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    Home » Pies + tarts

    Published: Apr 6, 2023 · Modified: Jul 13, 2023 by Katie Beck · 9 Comments

    Old fashioned lemon pie

    Bright, tart and creamy, a from scratch old fashioned lemon pie is a perfect spring dessert. This recipe is incredibly simple with sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks lemon juice and zest. And it bakes up in a quick 10 minutes in a buttery graham cracker crust. Mounds of whipped cream on top and you've got a fantastic dessert for Easter or any night!

    Overhead view of a whole lemon pie with whipped cream and a bruleed lemon slice.

    If I could only ever make one thing, it would be pie. It would also probably be the one thing I would choose to eat if I had to choose one thing. This old fashioned lemon pie is a recipe that my mom makes, my grandmother made every Easter, and one that I love. As a kid, I had three favorites and they were all citrus, key lime pie and lemon pie. All the other kids would go right for the brownies, which was awesome because it meant more of all the tart lemon treats for me.

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • What is the best crust for a lemon pie?
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Ingredient swaps and variations
    • Top tip
    • Other spring desserts
    • Old fashioned lemon pie
    • Community
    Slice of pie being served from the whole pie.

    Why you'll love this recipe

    • The texture. Old fashioned lemon pie filling is not a typical lemon curd. It is tart and tangy like lemon curd, but has a significantly creamier, richer texture.
    • Minimal baking time. This pie bakes for 10 minutes, not a second more. It heats up just enough to gently cook the egg yolks but not to alter the texture of the filling in any way. The acidity in the lemon juice finishes the cooking process which allows the pie to set perfectly without cooking, browning or worrying about overbaking. That makes this pie perfect for your next Easter or spring dinner, you can make ahead of time and it does all its magic setting up in the fridge.
    • The whipped cream. Lemon pies often get a topping of meringue. But a typical old fashioned pie (like your grandparents would remember) gets a big dollop of whipped cream instead. No mess, no browning of the meringue. I like to use a barely sweetened whipped cream as it perfectly balances out the sweet/tart lemon and sweetened condensed milk filling.
    slice of pie on two stacked plates.

    What is the best crust for a lemon pie?

    The pie filling has all the elements here so the crust is really up to you. This recipe calls for a vanilla wafer crust, which is basically a graham crust except you use vanilla wafers crushed up instead. I love vanilla and lemon together, and since the pie has a touch of vanilla extract in it, I think it is the perfect crust.

    Ingredients

    Old fashioned lemon pie comes together with very few ingredients, and many you have on hand. Here's what you need:

    Overhead view of emon pie ingredients.
    • Crushed up vanilla wafers and butter. These are the two ingredients in the crust.
    • Egg yolks.
    • Sweetened condensed milk. Using this takes care of sweetening the pie and also gives it that over-the-top creaminess.
    • Sour cream
    • Lemon juice.
    • Lemon zest. The zest is where so much of the lemon flavor comes from.
    • Vanilla extract. Just a little, I think it really puts this pie over the top. Lemon and vanilla are a match made in heaven.

    Instructions

    Making lemon curd can be a bit of a pain and takes a bit of time on the stovetop. This filling comes together significantly faster and is creamier and more delicious.

    After combining the vanilla wafers and butter, press them into a pie pan and bake for about 10 minutes to set.

    Ingredients for lemon pie filling in a bowl

    All the filling ingredients go into a bowl and are whisked together until combined.

    Overhead view of an unbaked lemon pir

    Filling is poured into the prepared pie pan and baked for 10 minutes exactly, no more.

    Overhead view of the unbaked pie.

    The pie will look no different than when you filled it. It does not brown or get firm.

    Old fashioned lemon pie topped with whipped cream.

    After cooling and chilling in the fridge, pile on the whipped cream (I use a cookie scoop to pile it on).

    Overhead view of a whole lemon pie with whipped cream and a bruleed lemon slice.

    For fun, and totally optional, I bruleed some sliced lemons and added them as garnish.

    Ingredient swaps and variations

    There is always ways to make pies a little different, here are a few ideas:

    • Mix up the crust. You can most definitely use a regular pastry pie crust for this. The filling is sweet enough to hold up to a neutral crust. Or, get creative with the cookie. Lemon and ginger are amazing together and this would be great made with gingersnaps. Alternatively, coconut would also be a fabulous addition to the crushed cookies for a fun variation.
    • Use meringue instead of whipped cream. You can totally turn this into a creamy lemon meringue pie instead if you'd like. My coconut cream pie has a meringue topping that would be great on this pie.

