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This gluten free lemon pie is sweet, tart and tangy, with a buttery, crisp cookie crust. You serve it chilled, so it's the perfect make-ahead dessert.
After years of developing gluten-free recipes, I’ve perfected this easy filling to ensure it sets into a firm, creamy custard that slices cleanly every single time. And I'll show you exactly how to serve those perfect slices with the crisp cookie crust completely intact.
Why this recipe works
- The filling is made with only 3 ingredients, plus salt!
- Flexible recipe can be made with any type of citrus juice, or a combination.
- No complicated method for the crust or the filling; just mix each in one bowl, then bake.
- Parbake the crust in the right pan so each slice comes out of the pan cleanly.
Ingredients explained
There are so few ingredients in this recipe, so they do a lot of work. Here's the purpose of each:
- Gluten free cookie crust – The simple base of this pie, containing crunchy cookies with some sugar to help it set more firmly, and butter to add flavor and hold it together as it cools.
- Lemon juice – Provides all the tangy flavor and much of the moisture of the filling. Be sure to use the real stuff, not bottled. It should take about 6 lemons once they're strained of pulp.
- Sweetened condensed milk – High in sugar, which provides all the sweetness of the filling, some moisture, and all the creaminess of the filling.
- Egg yolks – The egg yolk proteins break down in the oven and form a network of strands that sets the custard filling. They also contain lecithin, which prevents the custard from separating as it cools. The more egg yolks, the firmer the custard.
- Salt – Brightens the tangy lemon flavor of the juice, and balances the sweetness of the condensed milk.
🔄 Ingredient swaps and variations
Dairy free
In place of sweetened condensed milk made with cow's milk, use sweetened condensed coconut milk, which is sold in most larger grocery stores.
Egg free
In place of egg yolks to set the filling, try a cornstarch slurry (2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1 1/2 tablespoons lukewarm water) plus 1/4 cup (120 grams) room temperature sour cream for texture.
Lemons
Instead of lemons, you can use orange juice and zest, key limes to make gluten free key lime pie, regular limes, or a combination of lemon and lime juice and zest. You could even use ruby red grapefruit juice for a grapefruit pie filling.
Cookie crust
You can use any crunchy gluten free cookie instead of graham crackers for the crust, like gluten free vanilla wafers or gluten free digestive biscuits (without the chocolate topping). Instead of a cookie crust, you can use our recipe for gluten free shortcrust pastry. It's somewhat richer than a regular gluten free pie crust and a bit crumbly, which makes it perfect for a pie served cold.
Expert tips for a perfect lemon pie
Choose a pie pan with straight sides
If your pie plate has sloped sides, when you try to parbake the cookie crust, it may sink down the sides toward the base of the pan.
Parbake the crust
Partially baking the cookie crust first helps the crust hold together much better when you slice the pie and try to remove it from the pan. If you're using a pan with sloped sides, though, skip parbaking the crust, and prepare the pan by greasing it very well, and lining it with a parchment round with tabs on both sides like we do for our gluten free cookie cake.
Use fresh-squeezed, strained lemon juice
It's best to squeeze lemons fresh for this pie and strain the juice to remove all seeds and any pulp. There are some better brands of jarred lemon juice that you can purchase, but they all have preservatives that give them a bitter taste that baking into a pie emphasizes.
How to make gluten free lemon pie (step by step)
Follow along with my instructions below to see how to make this fresh gluten free lemon pie in your own kitchen.
1. Prepare the graham cracker crust
To make a gluten free graham cracker crust, combine 8 ounces of gluten free graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar, and 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted melted butter. Press the sandy mixture into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of a 9 to 10 inch pie plate that's at least 1 1/4 inches deep.
Bake the crust in a 350°F oven for about 8 minutes, or until mostly set. Let it cool at least 5 minutes before filling it so the crust has a chance to set in the pan. Both steps will make slices of the fully filled and baked pie easier to remove from the pan.
2. Make the filling
This filling is super simple, with only 4 ingredients: egg yolks, fresh lemon juice, salt, and sweetened condensed milk. I like to add the lemon juice to the mixing bowl first since it tends to splatter if you add the thicker ingredients first.
Beat everything together until the mixture is creamy, smooth, and has lightened slightly in color. It's easiest to do with a handheld or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, but you can whisk it together by hand, too. Just be sure your ingredients are all at room temperature or they won't combine properly and you'll have clumps in the filling.
3. Fill and bake the pie
Pour the filling into the parbaked and cooled crust. The small bubbles you see on the surface are fine, but larger bubbles in the center can create gaps and tunnels in the pie. Bang the pan firmly straight down on a flat surface a few times to break those larger internal bubbles.
For a well-set pie filling, I prefer to bake the pie low and slow, at 325°F for about 25 minutes. It's done when it's a single, slightly darker color all the way to the center, and it jiggles in a controlled, jello-like way when you shake the pan gently from side to side.
4. Cool, chill, and decorate
Let the pie cool completely to room temperature, still in the pan, which takes about 2 hour. Elevate the pan on a wire rack so air circulates all the way around it.
Cover the cooled pie with plastic wrap or tent with aluminum foil if the pie pan is too full and the plastic would touch the top of the pie. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and ideally overnight for the firmest filling that slices cleanly.
Decorate the whole pie or each individual slice with lemon zest and whipped cream. For clean slices, slice with a sharp knife or serrated pie server in one clean motion, wiping the edge clean after each cut.
Run a straight edge like an offset spatula around the perimeter of the crust to help free the crust from the edges before removing the first slice.
Gluten Free Lemon Pie
Equipment
- 9 to 10-inch pie plate at least 1 1/4 inches deep
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 recipe gluten free graham cracker crust
For the filling
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) freshly-squeezed lemon juice, (from about 6 medium lemons) strained of seeds and pulp, at room temperature
- 6 (150 g) egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 14-ounce cans (28 ounces) sweetened condensed milk, at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For serving
- Whipped cream
- Lemon zest
Instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Prepare the graham cracker crust mixture according to the recipe instructions.
- Grease a 9 to 10-inch round pie plate that’s at least 1 1/4 inches deep. A glass pan is fine.
- Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie plate in a single even layer.
- Place the crust in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 8 minutes, or until the pie is beginning to set. Set it aside to cool for at least 5 minutes while you make the filling.
Make the filling
- In a large bowl, place the lemon juice, egg yolks, condensed milk and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Beat with a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment at medium-low speed until very smooth but not foamy (about 2 minutes). The mixture will lighten in color a bit, but should not increase in volume more than absolutely necessary. You can do this by hand by whisking vigorously with a wire whisk for about 3 minutes.
- Pour the filling into the prepared, cooled crust. Tap the pie plate flat on the counter a few times to break any of the larger air bubbles that have formed.
Bake
- Place the pie in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is mostly set, but jiggles a bit when moved gently from side to side.
- It’s a controlled shake, not like it’s still liquid. The filling will have darkened in color a bit and should be uniform in color.
Cool and chill
- Remove the pie from the oven, and place it on a wire rack. Allow the pie to cool fully to room temperature (about 2 hours).
- Cover the cooled pie with plastic wrap if possible to do so without touching the plastic to the pie filling. If not, cover with tented aluminum foil. Place the pie in the refrigerator and cool for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
- Top with whipped cream and lemon zest, slice into 8 equal wedges with a sharp knife in one single motion (wiping the knife clean between cuts), and serve chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storage instructions
The whole pie, or individual slices, will keep well in the refrigerator for about 5 days. Be sure to cover it without allowing anything to touch the top of the pie or it will stick and ruin the smooth finish.
For longer storage, freeze the pie or individual slices uncovered for about 2 hours. Then, wrap tightly with freezer-safe wrap and return to the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. If you defrost at room temperature, the outside will melt before the inside is unfrozen.
FAQs
You can use bottled lemon juice, but I don't recommend it. Your pie filling will probably have a bitter taste. Bottled citrus juices contain bitter-tasting preservatives the flavor of which is intensified during baking.
Yes! Mi-Del sells a premade gluten free graham cracker crust. You can use that.
Yes, you can bake the custard filling bare in a pie plate, but it will be a bit more difficult to get out of the pan. I recommend using a springform pan lined along the sides with parchment paper, or a tart pan with a removable bottom to make it easier to remove the pie.
Yes, for storage longer than 5 days, you can freeze the pie or individual slices for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator.
Yes, you can replace fresh lemon juice with any other citrus, including the juice of limes, key limes, oranges, or even ruby red grapefruits.
Yes, if you use a pie pan that has sloped sides, the crust may slump down the sides during prebaking. A pie pan that isn't deep enough won't fit all of the filling.
If any of your filling ingredients are cold, they will cause the other room temperature ingredients to clump, preventing them from combining properly into a smooth filling.
What to do with leftover egg whites?
Don't waste the 6 egg whites you have from separating the yolks. You can freeze them to use later (defrost at room temperature first). Use them up in other great recipes for everything from cakes to cookies or even bread:
- Gluten free angel food cake – uses 12 egg whites. That's 2 lemon cream pies' worth!
- Gluten free vanilla cake – uses 4 egg whites
- Gluten free bread recipe – uses 2 egg whites
- Flourless chocolate cookies – uses 3 egg whites
Excellent