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Last Updated on November 2, 2020 by Chenée Lewis
I still remember the first time I watched my father make a lemon icebox pie. I was a little kid, and we were at my grandmother’s house in Sandusky, Ohio. Such a special place for our family, where we experienced so many moments filled with love and laughter. And on that day, my father was separating eggs.
Me: Daddy, what are you making?
Dad: An icebox pie.
Me: Why is it called that?
Dad: Because you don’t cook it in the oven, you let it set in the refrigerator.
Me: Why don’t you use part of the eggs?
Dad: Because you don’t need them.
And the conversation continued like that for some time. I asked too many questions back then (still do).
When I finally tasted the lemon icebox pie he made, it was SO good. And it seemed too easy — it was just eggs, lemon juice, and condensed milk in a pre-made graham cracker pie crust! This lemon icebox pie recipe is in honor of him, and the Lewis family’s love for desserts — there are some slight variations from how his mother and grandmother used to make it, but I got his seal of approval! 🙂
2020 Juneteenth Cookout
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, which is the longest-running African-American holiday and the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19th, 1865, Union soldiers arrived at Galveston, Texas and announced to the enslaved people there that they had been declared free by the Emancipation Proclamation two and a half years earlier.
June 19th, shortened to “Juneteenth,” became a day of celebration for Black people in Texas and later across the country. Celebrations became an opportunity to reunite with family and loved ones, dress in their finest attire, eat lots of good food, and reflect on our history and heritage as a people. Juneteenth is an official holiday or day of observance in 47 of 50 states and the District of Columbia, but is not yet a national holiday.
This year, Juneteenth is even more significant. With continued police killings of Black people prompting worldwide uprisings and motivating so many to take action, it is a reminder of how far this nation has to go to undo the many generations of harm caused by slavery and white supremacy. Although these efforts need support every day and will need to continue far into the future, Juneteenth is a meaningful day to support the efforts of organizers and funds that are fighting to support and protect Black lives. CLICK HERE FOR WAYS TO DONATE.
This Juneteenth, take time to celebrate with your family, and if you’re looking for some delicious foods to help with your celebration, in addition to this lemon icebox pie, you can check out ALL of the amazing recipes in the 2020 Juneteenth Cookout below!
I’m so excited to be sharing this lemon icebox pie recipe in celebration of Juneteenth. I didn’t grow up knowing about the celebration, but it’s never to late to celebrate your history, and I am so excited to do that this year! One of my favorite parts about Black American culture is our food — how it brings us together and it sets us apart. How recipes are passed down like oral histories, and how our flavors and spices are unforgettable.
I chose to share this icebox pie for the Juneteenth Cookout because this classic Southern recipe, having traveled with my family up north to Ohio during the Great Migration, and then passing down to me, is a perfect representation of the spirit of Juneteenth — celebrating our joys in the face of struggle, remembering where we came from, and sharing love, food, and good times across the generations.
Ingredients
The ingredients list is not that different from what my dad used all those years ago. To make this pie, you’ll need:
- lemon juice & zest – for that amazing lemony flavor!
- egg yolks – to help the pie set and give it that rich texture.
- sweetened condensed milk – makes the pie sweet and creamy! My family uses Eagle Brand milk.
- graham cracker crumbs – for that crunchy crumb crust.
- salted butter – helps solidify the crust and adds buttery flavor.
- brown sugar – gives your crust a caramel sweetness.
- cinnamon – optional to add a little spice to your pie crust.
I’m also including a quick whipped cream recipe to serve with this pie! It’s not part of my family’s traditional recipe (my dad made sure to point that out, haha), but I love the contrast of the light, fluffy whipped cream with the richer, tart lemon pie. For the whipped cream, you’ll need:
- heavy cream
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
And with all those ingredients gathered, you’re all set to make this easy icebox pie!
Pie Pan with Removable Bottom
The most essential piece of equipment for this lemon icebox pie recipe is a pie or tart pan with a removable bottom, like this one. I use one like that for most of my pie recipes, because it makes serving the pie SO much easier than a traditional pie pan! No more sacrificing the first slice because it’s too difficult to neatly remove it from the pan. With this type of pan, you can remove the entire pie from the pan all at once, and then easily slice it like a cake.
Although a pan with a removable bottom is my preference, you are free to use any kind of 9-inch pie pan you like for this recipe, as long as it has sides that are at least 1.5 inches high.
Related Recipes
If you like this lemon icebox pie, you should definitely try my Brown Butter Black-bottom Sweet Potato Pie for another amazing soul food pie that is perfect for family celebrations. If you’re in the mood for more citrus flavor, try my Key Lime Pound Cake. And for another rich, summery treat check out my Blackberry Lemon Sweet Rolls. Either way, you can’t go wrong!
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1½ cup graham crackers - crushed (about 12 full graham cracker sheets)
- 6 tbsp salted butter - melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar - packed
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon - optional
Lemon Pie Filling
- 2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- juice of 6 medium lemons - about 1 cup of juice
Whipped Cream (Optional)
- 1 cup heavy cream - cold
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a bowl, combine the crust ingredients and mix well until graham crackers are fully saturated with butter and mixture holds together when pressed.
- Pour graham cracker mixture into a 9-inch deep dish pie pan with removable bottom. Use the bottom of a cup or jar to press the crust down and along the sides. Set aside.
- Combine all remaining ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour into prepare pie crust.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until filling is just set.
- Chill in refrigerator, loosely covered in plastic wrap for 6 hours or overnight.
- To make whipped cream, combine heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip for 3 minutes or until soft peaks form. Serve immediate with chilled pie.
Notes
Nutrition
There are so many amazing recipes in the Juneteenth Cookout Takeover! Check out a few of them, and CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF RECIPES. Happy Juneteenth!
Christy Irene | Crawfish Etoufee
Collards Are The Old Kale | Guaymas Shrimp
Confessions of a clean foodie | Mint Peach Spritzer
Cooking to a T Jamaican | Beef Patties
Dash of Jazz | Golden Pineapple Pound Cake
Dish It With Tisha | Honey Jerk Shrimp
DMR Fine Foods | Blackberry Ginger Soda
Domestic Dee | Easy Berry Fruit Salad
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This pie is delicious, buttery-tart goodness! There’s something about eating a citrus pie with real fruit, something undefinable that hits your taste buds just right. Lots of people might get nervous with cooking raw egg via acid, but since this pie gets popped into the oven for a long minute before it gets chilled, it’s a great gateway dessert to homemade eggy creamy pies. Whipped cream might be delicious, but this pie still shines bright without it!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the feedback and I’m so glad you enjoyed the pie!
I have lots of lemon juice in the freezer, but have no idea how much I would need to defrost. Any idea how much 5 medium lemons measures? I would love to try this. Does the acid from the lemon juice assure that any salmonella is killed?
Hi! It should be about 1 1/4 cups of lemon juice. And yes, in the traditional recipe the acid from the lemons “cooks” the eggs while in the fridge to kill off bacteria, but in this recipe the prepared pie actually bakes in the oven for about 15 minutes before it goes into the fridge, so nothing to worry about. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the pie!
So glad I found your site through a daisy chain of links starting with an article in the Washington Post. I’ve been searching for different lemon based recipes because our lemon tree is blowing up! This pie looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. I also appreciate your notes on each of the ingredients and how each item contributes to the pie.
Thanks so much! I really hope you like it. I wish I had a lemon tree!!
This pie was so good. Very easy to make. Crushing the graham cracker crust was probably the hardest part but your tip to crush it in a Ziploc bag was helpful. I also like the tartness of lemons so I took some liberties with the lemon. I put heaping teaspoons of the lemon zest because I had extra from other lemons I juiced. Probably came out to 2.5-3 teaspoons of lemon zest if packed down and I put in around 1 1/3 – 1 1/2 cups of lemon juice. I put in the 2 cans of condensed milk, and maybe because of the extra lemon juice and lemon zest, it didn’t taste overly sweet but I’ll try it with one can and less lemon juice/zest the next time as noted in the comment below. Definitely a keeper for future family gatherings.
I’m so glad it worked out well for you! And yes I have had a few people ask about cutting the sweetness, maybe bumping up the lemon like you did is just the trick! 🙂
is there something you can use to replace some of the condensed milk? I’ve made ice cream with it and only use half the amt in the recipe bc it’s v sweet. just curious
Hi! Actually, I’ve gotten some feedback from readers that you can just use one can of condensed milk instead of two, and the pie still comes out great! So you could give that a try to cut the sweetness a bit. 🙂
Yummy!
Thanks! 🙂
Wow, this looks so tasty….can’t wait to try it! 😍
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!