Lemon mousse is an easy, no-bake dessert that's silky, decadent, and light as air. Made with just four ingredients and whipped up in minutes, this mousse is the perfect light dessert for those hot summer months.
Just tried this one. OMG!! It was so quick it is unbelievable. I never made mousse before and was a bit put off by the need for egg whites in other recipes. This was a hit with me. Will definitely make again. ★★★★★ - Diane
Recipe summary
Texture: Creamy, light, and airy.
Flavor: Lightly sweetened with a bright, fresh lemon flavor.
It's quick. Unlike a traditional mousse (made with eggs), this quick mousse comes together in minutes and requires no cooking.
Make ahead. Keeps well in the refrigerator the day before an event.
Great for: A quick no-bake treat for summer.
Similar to: Lemon Icebox Cake and Cheesecake Mousse
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Lemon curd - Can be homemade or store bought. You can find lemon curd near the jams and jellies at your local grocer.
- Heavy cream - Heavy cream is a must in this recipe - you'll be making a homemade whipped cream to fold into the other ingredients. Other dairy products, like half & half or whole milk will not work. Heavy cream contains just enough milkfat to whip into whipped cream and hold its shape.
- Confectioner's sugar - We're adding a small amount of confectioner's sugar to our mousse today. It adds just enough sweetness to balance the tart lemon flavor. This dessert is meant to be lightly sweetened. If you prefer a sweet dessert, you are welcome to add more sugar.
- Lemon zest - Adds a significant amount of fresh lemon flavor. Optionally, reserve a little extra to use as a garnish.
How to make lemon mousse
- Whip heavy cream, confectioner's sugar, and salt in a large bowl until medium peaks form.
- Carefully fold in lemon curd and lemon zest.
- Portion mousse into small dessert glasses.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours, to allow mousse to firm up.
Tips and tricks
Use very cold heavy cream - Cold cream whips up much more easily than a room temperature or warm cream.
Refrigerate your bowl - If your home is very warm, refrigerate your bowl and whisk (or hand mixer beaters) for 20 minutes before beginning.
Whip on medium speed - Whip your heavy cream on medium speed, not high speed. It's less messy and there's less of a chance of overmixing your cream.
Use a large bowl - Your cream will double in size and there will be some splashing while you mix your cream.
Refrigerate before serving - The refrigeration step is important to achieve the proper texture, so don't skip this step!
Storage
Even though mousse seems delicate, it will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator and hold its shape and texture. However, I recommend serving it within 1-2 days for ideal results.
Frequently asked questions
I recommend portioning your mousse into individual serving dishes before storing in the refrigerator and serving within 1-2 days. This saves time later on and your mousse will have time to set, undisturbed.
Mousse is best served in small dessert dishes or bowls. Each serving size is about a heaping ½ cup. Small bowls or parfait/sundae glasses are best.
If you'd like to add a topping, a dollop of whipped cream, lemon zest, or a crumbled vanilla wafer are perfect additions.
Lemon mousse can be used to build parfaits. Crumble a few vanilla cookies or graham crackers and build a parfait by adding thin layers of mousse and crumbled cookies to a decorative glass. I've also made a lemon icebox cake using a variation of this recipe.
This mousse is not meant to be very sweet - most of the sweetness comes from the lemon curd used. If your lemon curd isn't very sweet, you may want to add some extra confectioner's sugar and whip until incorporated.
Mousse is meant to be light, fluffy, and very lightly sweetened. A large portion of the recipe is whipped cream. Don't skip the step of chilling before serving - this firms up the mousse and changes the texture slightly.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Lemon Mousse
Ingredients
- 2 cups (454 g) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons (14 g) confectioner's sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup (320 g) lemon curd
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) lemon zest
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add heavy cream, confectioner's sugar, and a pinch of salt. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip for 2-3 minutes on medium speed until medium peaks form.
- Gently fold in lemon curd and lemon zest until evenly incorporated.
- Divide into 8 small dessert glasses (about ½ heaping cup per serving). Optionally, garnish with a dollop of whipped cream or additional lemon zest.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours, to allow mousse to chill and firm up. Serve cold.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Lemon zest: 1 tablespoon lemon zest = zest of one large lemon
- Chill your mousse: Do not skip the step of chilling! This firms up the mousse and changes the texture slightly.
- Adjusting the sweetness: This is a lightly sweetened, less sweet dessert, and the sweetness depends on the brand of lemon curd used. If you'd like a sweeter mousse, feel free to add more sugar.
- Storage: Mousse will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, but is best served within 1-2 days.
- Garnish ideas: Optionally, garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, lemon zest, or a vanilla wafer.
