recipe! I love the tang and flavor of the lemon curd alone but when using it in a mousse, it’s just as addictive. I’ve tried other recipes but I always come back to this one.
Truly wonderful recipe. We did strain the lemon curd, and were glad we did so: the small bits of lemon zest and cooked egg curds would have made the mousse chunkier than we wanted.
I could also do with a stronger, sourer lemon flavor. The proportions as given are quite good, but I will be experimenting with more lemon juice and zest next time.
Turned out horribly, the egg whites ruined it.
I just made this and its delicious!! But I have made more lemon curd than I needed (I tripled the recipe) Can the curd be frozen for another time or can be kept in the fridge for a week?
It will keep for 1-2 weeks stored in the fridge! Serve it on crepes, pancakes or waffles, as a dessert pudding with berries on top. Just some ideas 🙂
Hi
Can this be made in advance and then frozen?
Thanks
Chris
You can freeze it but mousse doesn’t always have the same texture after being frozen.
Proportions aren’t quite right. Definitely to sweet. Fairly acidic. Zest should be strained out as it spoils the texture. The mousse isn’t creamy enough and the whipped egg whites dominate the final texture.
This would probably be a delicious mousse if the balance of the cream:base & whites ratio were adjusted, and the initial mixture passed through a sieve.
Appreciated the tip about straining the zest. I taste tested at that point of the recipe and the zest does hurt the texture, so I strained it out. Overall, I like how the flavor came out. I also see how the egg white texture dominated a bit, I would probably dial that back if I made this again.
Josiah, I’m getting ready to make this. How would you dial back. Tips would be great thanks.
I agree. The balance is off with too much egg white and it was not as creamy and solid as I hoped.