Unbelievably creamy lemon pie is just like key lime pie with a lemon twist and toasty almond graham cracker crust. Made with 7 simple ingredients, you’ll appreciate the ease and simplicity of this refreshing dessert.
I wasn’t going to share my sunshine-sweet lemon pie recipe because it’s extremely similar to my key lime pie. It’s the same recipe but with lemon flavor, though I did alter it slightly to make up for the different juice. And the crust is made with toasty almonds instead of macadamia nuts. It’s pretty! And creamy! This chilled dessert will surely keep you cool. One slice certainly doesn’t compare to cooling off in actual pool—but is this a summertime sweet or what?
This is my favorite lemon pie recipe, no questions asked. It packs as much lemon flavor as lemon crinkle cookies, and you’ll love the delicious contrast between a salty sweet crunchy crust and smooth and tangy filling. Let’s dive in!
This is EASY Creamy Lemon Pie
- 7 ingredients total
- Filling is only 3 simple ingredients
- You don’t need a mixer
- From mixing bowl to oven in 20 minutes
3 Parts to Creamy Lemon Pie
- 4 ingredient toasty almond graham cracker crust
- 3 ingredient creamy lemon filling
- Fun toppings like whipped cream, meringue, almonds, and lemon slices
Graham Cracker Crust with an Upgrade
We’re not using our typical classic graham cracker crust—instead, we add almonds, which take this dessert from good to out-of-this-world delicious! We combine whole salty almonds, graham crackers, sugar, and a little melted butter to create the perfect sweet-salty base for our creamy lemon filling.
I recommend using salted almonds to pair with the sweet/tangy lemon filling. You can even toast them in the oven before incorporating for another level of flavor. The crust won’t taste overly salty because there’s sugar in there as well, but it’ll have a super faint salted flavor. I guarantee you’ll only want to make graham cracker crust this way from now on. And I love how buttery and thick it is.
Use a food processor to process the nuts and graham crackers together, then add the sugar and butter to combine. You’ll pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes, then pour the filling right in. No need to let it cool down. It’s quick and easy!
Or you could use a Biscoff pie crust instead if you’d like.
Creamy Lemon Pie Filling
The flavor of today’s lemon filling reminds me of lemon curd and the filling for my lemon meringue pie and lemon bars, but it’s much creamier. We have the sweetened condensed milk to thank for that. It’s actually adapted from my oatmeal lemon crumble bars filling, but we also add egg yolks here for structure and fresh lemon juice for flavor. That’s it—only 3 basic ingredients that have big jobs to do. You won’t believe how silky smooth this filling is!
You’ll notice this recipe calls for 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice (as opposed to 1 cup of fresh lime juice used in key lime pie). This boggles my mind as you would think it’d be an easy swap from lime to lemon. The pie wouldn’t set up with 1 whole cup.
Made with only 7 ingredients, this pie is super quick—only 20 minutes of hands on time! The real waiting game (torture) comes afterwards when it has to cool down and then chill in the refrigerator. I like to serve this pie when it’s super cold, so I make it a day ahead of time and chill it overnight. If short on time, you can get away with only 1 hour in the refrigerator after it has completely cooled at room temperature.
Optional Garnishes
While delicious on it’s own, try garnishing your lemon pie! I used a star tip to pipe homemade whipped cream on top. Or try adding marshmallow meringue topping from my s’mores tartlets, a sprinkle of almonds, lemon zest, or slices of fresh lemons.
Other Favorite Pie Recipes
- Blueberry Pie
- Cherry Pie & Peach Pie
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie & Cheesecake Pie
- Peanut Butter Pie
Creamy Lemon Pie
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 40 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Deliciously cool and creamy lemon pie is the perfect summer dessert made with only 7 simple ingredients.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Almond Crust
- 11 (about 160g) full-sheet graham crackers
- 1/2 cup (62g) salted almonds (I used roasted)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling + Topping
- 2 (14-ounce) cans full-fat sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup (180ml) fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 4 large egg yolks*
- garnish: lemon zest, lemon slices, almonds, whipped cream, or meringue topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and almonds together into crumbs. A few larger pieces of nuts is OK. Pour into a medium bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the melted butter and stir until combined. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. Tips: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. And run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart. For more shaping technique tips, see the graham cracker crust recipe page.
