Skip to Content

Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie

Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie. This is a lemon icebox pie just like Grandma used to make. The filling freezes to a silky, luscious, creamy texture with plenty of lemony tart flavour. The ideal make ahead dessert for Sunday dinner or a summer BBQ.

Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie

Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie

This is by no means an original recipe. There are many slight variations of this recipe written everywhere from web pages to the side of condensed milk cans.

My version adds some finely minced lemon zest to give it more intense, tangy lemon flavour. It is still though, the same basic recipe that your grandmother may have made.

Lemon cut in half on a wooden board

Fresh lemons bring brightness to this easy pie.

Many recipes now use a graham crumb crust but the  recipe I’ve used for years called for a vanilla cookie crumb crust.  I’ve used it here along with additional wafer cookies for decoration like I once saw in an old cookbook. Sometimes the oldest recipes really are the best.

The high juice content and condensed milk help to maintain a creamy, ice-cream like texture to the filling. But if your freezer is really cold you may want to take it out for 10-15 minutes to soften a little before serving.

Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed milk label stock photo

This recipe also makes quite a large pie; this is a 10 inch, deep dish pie plate that I’ve used here. However, it can also be made in a spring form pan as well.

If you have an 8 or 9 inch shallower pie plate, I’d recommend using only half of this recipe.

Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie

Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie

If lemon’s not your thing, try this Frozen Peanut Butter Cup Pie. It is just as popular with Rock Recipes followers!

Frozen Peanut Butter Cup Pie photo of a single slice with title text added for Pinterest

Looking for tried & true homemade pie recipes?

If you are a big pie lover like me, be sure to check our newly updated collection of 20 of  Rock Recipes Best Pies.

Top Ten Pie Recipes photo collage with title text added for Pinterest

Originally published June 2013. Updated November, 2020. 

Like this Lemon Icebox Pie recipe?

You’ll find hundreds of other sweet ideas in our Cakes & Pies Category and even more in our Desserts Category.

It’s easy to keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes. Be sure to follow Rock Recipes Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram

Plus you’ll see daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals too. 

Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie

Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie

You can also sign up for our FREE newsletter to know immediately when we add new recipes. You’ll also get weekly suggestions for great family friendly  meals and desserts too!


Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
 
Visit my Amazon Store for my favourite kitchen gadgets and appliances, plus recommendations from my personal cookbook collection.
Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie
Yield: 10 to 12 Servings

Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

This is a lemon icebox pie just like Grandma used to make. The filling freezes to a silky, luscious, creamy texture with plenty of lemony tart flavor. The ideal make ahead dessert for Sunday dinner or a summer BBQ.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups vanilla cookie crumbs, ( I use Nilla cookies)
  • ¾ cup melted butter
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 2 rounded tsp icing sugar, (powdered sugar)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 9 extra large egg yolks
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • Two 10 ounce cans of sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup lemon juice
  • zest of 2 lemons finely minced, (more or less to taste or for lighter lemon flavor, just omit it)

Instructions

  1. Grease a 10 inch deep dish pie plate or line the bottom of a 10 inch spring-form pan and lightly grease the sides.
  2. Mix together the cookie crumbs and butter.
  3. Press into the bottom and sides of the pie plate or to about ¾ of the height of a spring form pan if you are using one.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees F. Set aside to cool.
  5. Whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla to soft peaks and set aside.
  6. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place, add the egg yolks and ⅓ cup sugar.
  7. Whisk at high speed until light, foamy and pale yellow in color, about 5 minutes.
  8. Slowly whisk in the sweetened condensed milk lemon zest and lemon juice.
  9. Gently fold in the previously whipped cream.
  10. Pour into the prepared pie crust.
  11. Freeze overnight.
  12. Garnish with whipped cream, additional Nilla cookies and lemon zest before serving.

Recommended Products

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

Nutrition Information

Yield

10

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 667Total Fat 38gSaturated Fat 21gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 276mgSodium 380mgCarbohydrates 70gFiber 1gSugar 58gProtein 14g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

Did you like this recipe?

Do you love our "Real food recipes for real people'? Share the recipe on Facebook to let your friends know about us. They'll thank you for it.

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Maureen

Tuesday 1st of August 2017

Tried making this twice and each time I whipped the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to the soft peaks it said it would make, it went straight to butter. Not sure what went wrong...

Barry C. Parsons

Tuesday 29th of August 2017

It seems obvious that you are over-whipping the cream. That's really the only way that could happen I think.

Jill

Thursday 24th of March 2016

Use real butter or margarine?

Barry C. Parsons

Friday 8th of April 2016

I never use margarine in anything. It doesn't enter my house!

Jerry Bledsoe

Thursday 18th of June 2015

Going to use this as an individual pie by putting a Nilla cookie in the bottom of a small plastic stemed wine glass, filling, top with whipped cream, cookie crumbs, and a quarter slice of lemon-------to be used as one of the desserts for my granddaughters wedding. I'm so excited about doing this. Orange Crepe Suzette Cake, three types of macaroons, chocolate raspberry mousse cake, mandolins, and coconut Bon Bons, besides wedding cake of course.

Barry C. Parsons

Tuesday 7th of July 2015

WOW! That sounds like quite a spread. Can I come? :)

Barry C. Parsons

Sunday 20th of April 2014

That seems like a lot. My pie plate is quite large. About 3 inches deep and 10 wide.I've used the filling as a sherbet before. It's delicious.

Michelle Buenzli

Saturday 19th of April 2014

I just made this recipe and I had 2 1/2 quarts of filling! How high are the sides of your 10-inch deep dish pie plate??? If I'd known I was going to have that much, I would have taken your advice to halve it, but I thought my pie plate was big. I think I'll make it in a 9x13 next time! I put the extra in a freezer container and put it in the freezer too, maybe I can make parfaits with it or something. It's for Easter dessert tomorrow, the unfrozen taste I sampled was yummy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to Recipe

Sharing is Caring

Help spread the word. You're awesome for doing it!