There is nothing better to me when the weather gets warm than cool, lemony treats. Lemon desserts are just some of my favorites. I have had a lot of requests for an "Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie" recipe. Now, sometimes I am not sure everyone is thinking of the same thing when we talk about lemon icebox pie.
There seems to be some confusion about lemon pie, even among some food sites. Lemon Icebox pie is not the same thing as Lemon Meringue Pie. Lemon Meringue Pie has a custard that is cooked before you pour it in the prebaked shell and it is topped with, well, meringue. This is Lemon Meringue Pie:
Lemon Icebox Pie comes in two varieties nowadays. The no bake version that is made with sweetened condensed milk, whipped cream, lemon juice, and sometimes cream cheese. It is a more frozen type of pie and while it's really tasty, it's not really what is the old fashioned type.
The old fashioned pie has egg yolks in it and it's just really creamy and has just the right lemony zest to it. Some recipes do not bake the pie after it's filled, but I know from past experience that so many of you have issues with raw eggs that this recipe does bake the filling. It also does not have a meringue topping, but is topped with whipped cream.
Here is what you will need for this "Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie":
1 graham cracker pie shell ( you can used the premade one or make your own)
1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk (like Eagle Brand)
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (5-6 lemons juiced, depending on the size and juiciness)
zest of 1 of the lemons
4 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk the sweetened condensed milk and the lemon juice together. In a separate bowl whisk the lemon zest and the egg yolks together until light yellow. You can save the whites of the eggs for another use. Actually they freeze well and can even be thawed and brought to room temp to make meringue for another dessert on another day.
Add the yolks to the lemon juice and milk mixture. Add in the vanilla and pinch of salt.
Pour into the graham cracker crust and bake for 15 minutes in the 350 degree oven. Remove and allow to cool completely on the counter. Cover the pie loosely, not allowing plastic wrap to touch the top of the pie, if you happen to use plastic wrap to cover it. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving. This pie will keep for several days in the fridge (3-4) or you can even freeze it. Just be sure to thaw it before serving for the best results.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream on top!
sounds devine..must try it, luv Annxx
ReplyDeleteI have a no bake receipe that I got at church...amazing!!
ReplyDeleteLooks wonderful, i will try this. I think I will use meringue top..more like lemon meringue pie. Thank you for sharing your delightful recipe.
ReplyDeleteMy Mom always used the egg whites to make meringue to pile on top. Just remember to bake it @325 degrees for about 10-15 minutes until the tips of the meringue are slightly brown and the rest is a pale golden brown. It is DELICIOUS!!
Delete...Lemon Pie Lover...
We used to make this pie and did not bake it longer than just to cook the egg whites since we used Meringue on top of it--nobody ever got sick from the pie not being baked.
ReplyDeleteMy Mother never baked hers either...and since I am almost 78...didn't hurt me either. :)
DeleteMy mom baked the Meringue on top it was excellent
DeleteI make this pie, and use the egg whites for meringue, and put it on the pie, lthen baqking lightly.
ReplyDeleteIf that is what you like that is great, but lemon icebox pie typically does not have meringue on it. That is more of a lemon meringue pie.
Delete"Typically"...? This was my great-aunt's signature pie back in VA. She had made it at least since the 1950's (the no-bake type) and she did make meringue for it. I think the filling is the reason it's called 'lemon ice box pie'--that the lack or use of meringue is inconsequential. (My aunt insisted that the lemon juice 'cooked' the eggs.)
DeleteNo offense meant, but by typically, I mean that if a lemon pie in the South has meringue it is usually the lemon meringue pie that I posted and not an icebox pie. The lemon juice does 'cook' the eggs somewhat, sort of like a seviche, and some folks don't put this pie in the oven at all. There is no right and wrong when enjoying what you like. If you like meringue, put meringue on it. This recipe, my recipe, for icebox pie does not have meringue though.
Deletetotally agree, Kathy! If it has meringue, it's lemon meringue pie.
Deletetotally agree with you, Kathy - if it has meringue, it's lemon meringue pie. Lemon icebox pie is a totally different pie and much more delicious, in my opinion! The use of meringue is certainly optional but then it's not a true lemon icebox pie.
DeleteI made an ice box lemon pie this past weekend and it was delicious. I got the recipe from Cook's...no meringue, of course. It was topped with homemade whipped cream. Super easy and yummy, I plan on making it a lot more.
