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    Bless This Mess > Recipes > Desserts > Pies, Crisps & Tarts

    North Carolina Lemon Pie

    Published: May 25, 2021 · Modified: May 25, 2021 by Melissa · 59 Comments

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    top view of a lemon pie with the words "north carolina lemon pie" written at the top
    top view of a slice of lemon pie on a plate with the words "delicious lemon pie" written at the top
    top view of lemon pie with a slice of it on a plate and the words "delicious lemon pie" written at the top
    top picture is of a lemon pie, the bottom picture is of a slice of lemon pie, with the words "north carolina lemon pie" written in the middle

    Rich and creamy North Carolina Lemon Pie combines just the right amount of sweet and tart flavors. It’s made with a secret pie crust ingredient too.

    This lemon pie is super simple to make. The crust is as easy to put together as a graham cracker crust, but here’s the secret, it’s made from Saltines! How neat is that? It’s crisp and delicious! The filling is just beat together and then baked (no stove top cooking first) and then it’s topped with a bit of whipped cream. Easy!

    top view of a lemon pie next to lemons and serving utensils

    North Carolina Lemon Pie

    Lemon lovers unite! This pie marries tangy and sweet flavors in such a delicious way. It is simple to make and the finished product is so pretty. 

    I can picture this lemon pie being served all summer long. It tastes light and fresh and works for all of your summer get togethers.  
    This recipe comes from the May 2015 issue of Cook’s Country magazine. It’s the magazine version of my favorite cookbooks (produced by America’s Test Kitchen!) and it is always fabulous. You get smarter and hungrier every time you read this magazine.

    a plate of lemon pie next to the pie

    Frequently Asked Questions:

    Does lemon pie need to chill in the refrigerator?

    You will want to refrigerate the pie for several hours until it is completely chilled. This makes it ideal to make ahead so you don’t need to worry about it on the day you plan to serve it. 

    How do I know when lemon pie is done baking?

    Bake the lemon pie until the edges of the pie are set but the center still jiggles, about 15 to 17 minutes. Place the pie on a wire rack and let it cool completely. 

    Should I use fresh lemon juice to make lemon pie?

    Fresh lemons will always taste the best. You will need about 3 lemons for this recipe. 

    How do I get juice out of lemons?

    To get the most juice out of a lemon I like firmly roll the lemon on the counter with my hand before cutting and squeezing the juice. This will soften the lemon a bit and help you get the most juice out of each lemon.

    How do I choose a good lemon?

    When shopping for fresh lemons, there are a few tips to find lemons that are nice and juicy. One is to find lemons that feel heavy for their size- it means has lots of juice inside! Bright yellow lemons with no wrinkles are also a sign of a good lemon.

    top view of a plate of lemon pie next to the pie

    More lemon recipes:

    • Blueberry Lemon Muffins
    • Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
    • Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade
    • Fresh Lemonade
    • Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Vinaigrette
    • Homemade Strawberry Lemonade
    • Lemon Chiffon Cake
    • Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Legs

    If you’ve tried this Lemon Pie recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories AND add your photo to your comment so that other can see your creation!

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    top view of a lemon pie next to lemons and serving utensils

    North Carolina Lemon Pie


    ★★★★★

    4.7 from 15 reviews

    • Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
    • Total Time: 3 hours
    • Yield: Serves 8-10 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Rich and creamy North Carolina Lemon Pie with just the right amount of sweet and tart and made with an secret pie crust ingredient!


    Ingredients

    Scale

    For the Crust

    • 6 ounces saltine crackers (about 1 sleeve or 36 crackers)
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • ¼ cup light corn syrup

    For the Filling:

    • 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14-ounce)
    • 4 large egg yolks
    • ¼ cup heavy cream
    • 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest plus ½ cup juice (3 lemons)

    For the Topping

    • ½ cup heavy cream, chilled
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Add the saltines and salt to the food processor and pulse until you have coarse crumbs (about 15 pulses). Add the melted butter and corn syrup and pulse until the crumbs are about the size of oatmeal (another 15 pulses).
    2. Add the cracker mixture to a greased 9-inch pie plate. Use the bottom of a dry measuring cup or glass and press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the dish.
    3. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake until light golden brown, 17 to 19 minutes.
    4. To make the filling – whisk the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, cream, and lemon zest together in a bowl, add the lemon juice and whisk until well combined.
    5. With the pie plate on the baking sheet still, remove it from the oven and pour in the filling (the crust does not need to be cooled) and place it back in the hot oven. Bake until the edges of the pie are set but the center still jiggles, 15 to 17 minutes. Place the pie on a wire rack and let it cool completely. Refrigerate the pie until completely chilled.
    6. For the topping, use a stand mixer fitted with a whisk and whipped the cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium low until foamy (about a minute). Increase the mixer speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie and serve cold.

    Notes

    • Be sure to measure the crackers by weight. A few packages sell them in 4 ounce sleeves so you'll need 1 ½ sleeves to get enough crackers for the recipe.
    • Prep Time: 10
    • Cook Time: 35
    • Category: dessert
    • Method: bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: lemon, pie, pie crust, America's Test Kitchen, north Carolina lemon pie, how to make lemon pie, saltine crust pie, saltine lemon pie

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @blessthismessblog on Instagram and hashtag it #blessthismess

    top picture is of a lemon pie, the bottom picture is of a slice of lemon pie, with the words "north carolina lemon pie" written in the middle

    This simple North Carolina Lemon Pie is going to surprise and delight you, and I can’t wait for you to make it so that I can hear how much you enjoyed it!

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    Comments

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      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆
      Recipe Rating




    1. Jude

      July 27, 2022 at 6:07 pm

      have you ever used an alternative for the crackers GF? Im making for someone else, not experienced with GF crackers? I love the idea of crunchy salty with the pie but worry GF crackers won't be the right texture or hold together? Any Thoughts?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        July 27, 2022 at 10:57 pm

        I haven't tried it but GF crackers are generally quite crunchy, I think it might work just fine!

    2. Bryan G Riendeau

      April 24, 2022 at 12:29 pm

      My wife loved this pie, she's a huge lemon fan. Thanks for posting this. Bryan

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Kristi

        June 30, 2022 at 4:57 pm

        Always have wonderful recipe's thank you.

    3. Melanie

      September 20, 2021 at 12:33 pm

      This pie is wonderful!

      Reply
    4. M Blackbird

      June 08, 2021 at 3:29 am

      I use Ritz crackers. For the sides of the pan I set whole crackers on their sides. If you don’t like a lot of crust you can just line the pie pan in whole crackers.

      ★★★★

      Reply
    5. Viva

      May 27, 2021 at 11:43 pm

      Should the saltines be salted or unsalted, please?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        May 27, 2021 at 11:55 pm

        I've used salted, you could probably use either.

    6. Anna Starr

      September 21, 2020 at 11:28 pm

      I made this today and it NEVER set. I cooked it longer than required and it still
      dusnr book al the way through. If I were to go any longer, the pie crust would’ve burnt. I have NO idea what I did wrong. I’m not new to cooking and am pretty savvy in the kitchen, but I’m stumped! 🙁

      Reply
      • Melissa

        September 22, 2020 at 4:39 pm

        How odd. Did it set up at all once cooled?

      • Bryan

        April 24, 2022 at 12:34 pm

        I believe the corn syrup is so it will set..is it possible you omitted this, or it was bad?

    7. Theresa

      July 18, 2020 at 5:52 am

      Simply put, this is a fantastic pie! It is so refreshing on a warm summer evening. The crust is excellent and the lemon filling is SO good!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. Sue G.

      July 04, 2020 at 11:29 am

      This is now my husband's favorite pie.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        July 07, 2020 at 12:21 pm

        It's a fun one isn't it?!

    9. Brenda Wilkins

      July 02, 2020 at 9:25 am

      I was excited to try this pie until I realize this was very if not the old lemon icebox pie from the fifties but with the saltine cracker crust. I made it but I was disappointed that it didn't have enough lemon taste. I was really looking forward to a really lemony taste which this does not have even after adding more zest and juice of 4 lemons. I think reducing the sweetened condensed milk and the 4 lemons might help with cutting the sweetness and allow more of lemon taste to come through.

      ★★★

      Reply
    10. Nancy

      March 08, 2020 at 2:13 pm

      Thanks for sharing your recipe, since some on Instagram are so snooty they want to make you pay for it!

      Reply
    11. John Shea

      February 24, 2020 at 3:17 pm

      Terrific recipe. Thinking of making it in orange flavor, chocolate or choc and hazelnut. Probably need to change the crust but donxt know. Probably old discussion.
      Thxs for such a easy, delicious and I wonder versatile recipe. Grandkids loved it

      ★★★★

      Reply
      • Melissa

        February 24, 2020 at 5:13 pm

        So glad you all loved it!

    12. Yanni Babelis

      December 04, 2019 at 9:43 pm

      The crust was very difficult to cut, I couldn't lifted it. Followed the recipe instructions but somehow the crust on the bottom was stuck. Any feedback would be greatly helpful.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Melissa

        December 05, 2019 at 4:40 pm

        You must be very strong and smashed it in there nice and tight! Next time you could not press it as hard, you might consider greasing the pan before using, or sometimes if you dip the bottom of the pan in hot water it helps too!

    13. Joanne Beebe

      November 26, 2019 at 8:42 am

      [I wonder about a meringue topping?? Be great to use the 4 egg whites.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        November 26, 2019 at 1:51 pm

        I've thought the same thing before though I haven't tried it. I'm sure it would be great!

    « Older Comments

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