Calling all lemon lovers!!! This no bake lemon icebox pie is like the low maintenance version of lemon cheesecake. This delicious pie filling is silky smooth and super easy to throw together with only a handful of ingredients required!
Reasons I love this old fashioned lemon icebox pie:
Whether you’re looking for something to serve during a casual get together or a special occasion, this is the perfect dessert! The filling has an unbelievably creamy texture and is jam packed with fresh lemon flavor. Not to mention, the entire pie comes together in less than 45 minutes (including the delicious homemade graham cracker crust)!
Simple ingredients you’ll need for my easy lemon pie recipe:
- Graham crackers
- Brown sugar
- Butter
- Cream cheese
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Fresh lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy whipping cream
How to make this easy lemon icebox pie recipe:
- Make the graham cracker crust mixture.
- Press the crust mixture into your pie plate and bake to prevent it from being too crumbly.
- While the crust bakes, whip up the easy lemon filling.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and top with extra lemon zest.
- Chill in the fridge until set.
PSA:
Since this is a no-bake pie, it’s texture is time sensitive. The longer the pie is out of the fridge, the more loose the filling becomes. Because of this, I recommend serving the pie straight from the fridge to maintain it’s thick, cheesecakey texture (either way it’s delicious, just personal preference)!
My top tips for the best lemon icebox pie:
- Use a food processor for the crust. This makes it much easier to break down the graham crackers into tiny crumbs.
- If you’re having trouble forming the crust to your pie plate, use the bottom of a measuring cup or different flat cup and run it around the crumbs in the pie plate to pack everything down and make it level! Works like a charm every time!
- Make sure you are using softened cream cheese! Softened cream cheese is MUCH easier to mix compared to using it right from the fridge. Setting it out on the counter to come to room temperature in advance will result in a filling will barely any lumps!
- Strain your lemon juice before adding it to the bowl to make sure you remove any lemon seeds that may have been left behind from squeezing!
- Use an electric mixer for the filling. This comes in handy for making the filling as smooth and as whipped as possible.
- Keep mixing until you see the cream has thickened the lemon mixture. The filling will firm up in the fridge so don’t worry about bringing it to a stiff peak before transferring it into the crust, You just want it to be very whipped and smooth!
- Make sure you give this icebox box pie enough time in the fridge to set. The longer i’s in the fridge, the more creamy and cheesecakey in texture it will be!
FAQ:
Sure! This will definitely save some prep time but you’ll still have to bake your store-bought graham cracker crust before pouring in the creamy filling to give it that toasty flavor!
Yes! My favorite alternative to using graham crackers are vanilla wafers. They’re a 1:1 substitution for graham crackers and result in a very similar kind of crust but have a delicious vanilla flavor that pairs perfectly with the lemon flavors from this no-bake pie recipe!
Yes! You could even swap for orange or grapefruit juice and zest. This recipe would work great with any sort of fresh citrus fruit.
You can make this up to 3 days ahead of time and keep it in your fridge until it’s time to serve. Same thing goes for leftovers as well, they will stay fresh for 3 days stored in the fridge after preparation.
No Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
Equipment
- measuring cups
- 9 inch pie plate
- 1 large bowl
- 1 electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
For the homemade graham cracker crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs or 10 graham cracker sheets
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 7 tbsp melted butter
For the creamy lemon filling:
- 8 oz softened cream cheese (1 block)
- (1) 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- *Set out your cream cheese 2 hours ahead of time to let it soften and reach room temperature.
If you're making a homemade graham cracker crust:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the graham crackers and brown sugar.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.
- With the food processor on low, start grinding up the graham crackers while you stream in the melted butter.
- Let the food processor run for a minute or two or until the crust mixture is super fine and resembles wet sand.
- Dump the crumb mixture into a 9 inch pie plate and use the bottom of a flat cup to evenly pack down and form the crust to the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes for until the surface is starting to brown.
- Set the crust aside to cool.
For the creamy lemon filling:
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened cream cheese and give it a quick mix with the electric mixer to work out any lumps.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest (reserve a little zest for the top of the pie) and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- Pour in the heavy cream and whip the mixture for about 5 minutes or until it is very fluffy and smooth.
- Transfer the filling into the cooled pie crust and top with extra lemon zest.
- Set in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.
- Serve as is or with a dollop of cool whip or homemade whipped cream.
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