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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.
After my second attempt, I finally got it to look like the one on the recipe! I used graham cracker crust instead. My brother loved it.
I made this today, and it is delicious. Not too tart or too sweet, but still perfectly lemony. The consistency wasn’t spot on, however. My egg tempering and folding techniques need improvement. But I will try again (this quarantine business is NOT good for the waistline!) until I perfect this as the flavor is so good. This is going to be my signature pie recipe. Thanks!
This was soooo tasty!!! We made it last night
I am dieting so I eat in moderation but my mom loves massive pie slices!
Soooo good!
The pie is absolutely delicious. Perfect balance of sweet and tartness. The only concern is that the pie did not set up fully. I was careful to cook the mixture until thickened and temper the eggs and then fold the egg whites in as described. Perhaps unflavored gelatin would it set? I will update to 5 stars if I can get my next pie to set.
I followed the recipe exactly, but my filling did not set very much or become firm. It tastes delicious, but not that attractive! Any suggestions?
excellent recipe , easy, quick and delicious. just like I remember back in New England!
Can I freeze completed pie
No, I wouldn’t recommend freezing it! It stores well in the fridge for a few days. You could blind bake the crust and freeze it and then add the filling the day of. My favorite method is to freeze the unbaked pie dough (see directions in the post)!
nice post keep it up…….
So, while the “yolks” do cook… the “whites” are basically being added in and will be consumed raw?
I swear I did everything right, but when I folded in the stiff egg whites, the filling became lumpy with bits of cooked meringue. What might I have done wrong? (It still tastes yummy otherwise!)
I’m so sorry you had trouble. Next time try letting the lemon filling cool a bit before adding the beaten egg whites.