Unbelievably creamy lemon pie is just like key lime pie with a lemon twist and toasty almond graham cracker crust. Made with just 7 simple ingredients, you’ll appreciate the ease and simplicity of this refreshing dessert recipe.
I originally shared this recipe in 2017, and I’ve since updated it with new photos and extra success tips for consistently great results.
Think of today’s recipe as the lemon version of key lime pie. The filling is nearly identical, but adjusted for lemon juice so it sets up perfectly silky and smooth. And instead of macadamia nuts, the graham cracker crust gets its salty-sweet flavor from salted almonds. This pie is ultra creamy, and delivers bold lemon flavor—like lemon bars in pie form!
Let’s dive in.
This Is EASY Creamy Lemon Pie
- 7 ingredients total
- No mixer required
- 20 minutes of hands-on time
- Make-ahead friendly
One reader, Shannon, commented: “I made this for Easter. I’ve been wanting to try it for a while as an alternative to lemon meringue pie. Boy, am I sorry I waited so long! Easy and delicious. The filling was velvety smooth, and the nuts in the crust added a little something extra. I especially loved how few ingredients there were and how easy it was to pull together… ★★★★★“
Another reader, Ally, commented: “Sally, this was SUBLIME. Zero notes, so amazing! Super easy, too. Loved the crust and made your whipped cream from scratch, too. Thanks for another perfect recipe! ★★★★★“
3 Parts to Creamy Lemon Pie
- 4-ingredient toasty almond graham cracker crust
- 3-ingredient creamy lemon filling
- Optional toppings like whipped cream, meringue, mint, 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 salted almonds to enhance the lemon flavor without overpowering it. You can even toast them first for extra depth. If desired, skip the almonds and use only graham crackers for a traditional crust.
Press the crust into a 9-inch pie dish, and pre-bake for about 8 minutes. No need to cool it before adding the filling.
(And if you want to switch it up, you could use a Biscoff crust instead.)
Creamy Lemon Pie Filling
The flavor of today’s lemon filling reminds me of lemon curd and the filling for my lemon meringue pie, but it’s much creamier. We have the sweetened condensed milk to thank for that, an ingredient we also use in these oatmeal lemon crumble bars. We’ll also add egg yolks for structure.
You’ll notice this recipe calls for 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice (as opposed to 1 cup of lime juice used in key lime pie). You would think it’d be a 1-for-1 swap from lime to lemon… but the pie simply wouldn’t set up with 1 whole cup of lemon juice. I had some soupy pies to prove it!
That’s it—only 3 basic ingredients: sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and lemon juice. Each has a big job to do!
Whisk together, pour into the preheated crust, and bake.
The real waiting game (torture) comes afterwards when the lemon pie 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 its own, try garnishing your lemon pie! I spread whipped cream on top and added lemon slices, mint, and lemon zest. Or try adding the marshmallow-tasting meringue topping from this bourbon sweet potato pie.
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
You only need 7 simple ingredients to make this deliciously cool and creamy lemon pie.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Almond Crust
- 11 (about 165g) full-sheet graham crackers
- 1/2 cup (62g) salted almonds (I use roasted)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling + Topping
- 28 ounces (794g) full-fat sweetened condensed milk (two 14-oz cans)
- 3/4 cup (180g/ml) fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 4 large egg yolks*
- for garnish: lemon zest, lemon slices, almonds, whipped cream, or meringue topping
Instructions
- Preheat the 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 the 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 the 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 cooling rack.
- Once cool, cover and chill for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days before serving. After around 8 hours, lightly cover it.
- When ready to serve, garnish as desired. Slice and serve. For neat slices, it’s helpful to wipe your knife clean between each cut.
- Cover and store leftover pie 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 together the filling up to 2–3 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate, then assemble and bake. Baked and cooled pie freezes well for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowls | 9-inch Pie Dish | Whisk | Citrus Juicer | Egg Separator | Cooling Rack
- Graham Cracker Crust: If you purchase graham cracker crumbs, you need 1 and 1/3 cups (about 160–165g) 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. You could also make a Biscoff pie crust instead.
