The Best Lemon Pie (Easy Recipe with Classic Flavors!)
This easy Lemon pie recipe combines a buttery and flaky crust with a rich and creamy lemon filling, creating the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Lemon Pie
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
4 hourshours
Total Time 4 hourshours40 minutesminutes
Servings 10
Author Valya's Taste of Home
Ingredients
For the Lemon Pie Crust
2- packs of graham crackers
½cup- melted butter
For the Lemon Pie Filling
28oz- sweetened condensed milk
5large - egg yolks
½cup– granulated sugar
1tsp.– pure vanilla extract
⅛tsp.- sea salt
⅔cup- fresh lemon juice (4 large lemons)
For the Cool Whip Topping
8oz.– cool whip (thawed)
6drops – fresh lemon juice
For the Whipping Cream Topping
1 cup - cold heavy whipping cream (40 %)
2tbsp. - sugar
Lemon zest
Instructions
How to Make Pie Crust
To make the graham pie crust, start by preheating your oven to 325 F. Next, use a food processor to crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs.
Once the crackers are crushed, add melted butter to the graham cracker crumbs and mix well with a spoon, making sure that the butter is evenly incorporated.
Transfer the graham cracker mixture into a pie dish and press it down firmly and evenly to create a crust. Place the graham cracker crust in the preheated oven and bake for ten minutes.
How to Make Lemon Pie Filling
After baking, remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool for at least ten minutes. While the crust is baking, you can prepare the filling. In a large mixing bowl, combine the condensed milk and room-temperature egg yolks.
Mixing the yolks at room temperature will help them blend better with the sugar and result in a smoother filling. Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla to the bowl and whisk everything together until well combined.
Finally, add the fresh lemon juice to the mixture and stir well again. As you mix, you will notice the filling thickening.
Once the crust has cooled, pour the filling into it and make sure that it is evenly distributed.
Place the pie back in the oven and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
After baking, remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely before adding the topping. You can make either Cool Whip or whipping cream topping. Here are the two choices:
How to Make Cool Whip Topping
To make the topping, squeeze the lemon juice into a thawed cool whip and mix well using a wire whisk. This will add a tangy flavor to the Cool Whip. For a decorative touch, you can pipe the cool whip onto the pie in a starry design using a piping bag.
How to Make Whipping Cream Topping
Beat cold whipping cream with sugar and a few drops of lemon just until thick.
Alternatively, you can simply spread the cool whip evenly over the pie, and create a swirly design, or pipe stars on top of the pie. To enhance the flavor and presentation, grate some lemon zest on top of the cool whip.
Once the topping is applied, refrigerate the pie for at least 4 hours, or you can refrigerate overnight, if you like, to allow it to set and achieve the desired level of thickness. Once chilled, the pie is ready to be served and enjoyed!