Lemon Pie
Serve up this homemade lemon pie and watch your family and friends swoon. A buttery graham cracker crust filled with a creamy lemon pie filling, and baked to perfection. Then top with my homemade whipped cream, and your pie is ready to slice and serve.
This lemon pie recipe is so simple to make, and the fresh lemon flavor truly makes this pie stand out among the rest.
Are you a lemon lover? If so, I have some more easy lemon desserts, including my simple lemon cobbler and lemon delight.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
EASY - This pie is simple to make. It only requires 5 basic ingredients to make the filling and can even be made easier using a store-bought graham cracker crust and thawed whipped topping!
FRESH - This lemon pie is made with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
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Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
- graham cracker crumbs - You can buy graham cracker crumbs or make your own by adding graham cracker sheets to a food processor then pulsing until fine crumbs form or placing them in a storage bag and crushing using a rolling pin. Be sure to flip the back over and continue to roll with the rolling pin.
- fresh lemons - Fresh lemons provide the best flavor for this pie plus the zest is needed for additional flavor.
- sweetened condensed milk - Do not use evaporated milk! The cans look similar and can be found in the grocery store side-by-side but they are not the same. The sweetened condensed milk has a thick consistency and is sweetened, unlike evaporated milk.
- egg yolks - The egg yolks help thicken/set the filling and also make it creamy.
- heavy whipping cream - This is for the whipped cream. If you are making your own whipped cream like I did, make sure your heavy whipping cream is cold.
- vanilla extract - Use homemade vanilla extract or pure vanilla extract that's store-bought.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can replace the homemade graham cracker crust with a store-bought crust that you can find in the baking aisle at the grocery store.
- You can swap out the homemade whipped cream with thawed whipped topping.
- The lemon zest and juice can be substituted for a lime/grapefruit zest and juice.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
How to make Lemon Pie
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Start by working on the graham cracker crust. If you don't have crumbs just take graham crackers and crumble fine. Mix with butter and sugar.
Press the graham cracker crumbs in the pie pan, and press it down to pack it in. Place the pie crust in the freezer while you are working on the filling.
Add your filling ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until combined. Pour the lemon pie filling in the pie pan, and bake as directed. Once the pie is done, carefully remove, allow the pie to cool.
Once the pie is cooled and been refrigerated, whip up the homemade whipped cream to top your pie.
You can dress up your lemon pie with lemon zest, slices of lemon, etc.
How to Store/Freeze Pie
Store your lemon pie in the fridge for 3-5 days. You will find as the pie sets it can dry out a bit, and the filling can begin to break down a bit. I find it's best to eat the fresh lemon pie within the first few days of making it.
You can easily freeze the lemon pie for 3 months if you don't plan to eat it right away. Just store in an airtight freezer container. Then slice and serve up as you would normally once it has thawed. I recommend thawing your pie the night before in the refrigerator.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! For a more tart lemon pie, add 1 cup of lemon juice. You may need to bake the pie for 5 additional minutes for it to firm up.
You can use bottled lemon juice, but I don't fully recommend it. The lemon juice you buy is going to give it a more artificial flavor, compared to freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Yes! Both lime juice and grapefruit juice will make great pies using this recipe. Be sure to switch the lemon zest for lime/grapefruit zest too!
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Lemon Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
Lemon Filling
- 2 cans (14 ounces each) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tablesoon lemon zest 1 medium lemon
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice about 3 to 4 lemons
- 3 large egg yolks
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Whipped Topping
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9 inch pie plate with nonstick baking spray.
- Add the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and butter to a medium bowl. Stir until the butter has coated the crumbs.
- Pour the crust mixture into the prepared pie plate and firmly press up the sides and in the bottom of the pan.
- Place in the freezer or fridge to firm up while working on the filling.
Filling
- In a large bowl, add in the sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks, and salt. Whisk until everything is incorporated.
- Pour the filling into the chilled crust.
- Place into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the center is set.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to the fridge to chill overnight.
Whipped Topping
- Before serving, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on medium until stiff peaks form.
- Make a small dome on top of the pie with your whipped cream.
- Filling a piping bag fitted with the Wilton 1M tip with the remaining whipped cream. Pipe shells on top of the dome starting at the edge next to the graham cracker crust and working your way up to the top.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
