Lemonade Cream Cheese Pie
Lemonade Cream Cheese Pie is a classic dessert that’s rich, creamy, and loaded with bright lemon flavor. It’s an easy recipe that anyone can make and no one can stop eating!
Spring is getting closer, and that means it’s time for warm weather and cookouts. It’s also a great time for citrusy desserts that are rich, creamy, and cool. Our lemonade cream cheese pie ticks all those boxes perfectly, and it’s so easy to make!
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Limited Ingredients: This pie looks fancy but it only takes a handful of ingredients to make.
- Easy: This recipe only requires a little mixing, 10 minutes of baking the crust, and some patience while the pie chills.
- Bright Citrus Flavor: This rich, creamy pie is sweet and tangy with a big, bold, and bright lemon flavor.
- Versatile: This pie makes a delicious weeknight dessert or a wonderful addition to any party or special occasion.
🛒Ingredients
We’ve made this list to help you save time on your next trip to the grocery store. You can find the full amounts needed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Crust
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Brown sugar
- Butter – melted
Filling
- Evaporated milk
- Instant lemon pudding
- Cream cheese – softened
- Frozen lemonade concentrate
- Lemon zest
- Lemon curd
🔪 How to Make Lemonade Cream Cheese Pie
This is a quick overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Pulse the graham crackers into crumbs in a food processor. Add the remaining crust ingredients and pulse to combine.
- Firmly press the crust into the bottom and sides of a pie tin and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Beat the pudding mix and evaporated milk until thick and creamy. Set aside for a minute.
- Beat the cream cheese and lemonade concentrate in a large bowl. Then, add the lemon zest and beat. Add the pudding mixture and beat again.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and chill for at least 4 hours.
- Fill a piping bag with an attached #127 piping tip with lemon curd, pipe it onto the pie in a swirling pattern, and chill for another 30 minutes before serving.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Food processor
- Pie tin
- Piping bag with #127 tip
🥫 Storage
Store this pie in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For longer storage, wrap the pie in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil and freeze for up to 1 month.
What to Serve with Lemonade Cream Cheese Pie
This bright, citrusy, and creamy pie is the perfect dessert to pair with all your favorite summer main dishes, like grilled chicken breast, slow cooker pulled pork, or slow cooker brisket.
💭 Tips
- Pulse your graham crackers into the finest crumbs possible. This ensures they meld with the butter while baking to create a cohesive crust that won’t fall apart.
- Speaking of a cohesive crust, press the graham cracker mixture very firmly into the bottom and sides of the pan to compact them together.
- Fully soften your cream cheese for the best pie texture.
- It’s important to chill the pie before piping the curd on top. This keeps the curd on the top of the pie instead of it sinking.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Cream cheese pie and no-bake cheesecake are similar, but they aren’t the same. Cream cheese pie is lighter and fluffier.
You absolutely can if you want to cut down on time.
Graham cracker crusts usually fall apart because there wasn’t enough butter to bind the crumbs together or the mixture wasn’t pressed firmly enough into the pan to compact them.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy lemon? Then, try these delicious recipes.
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Lemonade Cream Cheese Pie
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- mixing bowls
- Food processor
- Pie tin
- Piping bag with #127 tip
Ingredients
- 5 ounces evaporated milk
- 3.4 ounces lemon instant pudding
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- ¾ cup frozen lemonade concentrate
- Zest from 1 lemon
- ½ cup lemon curd
- Crust:
- 2 ½ cups graham crackers
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 12 Tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a food processor, grind the graham crackers until they are a fine crumb.
- Add in the brown sugar and melted butter and pulse to combine.
- Pour into a pie tin and firmly press into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides to create the crust.
- Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool while making the filling.
- In a medium sized bowl, place the pudding mix and evaporated milk and beat for 2 minutes to combine.
- Set aside for a minute.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and the frozen lemonade until smooth and creamy.
- Add in the lemon zest and beat. Add the pudding/milk mixture and beat to combine.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and place in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours to set.
- Remove and using a piping tip (#127 shown) ,fill a piping bag with lemon curd and swirl a pattern of lemon curd over the top of the pie.
- Return to the refrigerator and let set for another 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
