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.

Lemon Mousse served in cups, topped with whipped cream.

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.
Egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a bowl, then cooked over a bowl of simmering water.
  • 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.
Eggs whites beaten in a bowl and then folded into lemon mousse.

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.
Lemon mousse served in clear glass cups.

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Recipe

Lemon Mousse served in cups, topped with whipped cream.
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 25 minutes
Cooling time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total 35 minutes
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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

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten.

Nutrition

Calories: 675kcalCarbohydrates: 72gProtein: 13gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 458mgSodium: 164mgPotassium: 231mgSugar: 67gVitamin A: 1675IUVitamin C: 16.3mgCalcium: 104mgIron: 1.6mg

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I originally shared this recipe May 2016. Updated April 2021.

Recipe originally adapted from Ina Garten.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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.

  2. 5 stars
    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.

  3. 5 stars
    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.

  4. 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?

    1. 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 🙂

  5. 2 stars
    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.

    1. 3 stars
      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.

  6. 5 stars
    So good. Was liking eating a fluffy, lemon flavored cloud. There was a good balance between the tart and sweet. My curd was done with 10 min. over a double boiler.

    1. Hi Cynthia, although I haven’t tested it to say for sure, I wouldn’t suggest freezing this mousse. I fear it would break down as it thaws and the texture wouldn’t be the same.

  7. 5 stars
    I loved the idea of serving petite lemon mousse in cups with a blueberry on top.
    This was a perfectly lemony, creamy dessert. Perfect for what I needed!

    1. 5 stars
      Good eggs are relatively low risk in the raw world and this amount of lemon juice should neutralize just about anything mildly bad. Not 0% risk but people ear raw oysters etc.