This easy No Bake Lemon Pie is perfect for hot summer days! Loaded with tart lemon flavor, the creamy lemon filling goes perfectly with the graham cracker crust and fresh whipped cream topping. Delicious! Love no bake desserts as much as we do? Try these No Bake S’mores Cheesecake Bars and this No Bake Banana Cream Pudding Cheesecake – outrageously good!
Lemon Pie
Summer is just around the corner and if you live in California – surprise! It’s already arrived! Ugh! Spring is the shortest of all our seasons and it comes and goes soooo quickly here.
As you all know, I am a HUGE lover of all things lemon – especially lemon desserts. I think lemon flavored desserts are the way to go all year round, but especially during the spring and summer. It’s just so refreshing!
Today I’m sharing a no bake lemon pie that will leave you wanting more…More pie, that is.
Easy Lemon Pie Recipe
How easy is this pie, you ask? You guys. Super, super easy and you can make it semi-homemade if you want. I include instructions in the recipe card for a graham cracker crust and whipped cream topping but you can always buy a pre-made crust at the store (that’s what I did for the video!) and top the pie with frozen whipped topping.
With these shortcuts and you’re looking at like 5 to 7 minutes, tops. I mean, it just doesn’t get any better than that.
This pie is no bake so, really perfect for summer. I’m ALL about no bake desserts during the summer time! It gets hot here in Sacramento.
What Goes On a Lemon Pie?
As you can see in the picture above, I chose to garnish the pie with some lemon zest, a lemon twist, and fresh mint leaves. I served it along with some lemon slices and fresh raspberries.
Now, you can leave the pie plain, with none of these garnishes, of course! I just find it’s super simple and quick to add a bit of color and flair to this easy lemon pie recipe.
I figure since I spent so little time actually making the pie, I can afford a few extra minutes to make it look extra pretty and special.
What You Need To Make A Lemon Pie
I think a graham cracker crust is the way to go with this pie, but you could also use a Nilla Wafer Pie Crust or go crazy and make an Easy Oreo Pie Crust 😉
- Graham Cracker Crust (can also buy pre-made crusts):
- graham cracker crumbs
- granulated sugar
- unsalted butter
- Lemon Filling:
- cream cheese
- whole milk
- instant lemon pudding mix
- lemon zest (lemon zesters are awesome for this!)
- Whipped Cream (can also use whipped topping):
- heavy cream
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
Lemon Recipes
One of the things that I love about lemon is because it is naturally tart, it pairs beautifully with sweeter fruits like strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I have so many lemon recipes on my site but some of my favorites are these:
- Easy Lemon Curd Recipe
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- Lemon Strawberry Trifle
- Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Muffins
- Lemon Zucchini Cake
Pies You NEED To Try (trust me!)
These are some of my very favorite pie recipes on my site!
How To Make Lemon Pie
No Bake Lemon Pie
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3.5 oz instant lemon pudding mix
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1 cup heavy cream cold
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- lemon zest and slices, raspberries and mint to garnish pie
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Lightly spray a 8" - 9.5" pie pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press the crumb mixture into the prepared pie pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to really press the crust down. Chill pie crust for at least 30 minutes before filling.
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
- Add pudding mix and beat until creamy and combined.
- Slowly add milk, beating until creamy, thick and smooth.
- Beat in lemon zest.
- Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
- Chill for at least 3 hours. The pie will set up firmly during this time.
Whipped Cream
- In a large bowl, whip heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add in sugar and extract and continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
- Spread whipped cream on top of chilled pie.
- Top with additional lemon zest.
- Garnish with lemons, mint, and raspberries before serving, if desired
Video
Notes
- A store bought graham cracker crust can be used instead (as I did in the video) if you prefer.
- The graham cracker crust can be baked if you prefer. Preheat oven to 375F. Bake for 7 minutes.
- Instead of using freshly whipped cream, you can also use frozen whipped topping - just thaw first!
Nutrition
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For all dessert recipes, go HERE.
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Have a great day!
Paula Bohrer says
I think maybe it was the milk. The same thing happened to me when I made a banana cream pie. It never firmed up. Actually, I bought a very good grade of milk. It had no preservatives or hormones in it. But when I used the milk from the supermarket, it did firm up.
Judy says
The lemon pudding filling never set up. It was very soupy. What did I do wrong? The recipe said 2 cups milk divided but I never saw why it was to be divided. Should I have not used the entire 2 cups of milk or perhaps have used another 8 oz of cream cheese?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Check the expiration date on your box of pudding maybe? You definitely need 2 cups – that’s what the box of pudding calls for and the cream cheese adds a bit of creaminess and makes it thicker than pudding would normally be.
Susan Schommer says
The same thing happened to me unfortunately. And all of the products were brand new purchased just for this recipe.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
What kind of milk did you use Susan? When you look at the instructions on the pudding mix, how much milk does it call for? It should read 2 cups. Also, did you mix it long enough? It will be soupy at first and then start to thicken up as you mix it together.
Nancy says
Did you use “cook & serve” pudding by mistake instead of instant? I almost did that once. Regarding the divided milk, it’s easier to mix the pudding mix with the cream cheese if you beat the cream cheese with about 1/2 milk first.