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Lemon Berry Parfaits

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Fresh berries layered with luscious lemon cream make a light and elegant summer dessert.

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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.

What you’ll need to make Lemon Berry Parfaits

Lemon berry parfaits

How to make them

Begin by making the lemon cream. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and lemon juice.

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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.

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Melt the butter, then add the lemon mixture and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat a metal spoon.

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Stir in the lemon zest and chill in refrigerator.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Keep in mind that this dessert is only as good as the berries you make it with. I like to use a combination of raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries but only if they’re all sweet and juicy. Enjoy!

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Lemon Berry Parfaits

Fresh berries layered with luscious lemon cream make a light and elegant summer dessert.

Servings: 4-6, depending on the size of your parfait glasses

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Note: Anytime a recipe calls for lemon juice and lemon zest, be sure to zest the lemon before squeezing out the juice.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • I was planning to make this tonight, but just realized I only have salted butter. Is that ok or should I choose another of your yummy recipes? Btw, I know you get this a lot, but you are my go-to for recipes. I host a weekly gathering and usually make at least one of your dishes. Many times, I’ve used your recipes for the entire meal. Always comes out amazing! Thank you for making my friends think I can cook! 😉

    • — Sheri on July 6, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Sheri, thanks for your very nice words about the recipes – so glad you like them! When people only have salted butter, I typically suggest that they cut back the salt in the recipe. I can’t suggest that here, as there’s no added salt! While it varies by brand, most salted butter has about 1/4 tsp salt per stick, so you’ll essentially be adding ⅛ tsp. of salt to the recipe, and I think you can get away with it. Please, LMK how it turns out!

      • — Jenn on July 6, 2023
      • Reply
      • I can’t imagine that the unsalted version could be any better. It was delicious! 😋 Thank you again!

        • — Sheri on July 9, 2023
        • Reply
        • So glad it came out well — thanks for taking the time to report back! 🙂

          • — Jenn on July 10, 2023
          • Reply
  • Just delicious 😋

    • — Jacqui on January 15, 2023
    • Reply
  • Hi Jen!
    I was thinking of making this as an Easter dessert but in a trifle dish since I have so many guests. Thinking of doubling the recipe, and adding layers with shortbread and berries. Wanted your thoughts on this plan, think doubling recipe enough for standard glass trifle dish? Would you use shortbread or ladyfingers for layering? Any suggestions are welcome.

    • — Jennifer on April 9, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Jennifer, I think doubling this should be fine and I’d probably go with ladyfingers for layering. That said, you may want to consider making this trifle as it’s very similar; just without the lemony flavor. Hope you enjoy whatever you make!

      • — Jenn on April 12, 2022
      • Reply
      • Thank you! I actually have made your trifle before it was excellent and everyone raved. My girls just love lemon, so wanted to try something different this time. Thanks for the suggestions! Wish me luck, serving for Easter!

        • — Jennifer on April 14, 2022
        • Reply
  • My lemon curd is quite solid and syrupy. Not sure how to incorporate with the cream. Did this happen to anyone else? Is there anyway to add a picture? Thank-you.

    • Hi Francoise, Sorry you had a problem with the lemon curd! Did the eggs curdle? Feel free to send me a pic at jennifer@onceuponachef.com.

      • Done! Thanks for the quick reply. The eggs did NOT curdle but I did cook it for about 20 minutes. It’s like a thick syrup. Thanks, Francoise

        PS Lemon cream still taste good. 🙂

        • Hi Francoise, I think you just cooked it too long and that’s why it thickened up. Next time, I’d cut the cooking time back to about 10 minutes. Glad it tasted good though!

  • This is such a delicious, refreshing dessert!!! I could eat the lemon cream by itself (and I did), it’s so good. I want to make this for a dinner we are attending on Monday (my job is to bring the dessert), so I did a test run tonight. I was a tad worried I would have trouble making the lemon curd, since I don’t have a double broiler. However, Jenn’s suggestion of using a saucepan and a bowl worked well. It just took longer – maybe 20 minutes instead of 10. Totally worth it! I would stand there for an hour and stir that curd to make this again. Thanks, Jenn!

  • 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!

    • — Anita Cabanilla
    • Reply
  • 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!

            • — Rachel
          • So glad – I guess second time’s the charm! 🙂

            • — Jenn
  • Hi Jen,

    Approximately how long should I cook the egg and lemon mixture to be thick enough?

    Lora

    • — Lora Tchekoratova
    • Reply
    • 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!

    • — Carla Cerqueira
    • Reply
  • 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.

  • Would it be possible to substitute the fresh berries with a blueberry compote? Or would the compote be too heavy and sink into the lemon curd?

    • Hi Raquel, The lemon curd is pretty light since it’s mixed with whipped cream; I do think the compote would sink into it. Sorry!

  • can you make these with yoghurt instead of cream?

    • Hi Maya, It may be a bit tart with the lemon and the yogurt but if you sweeten the yogurt enough it should work.

  • I bought some lemon curd at the store for another recipe. Could I just use this with the recipe? How much lemon curd would I use with the one cup whipped cream?

    • Hi Janet, That would work fine. I’m not sure how much it would be though; I’ve never measured. Maybe start with one cup and add more to taste.

  • Great idea for a light summer dessert! I’ve done something similar in a large crystal bowl and layered mousse with fruit and whipped cream! It makes a beauitful dessert and it’s delicious! I can’t wait to try the lemon cream!

  • Really delicious. I made this for dessert for a casual dinner with my husband on the back deck. We both loved how rich, yet light, the lemon cream was. It took me about 205minutes to get the lemon mixture to thicken on the stove, but maybe my bowl was too thick.

  • Love love love this combo of ingredients. I am soooo “pinning” this recipe…

    • — Elizabeth C. in Kansas
    • Reply
  • Visually appealing, easy, tasty,delicious…need I say more?

  • These were so easy to make and a hit at my last brunch party!

  • this is so simple and so elegant! thank you for sharing this and have a great day:)

  • Love lemon curd! what a great idea lemon curd, whipped cream and fresh berries…yum! .. thanks for sharing.

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