Lemon Cream Pie
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Sep 11, 2025 
This luscious Lemon Cream Pie recipe has a velvety citrus-infused filling nestled in a butter graham cracker crust! It is the perfect dessert for spring parties and can be made in no time!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Cream pies of all kinds are my absolute favorite dessert. Everyone loves them, and they are so easy to make! If you ever crave a lemon pie, then I have the solution for you.
Lemon pie has never been easier with this Lemon Cream Pie Recipe! It is a no-bake, super simple pie recipe that literally anyone can make.
I basically made a lemon pudding, placed it in a crunchy graham cracker crust, and topped it with fluffy whipped cream! You can even use a store-bought graham cracker crust if you want it to be even easier.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Cream Pie
- Great for parties – You may need this lemon pie at your next family gathering… for insurance purposes. *wink*
- Basically no-cook – Other than baking the graham cracker crust for a few minutes, no cooking is required to make this pie! You simply beat the lemon cream pie filling ingredients together, then scoop it into the crust.
- Light – This lemon cream pie recipe with homemade Graham cracker crust is so light and airy that it lifts your spirits and lightens your mood.
The best part is that this lemon cream pie is a recipe anybody can make!
Ingredients and Tips
- Graham crackers – The key to that crumbly and delicious crust is to use graham cracker crumbs for the pie shell.
- Butter – Use unsalted melted butter.
- Sugar – I use a regular, white granulated sugar.
- Cinnamon – Use powdered cinnamon.
- Vanilla pudding – Use an easy-to-make sachet of instant vanilla pudding.
- Lemon juice – I love to use fresh lemon juice to brighten everything up.
- Cream cheese – Use softened, regular cream cheese.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Crust alternatives – Instead of crumbled graham crackers, use shortbread cookies or digestive biscuits.
- Dairy-free – Make this pie DF by using dairy-free cream cheese, coconut whipped cream, almond or oat milk and a vegan pudding mix.
- Lime – Swap the lemon with lime juice for a tropical twist a la key lime pie.
- Sugar-free – Replace the sugar with a natural sweetener like agave or monk fruit.
How To Make This Easy Lemon Pie
Tips for Success – Fold the whipped cream gently into the lemon filling mixture so that the whole thing stays airy and light. This is key to making those soft peaks.
Find the full Lemon Cream Pie recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Place leftover lemon pie in an airtight container and store for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions
I love to serve this Lemon Cream Pie on gorgeous shatter-resistant dishes from Q Squared NYC.
Q Squared offers elegant dishes for less than high-end china, yet with just as much style! (Like the Cambridge Collection you see here.) They are made out of resin so they are safe for little people to pass around the table.
Top the Lemon Cream Pie Recipe with fresh whipped cream, and sprinkle with white chocolate shavings and crushed graham cracker.
Frequently Asked Questions
It sounds like you didn’t beat the cream cheese and pudding mixture long enough. Make sure that each step is beaten separately, and long enough, to be VERY smooth before moving on. Once it is super smooth, you know you will have a super luscious lemon cream pie!
You could make this pie 3-4 days in advance and store in the refrigerator. Maybe even longer, but your whipped cream might start to loosen.
You could make a thick vanilla pudding from scratch. The problem is, that I use much less liquid with the pudding mix than normal to give the pie a firm base. You could try making a homemade pudding recipe , but reduce the milk by half. The pudding will come out thick and pasty, but that’s how it needs to be for this recipe.
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Disclosure: I am a product ambassador for Q Squared NYC. All opinions are my own.
Lemon Cream Pie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 14 whole graham crackers about 7 ounces
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup sugar
- pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon water
For the Lemon Cream Pie Filling
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5.1 ounces instant vanilla pudding not lemon
- 1 cup cold milk
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- White chocolate curls and crushed graham cracker for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the graham crackers in the food processor. Pulse until the crackers are chopped to fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon, pulse to combine. Add 1 teaspoon of water and pulse a couple more times.
- Press the graham cracker mixture firmly against the bottom and sides of a deep dish pie pan. Then bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.
- For the Lemon Cream Pie Filling: Use an electric mixer to whip the heavy cream with the 3 tablespoons of sugar and vanilla extract, until firm. Scoop into a separate bowl and chill. Then mix the instant pudding and milk in another bowl, until well combined.
- Using the mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Then with the mixer still running, add the pudding. Scrape the bowl and beat until completely smooth. Then slowly beat in the lemon juice.
- Using a spatula, fold in half the whipped cream. Scoop the lemon cream pie filling into the pie crust. Smooth the filling and top with the remaining whipped cream. If desired sprinkle the top with crushed graham crackers and white chocolate shavings. Cover gently with plastic wrap, and chill for at least two hours. Serve cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a product ambassador for Q Squared NYC. All opinions are my own.
delicious love your recepies keep sending them. thanks
Hi! I just came across your blog and found this tasty recipe! Just want to let you know that I will definitely try this out!
Hi
I just made this recipe and the filling was very lumpy. I followed the steps exactly, with the exact ingredients. Has anyone else encountered this problem? What might I be doing wrong?
Hi Tracie,
It sounds like you didn’t beat the cream cheese and pudding mixture long enough. If you try it again, just make sure that is VERY smooth before moving on.
Beautiful and delicious pie! I made this for Father’s Day and my whole family enjoyed it. Next time I make it I will either add more lemon juice or add some lemon extract. The lemon flavor wasn’t very prominent to me. So if you really want that lemon flavor, add some more juice!!
My kind of Pie!
what size pie plate did you use….other than LARGE??? and DEEP?? 9 ? 10 ??? 12 ???
Hi Robyn, A 9 or 10 inch pie pan will work. :)