This is the pie for lemon lovers! The filling is smooth, silky, and packed with that perfect tangy lemon flavor. Not too sweet, not too sour. It’s topped with a stabilized whipped cream. Unlike regular whipped cream, this one holds its shape for days. You can spread it on or pipe it into cute designs. It’ll stay light and fluffy no matter what.

Lemon lovers will also love our lemon bars, lemon cookies, and lemon pound cake.

Why Our Recipe

  • A deliciously smooth, silky, and tangy filling full of lemon flavor.
  • Stabilized whipped cream that you can either spread on top or pipe on in designs and it’ll stay light and airy for days.
  • Use a pre-made pie crust so you can use a classic pastry, graham cracker, or shortbread crust.
A slice of creamy lemon pie on a plate, set next to slices of fresh lemon.

All of the lemon flavor in this pie comes straight from the lemons themselves. Obviously, freshly squeezed is what you need here since you’ll need a combination of lemon zest and lemon juice. This will give you a bright, fresh flavor. And don’t worry, it won’t be sour!

Ingredient Notes

An overhead view of all the fresh, wet, and dry ingredients needed to make old fashioned creamy lemon pie.
  • Granulated Sugar: You need it for structure as well as to balance out the sourness of the lemon. Do not try and substitute.
  • Cornstarch: The thickener.
  • Heavy Cream: Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. Either is fatty enough for this pie.
  • Milk: Use whole milk or 2%.
  • Lemon Zest: Be sure to zest the lemon before juicing it.
  • Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed is best here and you needed the lemon zest anyway. Bottled lemon juice just doesn’t quite measure up.
  • Egg Yolks: These also help thicken the filling and make it velvety.
  • Salted Butter: If you only have unsalted, add just a pinch of salt which is a flavor enhancer.
  • Prepared Pie Crust: Use a store-bought pastry crust, a no-bake graham cracker crust, or a homemade honey shortbread crust. Just make sure it’s cooked and ready to go before adding the filling.
  • Unflavored Gelatin: Sold in the baking aisle. You’ll need to bloom it in water first which just means letting it sit.

Crust Options

This recipe calls for a prepared pie crust. You can go the standard route with a homemade pastry pie crust, or go completely no-bake with a graham cracker crust. One of our favorite crusts is a honey shortbread crust that tastes like a graham cracker crust with more of the texture of a classic pastry crust. It will be delicious no matter which you choose!

A store-bought pie crust is always a great convenient option for making a lemon pie. You can use frozen pie shells, pie crust dough from a tube that you roll out yourself, or a pre-made graham cracker crust. This recipe is designed for a standard pie crust, so don’t purchase a deep dish crust. Because this is not a baked pie, you’ll need to be sure to prepare the crust and bake ahead according to the package directions.

Finish Looks: The Topping

For the easiest classic option, just spread it on top! Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to create smooth swirls or peaks.

To pipe the whipped cream, transfer everything to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 1M or 2D tip. For rosettes, start by holding the piping bag upright over the pie. Squeeze the bag to form a tight swirl, moving from the center outward in a circular motion. Release the pressure at the end of each rosette. For a swirled edge, hold the piping bag at a 90-degree angle and pipe small, continuous swirls around the edges of the pie.

A close up overhead view of an unsliced old fashioned creamy lemon pie.

Tempering Eggs

Tempering eggs is all about preventing the egg yolks from scrambling when they hit the hot lemon mixture. It can sound a little tricky, but I promise it’s easy once you understand what you are supposed to do.

Have everything ready: Set up your bowl of egg yolks and whisk next to the stove before you start cooking the filling. This makes the process smoother and less stressful.

Not too hot: Keep your heat at medium—going too hot too fast increases the risk of scrambling the eggs.

Work quickly: It should feel almost like one smooth motion where you add a little heat to the eggs, then immediately whisk those in with the rest.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Refrigerate leftovers by tenting the pie plate with aluminum foil to keep from squishing the piped designs, or cover with plastic wrap. It will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days.

After a few days in the fridge, your lemon custard may start to separate and a clear liquid starts appearing in your pie plate.  This is a sign that your pie is starting to turn and is no longer fresh.

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