Healthier Lemon Posset

If you’ve never had a posset before, get ready to fall in love! This Lemon Posset Recipe is silky, creamy, and full of bright citrus flavor. It tastes like something you’d order at a fancy restaurant, but comes together with just a handful of simple ingredients. My secret? Cottage cheese! It blends completely smooth and gives this recipe a protein-forward base without any weird texture or taste. Whether you serve it in little jars or hollowed-out lemon halves for a show-stopping presentation, this is the kind of dessert that can impressive enough for gatherings and easy enough for everyday treats. You can even make it the night before and top it with fresh berries the next day!

Higher-Protein Lemon Posset Recipe 

If you’ve been following the blog for any period of time, you’ve likely noticed that there’s a pattern with cottage cheese here. I use it in everything from my cottage cheese waffles to cottage cheese egg bites and cottage cheese brownies. It’s honestly such an easy way to add protein to pretty much anything, and no one ever notices it’s there! 

So when I first discovered the classic British lemon posset, which is a dreamy dessert made with just cream, sugar, and lemon juice, I immediately knew I wanted to make a higher-protein version with, you guessed it, cottage cheese! It blends completely smooth into the cream mixture, adds an incredible velvety texture, and boosts the protein without changing the flavor one bit. Plus, it always looks impressive and is secretly SO easy to make! 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• 7 Simple Ingredients – This lemon posset recipe comes together with 7 simple ingredients, most of which you probably have on hand. 
• Creamy Texture – Chilled in the fridge, the posset turns out silky smooth with a thick, creamy consistency that practically melts in your mouth. It’s kind of like a cross between a coffee panna cotta and mousse, only with a lemon flavor. It’s seriously addicting! 
• Lemon Flavor – Every bite is bursting with bright, citrusy lemon flavor but is well-balanced with decadent cream and a touch of sweetness. 
• Perfect for Gatherings – As written, this recipe makes enough for 6 servings, all of which are individually portioned, making them great for entertaining. Plus, you can easily double or even triple the recipe for a larger crowd! 

RELATED: Gluten-Free Lemon Bars Recipe

Ingredients

• Cottage Cheese (opens in a new tab) – Whole milk cottage cheese works best for a decadent flavor and creamy consistency.
• Lemon – I use both lemon juice and lemon zest to infuse the filling with lots of citrusy flavor. Just be careful not to include any of the white pith when zesting your lemon. It can be a little bitter! 
• Vanilla
• Heavy Whipping Cream – This is the base of the posset and is what gives it a luxurious texture. Make sure to use heavy whipping cream and not a lighter alternative. It’s key to getting the filling to set up properly!
• Cane Sugar – Sweetens the posset without overpowering the bright lemon flavor. Both organic and non-organic cane sugar work great here!
• Salt – Just a pinch helps enhance the rest of the flavors. 
• Fresh Berries – These are optional, but I love to serve my lemon posset dessert topped with fresh raspberries and blueberries for an extra pop of color. 

How to Make This Lemon Posset Recipe

This dessert looks super fancy and complicated to make, but it’s surprisingly SO easy. All you need is a blender (opens in a new tab), a medium pot, and serving glasses or small jars. Here’s how to make a high-protein Lemon Posset Recipe: 

1. Blend the filling – Pulse the cottage cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla in a blender until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed! 
2. Heat – Whisk the heavy cream, sugar, and salt in a medium pot, and cook over medium-low heat until the mixture is steamy, stirring occasionally. It shouldn’t be boiling! 
3. Combine – Remove the pot from the heat. Then, working in three additions, whisk in the blended cottage cheese mixture. 
4. Chill – Pour the lemon cream mixture into glasses or small jars, and transfer them to the fridge to set. 
5. Serve – Garnish your lemon possets with fresh berries and extra lemon zest, and enjoy cold! 

TIP: I love serving lemon posset in these cute affogato bowls! (opens in a new tab)

How to Make Lemon Possets in Lemon Halves

For cute lemon posset, set your possets in lemon peels! It’s an easy way to elevate the dessert and makes for a picture-worthy presentation that’s great for special occasions like wedding showers, baby showers, and Easter. 

1. Slice the lemons – Slice 6 lemons in half lengthwise. Then, carefully slice around the outer edge of the lemon between the pulp and the peel, and scoop the pulp into a bowl. 
2. Zest and squeeze – Zest the bottom of each lemon half to create a flat spot. This makes them easier to arrange on a platter! Then, use a citrus press to squeeze the lemon juice from the pulp, and run it through a fine mesh strainer to use in the filling. 
3. Make the filling – Follow the instructions to prepare the cream filling as usual. 
4. Set the possets – Pour the filling into the prepared lemon halves, and chill them in the fridge. 

Tip: Save the extra lemon juice and lemon zest to add to a whipped lemonade recipe, vegan lemon blueberry cake, smoothies, or warm lemon tea!  

Tips

• Blend the cottage cheese completely. Make sure the cottage cheese is completely smooth before moving on with the recipe. Otherwise, it will make your possets clumpy. 
• Heat the cream gently. Warm the cream until it is steamy but not boiling. Overheating can cause separation and prevent the custard from setting smoothly.
• Whisk quickly! When adding the blended cottage cheese mixture to the hot cream, make sure to whisk it into the mixture quickly and in three separate additions. This prevents the mixture from curdling and helps everything emulsify together nicely, so your posset isn’t clumpy.
• Avoid overfilling. I found that jars or glasses with less filling set up the nicest! If you’re filling a larger glass or jar, plan to refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours to make sure it sets all the way through.
• Don’t rush the chilling. If you can, I recommend leaving your possets in the fridge overnight. This ensures the filling sets completely, creating a thick, mousse-like consistency. 

RELATED: Gluten-Free Lemon Raspberry Muffins

Variations

Berry swirl. Spoon a small layer of raspberry or blueberry jam into the bottom of each jar before pouring in the posset mixture. Then, use a knife to gently swirl the ingredients for a beautiful marbled effect and extra fruity flavor.

Strawberries & cream. Top the possets with sliced fresh strawberries and a small dollop of whipped cream before serving. 

Lemon vanilla bean. Replace the vanilla extract with the seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean for a deeper vanilla flavor.

Coconut lemon. Substitute 1/2 cup of the heavy cream with full-fat canned coconut milk for a subtle tropical twist.

Orange citrus posset. Swap half of the lemon juice for fresh orange juice, and use orange zest in place of lemon zest for a sweeter citrus variation.

Graham cracker crust. Sprinkle crushed graham crackers or shortbread cookies into the bottom of each jar to create a cheesecake-inspired lemon posset recipe.

How to Store

For the best results, omit any toppings, and store leftover possets covered with a lid or plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 3 days, and enjoy them cold. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, because the creamy filling tends to separate once thawed! 

Wholesome Lemon Recipes You’ll Love

• Lemon Blueberry Muffins
• Lemon Sweet Tea Popsicles
• Vegan Berry Lemon Curd Tart
• Southern Sweet Tea Lemon Cake
• Lemon Ice Cream 
• Lemon Poppy Seed Healthy Baked Donuts

Cottage Cheese Recipes To Try

• Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Protein Soufflé Pancakes 
• Cottage Cheese Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Cookie Dough Cottage Cheese Bites
• Cranberry Orange Cottage Cheese Muffins
• Cottage Cheese Pumpkin Cheesecake

Looking for more? Find 35+ cottage cheese recipes!

Save This Recipe

Enter your email address and we'll send it straight to your inbox.

Website

First Name

Your Email

Plus new healthy recipes every week.

Save