The Irresistibly Light & Delicious 75-Year-Old No-Bake Dessert

Some desserts are so cheerful, so easy and so unexpectedly delightful, they never go out of style. Take Lemon Bisque , a no-bake treat that's been around since the 1950s, when home cooks were getting playful with convenience ingredients and leaning into cool, breezy no-bake sweets for hot weather.

This vintage dessert was new to me, but content creators Cindy Alldredge and Corinne Ritz (@most_delicious_life ) recently shared the charming chilled treat and it looks perfect for summer parties. This isn't a lemon bar. It's not a pie. It’s something a little fluffier, a little (or a lot) retro and completely delicious. Here's what you need to know.

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What Is Lemon Bisque?

Although "bisque" usually refers to a creamy seafood soup, in this instance, the bisque in question is a fluffy no-bake icebox dessert. According to Most Delicious Life , this vintage recipe is also known as Lemon Whip, Lemon Fluff or Lemon Cloud, which all seem more accurate than Lemon Bisque.

At the heart of this Lemon Bisque is the mid-century kitchen hack of whipping evaporated milk. When chilled overnight and whipped with a little sugar and lemon, evaporated milk fluffs up into a dreamy, mousse-like texture that feels both fresh and luxurious. Combine that with a sweet-tart lemon Jell-O base and a graham cracker crust, and you’ve got a crowd-pleasing dessert.

Lemon Bisque has a way of starting conversations that are filled with happy memories. When this recipe was shared online, fans immediately flooded the comments. Some said their moms made it in the ’70s and ’80s. Others recalled it as a staple of potlucks. One woman said her mother-in-law taught her to make it decades ago. It’s the kind of recipe that lives in handwritten cookbooks and recipe boxes, often passed from one generation to the next.

Related: The 150-Year-Old Cookie Recipe That's Wildly Simple

How To Make Lemon Bisque

This dessert is a breeze to pull together with just a few simple steps. And although it's not a difficult recipe, it does require some planning ahead. You can get the full recipe on the Most Delicious Life website , but here's the general info you need to know.

First things first: Put a can of evaporated milk overnight. This is non-negotiable because it's the key to creating the dessert's fluffy texture.

You'll also need crushed graham crackers, melted butter, lemon Jell-O, sugar or honey, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest and a pinch of salt (optional).

Crush the graham crackers and combine them with melted butter. Press most of the mixture into a 9x13-inch dish to create a crust (reserve the rest of the crumbs for the topping). Stick the crust in the fridge while you work on the filling.

In a large mixing bowl, pour boiling water over the lemon Jell-O and stir until fully dissolved. Add sugar (or honey), lemon juice, lemon zest and salt, if using. Let the mixture cool to room temperature (don't rush this step or the whipped evaporated milk will deflate).

Once the lemon mixture is cool, take the chilled evaporated milk out of the fridge and whip it on high until thick and frothy. You’re looking for soft peaks—like whipped cream, but lighter.

Gently fold the whipped milk into the lemon mixture. Once it’s fully combined, pour it over the chilled crust and top with the remaining graham cracker crumbs. Chill in the refrigerator until fully set, which will take two to three hours.

Related: 32 Awesome Lemon Desserts

Light, Fluffy and Just Tart Enough

Lemon Bisque is exactly what you want at the end of a summer meal. It's creamy but not heavy, and sweet but not too sweet, thanks to the lemony tang. Think of it as a mousse-meets-icebox cake hybrid, and you'll understand why it’s been so well-loved for so long.

Bring it to your next cookout, or make it when you need something fresh, light and sunny. However and whenever you serve it, this classic dessert is proof that the best recipes get better with time.

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