Luscious Lemon Cream Pie
This lemon cream pie is magnificent and glorious and refreshing and creamy and perfect and you should just make it. Ok?
Oh, you want me to say a bit more about it?
To tell you that the luscious lemon flavor is perfectly balanced with the creamy sweetness?
And that, despite a a baking-cooling-baking session, it is the easiest pie in the world to put together?
And that if left alone with no onlookers, I very well could have eaten the entire thing? Yep, all of that, too.
I haven’t met very many desserts with buttery graham crusts that have failed to woo me (the jello and carrots in a graham shell experience was a bit sketchy, I’ll admit) and this is no exception.
Utter summer perfection in dessert form. And to be quite honest, we enjoy this pie year round. Lemon should not be for summer enjoyment only.
I must have a thing for lemon pies. Or maybe just citrus pies? I don’t know.
For a chocolate loving gal like myself, these lemony numbers really get to me.
This is most apparent if you consider that I posted a nearly identical lemon cream pie recipe (declaring my unparalleled love) and only realized the similarities after I had the post nearly completed.
I guess there’s no shame in really loving lemon cream pie.
If you haven’t made it, you may not believe that the luscious lemony filling is simply sweetened condensed milk + egg yolks + lemon juice whisked together and baked.
Crazy, right? That combination is a fantastic solution for a super creamy lemon pie (the buttery graham crust and sweetened whipped cream don’t hurt matters either).
This lemon cream pie is a winner – I hope you make it and love it as much as I do!
One Year Ago: No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
Two Years Ago: The Best Oven-Baked Ribs
Three Years Ago: Grilled Chicken Fajita Fettuccine
Lemon Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 9 rectangular graham crackers
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 cans (14-ounces each) sweetened condensed milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from about 5-6 lemons
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F making sure one of the racks is in the middle of the oven. Break the graham crackers into pieces and add them to a blender, food processor or ziploc bag and crush (or roll the bag with a rolling pin) until the crackers are finely ground. Mix in the sugar and butter (if using a ziploc bag, transfer the cracker crumbs to a bowl before adding ingredients).
- Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust for 12-14 minutes, until it is just beginning to brown. Cool the crust completely on wire rack.
- Once the crust is cool, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Measure out 3 tablespoons of the sweetened condensed milk and set aside in a small container (it will be used later). Whisk the remaining condensed milk with the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly whisk in the lemon juice. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake the pie until the edges are just set but the center still jiggles when the pie plate is lightly moved, about 15 minutes.
- Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack and then cover and refrigerate until well-chilled and set, about 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
- When ready to serve, using an electric stand mixer or handheld mixer, whip the cream, reserved condensed milk and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped topping over the pie. At this point, the pie could be chilled for up to an hour (any longer and the whipped cream topping can cause the pie to ‘weep’ and get liquidy). Cut into slices and serve.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Cook’s Country June/July 2013 (used salted butter instead of unsalted)
I made this yesterday, and it was a hit. It tastes a lot like a creamy lemon bar, in pie form. Thanks for another winning recipe!
Hi! I was wondering if you happen to know what equivalent could be used for graham cracker crumbs instead of whole graham crackers? Going to make this pie for my mom’s birthday tomorrow and cannot wait to try it! Have tried many of your recipes and have loved them all! I especially look forward to your sugar rush each year!! Thank you for blogging and sharing so many wonderful recipes!!
I’m not exactly sure, Lacey but I’d guess around 1 to 1 1/4 cups.
HI, I used 3 cans of s. cond. milk ….will 3 yolks be enough or should I use 4 yolks ??
Thanks
Hey Abby – I am not quite sure what you are asking?… Did you double the recipe? Only 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk are used in this recipe.
OHHH boy does this bring back memories !
My mom started making this when I was little and from then on it was called graham cracker pie by us girls, that was in 1950… oopps gave away my age didn’t I…well I’ve continued to make this & take it everywhere and it has always been a hit. My
g’ daughters are now making it.
Thank for sharing it…
This pie won the lemon pie smack down tonight. It went head to head with Martha Stewart’s lemon cream pie (made with sour cream). The judges were my three kids. This pie took the gold for it’s creamy smooth texture and slight vanilla note. This pie is going to be my contribution to this year’s Thanksgiving gatherings. Thank you!
wow.dont waste your time with lemonade – use the lemons for this pie.simple and easy without all the chemicals a store bought pie has in it.i followed it exactly.i recommend spraying the plate.mine was a bit sticky on the glass.smooth,creamy and got rave reviews because i had to share it.
This was such a delicious pie! I brought it into work and my coworkers couldn’t stop raving about it.
I made a few adjustments though –
I only used 1.5 tbsp of sugar and the crust was plenty sweet
I added in the zest of about 3/4 of a medium size lemon
I used 5.5 tbsp of butter to make sure the crust stuck together well
Fantastic recipe!!
I just made this, but since I only had one can of sweetened condensed milk on hand, I halved the recipe and made it in muffin tins to get mini-pies. I want to eat them ALL, but I have limited myself to one. Until after dinner…
I think this is the recipe I have been searching for. It is like a pie I used to get from a BBQ place back home. SO GOOD! Thank you!
What was the cook time to make them into mini pies? I love this idea
My boyfriend loves lemon things, so I made him this pie as a surprise. He could not get enough of it! I had never had lemon pie before, but I am now a huge fan. Thanks for the recipe!
Looks wonderful can’t wait to try
Made this last night and it was awesome! Very easy to make, just be sure to allow he time for it to chill. Great tangy sweet flavor!
Oh man, what an amazing recipe!! I made it for my Dad’s birthday and we couldn’t stop talking about it as we ate it. It was so incredibly velvety. I used Nestle La Lechera sweetened condensed milk and I think it was much better than the Eagle brand. Yum!!
I made this yesterday for dessert with friends. Everyone loved it…delicious!
I made it! Delicious!
Now that looks delicious – I have made lemon tarts before but never a pie like this, I’ll make a note of this recipe!
Could I substitute lime juice for lemon juice?
Absolutely divine!!!
Made this for a friend’s birthday last night; YUM! The texture of the pie is perfect, and the addition of the sweetened condensed milk makes for a nice, thick topping layer. My husband likes his pie extra-lemony so when I make the pie next (probably this weekend!), I will probably add a little zest to the filling. Thanks for a great recipe.
First of all, I love every recipe I’ve ever tried from your blog. I hosted book club awhile ago & it was an homage to Mel: I realized that everything I made was from your blog! Alas, this pie did not work out for me 🙁 The crust had way too much butter & not enough graham crackers. Is it supposed to be a typical graham cracker crust? I live in Canada & our graham crackers are different that US brands. Sweetened condensed milk also comes in smaller can so I just measured out 28 oz but it turned out much too sweet & not lemony enough. Where did I go wrong?! I will have to go back to my absolute favorite, Sour Cream Lime Tart. I am asked for that recipe wherever I take the pie. Thanks!!
Hi Megan – sounds like the difference in graham crackers may have made an impact on the outcome. It is a pretty traditional graham cracker crust. Sorry you didn’t love it!
I made this pie for my husband’s birthday dinner tonight. Can’t wait to dig into it! Thanks for all the effort you put into your blog, its definitely my favorite because of all the practical, flavorful dishes.
If I didn’t squeeze the lemons myself, I would have thought this was key lime pie. It was phenomenal! I was crying inside when my kids ate the last two pieces (I promised I would save them for them). My husband wasn’t a big fan, but let’s leave him out of this. He doesn’t like lemon bars, so he doesn’t count. 🙂 I can’t wait to make/eat this again! I love that it’s super easy too!
I made this to bring to a dinner party over the weekend. It was very delicious and pretty easy to make. I’ll be making it again, for sure. Thanks for all your great summer cooking ideas. I bought the limes to make that pie next!
