This refreshing Chilled Lemon Soufflé is easy to make and perfect for prepping ahead. It looks stunning on the table and always leaves guests impressed.
Light and Dreamy Cold Lemon Soufflé That Melts in Your Mouth
This chilled lemon soufflé is the kind of dessert that feels elegant without the effort. With its light, creamy texture and bright citrus flavor, this no-bake lemon soufflé is refreshing, smooth, and surprisingly simple. Made with whipped cream, lemon juice, and a silky custard, it's finished with a fluffy Swiss meringue for that signature lift, perfectly set in a ramekin or glass.
The texture practically floats off the spoon, and the flavor is tangy, creamy, and cooling in every bite. Whether you call it a soufflé lemon recipe, soufflé recipe lemon, or the best recipe for lemon soufflé, it's a true no-bake classic, approachable for beginners yet elegant for special occasions.
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⭐Why You'll Love This Chilled Lemon Soufflé
- Quick and Easy: It looks impressive with that tall soufflé rise, but the process is surprisingly straightforward.
- Light and Refreshing: The lemon flavor keeps it bright and not too heavy, even after a full meal.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: You can prepare it hours in advance (or even the day before), so dessert is ready when you are.
🧾Ingredients
You'll find the exact measurements in the recipe card, but here's a closer look at a few of the ingredients and why I use them.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice and plenty of lemon zest give the soufflé its vibrant flavor and aroma. The zest deepens the citrus notes, while the juice keeps it bright and refreshing.
- Custard: I make the custard with whole milk, egg yolks, a touch of cornstarch, and just enough sugar to balance the tartness. It turns silky, smooth, and beautifully pale yellow.
- Lightness & Structure: A mix of egg whites, a pinch of cream of tartar, and gelatine sheets helps the soufflé stay airy yet hold its shape. The sheets dissolve smoothly, giving a soft, stable texture.
- Creamy Finish: Lightly whipped double cream brings everything together, adding that velvety, melt-in-the-mouth finish that makes each spoonful feel luxurious.
👩🏻🍳How to Make Cold Lemon Soufflé
You can find the complete printable recipe with measurements below, but for now, here's a quick overview of how it goes:
1. Prepare a 24cm strip of aluminum foil, fold it into thirds, and wrap it around a soufflé dish, extending 2-3cm above the rim. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, heat milk and sugar over low heat for 5 minutes until dissolved, then pour the hot milk into a bowl with a mixture of egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.
3. Transfer the mixture to the saucepan, and cook over low-medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking constantly until slightly thickened.
4. Soak gelatin sheets in cold water, heat lemon juice for 2 minutes, then add lemon zest to the egg mixture. Dissolve the squeezed gelatin in the hot lemon juice, mix it into the egg mixture, and chill in cold water.
5. In a heatproof bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Place over simmering water, stirring constantly for 5 minutes until warm and sugar dissolves.
6. Remove from heat, beat the mixture with an electric mixer until frothy, then increase speed and beat until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.
7. Fold the beaten egg whites into the chilled lemon cream, then whisk the double cream separately until it thickens softly, about 4 minutes. Fold into the lemon mixture until fully combined.
8. Pour into the prepared soufflé dish, refrigerate for at least 4 hours until set, then gently remove the foil collar and garnish the chilled lemon souffle with berries and mint leaves.
🍽 How to Serve
Chilled lemon souffle is wonderfully convenient, I enjoy adding almond cookies or mint cookies on the side for extra flavor.
💭My Tips for Recipe Success
Cut the Lemon Zest Right before Using: I always zest the lemons at the last minute; this keeps the oils fragrant and prevents the zest from drying out.
Use an Ice Bath for Faster Chilling: Setting the lemon custard over a bowl of ice water really speeds things up and gives you a cooler base to fold into.
Garnish Just before Serving: If you're adding berries or mint on top, wait until just before serving so everything looks fresh and vibrant.
Store it Gently Covered: If you have leftovers, I like to cover the soufflé dish loosely with plastic wrap (without pressing down on the top) and keep it in the fridge. It stays fresh for up to 2 days, and the texture holds up beautifully when chilled.
🍋Try These Lemon Dessert Recipes Next!
📖 Recipe
Chilled Lemon Soufflé
Ingredients
- 120 ml Lemon Juice
- 5 Gelatine Sheets
- 240 ml Milk
- 90 g Sugar
- 2 Egg Yolks - Room temperature
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Zest
- 4 Egg Whites - Room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 240 ml Double Cream
Instructions
- Take a 24cm length of aluminum foil and fold in 3, then tie it around a soufflé dish, so that the aluminum foil extends 2-3cm above the top. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add milk and sugar, and cook for 5 minutes over low heat until the sugar is dissolved; do not boil.
- Separate two yolks and four egg whites. Put the sugar and cornstarch into the egg yolk, and whisk for about 5 minutes, until thickened and pale in color.
- Pour the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisk constantly, and mix well to combine.
- Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan, cook over low-medium heat for around 5 minutes, and whisk continuously until the mixture is lightly thickened.
- Soak gelatine sheets in cold water and set aside.
- Put the lemon juice in a small saucepan and heat for 2 minutes.
- Put the lemon zest into the egg yolk and milk mixture and whisk well.
- When the lemon juice is hot, squeeze the excess water from the soaked gelatine, drop the gelatine into the saucepan, and stir until dissolved.
- Remove from the heat, pour over egg yolks and milk mixture, and mix together well, then put the bowl over a bowl with cold water and let it chill completely.
- In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, ensuring the bottom doesn't touch the water. Stir constantly for about 5minutes, until the sugar fully dissolves and the egg whites feel very warm to the touch.
- Remove the bowl from the heat, then beat the meringue on medium-low speed with an electric mixer until foamy, around 2 minutes, then increase the speed and beat until you get a soft peak, around 4 minutes.
- Remove the bowl with the cold lemon mixture from the cold water. Carefully fold the beaten whites into the cold lemon cream until combined.
- Add the double cream to a bowl and whisk until softly thickened, around 4 minutes.
- Fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture until combined. Pour into the prepared dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set.
- Carefully remove the aluminum foil collar from around the soufflé and decorate it with berries and mint leaves.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Sandra says
OMG, this is heavenly! So light and fluffy with the perfect hint of lemon. I'm in dessert heaven!