Lemon Pie Recipe

5 from 5 votes

In this lemon pie recipe, a smooth lemon pie filling is baked into graham cracker crust and topped with homemade whipped cream for an easy pie recipe that everyone loves.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Chilling6

Total Time6 50

Course: Dessert, pie

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Servings

Author: Laura

Cost: $6

Equipment

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (12 full-sheets of grahams processed in the food processor until fine)
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 Tablespoons salted butter melted

Lemon Pie Filling:

28 ounces sweetened condensed milk
½ cup sour cream
4 large egg yolks
¾ cup lemon juice
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest optional
Homemade whipped cream (for topping)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Graham Cracker Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9” round pie dish.
In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add butter and stir until combined.
Pour the crust mixture into the prepared pie dish, pressing it down into the bottom of the dish and halfway up the sides.
Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes, then remove the crust from the oven.

Make the Filling

In a large bowl whisk together condensed milk, sour cream, egg yolks, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. If desired, whisk in lemon zest.

Assemble

Pour the lemon pie filling into the warm pie crust.
Return to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the filling looks set with small bubbles and it’s just very slightly jiggly.
Remove from the oven and set the pie on a wire rack to cool. Transfer the pie on the rack to the refrigerator and chill for at least 6 hours (or overnight-preferred)

Chill & Serve

Once chilled, decorate the pie with homemade whipped cream, if desired, and chill until the whipped cream is set.
Cut into slices and serve cold.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions

Graham Cracker Crumbs. You can buy pre-made graham cracker crumbs, however I always opt to make my own. Simply break apart 12 full-sheets of graham crackers and process them in a food processor fitted with the "S" blade until they are fine crumbs. Easily make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free graham crackers!
Granulated sugar. white granulated sugar and organic cane sugar work well in this recipe.
Salted Butter. Unsalted butter works equally well you may just want to add a pinch of salt.
Sweetened Condensed Milk. There is no substitute for sweetened condensed milk, you will need two, 14-oz cans for this recipe. You can make your own, if desired.
Sour Cream. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the best results.
Lemon juice. I use organic lemon juice found in most juice aisles to make this pie – you can also use freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Vanilla extract. This adds a special touch to the pie, don't omit it!
Lemon Zest (optional). If desired, use lemon zest for an extra lemony flavor.

Store

Store any leftover lemon pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freeze

There are 2 ways to freeze this recipe:

Freeze the entire pie. Simply bake and chill the pie, then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cutting and serving.
Freeze individual slices. If you have a few leftover slices you want to freeze, place them on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer to flash-freeze them. Then, once they're frozen, wrap them in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for about 6 hours.

Nutrition