This is the ultimate lemon pie recipe! Like my strawberry lemonade pie, it’s creamy, tangy, and bursting with fresh lemon flavor. This recipe for lemon pie is a vibrant, citrusy dessert with a creamy filling and a buttery graham cracker crust, perfect for lemon lovers and any special occasion.
There’s nothing better than making a fresh lemon pie with lemons picked right from the tree – the smell of citrus alone is heavenly! While making this pie from scratch might seem daunting, it’s surprisingly easy and worth it.
Using good-quality ingredients ensures a light, tangy filling with just the right sweetness, perfectly paired with a graham cracker crust.
The recipe is straightforward, using simple ingredients you likely already have, and achieves a creamy texture without any cream. If you love lemons, this pie is a must-try!
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Pie Recipe
Authentic Flavor: Made with freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest, delivering a genuine citrus taste.
Creamy Texture: Achieved without condensed milk or cream, offering a smooth consistency.
Simple Ingredients: Utilizes pantry staples for an easy-to-make dessert.
Versatile Crust: The graham cracker crust adds a delightful crunch that complements the tangy filling.
Lemon Pie Ingredients
Graham Crackers: Perfect for a buttery, crunchy crust that complements the tangy filling.
Sugar: Adds sweetness to balance the tartness of the lemons.
Cornstarch: Essential for thickening the filling to the perfect consistency.
Salt: Just a pinch enhances the overall flavor and balances the sweetness.
Cold Water: Helps create a smooth mixture when combined with cornstarch.
Fresh Lemon Juice: Only freshly squeezed juice will give your pie the vibrant citrus flavor it needs.
Egg Yolks: These create a creamy, rich filling and add structure to the pie.
Unsalted Butter: Adds a touch of richness and smoothness to the filling.
Lemon Zest: Intensifies the lemon flavor with a bright, aromatic touch.
Boiling Water: Helps cook the egg yolks evenly without scrambling them.
How to Make a Real Lemon Pie
- Prepare the Crust: Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press into a pie dish and bake until golden.
- Make the Filling: Whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and water in a saucepan. Cook until thickened.
- Temper the Egg Yolks: Gradually add a bit of the hot mixture to beaten egg yolks, then return it to the saucepan.
- Finish the Filling: Stir in butter and lemon zest until smooth.
- Assemble and Bake: Pour the filling into the crust and bake briefly to set.
- Chill: Cool the pie, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
Recipe Tips
Fruit Additions: Add a layer of fresh berries on top of the filling for extra flavor and a pop of color.
Intensify Lemon Flavor: Use extra lemon zest in the filling for a stronger citrus taste.
Use Fresh Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice delivers the best flavor—avoid bottled juice.
Watch the Filling: Stir constantly while cooking to prevent burning, and ensure the filling thickens enough to pour smoothly into the crust.
Refrigeration is Key: Let the pie chill in the refrigerator for several hours (preferably overnight) to fully set and thicken.
Allow for Setting Time: Every pie sets differently—check to ensure the filling is firm enough to slice before serving.
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store the pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Wrap the pie tightly and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Real Lemon Pie Recipe Variations
There are a few ways that you can change up this real lemon pie recipe:
Raspberry lemonade pie: Add a few tablespoons of raspberry puree to the filling.
Lemon meringue pie: Top with a homemade meringue.
Blueberry lemon pie: Top with fresh blueberries or a blueberry compote.
Alternative Crusts: Swap the graham cracker crust for a traditional pastry crust or shortbread crust for a different texture.
Make it a tart: Instead of pouring the filling into 1 pie crust, make mini tarts using graham cracker crust and mini tart pans.
Serving Suggestions
Pairings: Serve with a side of vanilla ice cream or a glass of iced tea for a refreshing combination.
Toppings: Garnish with freshly whipped cream and lemon slices or zest for an elegant presentation.
What to Serve with Lemon Pie
Serve this citrus pie with any of these recipes:
Frequently Asked Questions
Lemon pie filling is made of sugar, cornstarch, salt, cold water, lemon juice, egg yolks, unsalted butter, boiling water, and lemon zest.
Lemon pie filling is made of sugar, cornstarch, salt, cold water, lemon juice, egg yolks, unsalted butter, boiling water, and lemon zest.
If you don’t have cornstarch, you can use flour or tapioca starch to thicken the pie filling.
This fruit pie will last for three to four days in the fridge. Make sure you cover it and store it properly.