- Pre-bake crust for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the oven on.
- Make the filling: Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and egg yolks together. Pour into warm crust.
- Bake the pie for 19–21 minutes or until only *slightly* jiggly in the center. You want it mostly set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, cover and chill for at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days) before serving.
- Garnish as desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can prepare and pre-bake the crust up to 2–3 days in advance. Cover and store at room temperature. Likewise, you can mix up the filling up to 2–3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate, then assemble and bake. Freezes well up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowls | Pie Dish | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Graham Cracker Crust: If you purchase graham cracker crumbs, you need 1 and 1/3 cups (160g) for this recipe. Even though they are already crumbs, you can still pulse with the almonds. If you want to skip the almonds, use this graham cracker crust recipe instead and pre-bake for 8 minutes.
- Leftover Egg Whites: Here are my recipes with egg whites, or you can make a meringue topping for the pie.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 180g ground digestive biscuits instead (about 12 biscuits), with the same amount of almonds and butter, and add an extra Tablespoon (12g) of sugar. Pre-bake for 10 minutes.
Here’s the recipe for key lime pie!
I’ll be making this pie for Mother’s Day. Can’t wait to try it.. I like to test for doneness when using eggs in a recipe, at what temp would you consider this pie done? Thanks
Hi Angela, eggs are considered safe to eat when they reach 160°F (71°C). I’ve never taken the actual temperature of this finished pie’s filling, but at or over 160°F (71°C) would be ideal.
How do you keep eggs from “scrambling” in fillings like this that are supposed to be smooth? Made one (not this one) but came out like small scrambled curds mixed in texture…afraid to work with eggs! TIA…
I am going on almost an hour and still looking liquidy. Any suggestions?
Hi Richard! Did you make any substitutions? Full fat sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) is key to the filling setting up.
Hi Sally! If I want to use digestive biscuits instead of Graham crackers, how many grams of the digestive biscuit should I use? We don’t get grahams crackers where I am from. You have given a separate measurement for using digestives in the cheesecake crumb. Thanks so much.. as always love your recipes!!
Hi Shirley! You’ll want the same– about 130-135g of digestive biscuits.
Would this work with grapefruit and if so what adjustments, if any, are necessary?
Hi Deb, we haven’t tested it but can’t see why not!
I don’t think I left a comment before, but I’m making this again because I made it for my sister last year and she said it was the best thing I’ve ever made!
So easy, so tasty. I followed someone’s suggestion to add a little lemon zest to the filling, and it was just perfect. No one could believe how delicious it was. I was really skeptical about using roasted, salted almonds in the crust, but the nuts helped balance the sweetness that normally comes from an all-graham cracker crust and added a lovely complexity to the flavor. Well done!
Following your recipe exactly, I made this pie earlier today. While it turned out nicely, it was alittle too sweet & not enough lemony. How much more lemon can I add & still have filling set up?
Hi Deb, for even more lemon flavor, you can add some lemon zest to the filling. Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try!
I love, love love this pie as I love all your recipes that I have tried so far! This is light and tart while satisfy the sweet tooth as well. I followed instructions exactly. I love all the research you do on each recipe and all the helpful hints you give us.
I’m wondering if the pie can be frozen?
Hi Donna, so glad you loved it! This pie freezes well up to 3 months– thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
I accidentally used whole eggs what do you think will happen? Is it ruined?
This was fantastic! I’ve tried several lemon pies and this wins hands down.
So delicious and EASY! I made this pie start to finish in under an hour during my lunch break. We ate it to celebrate Pi Day, and it was a huge hit! The only thing I would do differently next time is pulse the almonds on their own first before adding the graham crackers. The larger nut chunks were tasty, but my crust wasn’t as sturdy as I would have liked. Plus, the kids complained a little. Thanks for another great recipe.
I’m finally going to make this. The lemon bars called for a full cup of lemon juice and it was the perfect amount of tartness for me. Would it be okay to use one cup of lemon juice for this?
Made it this afternoon for PI day xD
It came out fabulous! I used your meringue topping and used the broiler in the oven to toast it just in case someone else like me doesn’t own a torch!
I purchased a premade pastry crust. Does it need to be baked prior to putting the filling in and baking?
Hi Starla! Yes, you’ll need to partially par-bake the pie crust.
