This Whole Lemon Pie recipe came to me from my grandma. I asked her where she got it from but she couldn’t remember. I did a little searching around, and found that Smitten Kitchen has a Whole Lemon Tart recipe, so I’m thinking it may have evolved from there.
I always love to see how a good recipe is passed around, little adaptations made here and there. Kind of like that game of telephone we used to play as kids.
This might be the world’s easiest pie to make. The filling involves putting FIVE ingredients into a blender and pushing the button. That’s it! And the lemon filling is custardy, creamy, sweet, and tart. It almost tastes like a pie version of lemon bars. It’s such a refreshing summertime dessert!
You could make it even more simple by using a frozen unbaked pie crust (my favorite is Marie Callender’s). I’m really challenging myself to get good at making pie crusts, so I made my own this time. It’s definitely getting easier each time, and I think I’ve found a good all-butter pie crust recipe. The food processor really helps!
On a side note, I did also try making a Whole “Lime” Pie. Same recipe, just swapped out a lime for the lemon. TERRIBLE! Very bitter. Just in case you had any thought of trying it yourself! Let’s stick with the lemon version.
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PinIngredients
For the Pie Crust
- 1/2 cup salted butter, chilled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (more or less as needed) very cold water
For the Filling
- 1 whole lemon*
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Serving
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- Lemon slices for garnish
Instructions
For the Crust
- Place butter, sugar, and flour into a food processor or blender, and pulse until you have coarse (pea sized) crumbs. Scrape down sides as needed. Slowly add chilled water and pulse, until the dough begins to come together. It should still be slightly crumbly. Pour the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and knead a few times to bring together. If the dough is too crumbly, sprinkle a little water over it and knead again. Wrap the dough up in the plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours.
- To roll out the crust, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Then unwrap and place the dough on a well-floured surface. Roll the dough out so you have a large circle that is a few inches wider than your pie tin. Be patient as you roll, turning the dough to check for sticking and adding more flour as needed. Roll the dough around the rolling pin to transfer it to the pie dish.
- Without stretching the dough, place it into the pie dish, and trim excess dough around the edges, leaving about a 1-inch overhang. Roll the edge under, and then crimp.
For the Filling
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Trim both ends off the lemon, and cut into quarters. Add lemon, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract to a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour into unbaked pie shell, and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Cover edges of pie with tin foil if they brown before the pie is done.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing. Can be refrigerated and served chilled or at room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
Notes
* Choose a small to medium sized lemon. Larger lemons generally have the same amount of “lemon” inside, but with a thicker “pith” (the white part) surrounding it. Too much lemon pith and your pie will be too bitter.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
love how easy this pie comes together, and the lemon flavour is fantastic too. pie is one of my favourite summer things, so this is perfect!
Trish Burton says
Easy, fast, pretty and delicious. I used a Marie Callendar pie crust. Thank you!
Julie says
Trish, that’s great! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Dawn Duffy says
There is nothing–nothing!–like a good lemon pie. This looks luxurious. You could easily serve this at even the most posh and exclusive get together. At the same time, it’s a classic dessert that wouldn’t feel out of place on even a casual table. Love love love.
Julie says
Aw thank Dawn! I agree wholeheartedly!
Brandy b says
So u do blend the lemon with peel on?
Julie says
Yes, sounds strange but it works!
Frances says
Hi, I live in New Zealand and would like to know the weight of ‘one stick of butter’ please?
Julie says
Hi Frances, thanks for your question. One stick is 4 ounces, or 113 grams.
Frances says
Thanks. US weights must be different to ours as 4oz = 125g here.
Kristy says
It says a stick of butter? how many grams is that? We don’t work in “sticks” 🙂
Julie says
So sorry Kristy, I’ll fix it soon! One stick = 1/2 cup = 4 oz = 113 grams.
Leo Vincent says
I made this pie twice now in two weeks with slight change. I reduced the butter by a tablespoon and only used 1/2 cup of sugar. It received rave reviews from everybody especially from my eleven year old grandson. The next time I make it I plan to double the recipe because I want a thicker pie.
Julie says
Glad to hear that, thanks Leo. Let me know how the next one turns out.
angie says
does the filling need to be strained after it’s blended?
Julie says
No it does not. 🙂
Brette says
I have lemon juice and not real lemons. Do you think I could substitute?
Julie says
No, I think for this recipe, the fresh lemon juice and zest are pretty important. It’s worth a trip to the store for real lemons. Enjoy!
Angela says
Hi am Angela
I want to try this recipe does it not require cornflour.
Julie says
Hi Angela, this recipe does not use corn flour, just all purpose flour. Hope you love it!
Rosemary says
Do you take seed out?
Julie says
Hi Rosemary, I would cut the lemon and take out any obvious seeds, but it will be okay if small ones slip in. Enjoy!
Rosemary says
Can you use a food processor
Patti says
Yes of course!
Patti says
I have a Meyer Lemon Tree, and had just one ripe Lemon, so I made this recipe.
I though tit was odd that removing the seeds isn’t part of the directions, but I followed the instructions anyway.
The pie is absolutely delicious! The filling is like a velvety Lemon Curd! Not bitter at all.
The mistake I made was to make it in a deep dish pie plate. It doesn’t puff up very high at all. Unless you plan on putting a meringue or some other topping on this pie (which would be great!) , use a more shallow pie plate.
Julie says
Glad you enjoyed Patti!
Carole king says
I tried making this recipe, but it all curdled! Where did I go wrong?
Julie says
I’m so sorry, I’ve never had that happen. Wish I could be more helpful, but I’m really not sure why it would do that.
JS says
I have made this pie twice in the last two weeks and it is a huge hit with my family and neighbors! I doubled the filling because I prefer a thicker pie. I also bake it on a baking stone.
Both the crust and filling are easy and bake up perfectly. I am going to try this crust with some other pies I make, as well!
★★★★★
Julie says
Thank you so much!
Nancy Olson says
I don’t know what I did wrong but this was awful.
Julie says
Sorry to hear that.