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This Creamy Lemon Pie is packed full of tart, lemon flavor and creamy goodness. This recipe is super easy to make and is always a crowd pleaser!
Featured with this recipe
This Creamy Lemon Pie is exactly the recipe you need to celebrate the spring season. Even if the weather is on the chilly side (and where we live there are still a few blustery days ahead of us) this beautiful dessert with creamy lemon pie filling will brighten your day. It’s perfect to serve for Easter dinner, a backyard picnic, a springtime bridal shower, just about any occasion. This is truly one of the easiest pie dishes to prepare too! No fuss, just fresh lemons and plenty of flavor.
Ingredients in this Creamy Lemon Pie Recipe
This no bake dessert is so simple to prepare, with creamy lemon filling and a simple crust. Here’s all you need:
- Graham cracker crust – Our homemade graham cracker crust is so easy to make. All you need are some graham cracker crumbs, some melted butter and a food processor to grind it into fine crumbs. You can also use a rolling pin to crush graham crackers in a plastic bag. Or if you’re really pressed for time, grab a pre-made crust at the grocery store.
- Milk – use either whole milk or 2%. Make sure the milk is COLD.
- Vanilla instant pudding – an 8-ounce package if you can find it. Or use a 3.5 ounce packet and a 5 ounce packet. I don’t use lemon pudding in this recipe, which I get into more later. Personal preference.
- Frozen lemonade concentrate – you’ll need about half a can (or six ounces) of the thawed concentrate for ultra lemon flavor..
- Cool Whip – an 8-ounce tub, thawed.
- Lemon slices for garnish
- Fresh raspberries – optional, but they make a pretty garnish on this lemon pie.
Lemon Pie in Ten Minutes
Did I mention it is the easiest recipe EVER? No heating up the oven. I think once I had the ingredients ready and thawed, it took me less than 10 minutes to put together. Then I just let it chill in the refrigerator for about four hours. Make sure to use 2% or whole milk, otherwise the pie won’t set up quite as well.
Take Help from the Store
I used a prepared pie crust and Cool Whip for convenience, but if you want to kick it up a notch, you can use our Perfect Graham Cracker Crust recipe and make your own whipped cream with some heavy cream and an electric mixer. Feel free to get creative with your lemon garnish, such as berries, sliced lemons, a little lemon zest, or add more whipped cream garnish if you’re like me and you just can’t get enough of that stuff.
Lemon Pudding vs. Vanilla Pudding
Some readers asked why we didn’t use lemon pudding mix in this recipe. To me, lemon pudding mix just doesn’t have that bright taste that I look for in a lemon recipe. Sometimes the boxed lemon pudding mix can even have a chemical-y taste that I don’t like. When I make a recipe with lemons I love to have the fresh, tart lemon taste that makes my lips pucker! So, I decided to use vanilla pudding as a base so that the lemon flavor I love would really shine through. For extra lemon flavor you can add a teaspoon or so of fresh lemon juice to the filling.
Frequently Asked Questions about Creamy Lemon Pie
A lot of creamy lemon pies are made with sweetened condensed milk and egg yolks and has the texture of key lime pie. A lemon meringue pie is made with egg yolks, cornstarch, and butter. This simple pie recipe takes a couple of short cuts, avoiding eggs completely.
Cover the pie plate or deep-dish pie pan with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to three days.
I use a 3.5 ounce box and a 5 ounce box mixed together.
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Other Lemon Recipes You Will Love
If you love the taste of lemons like we do, make sure to check out our other lemon recipes! From lemonade to pizza – you can put lemons on anything if you believe in yourself!
- Peach Lemonade with Fresh Peaches
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Raspberry Lemon Poke Cake
- Baked Lemon Salmon with Tzatziki Sauce
- Lemon Buttermilk Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Pesto Rice
- Fresh and Easy Lemon Spaghetti
- Lemon Zucchini Bread
- Lemon Chicken Pizza
How to Make Creamy Lemon Pie
Creamy Lemon Pie
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add milk and then pudding mix. Whisk for 30 seconds.
- Add frozen lemonade concentrate and whisk for 30 seconds.
- Fold in Cool Whip.
- Pour into prepared pie crust. Refrigerate for 4 hours, or until set.
- Garnish with lemon slices and enjoy!
Notes
- Use whole or 2% milk so it sets up correctly.
- Use half of a 15 ounce can of lemonade concentrate (or about six ounces).
- If you can’t find an 8-ounce package of vanilla pudding, use a combination of a 3.5 ounce and 5 ounce packet.
I am so excited about this recipe! Most homemade lemon recipes have that metallic taste and this tastes just like the frozen version my family loves!
I am wondering if I find a limeade will I get the key lime version I love as well!
This is a keeper! I also just froze the other half of lemonade and saved the rest of the dry pudding for the next one!
IU love the tangy sweet-tart flavor of this pie. It is totally dreamy!
So delicious! The creamy and tart together are a perfect blend!
Yummy! Such an amazing lemon pie. I love how incredibly easy it is to make too. So awesome!
This was a bite of spring on my fork! Love the creamy, dreamy, lemony goodness. The whole family gave it two thumbs up!
This recipe is so easy and came out perfect! Thanks for making it so easy!
I have made the key lime pie and it is heavenly. I share my goodies with my friends, and they all love them and they ask for the recipe every time.
Thank you so much for sharing how much you enjoyed this key lime pie! And for the 5-stars!
How large a can of lemonade? How many Oz?
They usually come in 12 oz cans, and the recipe calls for half a can – so 6oz. Hope this helps!
The pudding mixes I’ve found are 3.5 oz or 5ish oz. Do you just use a combo of those? I just don’t want to use too much pudding!
Yes! I use (1) 5 oz and (1) 3.5 oz!
Why not use lemon pudding mix? No such thing as being too lemony is there?
Oooh that sounds delish! You’re totally right – the more lemon, the better! Let us know if you try it!