Yes, you can prepare a meringue topping and bake it until golden brown for a classic lemon meringue pie variation.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Lemon Desserts
If you love lemon as much as we do, check out these lemon desserts below:
Best Lemon Bars – These are always a hit! They have a shortbread crust and a tart lemon filling.
Lemon Cake – This cake is moist and fluffy with a delicious lemon flavor. It’s perfect for any occasion!
Thyme and Lemon Shortbread Cookies – These are our favorite buttery cookies.
Lemon Cupcakes – These are light and fluffy cupcakes with a tart lemon frosting. They’re perfect for a summer party!
Easy Lemon Pots – These are creamy and SO good!
Pie Recipes
For all of you pie lovers, here are a few more amazing recipes that you have to try!
This real lemon pie with a graham cracker crust is a refreshing and delicious dessert perfect for any occasion. Its tangy, creamy filling and buttery crust make it a standout treat for lemon lovers.
I’d love to hear what you think if you try this recipe! Comment below and let me know how it turned out for you. Don’t forget to share this recipe with friends and family; it’s too good to keep to yourself!
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Lemon Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Lemon Pie Filling
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 2 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- Prepare and make your pie crust. You can use a pre-made graham cracker pie crust or a homemade graham cracker crust.
- Preheat the oven and prep your ingredients.
- In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
- Gradually add in the freshly squeezed lemon juice, cold water, and lightly beaten egg yolks. Give it a stir.
- And cubed butter.
- Add hot water to the saucepan and then bring the mixture to a full boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly or it will burn.
- Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. This will help thicken the filling.
- Add in lemon zest and stir.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour the lemon pie filling into a prepared crust and bake for 20 minutes.
- Once the pie is done baking, it needs to be set to thicken more. You must leave it in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
Notes
- This pie must be boiled, baked, and refrigerated to become thick.
- If you want an intense lemon flavor, add more lemon zest to the recipe.
- When cooking the filling, ensure you’re watching it and stirring so it doesn’t burn on the bottom. The filling should be thick but still able to pour into the prepared pie crust.
- Let the pie cool completely in the refrigerator before serving. This will help the filling to set up and thicken. I recommend that you allow it to sit overnight if you can.
- Make sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice. This will give the pie the best flavor.
Love, Love, Love this lemony lemon pie! And, so did the judge at my local county fair this summer! I entered this pie in the lemon pie category and WON a BLUE RIBBON for FIRST PLACE for the Best lemon pie! It truly is. I have made it several times for my friends and they all say the same thing…..This is the Best Lemon Pie! Recently I made it with a lemon cookie crust instead of graham crackers and it was….Lip Smacking Good!
Wow Pamela! That sounds amazing! I can’t believe you won an award, I love that!!!
About how many lemons did it take to make this? I love just lemon pies!
My 16 year old sons name is
Eden Blaze. I had never heard of anyone with that name at the time the Lord had given me that name for my baby, but now I seem to hear it a few times a year.
I follow a crafter and her daughters name is Eden and her sons name is Blaze.
Lovely recipe, easy to make.
The Graham cracker crust was much thicker than I usually make but it was still worked well with this pie. This one is a keeper.
I’m making it now and wonder if you let the pie come to room temperature before putting it in the fridge?
Yes, you can let it come to room temp before placing it the fridge.
How much hot water is needed?
The recipe says 1 1/2 cups of boiling water.
Making this lovely pie for Easter!
How long does the pie generally need to cool after baking, before putting into the refrigerator for 6 plus hrs?
Thank you!
Mine did not thicken so I had to add more cornstarch but I think all that boiling for 3 minutes then an extra 5 minutes of simmering doesn’t really help. I’m hoping when it cools it will thicken up some.
Did you bake the pie? The simmering is one part, then the pie needs to bake in the oven and it also has to be refrigerated for at least 6 hours or overnight before it will be thick.
My pie didn’t thicken 🤔
I followed the recipe to a tee!
You never indicated at what temperature the oven should be! Your recipe says to “preheat the oven” but fails to give the oven temperature! NOWHERE in all those instructions did you note this!
Thanks, Janet! You are the best for letting us know! It has now been fixed 🙂
It says pre heat to 350°
Heavenly!! Graham cracker crusts are my favorite!! The lemon filling is so creamy & refreshing. This pie is a hit!
Can you tell me if you are to back the crust first? If you want meringue on it how do you do that.
Thank you
So fresh and delicious! Love everything lemon flavor, especially in pies!
This turned out so amazing with all the lemon loving flavor I could hope for.