This easy Lemon Pie features a homemade graham cracker crust, a creamy lemon filling, and homemade whipped cream on top. The perfect dessert for lemon lovers!

A lemon pie in a white baking dish topped with whipped cream and lemon zest.

Have you ever tried a lemon pie? If not, you’re in for a real treat today! This pie is very similar in taste and texture to a key lime pie with one exception – it uses fresh lemon juice instead!

One of the things that I really love about this pie is that it uses minimal ingredients. There’s only three ingredients in the graham cracker crust and three ingredients in the filling. I also topped this pie with my homemade whipped cream, but if you want to keep things easy feel free to use store-bought whipped topping or leave it off. 

This pie also needs to chill for several hours, so it’s a wonderful recipe that you can make the day before and not have to worry about the next day!

The ingredients needed to make lemon pie laid out on a gray surface.

Ingredients For This Recipe

To make this lemon pie recipe, you will be preparing the crust, filling, and the whipped cream. It seems like a lot, but it’s fairly easy to throw together! I wanted to share just a few notes on some of the ingredients to make sure this pie turns out perfect for you.

  • Graham Cracker Crumbs: To get 1 and 1/2 cups of crumbs you will need about 11 to 12 full sheets of graham crackers. If you want to make this recipe even easier, just use store-bought graham cracker crumbs – no one will ever know!
  • Lemon Juice: Fresh is best here! One medium lemon will usually yield 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and one large lemon will yield 3 to 4 tablespoons.
  • Egg Yolks: This recipe only uses egg yolks so that the filling is rich, thick, and easy to slice. You can use the leftover egg whites in my white cake recipe or save them and use them for an omelette!
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk: You don’t want to confuse this ingredient with evaporated milk, otherwise your pie won’t set up! Sweetened condensed milk is super thick and sweet. It helps create a thick filling and balances out the tartness of the lemon juice.

A white baking dish holding a graham cracker crust ready to be filled with the pie filling.

How To Make Lemon Pie

First things first, you want to start out by making the graham cracker crust. I wrote a full post on how to make a graham cracker crust here, so if you haven’t made one before then I recommend reading through that post first.

For the crust, you will need crushed graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter. Simply combine them together in a mixing bowl, scoop it into a 9-inch pie dish, and firmly press it on the bottom and up around the sides. Pro-tip: Use the bottom of a measuring cup to help firmly press the crust into your pie dish.

Place the prepared crust into the oven and pre-bake it for 8 to 10 minutes, then let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. This will ensure that your pie crust is sturdy and can hold up to the weight of the lemon filling.

The pie filling being mixed up with a metal whisk in a glass mixing bowl.
The finished pie filling in the graham cracker crust ready to be put into the oven.

As the crust is cooling, you can prepare the filling. For the filling, you’ll be using fresh lemon juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk.

Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk them together until they’re well combined. The mixture will be nice, thick, and creamy like the picture above. Then, pour the filling into the pre-baked graham cracker crust and bake it for about 20 more minutes. 

Once the pie is finished baking, the top should look set but it will still be jiggly. As the pie cools the residual heat will continue to cook the pie and it will set up properly. Don’t worry!

The finished lemon pie with one slice removed to show the texture of the lemon filling.

Once the pie has cooled and been refrigerated, I like to top it off with some homemade whipped cream. If you want to make this recipe a little easier, then you can just use a tub of whipped topping. But I’ll be honest, the homemade version is SO much better!

I have a simple tutorial showing you how I make my homemade whipped cream here – I promise, it’s easy too! Once the pie is done, you can store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it. 

A single slice of lemon pie on a white plate with a bite taken out.

Baking Tips

  • Once you bake the graham cracker crust, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before you add the pie filling. This will ensure a sturdier crust that will hold up well.
  • I suggest using fresh lemon juice for this pie instead of bottled juice. You will need about 8 medium lemons or 5 to 6 large lemons to get 1 cup of fresh lemon juice.
  • To get the most juice out of your lemons, firmly roll them on the counter with your hand before cutting into them.
  • When you cover the pie, make sure that the plastic wrap (or whatever you use to cover it) is not directly touching the top. I find that plastic wrap tends to stick to the pie and can pull some of it up with it when you remove it.

More Pie Recipes To Try!

A lemon pie in a white baking dish tipped with whipped cream and lemon zest.

Lemon Pie

5 from 17 ratings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 55 minutes
This Lemon Pie features an easy homemade graham cracker crust, a creamy lemon filling, and homemade whipped cream on top. The perfect dessert for lemon lovers!
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Ingredients

Servings: 8 slices

For the graham cracker crust:

  • 1 and 1/2 cups (180 grams) graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
  • 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled

For the lemon pie filling:

  • 1 cup (240 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • 2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
  • 5 large egg yolks

Topping:

Instructions
 

To make the graham cracker crust:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
  • Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Add the melted butter and stir until fully combined and all of the crumbs are moistened.
  • Scoop the mixture into a 9 to 9.5 inch pie plate and firmly press it down into an even layer on the bottom and up around the sides of the dish.
  • Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the filling.
  • Keep oven temperature at 350°F (177°C).

To make the lemon pie filling:

  • Combine the lemon juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and whisk until fully combined.
  • Pour the filling into the slightly cooled graham cracker crust and spread it around into one even layer.
  • Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until the top of the pie is set, the pie will still be jiggly.
  • Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature for about 2 hours. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 5 to 6 hours or overnight. Once chilled, top with whipped cream, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Lemon pie may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Graham Cracker Crumbs: You will need about 11 to 12 full-sheets of graham crackers to get 1 and 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs. If you want to make things easier, feel free to use store-bought! 
Lemon Juice: I recommend using fresh lemon juice. You will need about 8 medium lemons or 5 to 6 large lemons to get 1 cup of fresh lemon juice. 
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Danielle
Did you make this recipe?Mention @livewellbakeoften on Instagram or tag #livewellbakeoften.