Lemon Chiffon Pie
This lemon chiffon pie is a TREASURED family recipe. We can trace it back to my great, great grandmother who lived in the 1800’s! If you’ve never had lemon chiffon pie before than you’re really in for a treat–it’s one my all time favorite pies!
Unlike more tart and dense lemon pies, this one has a soft lemon flavor and it’s ultra creamy, light and fluffy. Pair it with our Perfect Pie Crust and you will really “wow” your guests.
How to make Lemon Chiffon Pie:
I love this pie because the ingredients are simple and I usually have everything on hand.
Add water, lemon juice, salt, 1 cup sugar, and butter to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, stir together the cornstarch and ½ cup of water in a small bowl. Add it to the saucepan and cook it until it has thickened.
Separate the egg yolks and whites into two separate bowls. Beat the egg yolks with a fork, and beat the egg whites with electric mixers, slowly adding the remaining ½ cup sugar.
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 and the remove it from heat and stir in the lemon zest. Allow the filling to cool for 10-15 minutes before folding in the beaten egg whites.
Pour the filling into a cooled pie shell and chill it in the 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). Top the pie with freshly whipped cream, for serving.
CONSIDER TRYING THESE HOMEMADE PIES:
- Lemon Sour Cream Pie
- Key Lime Pie
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Oreo Cheesecake Pie
- Banana Cream Pie
- Coconut Cream Pie
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Recipe
Lemon Chiffon Pie
Equipment
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.
- 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.
- Separate the egg yolks and whites into two separate bowls. Beat the egg yolks with a fork.
- 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.
- 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).
- Top with freshly whipped cream.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
*I originally shared this recipe in November 2013. Updated November 2018.
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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?
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.
This was my first try at a chiffon pie. Im not sure what I was expecting, but this was not it. My son loved it! So I think its just me. The pie turned out great! The recipe is easy and I enjoyed putting it together. But sadly, it tastes like raw eggs to me. The lemon filling was AMAZING, until the egg whites went in. Then, the game changed. I was sooo disappointed! I will stick to a meringue next time, so the egg whites are cooked and I can enjoy the lemon pudding without the raw flavor, and the worry of sickness.
This pie is delicious, and it set up just fine for me even though my egg whites never quite got to the stiff peak stage. However, I mixed the cornstarch with the sugar and then added all the other ingredients. It didn’t make sense to me to mix the cornstarch with water. All similar recipes I’ve ever done (puddings, pie fillings) mix the cornstarch with the sugar first.
Also I used store-bought graham cracker crusts, and this recipe was enough to fill two of them.
With my minor changes, definitely a keeper!
after reading comments, I agree that the instructions should say to cook the mixture after adding the eggs. and needs to be corrected. The egg yolks need to cook in the mixture.
You can try it that way, but this is a family recipe generations old, so I published it as it has been passed down in my family.
This is deliciously creamy and lemony. It’s a keeper in our family.
I am a very experienced baker and home cook. I made this following the recipe to the “T” and it never set. Very disappointing especially with the price of food these days. Flavor was good but I will not make this one again. I agree with some other comments, somewhere the measurements are off.
I made it with pie dough crust. It turned out amazingly
I read in another recipe that you have to cook the mixture to simmer after adding the egg yolks. Mine set up just fine using this method.
IT IS DELICIOUS MADE IT OFTEN, NO PROBLEMS. THANKS!
Unfortunately this didn’t turn out well for me. The problem for a fairly novice dessert maker — though not an inexperienced cook — is that an instruction that says cook until thickened without an idea of HOW thickened wasn’t sufficient for me. The pie tasted DELICIOUS but didn’t set.
Followed steps exactly as stated and this never set. Flavor was good but definitely not the presentation I was looking for. Dumped it and started again with a different recipe.
I had the same problem as many others; the filling did not set, even overnight. I’ve seen only one reply to these comments which suggested the baker must have done something wrong and that the author had made the pie “a million times” with no problem.
I think the issue with family recipes is that you “get an eye” for how things should be (consistency, texture, etc) that people using the recipe for the first time don’t have.
Can I suggest/request the next time you make it, you record the temperature of the filling when it’s the right thickness? Also, knowing the volume of egg whites used would be useful – 3 large eggs whites may not weigh/measure the same everywhere.
It does taste delicious but having to serve pie in a bowl with a spoon isn’t quite the same as a beautiful slice.
Thanks.
We love lemon meringue pie and I make a pretty darn good one.. But wanted something different. I found this recipe a year ago and I Thought it sounded good. It is now my go to everyone loves it!! It is even better than lemon meringue pie! I use 3/4 of a cup of lemon juice because I’d like it a little more tart and a splenda sugar blend. I also let the lemon curd cool for longer than 15 minutes and make sure it’s thick enough sometimes add a little more corn starch. This is one of the best pies ever!!!
