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!
This recipe is a winner!
The only small change I made was to add the zest of the lemons to the mixture for a bit more lemony flavor.
The crust is outstanding! It’s so good it could easily be eaten by itself.
Your key lime recipe is almost exactly the same as mine except for the crust – I can’t wait to try that next time.
Thanks!!
I made this pie today and it came great – everyone really enjoyed it! It’s very creamy and delicious and was quick and easy to make. Many thanks for another great recipe Sally!
Made this for my cousin and mom and WOW! So creamy and lemon-y! Definitely would recommend!
Thanks Sally for the great recipe!
Hello, does anyone know if this pie starts to taste like metal if put in small aluminium pie pans? I know lemon starts to taste like metal so I’m curious!
Hi Brittany, Lemon fillings can taste metallic when cooked in metal pans. However, here you should be ok because the filling doesn’t actually touch the pan (the crust is the only thing touching the pan).
Hi Sally,
I was wondering…could I make this in a 6 inch springform pan? I bake for 2 and try to downsize recipes. That is the only smaller pan I have at the moment.
Thanks for all the great baking inspiration!
Hi Shelly! This recipe, as written, could fill 2 6-inch springform pans. You could halve the recipe for 1 though. I’m unsure of the best bake time.
Hi Sally!!! I just made your key lime pie last weekend and now want to make this one tomorrow.
Question- would I be able to make this in a 6in pie dish? What would that change the cooking time to?
Thank you so much for all of you do! I’ve been quarantine-baking my way through your entire website!!
Hi Franny! This recipe, as written, yields too much filling (and crust) for a 6 inch pie dish. You could try halving the recipe. The bake time will be a little shorter, but I’m unsure of the exact time.
OH MY GOSH… unbelievably easy to make and so so so good!!!! This is my new “I baked all day” pie. So glad I found this recipe. Excellent!!
Hi Sally, can you please let me know if I can use digestive cookies for the crust? And if yes , how many grams?
Thank you!
Hi Irina, Yes you can use digestive cookies in place of graham crackers. Use the same amount (135g).
I made this for my mama’s birthday and it was lip smacking good!!! Would give it 10 stars if I could!
This may sound like an odd question but have you ever used this filling in a lemon meringue pie? Like use your regular pie crust. Then this filling and topping with a meringue? Just wondering! I’m more of a fan of this filling than the filling you find in lemon meringue
Hi Gina! I haven’t tested it before, but it shouldn’t be a problem.
I made this for my boyfriend’s birthday and he loved it! It took almost 40 minutes in the oven though; I took the filling right out of the fridge so I think it needed to come to room temperature before going in the oven? Anyway, we decorated with powdered sugar and blueberries. I also made a stencil of the pi symbol in the sugar since he’s a math teacher.
Hi Sally,
I don’t have whole almonds, but have almond flour. Can I use that instead?
Hi Jayne, no I do not recommend almond flour in the crust– it will absorb all the moisture and the crust will taste soggy. Instead, you can use a regular graham cracker crust.
Hi Sally! Would I be able to use a 9″ removable bottom tart pan instead of a pie dish? Thanks!
That should work, Dawn!
Hi Sally! I dont have almonds but I do have walnuts. Can I use them instead?
Absolutely. Same amount.
Thanks Sally, another clearly explained recipe easy to follow. This is absolutely delicious!
This is the easiest pie, always turns out the same. Keeps well in the refrigerator several days, too. The addition of the zest of all the lemons used adds to its deliciousness!
Made this recipe a few weeks ago and it was a complete success! I’m hoping to adapt the recipe and make mini pies in 8 ounce ramekins so that I can share more safely with friends. Any suggestions in terms of baking time or other things to consider?
Hi Michelle! I’m so glad that you love this lemon pie recipe. I’m actually unsure about the best bake time for smaller individual ramekins because it depends on how deep they are– it will just have to be a best judgement call! Once they’re barely jiggling in the center, they should be cooked through.
I LOVED this recipe! So easy and quick. My grandparents and my great aunts loved it. Thank you so much.
Hi Sally! My husband wasn’t able to find full sheet graham crackers when he did our grocery run a few days ago, so he bought the graham cracker crumbs. Do you know roughly how many cups of crumbs I would use to get the same amount as 9 full sheet graham crackers?
Hi Stephanie! About 1 and 1/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs.
Hi! I so love your site! I was wondering…I have an extra large pie dish and wanted to know if you think this could be doubled to bake still in one dish? Thanks in advance!
Hi, It would really depend on how large the pie dish is! You would likely need to increase the recipe or you would have a very thin pie, and the bake time would be longer.
Hi Sally… i don’t have graham crackers or salted almonds on hand. But what do you think about saltines and unsalted almonds? I could add brown sugar instead of white to make up for the lack of graham…
Hi Leah, I recommend a cookie crumb of some sort– even regular or Golden Oreos (the cream and cookie). Cracker crumbs will simply become soggy.
Hi Sally! I made this for my mother in law’s birthday. Everybody loved it! Best dessert there. I made it with homemade condensed milk.
I love this lemon pie! It’s super yummy and my family enjoyed it. I will definitely make this again. It’s easy and very quick to whip up. The only thing I changed in the recipe was that I omitted the sugar to make the pie crust. I only added crushed graham crackers, almonds, and butter. It was already sweet enough for me. Thank you Sally for posting this recipe online! 🙂
Hello Sally, can I use Graham Teddys? Those are the only ones I have at home.
Absolutely. Use a processor to grind into crumbs. I’m unsure how many you’ll need to process. Use the same amount of crumbs.
Can I turn these in to tarts in a cupcake pan? Do I need to add liners? What’s baking time suggestion?
Hi Rachel, you can try using this recipe for mini lemon pies in a muffin pan. I’m unsure of the best bake time, but I would definitely use liners.
This worked beautifully as cupcake-tarts! Baking time was around 15-16 mins and I noticed they peeled out from the liners best after they had been frozen first. But fresh works well too! I love your recipes!
Hello again, Sally!
I’m planning to make this recipe, and I’m thinking of using a 9-in springform pan instead, cause I don’t have a pie pan yet (beginner here lol). Would it work for this recipe?
Thank you so much!
That should be ok. Enjoy!
Delicous! So good! I didn’t have enough lemons so I added a lime. Made no difference still good!
Absolutely deeelicious! Wanted something different from the norm of lemon pie and this hit it outta the park. The crust so buttery and amazing. Didn’t have a food processor so I used a blender to crush the nuts up and it worked perfectly.
Everyone loved it and the whipped topping was a delightful addition. Kids were like “kool whip, who?” Haha
I made it in a spring form pan and it presented beautifully. thanks for your recipes, this is my go to spot for amazing deserts!
This pie was so good!! It was so easy to make and only took a few ingredients, I was short on time and had to use a premade graham crust and it turned out perfect. The filling was the perfect amount of lemon and sweetness, super smooth too. I had to bake mine a bit longer than the recipe said but it all worked out. I love your site, I can always trust your recipes as being reliable and delicious. Thanks!