Old-Fashioned Lemon Pie

This old-fashioned lemon pie is made with fresh lemons, egg yolks, milk and cream. It’s rich and tangy and full of bright fresh lemon flavor.

old fashioned lemon pie

About this lemon pie recipe

  • The creamy lemon filling- Perfect for lemon lovers! – The tangy filling in this lemon pie is similar to lemon curd in flavor, but it’s richer and creamier. It has the addition of heavy cream and milk, and it’s thickened with cornstarch. Top it with whipped cream, and you’ve got yourself the perfect lemon pie. This recipe is made without sweetened condensed milk so it’s not cloyingly sweet.
  • The pie crust – I like using a homemade all-butter pie crust for this recipe. It’s buttery, flaky and delicious. The pastry is fully baked before the filling goes in. If you want, you can use a homemade graham cracker crust instead. Bake it for 10 minutes before adding the filling. For an extra easy recipe, use a store-bought crust or a premade graham cracker crust.
  • The topping – Billowy whipped cream is on top of the lemon pie. It’s super simple and makes the perfect topping for the zesty filling. It makes the pie look similar to a lemon meringue pie, but the cream is less sweet than meringue. I think this complements the sweet filling better.
old fashioned lemon pie

Ingredients

Find the full measurements and full recipe for this old fashioned lemon pie written in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.

  • An unbaked 9-inch pie crust or graham cracker crust. I have a whole homemade pie crust post written here on making one and all the tips you need. If you want, you can use a graham cracker crust instead.
  • Fresh lemons – Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest bring all the tang and fresh lemon taste.
  • Egg yolks (use egg whites to make macarons, raspberry eton mess or meringues!)
  • Heavy cream/whipping cream
  • Milk
  • Granulated sugar
  • Corn starch
  • Vanilla
  • Butter
  • Salt

Method

Blind bake pastry

  1. Make the pie dough at least 2 hours ahead of time so it can chill before being rolled out.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out into a 12-inch/30cm circle using a rolling pin.
  3. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour, then gently roll it up the rolling pin like a spiral. Transfer it to a pie dish and carefully unroll it from the rolling pin until it’s draped over the pie plate and overhangs the sides. Dust off any excess flour.
  4. If your circle is a bit uneven, cut off any excess dough around the pie dish to make it even, but leave a bit of an overhang. Roll the overhanging dough under the edge to make a thick border.
pie crust
  1. Prick the bottom of the pie crust all over with a fork.
  1. Push an index finger from one hand into the dough edge in between the thumb and index finger of the opposite hand. Continue this all around the dough edges. Chill the pastry for at least 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
  1. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it to the top with pie weights. Bake it at 425°F/220°C for around 15-20 minutes until the edges of the pie crust are lightly browned.
  2. Remove it from the oven and lift off the parchment paper and weights. Lower the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C).
  3. Place the pastry back in the oven for a further 15-20 minutes until it’s golden brown and crisp. Let the pie shell cool completely. You can do this step up to 2 days ahead of time.

Another option – Graham cracker crust

  • 1. Preheat the oven temperature to 350°F/175°C.
cookie crumble in food processor.
  • 2. Add the graham crackers to a food processor and blend them into fine crumbs.
  • 3. Add in the sugar and the softened butter and blend them together into a thick mixture.
a glass pressing graham cracker crumb.
  • 4. Press the mixture into an un-greased 9-inch pie pan.
  • 5. Use your fingers first to press it in and around the edges, then use a glass or the bottom of a measuring cup to smooth it out, but don’t press down too hard.
  • 6. Bake the crust for around 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until needed.

