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This old fashioned Lemon Chiffon Pie is light, creamy, and has an irresistible fresh lemon flavor. It's easy to make ahead and made with simple ingredients with only 15 minutes of prep!
Great Grandma's Lemon Chiffon Pie
I can trace this this lemon chiffon pie recipe all the way back to my great-great-grandmother from the 1800's–it's so special to me! It's one of those recipes that feels like a little piece of family history in every single bite, and still timeless and delicious. It has a light and creamy fresh lemon filling inside my homemade pie crust. It seriously doesn't get better than this!
If you love lemon desserts, try my Lemon Bars, Lemon Cake, Lemon Mousse, Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Cream Pie, Lemon Brownies, and Lemon Tiramisu!
How to make Lemon Chiffon Pie:
Combine: In a saucepan, mix together water, lemon juice, salt, 1 cup of the sugar, and butter. Stir and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, stir cornstarch and ½ cup of water in a small bowl then pour into the hot mixture, whisking constantly on low heat. Cook until it has thickened.
Separate and Temper Eggs: Separate egg yolks and whites into two separate bowls then beat the egg yolks with a fork. Pour in a large spoonful of the hot mixture from the saucepan into the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Continue stirring while you add a couple more, stirring as you go. Pour the tempered egg yolk into the saucepan, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
Whip Egg Whites: With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites, slowly adding ½ cup sugar as you go. Beat until stiff peaks form then fold the egg whites into the warm mixture in the saucepan.
Finish Pie: Pour lemon pie filling into a cooled pie shell then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I recommend placing a piece of wax or parchment paper on top of the pie (plastic wrap and tinfoil will pull some off of the top). Top this no bake lemon chiffon pie with whipped cream before serving.
Lemon Chiffon Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9 inch baked pie shell
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- dash of salt
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, , divided
- 1/2 cup butter
- 5 Tablespoons cornstartch + ½ cup water
- 3 large eggs, , yolks and whites separated
- lemon zest, , from one small lemon
- fresh whipped cream, , for topping
Instructions
- Add 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, salt, 1 cup sugar, and butter to a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil.1 ½ cups water, ½ cup lemon juice, dash of salt, ½ cup butter
- While waiting for mixture to boil, stir cornstarch and ½ cup of water together in a small bowl. Stir into saucepan and turn heat to low. Cook until thickened.5 Tablespoons cornstartch + ½ cup water
- Separate the egg yolks and whites into two separate bowls. Beat the egg yolks with a fork.3 large eggs
- Add a large spoonful of the hot mixture from the saucepan, to the egg yolks and stir well. Continue slowly adding a few more spoonfuls, stirring after each addition to temper the eggs.
- Add the tempered egg mixture to the saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.lemon zest
- Beat the egg whites with electric beaters. Slowly add ½ cup sugar as you go. Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Fold egg whites into the mixture in the saucepan.
- Pour filling into cooled pie shell. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. I like to place a piece of wax or parchment paper gently over the top of the pie (if you use plastic wrap or tinfoil it will pull some of the topping off when you remove it).1 9 inch baked pie shell
- Top with freshly whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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*I originally shared this recipe in November 2013. Updated November 2018 and March 2026.
Can you top this with meringue instead of whipped cream?
Totally! Yes, you can top it with meringue instead of whipped cream. Just a heads up: Since the filling is super light (it’s already folded with whipped egg whites), I recommend keeping the meringue layer on the thinner side so it doesn’t weigh it down. If you want that classic toasted look, add the meringue right before serving and torch it if you can (it helps keep everything set).
Also, Lauren has a Lemon Meringue Pie recipe you can use for the meringue method and tips, I’ll link that for you! Lemon Meringue Pie
The filling was delicious though does not get firm enough to cut into pie pieces. I have made the recipe twice.
Would this freeze well with the crust + filling, and then top later with the whipped creme when thawed?
Thank you!
This pie doesn’t freeze well. The beaten egg whites folded into the filling will become watery when thawed, and the texture of the custard will likely change. The crust can also get soggy from moisture released during thawing. Your best bet is to make it a day ahead and keep it refrigerated, then add the whipped cream just before serving. If you need longer storage, this isn’t a good candidate for freezing.
I made this for Easter. It didn’t gel. The eggs were perfect. Not sure what happened
Can you make this ahead of time?
You could make it a day in advance.
This pie tastes fantastic! Easy to make for even a novice like me. Just wanted to echo another comment that there was enough filling for two pies.
I had trouble getting it to set up, so we ate it spooned into a bowl like pudding. I had trouble getting the egg whites to stiff peaks, as I was wisking by hand. But the taste was delicious.
Made this tonight for our gourmet supper club, and it was the star of the entire evening. The recipe worked perfectly. My only thought is that Step 2 should indicate that the mixture needs to boil, then add the cornstarch slurry. Mine thickened almost immediately when I used that technique. Thank you for sharing a GREAT recipe.
I’ve just made this pie and haven’t yet tasted it HOWEVER, I have enough pie filling to make another pie! I used the proportions listed — has anyone else had excess fi.ling?
It totally did! But unfortunately not enough for two whole pies…
My son made me this for my birthday. He’s never made a pie before and this came out perfect following the recipe. Lemon filling was not too sweet, delicious.