Lemon Mousse Recipe
Serve some sunshine for dessert with this no bake light and airy Lemon Mousse recipe! It’s silky smooth and bursting with plenty of citrus flavor in every bite. Made from scratch without premade lemon curd.
Earlier this year I made homemade chocolate mousse which is very fudgy and decadent.
That’s great for winter as we’re hibernating on our couches, but spring has arrived and well, we need something more bright and citrusy.
With Easter dinner for two quickly approaching, I was thinking the best way to end your holiday dinner and came up with this lemon mousse recipe.
It’s a light and airy dessert for two that’s silky smooth and bursting with plenty of citrus flavor to wake you up after a harsh winter. It’s like eating sunshine in a cup!
The base is very similar to making a lemon curd, which helps stabilize the mousse without gelatin.
It’s also all made from scratch. I saw a lot of similar recipes using premade lemon curd, which is not something I usually have on hand (and guessing you don’t either).
On top I garnished it with homemade whipped cream to help balance all that acidity from the lemon. I was originally going to do a lemon whipped cream, but that felt like it’d be TOO puckery.
Make them as an easy date night recipe or as a romantic dessert for two.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Mousse Recipe
- Made without gelatin! Most recipes add gelatin for stability. Luckily for us, the lemon curd base stabilizes the mousse once it cools and sets.
- Makes two servings! Since this blog focuses on recipes for two, I made sure there weren’t any leftovers.
- Can be made ahead of time! In fact, you need a minimum of 4 hours for it to set up
Ingredients For Lemon Mousse
Here’s what you need to make your recipe for lemon mousse:
- Eggs: The whole egg helps stabilize the lemon curd while the egg yolk adds some extra creaminess. Then you whip the egg white to make it nice and fluffy.
- Sugar: Sweetens the mousse so it’s not too pucker
- Lemons: Can’t have lemon mousse without lemon!
- Vanilla: Helps balance the acidity so it’s not overpowering
- Salt: A small amount helps bring out the flavors
Is there raw egg in lemon mousse?
Yes, lemon mousse does contain raw egg white as you don’t heat it at all. The whole egg and egg yolk do get cooked to 150F on the stove.
Consuming raw egg may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions.
If you don’t want to eat raw egg white, substitute it for heavy cream and whip it until stiff peaks form. Then choose one of these recipes using egg whites.
How To Make Lemon Mousse
Here’s how to make homemade lemon mousse for two:
- Whisk together egg, egg yolk, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt.
- Heat egg mixture on the stove until thickened then cool 1 hour.
- Beat egg white until stiff peaks form.
- Fold egg white into the lemon curd.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to firm up.
Lemon mousse can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
How To Serve Lemon Mousse
As mentioned in the intro, I garnished mine with whipped cream to balance all that acidity.
In addition to traditional vanilla, here are some other whipped cream flavors you can use:
More Lemon Recipes
If you enjoyed this classic lemon mousse recipe, here are more lemon recipes:
Lemon Mousse Recipe
Serve some sunshine for dessert with this no bake light and airy Lemon Mousse recipe! It’s silky smooth and bursting with plenty of citrus flavor in every bite. Made from scratch without premade lemon curd.
Ingredients
- 1 large whole egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature*
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg white, room temperature*
- Whipped cream, for garnish (get recipe here)
Instructions
- In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk together the whole egg, egg yolk, and sugar then whisk in lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and salt.
- Add about an inch of water to a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Place the bowl over top of the simmering water (do not let the bottom touch the water) and whisk until thickened like custard and temperature reaches 150F, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes. Place of piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface then refrigerate for 1 hour.
- In a large mixing bowl on high speed (with whisk attachment if using stand mixer), beat the egg white until stiff peaks form (when you pull the beater up, peaks will form and not fall over), about 4-5 minutes.
If your bowl is too big and the white isn't whipping, transfer it to a smaller bowl and use a hand mixer. - Using a rubber spatula, fold the white into the lemon mixture until smooth and there are no more traces of egg white.
- Transfer the mixture to two serving glasses. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until set. Serve with whipped cream.
Refrigerate leftover mousse for up to 2 days.
Notes
- *Eggs are easiest to separate into yolks and whites when cold. Separate them right after taking them out of the refrigerator then let them sit at room temperature to warm up.
- Consuming raw egg may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions. If you don’t want to eat raw egg white, substitute it for 1/4 cup cold heavy cream and whip it until stiff peaks form. Then choose one of these recipes using egg whites.
- Enjoyed this recipe? Check out Homemade Chocolate Mousse.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchase.