Lemon Curd Pie

This lemon curd pie recipe is SO EASY to make and has half–or more than half– the clean up! Yay! Double win! This lemon pie has the perfect tartness from the lemons and a smooth and creamy texture from the butter! With Spring and Summer coming, no one wants to spend hours in a hot kitchen baking yummy desserts. That’s why I love that this lemon pie recipe takes only an hour to assemble, a couple hours in the fridge to set, and can be made the night before! You can make this recipe a day ahead or the day of! And the bonus! Looking for something cool and refreshing with a pop of color to make for Easter? This lemon curd pie would be perfect!

What Equipment do I need for Lemon Pie?

This lemon pie recipe is BY FAR one of the easiest and less messy recipes I have made. Sometimes I think I cook like my dad–with a lot of dishes and splats everywhere.. But not with this recipe! You will need a couple things, but I guarantee you that you have most of it in your cabinets already. 

You will need:

1. A pot for cooking the lemon curd. This recipe is cooked on the stove top.
2. A whisk
3. A heat safe bowl. I like to use glass bowls, but any bowl that is safe for hot items works.
4. A fine strainer like this one
5. Wax paper or plastic wrap
6. A pie dish for assembly
7. Food Processor or a ziplock bag and a rolling pin

That’s it! I really like that there is very little equipment needed, because that means less dishes to clean up.

Why do I need to Cook the Lemon Curd Filling Slowly?

Lemon curd is one of those “slow burn” recipes. Kind of like when you’re working out and the movements are so slow you’re not sure if you’re going to get back out of it.. Yah like that. 

This lemon curd pie recipe will take about 30-40 minutes to cook when on the stovetop. You will need to stir in continuously, so make sure you have some time. 

This recipe needs to be cooked slowly because you don’t want the eggs to cook and create scrambled eggs. You want the eggs to slowly cook so they create a smooth, creamy texture in the curd. 

So, take your time and stir the curd continuously for 30-40 minutes.

How to Make Lemon Curd Pie Filling.

First, combine the eggs, sugar, heavy cream, and lemon juice in a medium pot. Whisk until well combined.

Transfer the pot and mixture to the stovetop and cook on medium-low or low. You don’t want to cook on medium, medium-high, or high because the lemon curd will begin to scramble like scrambled eggs. Add the butter cubes once on the heat.

You can either add the butter chunks all at one time or as they are close to melting. The choice is yours. Be sure to cube the butter before adding it to the pot to melt. The butter will melt faster and more consistently when cut into cubes before adding it to the pot.

Whisk the lemon curd in the pot on medium-low or low heat continuously.

The mixture will cook for 30-40 minutes. 

You will know when the curd is finished cooking, when the thermometer reaches 160 degrees F or the curd coats the back of a spoon. This will be a thick yogurt like consistency.  In the last 10 minutes of cooking (and about 150 degrees F) you will feel the mixture getting thicker as you stir. This means you are almost done. 

Once the lemon curd is finished cooking, pour it through a fine strainer and into a heat safe bowl to strain out any possible egg chunks that may have formed when cooking.

After you have your smooth lemon curd in the bowl, cover with wax paper or plastic wrap. Place the wax paper directly onto the lemon curd. This will prevent a crust from forming as it cools.

Allow to cool at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Then transfer to the fridge for a few hours to finish cooling.

In the meantime, you can prep your graham cracker crust!

How to make Graham Cracker Pie Crust.

This pie crust is SUPER SIMPLE and oh so delicious!

Firstly, if you don’t have a food processor to quickly crush the graham crackers, you can put the graham cracker sheets in a large ziplock bag and bang on the back with a rolling pin. I have also heard of people using cups and ROLLING the cup over the graham crackers to crush them. Do not bang your cup on the bag. 

Put the graham cracker sheets in the food processor and crush them until they are smaller pieces. Mix with melted butter and sugar until the mixture looks like coarse sand. 

Press mixture into a pie or tart dish. Press graham cracker mixture firmly on the bottom and up on the sides. The amount of mixture you use will depend on the size of your pie dish. You may have some extra. Use as a crumble on top or save for the top of a yogurt parfait!

Be sure to compact the graham cracker crust down firmly. You want to create a solid crust for your filling to fit on. If you don’t press firm, the pie filling could seep through the bottom and sides of the pan. 

Chill in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours. 

Once pie filling is thick and cooled and pie crust is cooled, pour the lemon pie filling on top of the pie crust.

Throw back in the fridge until you’re ready to serve!

How do I Store Lemon Curd pie?

Lemon pie needs to be stored in the fridge. You’ll want to keep it cool so the curd stays thick. 

How long does Lemon Pie Keep?

Lemon pie will keep fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for about 1-2 weeks.

Make sure to tag me @raesbakeryblog on Instagram and comment below if you make this lemon curd pie. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the button above or below this post, or any photos above. 

Coffee and Brownies, 

Lemon Curd Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes

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Ingredients

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

• 1 1/2 Cup Graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full sheets)
• 7 TBS unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3 Cup sugar

Lemon Curd Filling

• 1/2 Cup fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup unsalted butter, cubed
• 3 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 3 TBS heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. To make the graham cracker crust: first, grind the graham cracker sheets in the food processor or crush in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin. Mixture will look like crumbs.
2. Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and sugar until well combined. Mixture will be thick and coarse, and look like sand.
3. Press mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie dish or pan. Use bottom of a measuring cup to press down.
4. For No Bake Crust: Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
5. If Baking: bake at 350' F for about 10 minutes.
6. To make the Lemon Filling: first, combine eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and heavy cream in a pot. Whisk until well combined.
7. Add to the stove on medium low or low heat. Add butter cubes all together or a couple at a time.
8. Whisk continually until thick and yogurt-like or temp is 160' F. This will take about 30-40 minutes.
9. Once done, strain out the chunks over a fridge proof bowl. I like to use glass bowls.
10. Cover with plastic wrap. Be sure to place the plastic wrap directly on the lemon filling so it does not create a skin.
11. Cool on the counter for 20-30 minutes.
12. Transfer to the fridge for 2-3 hours. Filling will continue to thicken as it chills.
13. Once crust and filling are ready, gently and slowly pour the filling into the crust and spread evenly.
14. Enjoy with whippe cream!

Notes

Cook filling slowly and at low temperature on the stove. If cooked to fast, the eggs will scramble.