Lemon Berry Parfaits
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Fresh berries layered with luscious lemon cream make a light and elegant summer dessert.
Fresh berries are delicious on their own but if you’re looking for a way to dress them up, elegant parfaits are the way to go. Here, I’ve layered them with a luscious lemon cream – essentially a lemon curd lightened with whipped cream – to brighten their natural sweetness. If you’re a fan of lemon and berries paired together, you’ve got to give these blueberry scones with a tart lemon glaze and this lemon blueberry pound cake a try.
Table of Contents
“This had been one of my favorite summer recipes for a long time! Pretty, refreshing, and delicious…Everyone loves it!”
What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Berry Parfaits
- Eggs: Form the base of the lemon cream, providing richness and stability.
- Sugar: Sweetens the lemon cream, balancing the tartness of the lemon and enhancing its flavor.
- Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest: Infuse the cream with vibrant lemon flavor, adding brightness and freshness to the dessert.
- Butter: Adds richness and a velvety texture to the lemon cream, enhancing its mouthfeel.
- Whipping Cream: Whipped to soft peaks and folded into the lemon cream, giving it a light and airy consistency.
- Assorted Fresh Berries: Provide bursts of fresh sweetness, adding vibrant color and texture to the dessert.
- Fresh Mint: Adds an optional refreshing herbal note and visual appeal to the parfaits, enhancing their overall elegance.
- Shortbread or Ginger Cookies: Offer an optional crunchy contrast to the creamy lemon filling, providing texture and depth to each bite.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by making the lemon cream. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and lemon juice.
Next, set up your double boiler. You need it for this recipe so that the eggs don’t curdle. If you don’t have a double boiler you can make your own; simply place a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Just make sure the hot water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
Melt the butter, then add the lemon mixture and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat a metal spoon. Stir in the lemon zest and chill in refrigerator.
In the meantime, whip the cream to firm peaks. You’ll know it’s ready when you lift the whisk out of the bowl and the peaks stand up and hold their shape without drooping over. Keep a close eye on it; if the cream gets grainy, you’ve gone too far and should start over.
Gently fold the chilled lemon mixture into the whipped cream, retaining as much volume as possible. To do this, use a rubber spatula to cut down into the center of the cream and sweep up the side of the bowl, scooping up cream from the bottom and bringing it to the top. This motion gently turns the mixtures over on top of each other, combining them in the process.
Finally, assemble the parfaits. Spoon a handful of berries into each parfait glass and top with a generous dollop of lemon cream. Spoon in more berries and another layer of cream. Chill until ready to serve. (The parfaits can be assembled up to this point several hours ahead of time.) Right before serving, top each parfait with a cookie and sprig of fresh mint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You can assemble the parfaits ahead of time and refrigerate them for several hours before serving. Just hold off on adding the optional cookie and fresh mint until right before serving. Also, both the lemon curd and whipped cream can be made in advance and refrigerated separately. The curd will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, while the whipped cream will keep for a few days. If you’re not assembling the parfaits immediately, you may need to briefly whip the whipped cream again to get it back to its original volume before combining it with the lemon curd.
Unfortunately, frozen berries won’t work here. Frozen berries tend to release liquid as they thaw, potentially making the parfait too watery and affecting its texture.
For the best results, I recommend sticking with berries here. Also, keep in mind that the parfaits are only as good as the berries you make them with. I like to use a combination of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries but only if they’re all sweet and juicy.
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Lemon Berry Parfaits
Fresh berries layered with luscious lemon cream make a light and elegant summer dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1¼ cups sugar
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 3 large lemons
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (see note below)
- 1 cup whipping cream, chilled
- 5 cups assorted fresh berries (if using strawberries, cut into bite-size pieces)
- A few springs fresh mint, for garnish
- 4-6 shortbread or ginger cookies (optional)
Instructions
- Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and beat well. Add the sugar and lemon juice and whisk until sugar is mostly dissolved. Set aside.
- Fill the bottom of a double boiler pan with an inch of water. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to low. Melt the butter in the top of double boiler. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick enough to coat a metal spoon, about 10 minutes. (If you get any bits of cooked egg, pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove.) Stir in the lemon zest and pour into a shallow bowl. Chill in the refrigerator until cold.
- Pour the chilled whipping cream into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until the cream holds firm peaks (when you lift the whisk or beaters out of the bowl, the peak should hold its shape without drooping; if the cream looks grainy, you’ve gone too far and should start over). Be sure the lemon mixture is completely cool; then, using a rubber spatula, gently fold it into the whipped cream.
