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.
What is mousse exactly? Mousse is a soft, creamy dessert that's made by whipping air in to give it a light and fluffy texture. A classic mousse is usually made with eggs and/or cream, and can be flavored with anything from chocolate to fruits and spices.
While not a traditional mousse, this lightly sweetened lemon mousse comes together in minutes and requires no cooking. It's the perfect no-bake dessert for summer - no standing over a hot stove today!
Serve lemon mousse after a light meal or at your next barbecue or picnic. It can also be used to make an icebox cake. Lemon mousse is easy to make a day ahead of an event - just refrigerate until ready to serve!
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 punch of fresh lemon flavor. Optionally, reserve a little extra to use as a garnish.
Tips and tricks
If you've never made homemade whipped cream before, you may want to check out my detailed post here, for extra pictures and a full list of tips and tricks: Homemade Whipped Cream
Here are my favorite tips for making homemade whipped cream:
- Use very cold heavy cream. Cold cream will whip up much more easily than a room temperature or warm cream.
- If your home is very warm, and for a higher chance of success when making whipped cream, refrigerate your bowl and whisk (or hand mixer beaters) for 20 minutes before beginning.
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
How long does lemon mousse last? 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 a party.
Can I make this ahead? 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.
Why does my mousse taste like whipped cream? 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.
Why isn't my mousse sweet? 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.
How do you serve lemon mousse? Mousse is best served in small dessert dishes or bowls. Each serving size is about a heaping ½ cup. Small bowls, martini glasses, or parfait/sundae glasses are best.
What toppings can I add to mousse? If you'd like to add a topping, a dollop of whipped cream, lemon zest, or a crumbled vanilla wafer are perfect additions.
Can I use lemon mousse in other recipes? 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.
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
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest = zest of one large lemon
- Do not skip the step of chilling - this firms up the mousse and changes the texture slightly.
- 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.
- Mousse will keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator, but is best served within 1-2 days.
- Optionally, garnish with a dollop of whipped cream, lemon zest, or a vanilla wafer.
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 slaved 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. Done and dusted in minutes.
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.