Super easy and great directions. Came out superb
I just made this and it's gorgeous. Great recipe thanks
I made this with lemon curd from Trader Joes. It was delicious. I served it with strawberries, at a bridal shower. Super easy, and very tasty!
I made this and it was delicious as I love everything lemon. I didn't add the powdered sugar since I didn't have any and thought since the lemon curd already has sugar, it wouldn't need it, I also added a couple of drops of lemon extract, which came out so good. I will definitely will do it again.
Added some lemon extract to increase depth of flavor and a few yellow coloring drops. Easy recipe and stood up well. Pretty and tasty. I decorated with a few berries and a mint leaf.
Can you make it dairy free?
I'm not very familiar with dairy-free substitutions so I can't say for sure how this recipe would need to be altered. Instead of altering this recipe, I'd recommend using one that's developed to be dairy-free already: https://mommypotamus.com/lemon-mousse-recipe/
you could make it dairy free using coconut milk, but you would also need to use some irish moss and lecithin. Use the same amount of coconut milk you would the cream but the night before you would need to soak the irish moss (1/2 oz) rinse it well to make sure you get any sand out of it and blend it once it's been soaked overnight. Mix it into the coconut milk with 1 heaped teaspoon of lecithin, that will thicken it and make it into a mousse. I haven't tried making this non-dairy, but i've made many recipes using this technique and it's worked very well. Good luck
I made this for Valentine’s Day. I served it in the middle of heart shaped puff pastry. Delicious!
The problem is that I have leftover mousse that I don’t have time to eat ✈️. Can it be frozen? I know whipped cream can be frozen, so logically, I should be able to.
Hi Denise, glad to hear you enjoyed the mousse! I haven't tried freezing this recipe myself, but I believe it should freeze and thaw just fine (much like whipped cream).
This recipe is VERY easy to make. I had made microwave lemon curd with Meyers lemons, but used a regular lemon for the zest which made the lemon flavor pop! This is a keeper for sure!
It may have been the lemon curd I used (there was only one choice at the Kroger store, but the Lemon Mouse was tasteless. I had to add a great deal more sugar and lemon zest to make it have any flavor. Will not use this recipe again.
Hi Sara, it sounds like it may have been the brand of lemon curd used. With 1 cup of lemon curd and a tablespoon of lemon zest, the mousse should have a strong lemon flavor. As is, the recipe is meant to be lightly sweetened. You're welcome to add additional lemon zest and maybe a pinch of salt to help enhance the flavor, or more sugar if you're looking for a sweet dessert.
Tried this but not lemony enough, so I added more lemon curd and doubled the sugar but still not lemony or sweet enough. More like eating whipped cream… possibly double the lemon zest, and add a bit more confectioner’s sugar to pop the flavours more?
Hi Betty, mousse is intended to be lightly sweetened and airy, a little thicker than whipped cream, so it sounds like the recipe turned out as intended. The last step of refrigerating helps chill the mousse and give it a thicker consistency. If you'd like a more lemony flavor I'd definitely recommend adding more lemon zest!
This was delicious! I served it with a raspberry sauce, and it was just like summer in a glass. I needed something simple for a dinner party, and it was perfect--everyone raved. It was hot in my apartment, and the heavy cream was pretty soft after whipping. So I only did a little folding in of the lemon curd. It ended up with these delicious swirls of lemon throughout. Yum!
I added the juice of the lemon that I zested and a bit of Real Lemon juice to make it more tart. The consistency was just like whipped cream until I put it in the refrigerator for a few hours then it completely changed to a mousse.
So quick and easy. Love it! Definitely the hit of the dinner party and everyone thought I worked hard over it.
Just tried this one. OMG!! It was so quick it is unbelievable. I never made mousse before and was a bit put off by the need for egg whites in other recipes. This was a hit with me. Will definitely make again.
Thanks so much for sharing.
Where can the cute parfait cups be bought?
Thanks 😊
The glasses shown are small "Josie" drinking glasses from Crate & Barrel. Unfortunately they don't appear to be on their website anymore.
Would you recommend this as a cake filling? Also, what's the yield?
This recipe makes about 4.5 cups of mousse. I haven't tried this as a cake filling so I can't say for sure. But I do use a very similar recipe for the layers in this Oreo icebox cake: https://thetoastykitchen.com/lemon-icebox-cake/
Can you use Cool Whip instead of making whipped cream by hand?
Hi Kathleen, I haven't tested this recipe using Cool Whip, but it should work. You'll need four cups of Cool Whip to substitute for the heavy cream and confectioner's sugar.
Sounds wonderful!! Instructions so very clear!!! Thankful it was sent to me. ! Will forward it to friends also.