Lemon chess pie just might be the easiest dessert you will ever bake, especially with store-bought pie crust. It’s a fresh and rich treat!
Lemon chess pie is an old-fashioned dessert traditionally made in the Southern United States. A quick online search will yield a plethora of theories on how this pie got it’s name, however one thing is absolutely crystal clear — it’s one of the easiest and tastiest desserts you will ever make!
With both whipping cream and butter in the filling, plus cornmeal for thickening, this is a rich dessert. That being said, it’s got a terrific balance of sweet and tart, and couldn’t be easier to make. Simply whisk the ingredients together, pour the mixture into a partially baked pie shell, and bake it for about half an hour! It’s so simple! Keep in mind, the pie needs time after baking to fully set so prepare accordingly.
Many bakers choose to brown the top of lemon chess pie, arguing that browning the top of the lemon filling is more traditional. You can totally do this if you want, just leave the pie in the oven longer than the recipe calls for and keep your eye on it. Also, after cooling, the top of a traditional chess pie is often left undecorated. We love cute little whipped cream florets as garnish, but you can omit the whipped cream topping of you prefer the pie plain. Long story short? Lemon chess pie is a fresh, bright, and easy dessert great for baking any time of year!
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Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, whipping cream, melted butter, eggs, sugar, cornmeal, and salt.
Using an electric hand mixer, or a hand held whisk, mix all of the ingredients together until smooth, about one minute.
Pour the lemon filling into the prepared pie crust.
Use a toothpick to burst any larger air bubbles in the filling (optional).
Transfer the pie to the prepared baking sheet and place it in the pre-heated oven. Bake the lemon chess pie for 32 to 35 minutes, or until the middle of the lemon is wobbly when moved, but not wet.
Remove the pie from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating and serving.
We decorated our lemon chess pie with tiny whipped cream florets, however, feel free to leave the top of the pie plain if you prefer.
Tips & Notes
We used a store-bought frozen pie crust for this recipe. If you’re feeling ambitious, try our basic all-butter pie crust recipe.
Store-bought pie crusts can be a bit short to hold all of the lemon filling. You may have a small amount left over.
Once cool, keep lemon chess pie, covered loosely with plastic wrap, in the fridge for up to three days.
Substitutions
Orange zest is a delicious substitute for lemon, and we think lime or grapefruit would be great too.
Coarse grind cornmeal should be fine in this recipe, however, may have more texture on the bite than fine ground.
Substitute frozen mini pie crusts and make mini lemon chess pies! The baking time will be much shorter if you do this, probably about 18 to 20 minutes if we had to guess, so keep your eye on the oven as the pies bake.
More Lemon Recipes
Lemon Buttermilk Cake With Raspberry Compote
Lemon Poppy Seed Shortbread Cookies
Recipe
Lemon Chess Pie
Lemon chess pie just might be the easiest dessert you will ever bake, especially with store-bought pie crust. It's a fresh and rich treat!
Ingredients
- One partially-baked 9-inch (23-cm) pie crust
- Zest of one lemon
- ½ cup (125 ml) lemon juice (approximately 3 medium lemons or 4 small lemons)
- ½ cup (125 ml) 35% whipping cream
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter, melted
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
- 2 tablespoon finely ground yellow cornmeal
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Whipped cream for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, whipping cream, melted butter, eggs, sugar, cornmeal, and salt. Using an electric hand mixer, stand mixer, or a hand held whisk, mix all of the ingredients together until smooth, about one minute.
- Pour the lemon filling into the prepared pie crust. Use a toothpick to burst any larger air bubbles in the filling (optional).
- Transfer the pie to the prepared baking sheet and place it in the pre-heated oven. Bake the lemon chess pie for 32 to 35 minutes, or until the middle of the lemon is wobbly when moved, but not wet. Remove the pie from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating and serving.
Notes
We used a store-bought frozen pie crust for this recipe. If you're feeling ambitious, try our basic all-butter pie crust recipe.
Store-bought pie crusts can be a bit short to hold all of the lemon filling. You may have a small amount left over.
Buy mini pie crusts and make mini lemon chess pies! The baking time will be much shorter if you do this, probably about 18 to 20 minutes if we had to guess, so keep your eye on the oven.
Once cool, keep lemon chess pie, covered loosely with plastic wrap, in the fridge for up to three days.
SUBSTITUTIONS
Orange zest is a delicious substitute for lemon, and we think lime or grapefruit would be great too.
Coarse grind cornmeal should be fine in this recipe, however, may have more texture on the bite than fine ground.
Substitute frozen mini pie crusts and make mini lemon chess pies! The baking time will be much shorter if you do this, probably about 18 to 20 minutes if we had to guess, so keep your eye on the oven as the pies bake.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 153Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 72mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator.
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