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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.
I have always been told not to eat raw eggs, egg whites or yokes.. Soooooooo, is this a false statement?
The eggs are tempered in step 4, which warms them to a safe temperature. That’s a very normal practice.
Are the egg whites cooking because they’ve been added to the hot egg yolk mixture?
Hi Jenny,
You should beat the egg whites into stiff peaks, add lemon and sugar, and this will make a nice fluffy consistency that will not cook when added to the hot mixture!
nice post keep it up.
This recipe calls for an 9-inch pie shell, but the volume of filling I got overflowed my 9-inch shell significantly. Did I do something wrong? If not, I think I will use a 10-inch pie shell the next time I try this recipe. BTW, the filling tastes great!
Thanks for the recipe.
I had the same problem…wondering if I didn’t thicken the lemon mixture enough on the stove top?
Always delicious!
I made the Lemon Chiffon Pie for our Pastors and Apostle Jaa and his wife. Hope tbey enjoy. It looked absolutely wonderful! Pastor loves lemon pie.
Thanks so much for this recipe! My son turns 16 this week and he requested a lemon dessert. I think he will love this one. Thank you, again!
Question. Do you fold the egg whites in the egg mixture once its cooled?
Hi there! The egg mixture does NOT need to be cooled…Just make sure it is removed from heat, and then fold in the egg whites, and fill your pie shell!
Can this be made ahead of time?
Hi, yes, you could make it a day or so in advance!
Does it matter if I use reconstituted lemon juice from the bottle, or does it need to be fresh squeezed lemon juice?
I’ve used bottled lemon juice before and it still came out great!