Orange Posset Recipe (3 Ingredients)

Name: Orange Posset Recipe (3 Ingredients)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream; 1/4 cup sugar; 1/4 cup orange juice; 1 tbsp orange zest

Creamy and delicious, this dessert is a no bake recipe that needs only heavy cream, oranges, sugar to make. It is easy, yummy and tastes like orange flavored custard.

I have been seeing posset all over my social media and to be honest the first time I ate it almost 10 years ago I was blown away but I never made it again. I had it at a couple of restaurants since then and they were delicious but one of them used gelatin and only recently it came back to my attention that a posset is arguably the easiest dessert you can make with minimal ingredients and equipment.

In saying this, you do need patience to make this dessert recipe as it needs to set in the fridge before you can serve it. I had a ton of oranges in the house so I made an orange flavored recipe but you can use lemon and it is even better. I would suggest making this dessert the night before and letting it set in the fridge overnight.

What is the meaning of posset?

Now the term posset means a hot drink of sweetened and spices milk curdled with ale or wine according to Webster. Having said this I remember its reference in Shakespeare and he referred to it as an egg based sweetened drink such as eggnog/custard. But it was also referred to a in a way poison caused blood to coagulate creating thicker texter/consistency. This all seems very morbid but if you think of it the posset here does get thickened with citrus.

What is posset?

Posset is a cold dessert that originated from Great Britain. It is a simple but elegant dessert you can make easily. It does need time to set in the fridge before serving.

What is posset made from?

Posset is made for cream, sugar and citrus. The citrus can be lemon, orange, lime or any other citrus. However there are recipes adding vanilla, salt, almond extract, coconut extract etc.

How would you describe a posset?

A posset is creamy, rich and very indulgent. It is a sweet citrus cold dessert that is served on its own or with stewed fruit, crumbled biscuits or crushed nuts.

Is posset the same as panna cotta?

One can confuse the two because they both are heavy cream based desserts but they are made differently. Panna cotta is made with gelatin and traditional posset is not.

Does posset contain gelatin?

No it does not contain gelatin, you will find some recipes that call for the use of gelatin in making a posset but it doesn’t need it as the citrus sets the cream making it get the texture of custard or similar to that of a pudding.

Can I make this orange posset into a lemon posset?

You can use any citrus fruit to make a posset. The recipe is very simple and versatile as it can be customized to your liking as required.

What ingredients do you need to make Orange posset?

To make this homemade 3 ingredients posset recipe I have used heavy cream, oranges and sugar. Now you need the best heavy cream you can get your hands on. When making recipes with small amount of ingredients the highest quality really does make a difference in the overall outcome. I used a combination of orange and clementines, again baed on what I had but you can use any critters fruit you have.

What equipment do you need to make Orange posset?

To make the posset we need a sauce pot and rubber spatula to heat the ream with the sugar. A grater to zest the fruit and I have used my hands to juice out the oranges to get some of the pulp as well. You will need small cups or glasses to set the posset in the fridge. This recipe serve 4 but if you want it to serve 2 then you can set it in 2 larger glasses. Keep in mind the setting time will differ based on the size of the glass/cup.

How to make Orange posset?

In a sauce pot add the heavy cream and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and add the sugar, stir until it dissolves. This should take 5 minutes. The cream will have thickened as well, take it off the heat add the orange zest and orange juice, stir well. Pour into tea cups, cover and let it come to room temperature. Place in the fridge for 3 hours until set (or overnight for best results).

Serving and storing orange posset?

The best way to serve this orange posset is chilled, add orange slices on top, garnish with nuts, biscuits or stewed fruit. I would suggest storing the leftovers for 3-4 days in the fridge, anything longer than that will affect the taste of the cream.

Commonly asked questions when making posset:

How do I know my cream is thickened?

When you run a finger along the rubber spatula it should hold before running into the line you created. You will notice the consistency it thicker when to lift the spatula from the cream and allow it to drip.

Why is my posset not thickening?

There are a few possibilities here, the cream was not boiled, the juice wasn’t measured out. Or you just haven’t allowed it to set int he fridge long enough.

Why has my cream had separated/split?

The cream was not fresh and probably expired, or it was too hot and the heat was not reduced after boiling or you heated the cream with the citrus that caused it to spilt.

Do I have to chill my posset?

A good posset will set at room temperature in a couple of hours however the fridge does speed up the process also, you will be serving this dessert chilled so allowing it to set in the fridge only makes sense.

How long am I supposed to let my posset chill for?

Until it has set. Honestly, this can take anything between 2 – 12 hours depending on the quality of the heavy cream, the temperature of the fridge and the preparation method. I would always suggest making it the night before and allowing it to set in the fridge overnight.

Looking for more no bake dessert recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this Orange posset, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.