This lemon cream cheese pie is made with homemade lemon curd, stacked on a buttery graham cracker crust, and topped with made-from-scratch piped whipped cream. Each bite is light, fluffy, lemony, and only takes 5 minutes to put together!
No-bake lemon pie is one of my favorite desserts because it’s so light and refreshing, and filled with citrus flavors! While you can take the store-bought route, I highly suggest making the graham cracker crumb crust from scratch. Plus, store-bought curd has nothing on my easy lemon curd recipe made from scratch. You can also use it to make lemon meringue pie, cupcakes, or dump cake.
Buy a few extra bars of cream cheese and lemons to make lemon cream cheese cookie bars, lemon cheesecake, and cream cheese filled blueberry lemon bread. If you have sweetened condensed milk on hand, make a frosty glass of whipped lemonade, it’s delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Pie
- It’s an easy, no-bake recipe.
- Full of lemon flavor.
- Made with simple ingredients and takes very little time to whip up.
What Ingredients do I Need for No-Bake Lemon Cream Pie?
- graham cracker pie crust
- cream cheese – allow time for it to soften at room temperature so the filling is nice and creamy.
- powdered sugar
- fresh lemon juice
- heavy whipping cream
- lemon curd
- Lemon zest for garnish
Pro Tip: For the best flavor, use fresh lemon juice. It’s much more flavorful and refreshing. Meyers lemons are a bit sweeter if you choose to use that variety.
How to Make Lemon Cream Cheese Pie
MAKE THE PIE FILLING: Beat together the cream cheese, lemon juice, and a cup of powdered sugar until it’s creamy, using a hand mixer or stand mixer.
WHIP THE CREAM: Beat the heavy cream and remaining powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Stir a cup into the cream cheese mixture.
SPREAD AND CHILL: Add the filling to the pie crust, then carefully spread the lemon curd over top. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until the pie has set.
GARNISH AND SERVE: Pipe swirls of whipped cream on top and sprinkle with lemon zest, then serve!
- Store-bought or homemade lemon curd will work, you will just need a cup.
- To make the whipped cream process a little faster, chill the bowl and attachment before using.
- If you are making your own crust, add the graham crackers to a food processor to shave some time off.
Fun Fact
The first lemon pie recipe was first written down in 1806.
Substitutions and Variations
- Some use yellow food coloring and lemon extract to make the lemon layer stand out. When using my lemon curd you won’t need either because it’s naturally vibrant and flavorful.
- We love the graham cracker crusts, but you could swap for a traditional pie crusts or cookie crusts, such as golden Oreos.
- Cool Whip can be used instead of homemade whipped cream, but the from-scratch version is much better.
- Instead of lemon zest, lemon slices or berries can be used for garnish.
Keep the leftover pie covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
We recommend flash-freezing the pies first, then wrapping them in a layer or two of plastic wrap. Wait to add the whipped topping until you are ready to serve. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge overnight.
More Recipes For Lemon Lovers
Lemon Cream Cheese Pie
Ingredients
- 9- inch graham cracker pie crust
- 12 ounces of cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar divided
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream divided
- 1 cup lemon curd
- Lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat together softened cream cheese, lemon juice, and 1 cup powdered sugar until light and creamy.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, use whisk attachment to beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the remaining ¼ cup powdered sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form.
- Fold one cup of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate the remaining whipped cream to decorate the pie.
- Spread filling into the graham cracker crust.
- Gently spread the lemon curd over the cream cheese pie base.
- Refrigerate for 3-4 hours to set the pie. Top with dollops or piped swirls of the remaining whipped cream and sprinkle with lemon zest.
Notes
This is a light and lemony pie – creamy and smooth. You can use homemade lemon curd or store-bought lemon curd for the top. You need about 1 cup. We loved the graham cracker crust with the creamy lemon, but you can also use a traditional pie crust – either homemade or store-bought. This freezes and thaws perfectly. If you are going to freeze it, I would recommend putting the whipped cream on as you serve it instead of swirling it onto the whole top as whipped cream doesn’t thaw quite as nicely as when it’s fresh.
Nutrition
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