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Easy Lemon Pie with a sweet Graham Cracker Crust.
Easy Lemon Pie topped with White Chocolate Curls
You’ll love the velvety smooth consistency and the tangy-tart bite from the fresh lemon juice.ย This simple and easy lemon pie can be made in an 8-inch tart pan with removable bottom, or a regular 9-inch pie plate.
It can also be baked in your favorite tart pastry or graham cracker pie crust. Toย make it even easier, use your favorite store-bought graham cracker crust and just add filling!
With just a few ingredients, the filling comes together quickly and bakes to perfection in about 15 minutes. This pie is easily made ahead and topped with mounds of whipped cream a few hours before serving. It holds up well but is best eaten within a day or two of baking.
Lemon or limes are both great choices for this easy lemon pie.
If you’re one of those lucky enough to have citrus trees in your yard, I say use whatever you have on hand. Limes would be a good substitute because they’re also from the tart citrus family. Oranges or grapefruit would also be good in a pie, but will have a much more mild flavor. Personally I prefer the tart-tanginess and if you do too, start with this lemon version!
What’s the best way to store lemons?
According to my favorite expert cooking source,ย America’s Test Kitchen, lemons, and other citrus fruits, do not continue to ripen after harvest. The good news is they tend to stay fresher longer than other fruits like apples, pears and bananas. To keep your lemons juicy and fresh, they must be chilled and sealed in an airtight Ziploc bag. Keep the lemons whole whenever possible.
If you zest a lemon but don’t need the juice, wrap the zested lemon tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Lemon juice and lemon zest are also freezable if sealed in an airtight container. The color and flavor may be a little diminished, but when used in small amounts it’s perfectly acceptable.
When properly stored, lemons should keep fresh for up to 4 weeks.
This Easy Lemon Pie is similar to the more famousย Key Lime Pie.
My mom always added a tangy sour cream topping to her homemade Key Lime Pie. While I prefer my Key Lime Pie without the sour cream topping, it did get me thinking about adding sour cream to the filling. Sour cream turned out to be a terrific addition to this lemony pie.
A small amount of sour cream adds a luscious tanginess which compliments lemon juice perfectly. Give it a try!
To stabilize the whipped cream topping, I added a little cream cheese to the mix.
Sometimes whipped cream toppings don’t hold together for long, so adding a little cream cheese makes all the difference. If you haven’t tried this little trick before, you’re going to love it now.
These pretty mounds of whipped cream easily hold up under the weight of the sliced lemons and white chocolate curls. This cream cheese whipped cream is still fluffy and lightly sweet, and perfectly pipeable if desired.
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Easy Lemon Pie with White Chocolate Curls
Ingredients
For the graham cracker crust:
- 1 ยผ cups crushed graham crackers (one whole wax paper package)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
For the lemon filling:
- โ cup sour cream
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
- ยฝ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, strained (about 4 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, plus more for garnish
For the topping:
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
- โ teaspoon vanilla extract
- white chocolate curls
- lemon zest & lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
To prepare the graham cracker crust:
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the graham crackers and 2 tablespoons sugar. Process until finely crushed. Add the melted butter and pulse until well mixed.
- Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool while preparing the filling.
To prepare the lemon filling:
- In a medium bowl beat the sour cream until smooth with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low, slowly add the sweetened condensed milk and blend until combined. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice and zest. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake for 15-18 minutes or until the filling is set, but still jiggles a little in the middle. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature then refrigerate until ready to add the topping.
To prepare the topping:
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth using an electric mixer. Slowly add the whipping cream and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until soft, but stiff peaks form. Mound the topping onto the pie using an ice cream scoop or pipe all over in a pattern as desired. Top with fresh lemon zest, sliced lemon and chocolate curls if desired.
To prepare chocolate curls:
- Melt 2 ounce of white chocolate according to package directions. Spread on the back of a baking pan and refrigerate until set, about 3-4 minutes. Using a sharp spatula, create little curls. If the chocolate breaks into shards, allow it to sit at room temperature another minute or two until slightly softer. If the chocolate does not curl, pop it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes more. Curls may be made ahead and frozen until needed.
Recipe Notes
- Substitute a 9-inch store bought graham cracker crust if desired
- We use an 8-inch tart pan with removable bottom for this recipe.
Nutrition
Looking for more luscious lemon desserts?
Try this crustless and delicious Easy Lemon Posset recipe for a delicious make-ahead treat.ย Lemon Posset is a cross between a lush pudding and a silky lemon curd. This amazing English specialty is made with just three simple ingredients.
Don’t let the citrus season get by without try these Tangy Lemon Bars. These bars areย tart, sweet and lusciously creamy, with an incredible consistency and a delicious shortbread crust. These bars are absolutely amazing!
Finally, be sure to print this recipe for Homemade Lemon Curd. This easy and fool-proof curdย is great on biscuits, pancakes, pound cake, angel food cake, muffins, or just about anything!
Susan
Although I’m a chocoholic my next love is lemony tarts! Your tart looks like lemon heaven, Tricia! Beautiful!
Tricia Buice
Lemon is always a favorite at our house, and chocolate too ๐ Thanks Susan!
John / Kitchen Riffs
Love lemon! Mrs KR makes a lemon pie kinda/sorta like this, and I always end up licking the pie plate. I gotta show her your recipe — we’ll both love it. ๐
Tricia Buice
Thanks John!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Wow! Such a stunning pie! And easy? And lemon? I’m in. I have a big bag of lemons looking for a destination right now (Costco!), so need to try this one, for sure ๐
Tricia Buice
Thank you Jennifer!
Gerlinde @ Sunnycovechef
I love all your lemon recipes and your lemon pie is no exception. What a great recipe. Pinning!
Tricia Buice
Thanks so much Gerlinde ๐
Pam
Bill’s the lemon pie lover here and he would definitely devour this one quickly. It looks delicious, Tricia! Love that filling! Thanks for the recipe! And have a wonderful week!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Pam – we are lemon lovers too ๐
sue | the view from great island
oooooh, my mouth is puckering just looking at this gorgeous dessert ~ I love the tip about adding cream cheese to the whipped cream!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Sue. I love putting cream cheese in whipped cream. It’s still very light but a little more creamy. So good ๐
Foodiewife
I have a mountain of Eureka lemons from our tree, that has been very generous. I made lemon curd, last weekend. Now, I’m craving a lemon dessert. This one is beautifully done– and the white chocolate curls take this to a higher level.
Tricia Buice
Lucky you for having a lemon tree! Lemon curd is one of our favorites – and it’s so versatile. Thank you so much!
Chris Scheuer
I love that this beautitful tart can be put together so quickly! And lemon is such a universally loved flavor. Pinning!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Chris – I love all things lemon. Such a fantastic flavor in sweet and savory dishes.
angiesrecipes
This looks amazing! I love the idea of using sweetened condensed milk for the lemon filling…everything is perfect in this lemon tart!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Angie!