Lemon Mousse – Light, Creamy & Egg Free
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Set Time: 3 hours
This Lemon Mousse is light, creamy, and full of bright citrus flavour. It’s made without eggs, sets beautifully with gelatine, and stays fresh for as long as the use by date on your cream — a perfect make-ahead dessert. The recipe comes from Practical Professional Cookery by H.L. Cracknell & R.J. Kaufmann (Third Edition, 1992), a timeless professional classic still used in kitchens today.
Ingredients
Full Batch - 10 small mousses (using 125 ml moulds)
- Finely grated zest and juice of 4 lemons ≈ 180 ml juice
- 250 g caster sugar
- 100 ml water
- 5 tsp powdered gelatine
- 5 Tbsp cold water for blooming gelatine
- 700 ml whipping cream lightly whipped
- Optional: a few drops yellow food colouring
Half Batch - 5 small mousses (using 125 ml moulds)
- Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons ≈ 90 ml juice
- 125 g caster sugar
- 50 ml water
- 2½ tsp powdered gelatine
- 3 Tbsp cold water for blooming gelatine
- 350 ml whipping cream lightly whipped
- Optional: a few drops yellow food colouring
Chantilly Cream
- 250 ml whipping cream
- 25 g caster sugar or icing sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Full Batch & Half Batch
- Combine lemon zest, juice, sugar, and water in a small saucepan.
- Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then remove from heat.
- Add yellow colouring if using.
- Sprinkle gelatine over cold water, stir, and let stand 1 min to bloom.
- Stir bloomed gelatine into the hot lemon mixture until fully dissolved.
- Cool until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 25 °C).
- Whip cream to soft peaks, then gently fold into cooled lemon mixture.
- Spoon into lightly oiled dariole moulds or ramekins.
- Chill at least 3 hours until set.
- Unmould and serve with Chantilly cream (optional).
Chantilly Cream
- Place the cream, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
- Whip until soft peaks form — light and smooth, not stiff.
- Serve alongside the mousse or pipe around the edges for decoration.
Notes
- Mike and I both enjoy this mousse best after it’s sat for about 30 minutes out of the fridge. I like to unmould it first, then let it rest for half an hour — the texture becomes beautifully smooth and creamy.
- If you prefer a smoother texture, you can reduce or omit the lemon zest. The flavour will be a little softer, but still lovely from the lemon juice alone. For the best balance, I use a fine zest and avoid the white pith for a clean, bright flavour.
- This mousse will keep for as long as the use by date on your cream in the fridge, stored in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap.
- If using gelatine leaves instead of powder, use 3 gold-strength sheets for the half batch or 6 sheets for the full batch. Soak them in cold water for 5–7 minutes, squeeze out the excess, then stir into the hot lemon mixture until fully dissolved.
- To test if your mousse base is ready for folding in the cream, dip a spoon into the cooled mixture — if it lightly coats the back and leaves a clear line when you draw your finger through, it’s at the perfect stage (around 25 °C).
- When unmoulding, dip a knife in warm water and then run the knife around the inside edge of the mould and use it to gently ease out the mousse. If for some reason this is proving difficult, briefly dip each mould in warm water and run a thin knife around the edge to release.
- The optional yellow colouring gives a brighter presentation but can be omitted for a natural lemon tone.
- Lightly grease the dariole moulds with a neutral-flavoured oil such as almond, vegetable, or coconut oil.