Lemon Pie

If you asked me, do you love this lemon pie? I’d say.. Is the sky blue? Do birds fly? I’m actually obsessed with this pie and would eat it entirely alone if I could. Its one of the best pies I’ve ever made or shared. And that really is exactly the kind of pie we all want to make – the kind people have one slice of and then can’t stop taking seconds =)

Recipe Origins 

I built this off of my key lime pie recipe which uses pecans in the crust. I knew I wanted lemon and was either going to use almonds (for popularity’s sake) or pistachios (my beloved) in the crust – I had more of the latter so that won. 

The filling is just like my key lime, but it swaps in lemons for everything lime. It’s sooo creamy and lemony thanks to lots of zest and fresh juice. On top of the pie, I would’ve gone for just a vanilla whipped cream but I had some pistachio spread on hand (we love this stuff more than nutella!) so I dropped in a huge dollop and didn’t add any extra sugar – perfect. The pistachio and lemon work so well together; the pie is just, magnifique. 

Note: this isn’t a lemon meringue pie! Lemon meringue pie has a non-dairy filling that’s quite like lemon curd and, like it’s name, meringue topping. Here is your lemon meringue pie recipe!

Recipe Ingredients 

Graham crackers: or digestive cookies. If you’d like to use something like oreos or golden oreos, scrape off the cream from the inside before weighing out the cookies/crumbs. The cream will add too much oil to the crust. 

Pistachios: roasted pistachios or raw, in both cases I’d freshen them up with a quick toast in the oven (see how to section). 

Butter: unsalted butter. If using salted, omit the added salt to the crust. 

Powdered sugar: this is to help the crust ‘bind’ together. 

Salt: fine sea salt. 

Lemons: fresh regular sized lemons. We want the lemon zest and the fresh lemon juice for the best lemon flavor. Wash and dry before zesting. When zesting, be sure not to get the white pith; we just want the yellow skin which has the flavorful oils.

Sweetened condensed milk: this is milk that has been cooked with sugar long enough to evaporate a lot of the water. 

Sour Cream: full fat sour cream. Greek yogurt or labneh are fine substitutes. 

Vanilla: pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. 

Egg yolks: from large eggs. 

Heavy whipping cream: or heavy cream. No substitutes. 

Pistachio paste/cream or butter: this can be pure pistachio paste (nothing added) in which case you’ll want to add some sugar to the whipped cream, or it can be pistachio cream (usually has oils and sugar added) which is already sweetened. 

How to make Lemon Pie

Make & Prebake the Crust 

Prep an 8 or 9 inch springform pan by laying a sheet of parchment over the bottom then clipping the ring. You can also use a 9-inch pie dish and bake the crust directly in the pan.

Grind the cookies/crackers and the nuts: 

Melt the butter.

Stir the melted butter and ground nuts and graham cracker crumbs together along with the powdered sugar: add a pinch of salt too.

Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Use a measuring cup or bottom of a small jar to pack them in. 

Bake the crust for 10 minutes. If it comes out a bit bubbled or warped, press it back into place with a measuring cup. 

Make the filling 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, lemon zest and juice, salt and vanilla. 

Add the egg yolks and whisk until well combined. 

Pour the filling into the baked crust, use an offset spatula or a spoon to smooth it out so it is in one even layer. 

Return the pan to the oven and bake. The pie is done when you can shake the pan and only spot a slight jiggle in the center. Depending on pan size this can take more or less time (bigger pan will cook faster), check it at 15 minutes and bake longer as needed. 

Out of the oven let the pie come to room temperature. Once cool enough to handle, set it in the fridge. It should chill for a minimum of 6 hours but can be left to chill for longer (up to 3 days). 

Whip up the topping to stiff peaks (see below for recipes and topping recommendations) and carefully smooth it over the chilled pie. 

Serve chilled and store in the fridge.

Lemon Pie Toppings 

Vanilla whipped cream: make this stabilized whipped cream recipe. 

Pistachio whipped cream (pictured): directions for this are in the recipe box below. 

Lemon whipped cream: make the stabilized whipped cream but add a teaspoon of lemon extract and the zest of 1-2 lemons. 

Notes on this recipe

• This is most definitely a make-ahead dessert; preferably the night before so that it can set overnight in the fridge, but you can also make it a full 2-3 days before serving. Save the whipped cream to make and top the pie on the day of serving. 
• You could use almonds instead of pistachios in the crust if you’d prefer, and in that case I’d just do a vanilla bean whipped cream. 
• For the pistachio whipped cream there are two ways to go about it: use some pistachio cream (a spread mixed with sugar and oils) or a pistachio butter (purely pistachios, ground up into a paste). Here’s a link to the cream but it’s outrageously expensive on that site so I’d check any specialty stores near you for a better price. 

Lemon Pie Recipe

Lemon Pie

Nutty graham cracker crust with a sharp and smooth lemon filling. Rather like a key lime pie, but lemon!

Yields: 1 8 inch pie

5 from 3 votes

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Ingredients

Graham & Pistachio Crust

• 250g or or 2 packed cups digestives or graham crackers
• 100g or or 1 cup pistachios finely ground
• 70g or 5 tablespoons butter unsalted
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• Pinch fine sea salt

Lemon Filling

• Zest of 5 lemons
• Two 14 oz cans sweetened condensed milk
• 80g or ⅓ cup sour cream full fat
• 240g or 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 egg yolks from two large eggs

Pistachio Whipped Cream

• 480g or 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup pistachio cream or butter (sweetened or unsweetened; you can add 1/4 cup sugar to the whipped cream if using pure pistachio butter)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• Finely chopped pistachios for topping

Method

• Set a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan and over it clip the ring.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Grind the nuts and crackers until you have a fine powder and transfer to a bowl. Melt the butter then add it to the bowl along with the powdered sugar, stir until all the crumbs are coated with the butter. Carefully and with patience press the wet crumbs into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to help you pack it in tightly.
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
• While it’s baking, add the condensed milk, sour cream, vanilla, salt and lemon juice into a mixing bowl and whisk. Zest the lemons into the mixture. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine.
• Pour the filling into the pre-baked crust and smooth it into an even layer. Return the pie to the oven and bake until there’s a slight jiggle only in the center, about 20 minutes. Let cool at room temperature then transfer to the fridge for an overnight chill (or up to 2 days).
• The day of serving, add all the whipped cream ingredients to a food processor and run it on high until the cream is thick (but not grainy). Spread it over the pie and add some finely chopped pistachios and lemon zest.
• Serve cold, store in the fridge. The pie will last about 5-6 days.

Notes

*If you’d like to do a plain vanilla whipped cream use this stabilized whipped cream recipe. It can be made ahead of time and won’t separate!

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