The lemon pie filling

egg yolks and sugar.
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until combined. Set this aside.
lemom zest, cornstarch on cream.
  1. In a medium saucepan combine milk, cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, cornstarch, vanilla and salt.
a whisk in a white mixture.
  1. Whisk it all together until smooth. Place the mixture on the stove over medium-high heat and keep whisking as it warms.
white custard mixture being poured into egg yolks.
  1. Once it gets hot and just begins to bubble, remove the mixture from the stove and pour it slowly into the egg yolk mixture, whisking the egg yolks as you do.
  1. Once it’s all incorporated in the egg yolks, tip everything back into the saucepan and place it over medium heat.
  2. Continually whisk as the mixture begins to bubble and thicken so that the milk doesn’t burn at the bottom of the saucepan. Once boiling, let it bubble while whisking for a full minute until nice and thick.
lemon custard.
  1. Remove it from the heat and whisk through the cold butter.
custard poured into pie shell.
  1. For an extra smooth filling, push the lemon mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the lemon zest. Pour the filling into the pie crust.
  1. You can cover the lemon custard filling with a piece of plastic wrap, and gently press it onto the filling. This stops a skin from forming. It’s not a necessity though.
  2. Let the pie cool to room temperature, then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours until firm.
  3. When ready to serve, make the whipped cream. In a bowl, combine heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip it with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, but take care not to over-whip it.
  4. Dollop the cream or pipe it around the edge of the pie.
old fashioned lemon pie

Storing

Leftover lemon pie can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

More lemon recipes

Old-Fashioned Lemon Pie

Old-Fashioned Lemon Pie

Yield: 9-inch pie
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 5 hours

A creamy, tangy and bright lemon pie.

Ingredients

  • 1 9-inch unbaked flaky pie crust
  • 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 5 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 300g (1 1/4 cup) milk
  • 180g (3/4 cup) heavy cream
  • 120g (1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon cold butter

Whipped cream

  • 180g (3/4 cup) heavy cream
  • 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. On a lightly floured surface, roll cold pie dough into a 12-inch/30cm circle. Drape it into a 9-inch pie plate. Cut off any excess dough around the pie dish to make it even, but leave a bit of an overhang. Roll the overhanging dough under the edge to make a thick border.
  2. Flute the edges, then chill the pastry for at least 20 minutes while preheating the oven to 425°F/220°C.
  3. Prick the bottom of the pie crust all over with a fork. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.
  4. Remove it from the oven and lift off the parchment paper and weights. Lower the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C)
  5. Return the pastry to the oven for 15-20 minutes until it's golden brown and crisp. Let the pie shell cool completely. 

Filling

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until combined. Set this aside.
  2. In a medium saucepan combine milk, cream, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla and salt. Whisk it all together until smooth.
  3. Place the mixture on the stove over medium-high heat and keep whisking as it warms.
  4. Once the mixture is at a simmer, remove the mixture from the stove and drizzle it slowly into the egg yolk mixture, whisking the egg yolks as you do.
  5. Once it's all incorporated in the egg yolks, tip everything back into the saucepan and place it over medium heat.
  6. Continually whisk as the mixture begins to bubble and thicken so that the milk doesn't burn at the bottom of the saucepan.
  7. Once boiling, let it bubble while whisking for a full minute until nice and thick. (this step is important, or the filling won't set)
  8. Remove it from the heat and whisk through the cold butter.
  9. push the lemon mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the lemon zest for an extra smooth filling.
  10. Pour the filling into the pie crust. You can cover the lemon custard filling with plastic wrap and gently press it onto the filling. This stops a skin from forming, but it's not necessary.
  11. Let the pie cool to room temperature, then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours until firm.

Whipped cream

  1. When ready to serve, layer whipped cream on top of the pie.
  2. In a bowl combine 3/4 cup heavy cream, a tablespoon of powdered sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract. Whip it with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form but take care not to over-whip it.
  3. Dollop the cream or pipe it around the edge of the pie.

Notes

Graham Cracker Crust

This pie can also be made with a graham cracker crust.

  • 165g (10 ½ sheets) graham crackers
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 85g (6 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, very soft

Preheat the oven temperature to 350°F/175°C.

Add the graham crackers to a food processor and blend them into fine crumbs. Add in the sugar and the softened butter and blend them into a thick mixture.

Press the mixture into an un-greased 9-inch pie pan. Use your fingers to press it in and around the edges, then use a glass or the bottom of a measuring cup to smooth it out.

Bake the crust for around 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until needed.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 360Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 139mgSodium: 188mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 6g

This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist

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