I know this may be a stupid question but, how much is a “sheet” of graham crackers?
Hi Mary, If weigh your graham crackers you will need a total of 135g. Hope this helps!
I’m sure you figured it out by now but a sheet is how the cookies come in the package, there’s about 5 sheets in each individual packet inside the box. You get it? No such thing as stupid questions, these kinds of questions help everyone! Anyone who’s probably new to baking too!
Love this pie, but the condensed milk upsets my stomach. Is there a substitute for the condensed milk?
Hi Linda, unfortunately, there’s no great substitute for sweetened condensed milk in this creamy lemon pie. You may love our lemon meringue pie recipe or lemon bars!
Fabulous recipe!
ONe more question. Would adding zest to the filling be good? I’m using Meyer lemons. Thanks, I’m retired and so its fun to try different things. This is a job I dont mind!
You can definitely add some zest to the filling – let us know how it goes!
Hi Sally, If using a meringue (the recipe for your lemon meringue pie)(or is there a better recipe to use?) would I put it on right away and let all of the pie bake? And for how long for everything to be done? Thanks I’m the cook and my wife is the lemon lover!! It looks great and will be fun to try it.!
Hi Mike! We suggest using this meringue topping – you can spread or pipe it onto your baked and cooled pie and then if you wish you can toast it lightly with a kitchen torch.
Hi Sally, another brilliant recipe, I wanted to ask, if I were making a shortcrust pie shell would I be best using a static oven or a fan oven? Thank you in advance
Best wishes from Scotland, Uk
Hi Leandra, We always recommend conventional settings for baking (not convection/fan). The flow of air from convection heat can cause baked goods to rise and bake unevenly and it also pulls moisture out of the oven. If you do use convection/fan settings for baking, lower your temperature by 25 degrees F and keep in mind that things may still take less time to bake.
Hi Sally!
Lemon pie is my favorite so thank you so much for this easy but tasty recipe! I am thinking to make it for my birthday on the 29th of December.
Great blog!
Hi Sally! Is this recipe for just 1 pie? I was thinking about using the premade graham cracker crust, will that work?
Hi Krystal! Yes, this recipe is for one pie. You can use a premade graham cracker crust if you would like.
I Love this recipe, My wife doesn’t really like cake but I make this for her Birthday (tomorrow) every year since we met! She gets so excited and raves to everyone about it.
I made this pie with my granddaughter and it was amazing. I even liked it and don’t like anything tart. But this recipe has just enough tart and sweet so it’s really balanced. Delicious!
My first time lemon pie was a success. I used Aldi ‘s pre-made graham crust and adjusted amount of ingredients for filling as below.
1 (14 ounce weight) can full-fat sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup (180ml) fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
3 large eggs
8 ounces cream cheese
4-6 ounces sour cream
Thank you.
Did you use whole eggs rather than egg yolks? How long did you cook it?
Could this pie be made using fat free sweetened condensed milk- it’s all I have.
Hi Tammy, the filling doesn’t set up as nicely using low fat. For best results, we recommend waiting to make the pie until you have full-fat sweetened condensed milk available.
I have made this 3 times. We love this pie. I used your traditional graham cracker crust recipe. 2 times my crust stuck to pan. What did I do wrong. Tks for great recipe !
Thank you! Will let you know how it turn out.
Hi Sally will it be ok to use a store bought pie crust ?
Hi Liz, You definitely can!
Hey Sally! Would it be possible to make the filling and put it in shortcrust pastry instead of the gram cracker crust?
Hi Samantha, we haven’t tested it. You may love this recipe for classic lemon meringue pie!
My lemon cream curdled?!?!
Hi!
Would this recipe work with different flavours? My mom asked me to create a lemon and PB pie
Hi Alanna, we haven’t tried adding peanut butter directly to this pie. However, you might be interested in our Unbelievable Peanut Butter Pie or Peanut Butter Tart instead!
Hi Sally I made this pie and the crust got stuck to the glass pie plate, it was especially stuck where the bottom meets the side, any ideas why this happened? The pie was great and especially the crust. I want to make it again hopefully without the sticking
Hi Carol! We’re so glad you loved it. Did you serve the pie straight out of the fridge? The butter in the crust could have been solidified and “stuck” to the dish. Letting it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving should help next time.