This easy lemon pie needs only 3 ingredients. It has a no-bake creamy lemon custard filling and is a cool and refreshing dessert. It can be made ahead of time and is a great dessert to serve at gatherings.
If you’re looking for an easy dessert to make for an upcoming BBQ, potluck or any other occasion, this is it. This pie is sweet, smooth, creamy and full of lemon flavor. The pie is best enjoyed cold so it is especially tasty in the summer.
Ingredients
- Frozen Pie Crust
- Lemon Juice
- Condensed Milk
Frozen pie crust: I used a frozen pie crust to make this pie. I like using the ones that are already shaped in the pie tin so that I don’t need to worry about crimping or shaping my own crust.
Lemon juice: The filling is made with lemon juice. You can either use fresh squeezed lemon juice or you can use 100% lemon juice sold at grocery stores. Lemon juice can be substituted with lime juice.
Condensed milk: You will need sweetened condensed milk for the filling. When the condensed milk is mixed with the lemon juice, the lemon juice will cause the condensed milk to thicken up to a custard-like consistency. Unfortunately this recipe does not work with dairy free condensed milk substitutes. I’ve tried it with coconut condensed milk and condensed oat milk and neither worked.
How to Make Lemon Pie
- The crust is first baked in the oven until golden and done. It then needs to cool.
- While the crust cools, you can make the filling. Simply whisk together the condensed milk and lemon juice until evenly combined. It will be thick, like a pudding. Once the crust is cooled, pour the filling in. Then place into the fridge to set for a few hours or overnight. Keep the pie in the fridge until ready to serve.
Variations
- I have also made a no bake version using a graham cracker crust.
- You can also make a lemon cheesecake filling by reducing the filling ingredients by half and adding a block of cream cheese.
- I have also made mini individual pies.
More Easy Pies
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Key Lime Pie
- 4 Ingredient No Bake Blueberry Pie
- 3 Ingredient No Bake Chocolate Pie
3 Ingredient Lemon Pie
Ingredients
- 1 frozen pie crust
- 1 cup (8 fl oz/237 ml) lemon juice see note section
- 2 (14 oz) cans full fat sweetened condensed milk a total of 28 oz or 794 g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Let pie crust soften to room temperature, about 10-15 minutes.
- Use a fork to prick the bottom of the pie crust several times (I did about a dozen times). You want there to be holes fairly evenly spread across the bottom. This will prevent the pie crust from puffing up during baking.
- Bake pie crust for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked. Let pie crust cool fully.
- While crust is cooling, prepare the filling. Add lemon juice and condensed milk to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until lemon juice is fully incorporated. Your mixture should be thick, like a pudding.
- Once crust is fully cooled, pour the filling into the crust. Place pie in the fridge for several hours (at least 2-3 hours) to set. I like to refrigerate overnight. Keep pies in the fridge until ready to serve. You can also decorate the pies with fresh whipped cream before serving.
Notes
- You can use fresh squeezed lemon juice or store bought lemon juice. If using store bought, make sure that the only ingredient is lemon juice. Just because it is labeled "100% lemon juice" does not necessarily mean there aren't other ingredients in the bottle so make sure to check the nutrition label. I used Santa Cruz Organic 100% lemon juice and Whole Foods 365 Organic Lemon Juice. The RealLemon brand (sometimes in those little lemon shaped containers) will not work.
- I used Marie Callender's frozen pie crust which comes already preshaped in a pie baking pan. You can use the pie crust that is rolled up but you will have to shape it yourself in a pie pan. My instructions also bake at a slightly lower temperature than what the brand recommends. I find that the lower baking temperature helps prevent the pie crust from shrinking too much.
- If you want to make the cheesecake filling version, you will need
- 8 oz block full fat cream cheese, brought to room temperature
- 1 (14 oz) can full fat sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- Add cream cheese to a mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl a few times as needed to make sure all the cream cheese gets beaten. Pour in the condensed milk. Beat until mixture is smooth. Add in the lemon juice. Mix at low speed until completely and evenly incorporated.
- Unfortunately I do not have a dairy substitute for the condensed milk at this time. I have tried with both coconut condensed milk and sweetened condensed oat milk and they do not work.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