- Leftover Egg Whites: Here are all my recipes with egg whites, or you can make a meringue topping for the pie, and I recommend the topping used on this bourbon sweet potato pie. Tip: Eggs separate easier when they’re cold.
- 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Her recipes never fail because she gives you all of the extra tips and tricks for perfect results every time.
Hello. Great success with substituting organic sweetened condensed coconut milk for sweetened condensed (cow) milk. For this lemon pie. 1 for 1 substitution. After 17-19 min at 350, the custard was very jiggly still. So i reduced the temp to 325, tented with loose aluminum foil to prevent burning the crust, and baked it about 7 min longer. Once out of the oven and starting to cool, it firmed nicely. The top had a lightly carmelized ring near the crust. After overnight in the fridge, it sliced up beautifully. The crust was delicious. The filling was tangy/ sweet and very creamy and smooth. We seven finished off that pie and scraped the dish for the crumbs. Thank you so much for this great recipe and for your encouragement about substitutions.
Thank you, Jo! I came to the comments to look for dairy free alternatives. This is perfect!
Well, i researched using sweetened condensed organic coconut “milk” for sweetened condensed milk. All sources said yes. Substitute 1f or 1 for cream and chiffon pies. It really didnt firm up after 19 min. So i reduced the temp to 325 and baked another 7 min with a foil tent to avoid a too dark crust edge. It got a bit less jiggly. Ill let it cool and refrigerate it. I probably will serve it almost frozen. Good try. I tried it for our many lactose intolerant friends who love lemon pie.
Hi can I make this with sweetened condensed coconut milk?
Hi Jo, we haven’t tested it, but we fear the pie may not be as creamy and may not set up quite the same. If you do decide to give it a try, please do let us know how it goes.
Overall I liked how all the ingredients came together although I found this recipe to be very sweet, what could I do to bring down the sweetness level? what could I replace with half the can of the sweetened condense milk?
Hi Patricia! The sweetened condensed milk is a very key ingredient for this pie and the pie won’t set without it or with less of it.
Delightful! I was planning to make a lemon meringue pie for my husbands birthday but the weather was not conducive to that plan. So I decided to give this recipe a try. Great lemon flavor plus creamy texture. Sliced beautifully. I added 2 tsp of grated lemon peel to the filling and topped with whipped cream. So much easier and less fuss than lemon meringue. My husband was very pleased.
Hi! I have a question, can I make the recipe with an apple pie crust, or will the flavors not mix well? And if I can, will the rest of the recipes steps stay the same? Thank you!
Hi Eirini! You would need to par-bake the crust if using a traditional crust. You may also love our lemon meringue pie recipe!
If making the day before do I need to put plastic wrap on the top so it doesn’t get a skin or crusty top on it? Also I just want to say thank you. You are my go to Dessert Queen. Always a perfect outcome and never disappoints.
Hi Christy, Yes, you can cover with plastic wrap or foil after it’s baked and cooled. We love to use Press N Seal.
Delicious flavorful creamy lemon pie! Light & refreshing for this hot Labor Day weekend. Graham cracker crust is the perfect pairing. Comes together with ease. Topped with homemade whipped cream for the finish. Thank you Sally for this great recipe. Will definitely make again.
hi does you’re link lead to you’re s’mores tartlets for a reason? sizing maybe? or could I just use your marshmallow creme?
You can definitely use the marshmallow creme, T!
My pie has been in the oven now for 30 minutes and it is liquid in the middle. I did sub coconut evaporated milk due to dairy intolerance. Could that be the problem/
Hi Lynne, yes, that would account for the problem. Sweetened condensed milk is very different from evaporated milk, and even more so from coconut evaporated milk.
I love anything with lemon, so I was excited to try this. I only had a pre-made graham cracker crust, so I used that. The filling was so easy to prepare, and I even added a bit more lemon juice, just because I like my lemon desserts pretty tart.
The pie set really well, and it is unbelievably delicious. I will definitely make this again!
Great texture and breeze to put together, however it is incredibly sweet. This is the third recipe by sally that is overly sweet and it’s disappointing. The level of sweetness I’m looking for is matched perfectly in her coconut cream pie.
So deliciously tangy sweet! This dessert was easy to make but tastes like I spent all day on it. The only addition was lemon zest, and I don’t know that it added anything. I made this in a 9×9 pan, and I’m still working on the garnish, but the flavors could easily stand alone. This is sure to be a favorite at the family potluck.
Great recipe, however pie needed to be baked for much longer than the recipe said to get center slightly jiggly. Did anyone else deal with this or is it just an issue with my oven?
It’s probably an oven thing. With my oven, 15 minutes was enough (glad I remembered to check). An oven thermometer might be helpful to check whether your oven really is at the temperature you set it for.
Amazing, I didn’t end up adding the sugar to the crust and it turned out the perfect amount of sweet. Will be saving this recipe for future use, delicious dessert for the summer time.
It was delicious
This looks amazing! Would it be okay to add the blueberry sauce from the lemon-blueberry tart before baking, do you think?
Absolutely!
Sally, this was SUBLIME. Zero notes, so amazing! Super easy too. Loved the crust, and made your whipping cream from scratch too. Thanks for another perfect recipe!
It’s an easy recipe, just way too sweet
Looks Delicious. I’m wondering if you’ve tried baking this in a pastry shell rather than graham cracker crust? In this case would you par bake the shell, add the filling and bake 20 minutes more?
Thank you
Hi Jenifer, you can definitely make this pie with a traditional crust! Use this recipe for pie crust and make sure you par-bake it before adding the filling. Enjoy!
HI! Would this lemon pie freeze well? Has anyone tried freezing it? It looks delicious! Thanks!
Hi Holly, this pie does freeze well for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Has anyone tried freezing it? I’ve got half a pie in the fridge and not sure how much more we can eat
Hi Tom, this pie freezes well up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Help! I forgot to put this pie in the fridge overnight, is it still ok to eat?? It’s been on the counter for almost 24 hours. Thanks!
Hi Chelsea, the concern here is the egg yolks. We recommend keeping the pie chilled, but you can do what you’re comfortable with.
I am trying to make this gluten free. Would an almond flour crust hold up?
Thanks!
Hi Carin! We would look for gluten free graham crackers to use in the crust. We’re unsure how an all-almond flour crust would hold up.
Can u make this pie wth no egg yolks
I have made this recipe twice and loved it! This time my husband requested tartlets (about 4”) which I am planning to do. Two things that have me concerned though are how full can I can the shells after baking the crust, and also, how long to bake them after filling.
Hi Louise, we’d fill similarly to how high we fill the full-size pie. We’re unsure of the exact bake time for smaller tartlets, but let us know if give it a try!
I made this tonight with Sally’s regular graham cracker crust, because we have nut allergies, and piped swirls of the lightened cream cheese frosting from Sally’s Sunshine Citrus Cake on top. It was so delicious! And so easy! Will definitely make it again. Adding to my family recipe book tonight!
I was wondering what I would need to do to change the recipe into mini pies? I’m making this recipe for the Super Bowl and wanted to use cupcake tins instead, what does that do to change the time of cooking?
Hi Tristan, You can make mini pies from this recipe but we are unsure of the bake time needed.
Hi Sally! i made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious!!! I was thinking about making it in a 9×13 inch pan, but was not sure if to double the recipe and if so how much time to prebake the crust and then the pie?
Hi Camila, though we haven’t tested it, this recipe could work as squares. We recommend 9-inch square (22cm) or 11×7 inch rectangle, but we’re uncertain of the bake time. Make sure you still pre-bake the crust for 8 minutes.