Name: Southern Lemon Pie Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 4 h 25 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Pies
Ingredients: 1 (10") Graham Cracker Pie Crust; 2 (14oz) Cans Sweetened Condensed Milk; 6 Egg Yolks; 1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice; 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream; 1 Teaspoon Vanilla; 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar; Lemon Slices and Mint Leaves for Decoration

Jump to Recipe

A silky smooth southern lemon pie recipe that is perfect for any occasion, any time of the year. With a sweet yet tart flavor lemon pie is a classic dessert that has been around for hundreds of years.

A southern lemon pie recipe with a slice take out. A dollop of cream and lemon slices, with a sprig of mint on top. — Southern Lemon Pie Recipe

You can really dress it up to be as fancy as you like, using cream, lemons and mint (like in my images). Or not, keep it simple for the family to devour and fight over - like they do in my house.

It's perfect as a Thanksgiving dessert, for summer barbecue even at an Easter celebration. A really easy recipe for a classic southern dessert.

Jump to:

❤️ Why you'll love it
🧅 Ingredients
🥣 Instructions
🔄 Substitutions and Variations
🔌 Equipment
📘 Related Recipes
🧊 Storage
💡 Tips
Southern Lemon Pie Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love it

There's just a handful of ingredients making this a favorite recipe.
You can use a store-bought crust or make your own. You decide.
The pie would taste just as good with a graham-cracker crust or a regular pie crust.
Dress it up and bring to a gathering - or keep it simple.
This creamy lemon pie is one of the world's most popular pies and with good reason. Perfect for lemon lovers all over the world.
It's a great dessert for the summer months.

🧅 Ingredients

10" Graham cracker crust
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Fresh Lemon Juice
Egg Yolks
Heavy Cream
Powdered Sugar
Vanilla
Lemon slices and mint (optional garnish)

See recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.

🥣 Instructions

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Step 2: In a large bowl, add the condensed milk, egg yolks and lemon juice. Beat well with a whisk. Or add to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat it that way.
Step 3: Pour lemon filling into the pie shell in a nice even layer and bake for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature on a wire rack then refrigerate for about 3-4 hours.

Overhead shot of a southern lemon pie recipe with some cream and lemon slices in the middle and a sprig of mint.

Step 5: Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form then add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat again until stiff peaks form.
Step 6: Decorate the top of pie with the cream and add fresh lemons slices and a few sprigs of mint.

Hint: When squeezing the lemons make sure you pass through a sieve. You don't want the pulp or any sneaky lemon seeds to make their way into your filling.

🔄 Substitutions and Variations

Lemon Zest - add a little more lemon zip.
Egg Whites - whip up some egg whites and make a meringue. You now have a lemon meringue pie!
Citrus Juice - if you have another citrus juice you want to try, you could use any.
Lemon Extract - if you don't have lemon juice and need to add lemon flavor.
Graham Crackers - Make your own graham cracker crust.
Homemade Pie Crust - if you would rather make a homemade pie crust instead of a pre-made pie crust then try this recipe. Or maybe you have your own crust you'd rather use.
Fresh berries - Decorate the top with fresh berries.
Sour Cream - I've seen recipes use sour cream instead of the eggs.
Flaky Crust - Another crust alternative.
Corn Syrup - Add this to regular milk, in place of the sweetened condensed milk.

A slice of southern lemon pie being lifted out of the pie dish.

❤ Sharing is Caring - Like Our Facebook Page ❤

The Cagle Diaries

🔌 Equipment

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

If you're using a store-bought pie crust then the only equipment you'll need is a mixing bowl and a whisk. Oh, and the sieve to strain the lemon juice.

If you choose to make your own homemade pie crust - you could either make a Graham cracker crust like this one using crumbs, butter and sugar. Or you could use a regular pie crust - like my Amish Pie Crust. It's delicious - and easy.

🧊 Storage

This southern lemon pie should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It'll stay fresh for up to 1 week.

You can freeze a lemon icebox pie, if you do - do it before you add the cream topping. Cover first with plastic wrap then foil and freeze for up to 6 months.

💡 Tips

Expert Tip: Don't overcook this old fashioned lemon pie. If you should cook it too long it forms cracks in the top as the eggs expand too much.

A slice of lemon pie with fork marks going through the front.

If you’ve tried this Southern Lemon Pie Recipe or any other great recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section below, how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can also follow me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes!