Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Make creamy lemon pudding with only three ingredients: lemon, heavy cream, and sugar. It’s creamy and rich but so easy to make!
How long it takes: 15 minutes to make, 3 hours to chill
Equipment you’ll need: saucepan
Servings: 2 (it’s easy to double the recipe)
A Friend’s Recipe
I’m so excited to be sharing this recipe for lemon pudding which comes from my dear friend Mary’s newest cookbook. This is her third cookbook (hello, wonder woman!) and it’s all DESSERTS! It’s titled The Weeknight Dessert Cookbook: 80 Irresistible Recipes with Only 5 to 15 Minutes of Prep and it’s packed with amazing recipes.
I’m a huge fan of Mary’s recipes! I’ve reviewed her first two cookbooks as well. I made blueberry crisp with coconut from her second book, The Weekday Lunches and Breakfasts Cookbook, and chocolate chip blondies from The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook, her first book. Both of those recipes are favorites with my family and I make them often.
3 Ingredient Lemon Pudding
It’s super easy to make! This pudding couldn’t be any easier! It is made without eggs, without cornstarch, and without stress! Pudding can be really finicky, and this lemon pudding recipe is definitely not. (Three ingredient lemon pudding is also known as lemon posset.)
A very creamy texture. The pudding is smooth, with a rich creamy feel in your mouth. It’s different from lemon curd or my lemon cake filling which are made with eggs. Since this pudding is eggless, you don’t have to worry about accidentally scrambling your eggs or ending up with clumps that have to be strained out.
Alchemy or just basic science? I’m not a magician or a scientist but “something” basically happens with the cream and lemon so that the pudding thickens up to a beautifully smooth, thick consistency.
“This pudding is so light and smooth and delicious. And it is so easy to prepare!”
Three Ingredients!
- Heavy Cream: Look for heavy cream or heavy whipping cream with at least 36% to 40% milkfat. A light whipping cream has lower milkfat content which means the pudding won’t set up as well. Half & half definitely won’t work.
- Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar sweetens the pudding.
- Lemon: You’ll be using the both the zest and the juice from one lemon (I usually buy two just in case!) Be sure to zest the lemon before you juice it. It’s much easier.
How To Make Lemon Pudding
Zest the lemon. First wash the lemon well. Lemons are usually coated with wax to preserve them so use hot water and a scrub brush to remove the wax. Zest the lemon using a fine grater or microplane zester. You’ll need about a half teaspoon which doesn’t sound like much but it will add plenty of flavor.
Juice the lemon. Make sure to remove any seeds that slip in, or strain the juice. There should be enough juice in one lemon for this recipe (3 tablespoons) unless you have an exceptionally small lemon. Set both the zest and the juice aside for now.
Cook sugar and cream. Add the sugar and cream to a medium-sized saucepan and whisk together until well-blended. Over high heat, bring this mixture to a boil, stirring pretty frequently. Once it comes to a boil, let it boil for 2 minutes. You’ll want to stir it constantly while it’s boiling.
Add lemon. After the cream mixture has boiled two minutes, turn the heat down to medium. Add the lemon zest and juice, and continue stirring and cooking the mixture until it begins to thicken slightly, about two more minutes. It will still look pretty thin but it will thicken as it chills.
Chill. Pour the pudding into two serving dishes. This is a pretty generous portion of pudding. If you prefer, divide it into three or four dishes to make more servings. Refrigerate the pudding for two to three hours.
Serve. Lemon pudding is just perfect as is, or with a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish it with additional lemon zest or add a pretty lemon twist. We love to eat lemon pudding with graham cracker or vanilla wafer dippers, or if I’m feeling more ambitious, lemon sugar cookies, honey lemon shortbread cookies, or lemon bread.
Refrigerate: This pudding will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days. Let it come to room temperature, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate promptly.
More Pudding Recipes
Lemon Pudding
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 cup heavy cream (at least 40% milkfat)
- ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Wash lemon well to remove protective wax. Using a microplane zester or fine grater, zest the lemon (it's much easier to zest the lemon before you juice it!). Juice the lemon, straining out any stray seeds. Set aside until ready to use.
- Whisk together the cream and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, while stirring frequently. Allow the creamy mixture to boil over medium heat for about 2 minutes while stirring constantly.1 cup heavy cream, ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
- Add the lemon juice and zest. Reduce the heat and continue stirring over a low boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. The mixture should still be quite thin and pourable.½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Pour into serving bowls and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or until ready to serve. The pudding will set as it chills.
Notes
- Heavy cream: Be sure to use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream which has at least 36 to 40% milkfat. Light whipping cream or half & half won’t do the trick.
- Lemon twist garnish: It’s easy to do and looks pretty. Refer to how to make a lemon twist. (You’ll need to buy extra lemons.) I like to add lemon twists to cocktails, too!
- Storage: Once the pudding is cold, cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Yield: The recipe is written for two generous servings. You could easily divide it to make 3 to 4 smaller servings. If you want more servings, double the ingredients, or even triple them, as long as you have a large enough saucepan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Could not find any of that in my town or in any of the groceries in my town so I’m very happy that I found this recipe and I would love to have it. Thank you very much, Beverley.
You’re welcome!
This pudding is so light and smooth and delicious. And it is so easy to prepare!
So glad you liked it!
Hi there, I made this yesterday, as I live on my own it was very difficult not to eat it all in one go, thank you for this recipe. I am 66 and I am never going to stop making this, it was so so yummy.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for leaving a review!
This is called Lemon posset I believe, good recipe will try.
I think you’re right!
LOVE THIS EASY PUDDING RECIPE!
It’s amazing!!!! Thank you!
You’re very welcome! Thank you for leaving a review!
Thanks for sharing, I like this recipe.
Also it’s so delicious.
So glad to hear it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
I’m so happy that you’re enjoying the cookbooks! I love this lemon pudding too. Your photos are making me crave it again!
:) xoxo
sounds so good!
It really is!