- Place a large spoonful of berries into each glass (leave room for 2 layers of berries and 2 layers of cream) and top with a generous dollop of lemon cream. Top with another layer of berries and lemon cream. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve. (Parfaits can be assembled up to this point several hours ahead of time.) Right before serving, top each parfait with a shortbread cookie and sprig of fresh mint.
- Note: Anytime a recipe calls for lemon juice and lemon zest, be sure to zest the lemon before squeezing out the juice.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 461
- Fat: 23g
- Saturated fat: 13g
- Carbohydrates: 64g
- Sugar: 55g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 55mg
- Cholesterol: 177mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This had been one of my favorite summer recipes for a long time! Pretty, refreshing and delicious. I’ve served it to large crowds in small glasses and smaller gatherings in large glasses. Everyone loves it! Thank you, Jenn.
Just made the lemon curd and placed it in the fridge to chill overnight. It took nearly 30 minutes for the curd to thicken. I almost gave up before deciding to turn-up the heat slightly. As soon as I did the curd thickened quickly. Patience is key! It is sweet & super lemony and the perfect consistency for folding into whipped cream. I also made your Boozy Whipped Cream so I can make an assortment of parfait for my birthday. Both were very easy to make and I know will be delicious with an assortment of berries and shortbread cookies. Happy Birthday to me!
Hi Jenn, first I want to say thank you so much for sharing all these wonderful recipes – your website has been an amazing resource during this period and has made our family meals special. I’ve just ordered your cookbook and cannot wait to receive it! I attempted this recipe yesterday and despite having very chilled lemon curd and cream whipped to stiff peaks, the cream turned back to liquid when I mixed them together (everyone still loved it nonetheless!). I live in France and have not been able to find whipping cream with higher than 30% fat content. Do you think this could be part of the problem? Any suggestions? Maybe if I added gelatin to the mixture or some other stabilizer? Thanks so much in advance!
Hmmm…our whipping cream has the same amount of fat. While I think gelatin will help, what you experienced really shouldn’t happen – did you make any adjustments to the recipe? (And thanks for your support with the cookbook! ❤️)
Hi Jenn, thanks for your response. I didn’t make any adjustments to the recipe. I confess I don’t have a lot of experience making homemade whipped cream, so maybe it was not the correct consistency, although I did seem to have “stiff peaks”. The lemon curd was definitely thick. Any advice for next time is most welcome (though I realize that could be difficult without having seen what I had in front of me). We loved the flavors so I would like to give it another try. (I received your cookbook – it’s lovely! Cannot wait to try more recipes.)
Hmmm… instead of the cream being the problem, I’m wondering if perhaps it was the lemon curd. Was that thickened? Perhaps it (the curd) wasn’t cooked enough.
I gave it another try, and it worked! Hurrah! I made the lemon curd in my thermomix to be sure it came out right. The cream held together when I mixed it with the whipped cream.
Thanks for your help!
So glad – I guess second time’s the charm! 🙂
Hi Jen,
Approximately how long should I cook the egg and lemon mixture to be thick enough?
Lora
Hi Lora, It should take about 10 minutes.
Would this lemon curd recipe pair well with the cheesecake bars?
Is this your go to lemon curd recipe?
Thanks
Hi Gina, You could serve these with the cheesecake bars — and yes I love this lemon curd. 🙂
Jen, Jen, Jen!
This lemon curd is so delicious! It was a beautiful side addition to your cheesecake bars. So silky and smooth….you’re a rockstar girlfriend🤩!!
Thanks for the quick response btw.
OK so I totally cheat and use Trader Joe’s lemon curd. The consistency is just better than when I’ve attempted to make it. My husband came up with the idea of crumbling the shortbread on top instead of serving it whole. It’s insanely good! My family loves this dessert!
These were wonderful — easy to make, love the lemony flavor and the combination of berries, and a big hit for a backyard get-together.
I did this last weekend and they came out great. For a healthier turn on the recipe since I cannot have fatty foods I substituted the heavy cream for yoghurt a bit of gelatin and was just perfect!
I love this recipe! The flavors are fantastic, and it’s a great way to enjoy some fruit. I have a question though. When I fold the lemon curd into my whipping cream, my lemon whipping cream is soupy and won’t hold together. I make sure to beat my whipping cream until it has stiff peaks. What do you think I am doing wrong?
Hi Nina, It sounds like your lemon curd might not be thick enough or cold enough. Are you cooking it until it coats the spoon and chilling it well?
Really enjoyed this recipe! The lemon custard took about 20-25minutes to thicken with my small double boiler. This was my first time making a parfait, was super happy with how it turned out. Everyone at the table loved how light and refreshing this dish tasted.