No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
This No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie is made with sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese and fresh lemons. It's a delicious, make-ahead dessert that takes less than 10 minutes to put together.
The perfect pie for lemon lovers and lazy bakers!
Lemon Icebox Pie is a classic, no-bake pie recipe that is a very popular spring and summer dessert. The graham cracker crust tastes amazing paired with a smooth and creamy filling that has the perfect amount of lemon flavor. It's super quick and easy to make and it will become one of your favorite lemon recipes!
How to make a no-bake lemon icebox pie from scratch
This is one of the quickest pies you'll ever make thanks to a pre-made 9" graham cracker crust. These crusts come in their own little tray and you can use the plastic cover to keep your pie protected while it's in the fridge.
STEP ONE: To make the lemon icebox pie filling, use an electric mixer to blend the cream cheese until smooth. This will help to ensure there are no lumps in the filling. Add the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon zest and continue to beat the mixture until completely smooth and creamy.
STEP TWO: Pour the filling into the pie crust and use a spatula to smooth out the top. Cover the pie with the plastic lid and place in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
STEP THREE: Top the pie with dollops of cool whip or homemade whipped cream. Serve this pie ice cold right out of the fridge!
Tips for making the best lemon icebox pie
- Fat-free cream cheese or full fat cream cheese both work well in this recipe. The fat-free cream cheese gives this lemon icebox pie more of a sherbet taste and feel.
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing in order to get a smooth filling.
- I recommend using Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk for this recipe because I prefer the taste and consistency of these products. At room temperature, the name brand cream cheese seems to be easier to blend with less lumps versus the store-brands I've tried. (this is not a sponsored post!)
- Fresh lemon juice is best but, if you can't find fresh lemons, bottled lemon juice works just fine. I've tested this recipe with fresh lemon juice and bottled lemon juice and no one could tell the difference!
- A pre-made graham cracker crust make this even easier to put together but you can always make a homemade graham cracker crust like the one in this easy cheesecake recipe.
- Make this dessert up to 2 days ahead of time. Cover with the plastic cover that came with the crust or use plastic wrap. Leave in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
- This pie can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- A food processor or stand mixer can also be used to make the lemon pie filling.
More easy dessert recipes
No-Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (9") graham cracker crust
- 8 oz. cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- zest of two lemons
- whipped cream
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the cream cheese into a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to blend until smooth and creamy. Add the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon zest and blend again until the ingredients are fully incorporated and completely smooth.
- Pour the filling into the pre-made graham cracker pie crust, smooth the top and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.
- Top with whipped cream or cool whip and serve cold.
NOTES
- Fat-free cream cheese can be used in place of full-fat cream cheese. The fat-free version gives this lemon icebox pie more of a sherbet taste and feel. Using fat free cream cheese and fat free condensed milk will bring the calories down to 187 per slice.
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before mixing in order to get a smooth filling.
- Bottled lemon juice can be used if you can't find fresh lemons. I tested the recipe with both options and my taste testers could NOT tell the difference.
- Make this dessert up to 2 days ahead of time. Store covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. This pie can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- This pie can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Can this be made in a spring form pan? if so do the ingredient quantities change and if so to what?
Hi Phil, yes that should work, but I would press the crust up the sides a bit to hold it.
So the quantities remain the same in a springform pan or should I made more crust to go up the sides? Thanks for your previous reply.
Hi Phil, the amount of crust ingredients should fit in the springform with some room to go up the sides. This is not something we've tested, so I cant give you a definite answer. Please let us know how it turns out!
It’s. DELICIOUS!!!😋
This was a big hit. So easy to make and my family loved it. The dessert is top notch if you make your own graham cracker crust and whipped cream. I’m already making it again for another party within a few weeks from the first time! Its that good.
Wonderfully delicious, a big hit! Prep time is a little longer than 10 minutes though - what takes the longest is zesting the two lemons. Making it again today for the second time! 🤗🍋
Yes, I made the no-bake lemon icebox pie, but even after being in the fridge overnight, it was soft, not very solid and stiff. The taste was great. What did I do wrong?
Hi Rosa, the filling is meant to be soft, but set, however, fridge temps can vary and you may need to store it longer in the fridge to set. Some other readers mentioned putting their pie in the freezer overnight and let it sit out for a few minutes before serving.
Can I add lemon extract to make it a little more lemon? I have a customer that is in love with lemon and pregnant. Gotta make a customer happy 🙂
Yes!
do I freeze this pie because it would not set in refrigerator. it still was shaky after 2 hours
Hi Clenada, we recommend at least two hours in the fridge, but since fridge temps vary you may need to refrigerate it longer.
Easy to make & very good.
This is my new favorite lemon pie. I love a homemade graham cracker crust, so thats what I used. I did add 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/4 cup sour cream. I wanted to emphasize that cheesecake flavor. It was absolutely wonderful. I try to just have a sliver of pie, but had two slivers and then a good size slice with reddi whip.
@Laura — will try the sour cream addition as I, too, want to amp the cheescake aspect next time.
Hello! Thank you so much for all the work you put into making this recipe available for us to use. I love the taste of the filling! Can you set it in the freezer to set faster, instead of in the fridge for 2 hours? Just wondering if it affects the taste/consistency.
Hi Marissa, thank you so much! it probably won't set evenly in the freezer.
I put my pie in freezer and the let it sit out a few minutes before serving, it is so much better.