    Top tip

    Do not over bake. You will be tempted to want to bake this longer as it looks no different when you pull it out of the oven as when you put it in, but trust me on this. An old fashioned lemon pie is meant to be soft and creamy, and not firm, which is why this pie is barely bakes. The filling will set as it cools and it's recture is butter soft, which is just perfect.

    Other spring desserts

    Some other spring dessert ideas:

    • key lime cookies on a white plate, limes in a white bowl, cookies and powdered sugar on the side.
      Key lime cookies
    • Overhead view of creme eggs brownies sliced and cadbury creme eggs.
      Creme egg brownies
    • Closeup overhead view of a nutella tart with roasted hazelnuts.
      Nutella tart with roasted hazelnuts
    • SLice of lemon ricotta cake with almond flour on a plate
      Lemon ricotta cake with almond flour
    Slice of old fashioned lemon pie on stacked plates with whipped cream and a lemon slice.

    Old fashioned lemon pie

    Bright, tart and creamy, a from scratch, old fashioned lemon pie recipe with sweetened condensed milk is a perfect spring dessert.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save to collection
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    For the crust: 10 minutes minutes
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: lemon pie, sweetened condensed milk
    Servings: 10 slices
    Author: Katie Beck

    Equipment

    • 9-inch pie pan
    • Stand mixer optional

    Ingredients

    For the crust

    • 1 ½ cups vanilla wafers crushed in a food processor or by hand
    • 4 tablespoon butter melted

    For the lemon filling

    • 28 oz sweetened condensed milk
    • 2 egg yolks
    • ¼ cup sour cream
    • 2 tablespoon lemon zest
    • 1 cup lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla

    For the top

    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350.

    To make crust

    • Combine the crushed vanilla wafer crumbs and the melted butter in a bowl. Dump the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and press up the sounds and on the bottom to make the crust. Using the bottom of a drinking glass or a measuring cup is an easy way to push down evenly. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes and cool while you make the filling

    To make the filling

    • In a large bowl combine all the ingredients. Whisk together with a whisk until totally combined. Pour filling into the cooled crust and bake for exactly 10 minutes. The filling will not brown and will remain jiggly and seem unset. Cool to room temperature first, and then put the pie in the fridge for at least four hours (I always do overnight).

    For the whipped cream

    • Beat the heavy cream and the powdered sugar in a cold bowl. You can use either a stand mixer, a hand mixer or a whisk (though this makes it harder). If you use a cold bowl and beaters the whipped cream will be more voluminous. Top the chilled pie with the whipped cream before serving.

    Notes

    You can keep any leftover pie in the fridge for up to three days, though the whipped cream may become watery.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Fat: 24g
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Pies + tarts

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      Turtle pie
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      Tomato quiche with balsamic caramelized onions
    • A pumpkin share recipe with leftover pumpkin pie is the perfect milkshake.
      Pumpkin shake recipe - with leftover pumpkin pie
    • slice of Kentucky bourbon pecan pie, perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert table.
      Kentucky bourbon pecan pie

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sue says

      April 12, 2023 at 5:18 pm

      5 stars
      This pie is everything! The crust is perfect with the creamy lemon filling. And it came together in literally minutes. so easy!

      Reply
    2. Irene Gallagher says

      July 13, 2023 at 8:59 am

      5 stars
      Super refreshing and lemony pie. Not hard to make at all either.

      Reply
    3. Linda K says

      December 16, 2023 at 1:51 pm

      So easy and creamy. Taking to family Christmas instead og regular lemon pie
      Will let the crowd decide which they like
      Better

      Reply
    4. Barbara says

      March 05, 2024 at 10:18 am

      What temperature do you cook filling?

      Reply
      • Katie Beck says

        March 06, 2024 at 12:55 pm

        Hi Barbara! Instructions say preheat oven to 350 🙂
        Thanks!

        Reply
    5. Ketsia says

      April 14, 2024 at 8:20 am

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious

      Reply
    6. Debbie Bennett says

      May 19, 2024 at 1:32 pm

      Why are the measurements for the ingredients not included?

      Reply
      • Katie Beck says

        May 20, 2024 at 9:20 am

        The measurements for ingredients are always listed in the recipe card at the end of the post 🙂

        Reply
    7. CJ says

      June 17, 2024 at 2:54 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for sharing such a great recipe, I made it for a potluck yesterday @ Church
      For some reason the filling didn't set, but, I think it was because I forgot to bake it first, it has a great favor,
      I will definitely be making it and trying it again.

      Reply
    5 from 8 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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