This week, I set out to make no-churn lemon cream ice cream. But, at the last moment, I realized that I didn’t want it to be frozen …” so instead, I turned it into a pie. This super simple Lemon Cream Pie filling is made with the same ingredients as no-churn lemon ice cream: sweetened cream milk + heavy whipping crème, + any flavors or add-ins. The result is a creamy, sweet mixture with a cloud-like appearance that I can eat with a spoon or pie crust.
You have so many options for this simple pie, so keep reading to learn how you can quickly change it up and make your own.
PIE CRUST OPTIONS
Graham Cracker Crust, I made a simple pie dough out of vanilla wafers to keep the vanilla-lemon theme alive. However, you could easily make the same recipe with graham crackers.
No-Bake I baked my crust for about 10 minutes to give it more structure, but baking isn’t necessary. The crust can be made completely without baking, but it will still be crumbly.
Store-Bought You can use any store-bought pie crust to make the recipe faster and simpler. For traditional pie crusts, it will need to be pre-baked and cooled before adding the lemon-cream filling. Fill the graham cracker crusts and let cool in the refrigerator.
HOW DO YOU USE YOUR DISH?
This recipe will fill a 9-inch pie pan. You can make this into lemon cream squares if you use an 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch square baking dish. Suppose you use a square dish, press the crust down into the bottom, not up the sides like a pie plate.
FREEZER-FRIENDLY
As I have already mentioned, the filling for this pie is the same recipe as no-churn ice cream. This lemon cream pie can be frozen. It can be frozen and eaten as an ice cream pie, or you can store the leftovers in the freezer for a few months. If you plan on eating your pie frozen, skip the baking step. It will be easier to cut if it isn’t as firm.
Do I need to use fresh lemons?
Fresh lemons are mandatory in this recipe. Not because of their juice, but because of their zest. The zest is what gives this pie its lemon flavor. The pie will still retain its lemon juice flavor, but it won’t have the zest.
CAN I USE PRE-WHIPPED TOPPING
You can buy 2 cups of whipped topping from a store if you don’t want to make your heavy cream. However, homemade is always better.
EASY LEMON CREAM PIE
This lemon cream pie, which is cloud-like and sweet, can be made in minutes.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Refrigerate Time: 2 hrs
INGREDIENTS
PIE CRUST*
- 1.5 cups crushed vanilla wafers ($0.83)
- 6 Tbsp butter, melt ($0.54)
- 2 Tbsp sugar ($0.04)
LEMON CREAM FILM
- 1 14oz. 1 14oz.
- 3 lemons ($1.54)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.28)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream ($0.78)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat the oven to 350oF. Use a food processor or a rolling pin to crush the vanilla wafers. Stir in the sugar and melted butter until all is well combined.
- Place the butter crumb mixture in a 9-inch pie pan. Use a flat-bottomed glass to compress the mixture. Bake the crust in the oven for 10 minutes. Transfer the crust to the fridge to cool after baking.
- Juice and zest the lemons. You will need 1/2 cup of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of zest. You can use any unjuiced lemon portions leftover to garnish.
- Combine the sweetened condensed dairy milk with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, and mix well. Mix everything.
- Whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in a separate bowl until it forms stiff peaks.
- Fold 1/4 of the sweetened condensed milk and lemon mixture into the whipped cream. Continue to add 1/4 cup of the lemon mixture to the whipped cream until it is all incorporated into the whipped topping.
- Place the lemon cream filling in the chilled pie crust. Refrigerate until it is completely cold (about 2 hours). Cut into eight pieces and serve.
NOTES
*For a soft crust, press the filling directly into the pie plate. This pie crust can be made with either vanilla wafers or graham crackers. Any prepared store-bought pie crust can be used in place of this crust recipe.
