My sugar free lemon posset is the low carb version of the British dessert classic. You only need 3 ingredients and 3 minutes to make this easy, creamy keto lemon pudding!
Being the Sugar Free Londoner, I have a pretty comprehensive collection of British desserts, re-written for diabetics and keto dieters. From sugar free victoria sponge cake to keto bakewell tart, I've got you covered.
This keto posset is the latest addition. My reader Caroline emailed me her recipe recently, which is just so good. And so simple!
Posset tastes just like a custard or a pudding. But while a custard is made with eggs and a pudding is traditionally made with starch, a posset sets by adding lemon juice (an acid) to the cream.
It's pure dessert magic!
And all we need to do to make traditional posset keto friendly is to replace the sugar with a sweetener.
Of course, you can totally call this a sugar free lemon pudding. Many people have no idea what a posset is and may think you're serving an animal for dessert 😉.
Also try my keto flan and this sugar free vanilla custard.
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What's To Love About This Recipe
So, so easy. 3 ingredients, 3 minutes of cooking. That's it! And then let the fridge do the rest of the work.
Impossibly delicious. Posset has a super creamy texture. It is sweet and citrusy, which makes it the perfect palate cleanser after a meal. Your family will never guess it is sugar free!
Very low carb. At 2.4g net carbs, this is a keto friendly treat and my diabetic mother-in-law could enjoy it without a blood sugar spike. Since it is high in fat, a little goes a long way.
Great make-ahead dessert. This recipe is brilliant for larger crowds and you can scale it easily. Prep it a day ahead and dessert is ready to go.
Ingredients
Let's talk ingredients. You'll find exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post, but I wanted to give you a bit of extra info right here:
- Cream - I used double cream, also called heavy cream. This has a fat content of 30-40%.
- Lemons - We need ¼ cup of lemon juice, which is 2 lemons. I also grate the lemon zest for even more flavor.
- Sweetener - Allulose works particularly well for this dish. I used granulated. I get mine online via iherb. All other sweeteners MUST be powdered.
Instructions
It is simple to make a sugar free lemon posset (or keto lemon pudding). Here are the basic steps.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed method with ingredient amounts, timings and nutrition information.
STEP 1
Grate the lemon zest with a microplane grater (pictured) and juice the lemons.
STEP 2
Heat the heavy cream and allulose over a low heat, stirring continuously to let the sweetener melt.
Let the mixture bubble gently for 2-3 minutes and stir regularly.
STEP 3
Turn off the heat. Pour in the lemon juice and add the lemon zest. Stir to combine.
STEP 4
Fill the mixture into dessert cups or shot glasses. Let cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge until fully set.
Katrin's Top Tips
#1 Low heat and stir. Allulose browns easily. Stir regularly so it can dissolve. Otherwise, it could sink to the bottom of the pan and burn. We don't want brown specks in our pudding!
#2 Zest. I add finely grated lemon zest directly into the posset mixture. If you don't have a microplane grater, peel off the lemon skin and add the peel into the cream mixture while it is cooking. This infuses the cream with the zest flavor. Remove before adding the lemon juice.
#3 Sweetener. Allulose is the best sweetener option because it does not recrystallise as it cools. This means the posset will be silky and smooth. Next best are xylitol or Bocha Sweet and lastly any erythritol-based sweetener blends (with monk fruit or stevia). I recommend powdered sweetener to avoid grittiness.
Variations
Even with such few ingredients, there is room for variations!
- Dairy-free: First of all, you can make a dairy-free version of the recipe. For this, swap out the heavy cream for coconut cream. Not to be confused with coconut milk, that would be too liquidy!
- Lime: Also, it is possible to change the citrus fruit and use lime instead of lemon.
- Mint: Infuse the posset with mint! Crush 5 mint leaves in your hands and add to the cream mixture while it is cooking. Remove the mint before adding the lemon or lime.
Serving Suggestion
I decorated my cups with lemon slices. You could also serve it with berries such as blueberries, raspberries or strawberries. Or simply add a mint leaf and a lemon peel curl.
Smaller portions of posset are lovely with a crunchy cookie. I recommend my keto shortbread or these keto biscotti.
For even more wow, serve it in hollowed out lemon halves. For this, slice the lemons lengthways and scrape out the pulp.
Shot glasses or espresso cups are the perfect size for smaller portions.
Recipe FAQs
Sugar free posset starts to thicken after about 15 minutes. However, we want to chill it in the fridge for at least 3 hours so it is nice and firm. Don't try to speed up the chilling process by putting it in the freezer. This can cause a grainy texture.
It's either 6 larger or 8 small servings. I had originally calculated 4 servings, which you can see in the images on this post. But when I tasted them, I realised that this amount was just too filling. Posset is a very rich dessert.
Yes, I actually recommend that. Posset is perfect for meal prep and must be enjoyed chilled. Simply leave it in the fridge until you are ready to serve dessert.
Storage
Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can even freeze posset! It is high fat, which means it turns into a dense lemon gelato. Freeze for up to 1 month and enjoy like an ice cream.
I haven't tried thawing frozen posset yet, but I imagine that could change the texture and turn it grainy.
More Easy Lemon Desserts
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Recipe
Sugar Free Lemon Posset (3 Ingredient Keto Pudding!)
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cup heavy cream 400ml double cream
- 2 lemons juice and zest, 60ml / ¼ cup
- ½ cup allulose 100g
Instructions
- Put the cream and granulated allulose in a medium saucepan. Heat over a low heat, stirring regularly until the sweetener has dissolved (**see notes). Let the mixture bubble gently for 2-3 minutes while stirring often.
- Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice and zest. Stir to combine.
- Pour the posset into 6-8 small dessert bowls or shot glasses. Cool to room temperature, then cover and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Bonnie Gleeson
deliciously refreshing. Great, easy recipe!
Noahsheart@hotmail.com
Absolutely Delightful! The onlything difficult is waiting the 3 hours to set. Served with fresh blueberries.
Maria
Easy and delicious!
Jeanie
I made this yesterday. Both my husband and I really enjoyed it -- lemony, not too sweet, just enough in a serving for after dinner (I made 6). Will add this recipe to my low-carb favorites!
Katrin Nürnberger
Thank you for your review. Really happy that you liked the recipe!