Lemon Icebox Pie is a classic, no-bake dessert. With a graham cracker crust and silky lemon filling, this refreshing pie is a summer must.
It’s difficult to bake during the summer. Turning on the oven sounds like torture when it’s already 90+ degrees outside and the air conditioning is on full blast. What if I told you that this lemon icebox pie is made without turning on the oven or the stove?
You’re going to love this pie because it’s easy to make and so very satisfying on a hot summer’s day.
I am in love with this silky, creamy, dreamy lemon pie. If you haven’t noticed by now, lemon is one of my favorite ingredients, especially in baked goods. See my Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars or Lemon Coconut Snowball Cookies if you’re a lemon lover like me.
This pie is one of my new summer favorites. You’ll love it too because it’s so quick to make and takes only a few ingredients. This pie turns out so creamy and rich, yet light and refreshing at the same time.
Graham Cracker Crust
I like to use my food processor to quickly make crumbs out of graham crackers. If you don’t have a food processor, simply place your graham crackers into a sealable bag, then mash with a rolling pin until you have even sized crumbs.
If using a food processor, I like to grind up my graham crackers, then add sugar and blend for a few seconds. Then, add your melted butter and blend again. Then, toss your graham cracker crust straight into the pie pan.
Pressing a graham cracker crust into a pie pan is fairly straightforward. I like to use a combination of my hands and the bottom of a measuring cup to press the graham cracker crumbs down.
Try to press your crust down as firmly as possible so that it doesn’t fall apart when serving.
Lemon Icebox Pie Filling
My biggest tip for this recipe is to make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before your begin mixing it. If it’s still cold, it will leave lumps in your mixture.
Also, I highly recommend mixing your ingredients together as I specify in the recipe card. First, add your cream cheese and mix until creamy. Then, add your sweetened condensed milk and blend with the cream cheese.
Last, add your vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix until combined. Combining all of your ingredients at once will more likely than not give you a lumpy pie (I know from experience).
It’s not worth it to try and save maybe a minute to toss everything in the bowl at once. Trust me!
Lemon Icebox Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Pie Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy cream very cold
Instructions
Crust
- In a bowl, add graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar. Stir to combine. Add melted butter and stir until fully incorporated. Using the back of a measuring cup, press graham cracker mixture firmly into bottom and sides of pie pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.
Pie Filling
- In a large bowl, add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk and mix until combined. Then, add vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until just combined.
- Pour filling into graham cracker crust and smooth top with a spatula. Refrigerate until firm and chilled through, about 2 hours. Serve chilled and store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
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