ReplyDeleteLemon juice cannot "cook" eggs. And eating raw eggs isn't a safe thing to do these days. The recipe I have for Lemon Ice Box Pie has no eggs in it at all (for the no-bake kind) The vintage versions may very well have eggs in them that were not baked, prior to people knowing that you stood the chance of getting sick from the practice of consuming raw eggs.
ReplyDeleteusing citrus is calle civeche. it is used to cure fish and other items. it is what prevents mayo from going bad when out (it is not mayo that causes the illness problems of salads but the items used WITH the mayo.)
DeleteWe must have been terribly ignorant 'back in the day' but fortunately none of us ever got sick from eating our delicious icebox pie. We did put a meringue on it and baked the pie for a short time for it to brown. In my 49 years of making this pie for my family and all of the years that my mother made it for all of us before I married, no one EVER got sick. The acidity of the lemon does precipitate the protein in the egg, which is similar to 'cooking' it. We will continue to enjoy the lemon icebox pie we all love.
DeleteYou re correct. the pie will not make you sick lol.
DeleteI have been making the no bake version for over 20 yrs. I use 1 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 1/2 package of cream cheese (softened) amd a 1/4 to a 1/3 cup of lemon juice (I really don't measure it). Pour into ready made graham cracker crust shell and chill for 12-24 hrs. Serve with homemade whipped cream :) One of my aunts gave me this recipe years and years ago.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this recipe. Easy and simple. I will try it. I love lemon anything........
DeleteTypically, lemon icebox pie does not have meringue on it. It is made with condensed milk, it is not cooked and the filling is placed in either a graham cracker crust or vanilla wafer crust. It is often served with a dollop of whipped cream.
ReplyDeleteLemon meringue pie has a cooked filling which is semi-translucent in appearance and has meringue on top.
I have always been of the opinion that you can put meringue on anything.
how do you make lemon zest?
ReplyDeleteLemon zest is simply the peel. Just use a grater and pull the lemon up & down the same way you would do cabbage. :)
DeleteI have been making this my whole life...my mother before me and my grandmother...and I am in my 60's so it has been around a long time now..just can't beat it..but a lot of folks have never heard of it...I don't bake it as the lemon juice will cook the egg yolks, if I put meringue on it I do bake it long enough to brown..
ReplyDeleteI make it with the egg yolks also, my mom did and my grandmother and before her. The lemon juice is acidic and cooks the eggs. Those before me made a meringue and baked just long enough to brown a little. But I can't seem to make a meringue as good without it weeping all in my pie, so I just use cool whip on top......
ReplyDeleteI make my lemon Icebox pie close to yours........3 egg yolks,1 can eagle brand milk.2/3 cups of lemon juice.................(no salt or vanilla) bake 15 min at 350.cool and refrigerate....serve with whipped cream...fresh wipped cream does make a difference,but cool whip in a pinch!!! It's so easy to make and always make 2 at a time..........everyone always want the recipe! thanks for your recipe!
ReplyDeleteMeringue or no meringue is personal preference but ya'll should try it with a Ritz cracker crust. The saltiness of the crackers really sets off the super sweet lemon filling. My grandmother always used crushed Ritz crackers on the bottom and whole crackers stood on edge and leaned against the side of the pie pan. Try it, you'll love it.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne~ what size cans of sweetened cind.milk? Also do u just beat all together w mixer n then pour into graham cracker crust?
ReplyDelete@5:22, I think sweetened condensed milk only comes in the 14 oz. can. I've never seen any other size. I think Suzanne's recipe is very short on the lemon juice. My mother made the same recipe except one can of Dime brand milk, one 8 oz. pkg of cream cheese, and 1/2 cup of lemon juice. To convert that to Suzanne's recipe would require 3/4 cup of lemon juice to produce the acid/fat thickening reaction, as well as the characteristic tart flavor of the lemon ice box pie. My mother also used egg yolks instead of the cream cheese until she learned that eggs are likely to have salmonella. Then she switched to cream cheese. That is the sign of an intelligent person, not that they already know it all, but that they can learn.
ReplyDeleteI always look forward to Cracker Barrel's Lemon Icebox Pie each summer. Now I have an excuse for not going to Cracker Barrel. I have the recipe and can make this for my family who also love this pie! Thank you for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteI make this pie but use key lime juice. I use fat free condensed milk and fat free cool white. I make one every couple of weeks for my husband. I do cook mine for 10 - 15 min.
ReplyDeleteCan you make dis pie without cream cheese
ReplyDelete