Mel…I made this pie over the weekend for my parents and it was AWESOME…very lemony, sweet, creamy…it’s was simply delicious. I split open a vanilla bean for the whipped cream part. It was so good…this is a keeper.
Made this recipe last night for dessert. My husband absolutely loved this ! He said it was fabulous and I agree……. so I had some more for breakfast ……..ooops.
i don’t really like key lime pie and though this is similar, i find it much more appealing!
I made this tonight for my family and its the perfect summer treat. We really liked it! I love anything lemon!
Made it for Sunday dessert today. My family loved it. It’s a perfect summer dessert. Thanks for another fantastic recipe! (I’m thinking I want to try it with lime juice now!)
The best lemon pie I have ever made! Great recipe! Perfect summer dessert. Once again a tried and true recipe that is great!
I made this pie yesterday for my parents for babysitting our two crazy boys. They loved it, and so did I! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes! Love your blog!
Hi Mel-
A few summers ago, Cracker Barrel had a lemon pie that was heavenly , and I fell in love. But- it was “limited edition”, so when they stopped making it, I tried to recreate it to no avail. Emeril’s icebox lemon pie was close, but not close enough. Yesterday I made your lemon pie, and……
This. Is. That. Pie!!! The search is over. We had guests over and everyone loved it.
Thank you so much for all the great recipes.
Thank you for a lemon pie that does not call for cool whip!! Can’t wait to try this!
Darn you and all of your delicious pies!! The week of July 4th I already made your sour cream lime pie TWO times! … (per my husband’s request, but I wasn’t complaining). Now I’m gonna have to try this one too! 😉
It looks almost too creamy to be true 🙂
Nevermind, it won’t whip up like whipping cream will…..will have to try subbing some lite cool whip.
Why bother?! Whipping cream not only taste incredible, it is WAY better for you than cool whip of any kind! Seriously…do yourself a favor and check out this link http://www.jonathanfields.com/horrifying-12-day-cool-whip-experiment/.
Honestly, only here to bring you good…leave the plastic at the store.
This looks delightful. How do you think fat free half and half would work as a sub for whipping cream?
It won’t whip I don’t think.
I am so glad you received my mental pleas for a lemon pie. I have the most beautiful overflowing lemon trees in my backyard and have never successfully in my life made a lemon pie. Last week with your help I made perfect lemon squares but I thought it would be asking too much for you to do a lemon dessert again so soon. I am so glad my telepathic powers have worked and you’ve come through for me again Mel Thanks!
Now that looks just heavenly, Mel! The perfect light, lemony dessert for dinner parties.
I’ve made something very similar with lime juice and it turned out wonderful so I’m sure it is great with lemon. Can’t wait to try it.
I saw this in Cook’s Country and on another blog, too. It sounds delicious. I’d like to try a lime version as well. Lemon and lime are favorite flavors. I like them even better than chocolate!
I just found a whole bag of lemons in my fridge. This pie sounds like a good use for them!
Lemon is my most favorite EVER EVER EVER!!!!! This needs to happen.
I looooove lemon! Thanks for the recipe!
My husband’s birthday is in a few days and with his love of lemon, we may be having this pie instead of cake. Thanks!
Oh yes please! Love lemon on a hot day in the summer … and guess what? It’s darn hot today so a lemon pie is in my near future!
I do believe this will be on our menu for the weekend 🙂
Made your lemon bars, and this also looks divine! Lemon is the perfect summer flavor. Thanks!
I love lemon pies in the summer and this one sounds delicious. Thanks!
Lemon is my FAVORITE! This looks so yummy, I can’t wait to try it!
I love lemon desserts (and lemon anything, really)! With our heat index expected to be 108 degrees, I sadly won’t turn on my oven today, but I am SO making this on Sunday when our temps are in the 80’s!
This pie looks amazing! Love the creamy lemon look!
This was amazing and simple to make…loved it! thanks for a great recipe