Lemon Cheesecake Mousse is soft, light and delicious – the ultimate spring and summer dessert. Made with a graham cracker base and a smooth, silky, and delicious whipped cheesecake topping, it’s hard to resist!
Creating This Cheesecake Lemon Mousse
Could there be a better spring dessert?? In my opinion, this lemon cheesecake mousse is hard to top! It’s three of my favorite things in one bright, luscious, rich, heavenly dessert! I absolutely love cheesecake, I love lemon-flavored everything and I could eat mousse for breakfast lunch, and dinner.
The flavor was oh so fresh and citrusy, but the texture was nothing like what I think of mousse. It was more of a droopy whipped cream texture with just a little more density.
So, of course, I set out to come up with my own easy mousse recipe so I could satisfy myself with a perfect lemon mousse, worthy of sharing here (yes, I’m picky about what I share). will, there are many things If I don’t feel that a dessert recipe is worth my time and ingredients why is it worth yours?).
I asked my mom to try one bite, and she insisted on just one bite because she was trying to eat less sweets, but of course, after one bite of that citrus flavor and sweetness, she Continued polishing the whole thing.
I’ll even reach into the fridge with the intention of just taking a bite, but it never ends there. No one will be able to compete with them! Try them and you’ll see what I mean.
Servings: 8 -10 servings Prep Time: 30 minutes chilling time: 2 hours
Ready in: 30 minutes COURSE: DESSERT CUISINE: AMERICAN
Lemon Mousse Ingredients
- Lemon juice
- Gelatin
- Heavy cream
- Cream cheese
- Lemon curd
- Yellow food coloring (optional)
Crust
- 3/4 cup crushed graham crackers (6 full sheets)
- 2 Tbsp (26g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp (42g) salted butter, melted
Mousse
- 2 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 Tbsp water
- 1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
- 1 1/2 cups (355ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (110g) powdered sugar, divided
- Yellow food coloring (optional)
- 12 oz (340g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 (10 oz) jar lemon curd (tested with Dickenson’s)
- Sweetened whipped cream , lemon wedges, blueberries and mint for garnish (optional)
How to Make Mousse From Scratch
- Whisk together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter and stir. Divide among dessert cups and press into an even layer.
- Combine water, lemon juice, and gelatin in a small bowl and let rest 5 minutes.
- Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form.
- Add in part of the powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, whip cream cheese until fluffy. Mix in the lemon curd and the remaining powdered sugar.
- Heat the gelatin mixture in the microwave and whisk to dissolve the gelatin.
- Slowly pour the gelatin mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Blend to combine.
- Fold the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture.
- Spoon mousse into dessert cups over a graham cracker layer. Refrigerate for 2 hours to set, then garnish as desired.
How to Serve Lemon Mousse
This cheesecake lemon mousse should be served cold. Keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it for the best results. I topped my lemon cheesecake mousse with lemon slices, sweetened whipped cream, mint leaves, and fresh berries as well.
Can I Use Granulated Sugar Instead of Powdered?
No, powdered sugar is a must for this mousse recipe. Granulated sugar wouldn’t dissolve completely in the cheesecake mousse and would result in a grainy texture.
Do I Have to Use Food Coloring?
Not if you don’t want to! The yellow food coloring just adds more color to this lemon mousse, but it can be omitted if desired.
Tips for the Best Cheesecake Lemon Mousse
- The gelatin mixture shouldn’t be allowed to cool for more than 3 minutes, otherwise, it may start to set. Then you could end up with little lumps in the mousse.
- For the freshest, brightest flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice and not the stuff in the bottle. Adding a little lemon zest makes it even more delicious!
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature, otherwise it won’t whip up properly.
- To speed up your process, grab a pre-made graham cracker crust!
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving
- Calories 353 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
- Fat 28g 43%
- Saturated Fat 17g 106%
- Cholesterol 95mg 32%
- Sodium 198mg 9%
- Potassium 89mg 3%
- Carbohydrates 21g 7%
- Sugar 16g 18%
- Protein 3g 6%
- Vitamin A 1085IU 22%
- Vitamin C 1.7mg 2%
- Calcium 63mg 6%
- Iron 0.4mg 2%