I made this EXACTLY as written and the filling did not set up. Flavor was excellent but texture was less than optimum. Gotta use a different recipe. Won’t trust this site again.
Today March 11, 2022, I went right by your directions for this pie……….it NEVER set up!!!!
after all the good ingredients and time for this to happen, well , I’m more then disappointed!:(
I I have made this pie several times and Always need to add a few more tablespoons of corn starch to The putting mixture to get it to thicken up enough
Very good and easy to make lemon pie
I loved my grandmother’s and now I can make one of my own!
unfortunately have to echo others comments; you are the absolute pie guru and I paid very good attention to detail, but after 8 hours still runny. flavor very lemony, but can’t help but think some thickening agent was missing. All other pies such as triple berry, regular lemon have been absolute perfection along with your excellent crust. I’ll keep trying.
With any egg/custard-based recipe thickened with cornstarch it can become tricky if we stop just when it thickens. Eggs can cause cornstarch to deactivate when cooling if it’s not cooked to a bubble/simmer. A thermometer comes in handy because it should do that beyond 185 degrees F. Make sure you take it off the heat when checking the temperature and keep stirring when it is on the heat so it doesn’t burn or scramble.
I think I know what thickener was missing. In a chiffon pie, the egg yolk mixture (whether it’s custard or fruit curd) is usually thickened with bloomed gelatin that is melted in the yolk mixture rather than cornstarch.
I followed all of the steps precisely using the required ingredients.
The lemon sugar corn starch mixture got thick, and when it cooled I mixed in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Poured all into a cool baked pie crust.
I covered with Parchment paper and it has been in the fridge for 2 hours and I just checked it… a milky runny texture!!!!
I’ve never had faith in corn starch in the past. I should have used plain gelatin instead. NOT HAPPY.
Terrible instructions and does not make up a custardy filling☹️
Can I use a frozen pie crust that needs to be rolled out? Would I have to bake the crust first?
Yes, the pie shell needs to be baked.
This recipe does NOT set up!!! I was looking for a quicker version of lemon chiffon pie than using gelatin and a double boiler. I am a professional baker, making this pie at a customers request. I even added an additional tablespoon of corn starch because what was called for didn’t seem like enough. Followed the instructions it to a T. It’s a soupy pudding consistency. Disappointed.
I’m really sorry Amy, but something definitely went wrong during the process. I’ve made this recipe a million times (and it’s been in my family for generations) and it always sets up perfectly. I’m sorry you had trouble with it!
This pie sounds delicious. I may try to make it.
I only gave it 4 stars because the filling would not set! I ended up with too much filling and it was runny. The flavor is amazing, I also put in some lemon extract and used fresh lemons. I used Graham cracker crust as well and my hubby loved it! It set up enough to serve but was more like pudding! Lol. Lauren also answered some questions for me and a appreciated her assistance.
I haven’t made it yet abd was wondering if I could use a graham cracker pie crust? Thank you!
Yes, sure!
My grandmother used to make this type of pie when I was a kid and brought it to our holiday celebrations. We have her recipe but somewhere over the years it looks the ingredient amounts got messed up. So after a recent Christmas pie disaster using her recipe I was on the lookout for one that was similar to hers. This was the recipe.
I made it for Easter and surprised my parents. Both said it was as close as they have tasted to my grandmothers pie ( she’s been gone 49 years) . It had just the right amount of lemon flavor, not to sweet, light and refreshing. I’m so glad I tried it and it will now become a staple at our holiday celebrations.
Didn’t set for me. Maybe more instruction on how thick to get the custard? Also very difficult to fold in egg whites. Tastes great despite being goopy.
This recipe set up nicely. So light and refreshing.
My pie has been in the fridge for about 24 hours and it still hasn’t set. I’m not sure which step I messed up? Any ideas?
This looks amazing! I’m just a little confused about the eggs. Do they cook in the hot lemon mixture? Or do the eggs stay raw?
Yes, the eggs get cooked as they are tempered with the hot custard. If you want to cook them for a few extra mintutes in the saucepan before removing it from heat, you can. :-). Enjoy!
I would like to make a lime chiffon pie using this recipe—i.e., substituting lime juice and zest for the lemon. Would that work?
Thank you!
Sure! Sounds delicious.
Thank you!
Change 1: I left the pie in the fridge for a couple days, and it had set up nicely. Normal slices, filling was firm. I guess the filling was too warm, Hadn’t had enough time to set, even after three hours. I followed recipe amounts and times exactly, so not sure what I’d do differently. Maybe leave in fridge overnight. In the end, a very good pie. Five stars.
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.
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!