Whip up a light and refreshing lemon icebox pie that’s perfectly smooth and creamy with tons of bright citrus flavor. Classic no bake summer dessert with a graham cracker crust and Cool Whip. Easy recipe that you can make in 10 minutes or less, just like Grandma used to make it!
This no bake lemon icebox pie is the best. It’s pretty similar to my no bake strawberry Jello pie, but I use frozen fruit juice concentrate for this dessert rather than Jello. And it works pretty well!
I guess you could say that my love for lemon desserts runs in the family; my grandma loved just about anything lemon! Some of my favorites lemon dessert recipes include lemon meringue pie bars, lemon Jello poke cake, lemon Texas sheet cake, lemon poppy seed muffins and this irresistibly delicious lemon pound cake. I also make a lemon blueberry cake with an addictive lemon cream cheese frosting!
Why Is It Called Lemon Icebox Pie?
This recipe is actually an old-fashioned southern dessert. It’s called “icebox” pie because it used to be chilled in an icebox before serving, back in the day before refrigerators became commonplace.
Even today, it remains popular in the South where the summers are hot, because you don’t have to heat up the kitchen to make it. There’s no baking involved. Mix it up, dump it in a pie plate and chill in the refrigerator for several hours before slicing and serving!
Why You’ll Love This Classic Dessert Recipe
- It’s so easy to make. This is a no bake dessert, and it uses simple ingredients so that you can whip it up in a pinch!
- This smooth and creamy pie is chock full of sweet and sparkling, citrusy lemon flavor that practically melts in your mouth with every bite. This is a great recipe for all you lemon lovers out there!
- This is the most cool and refreshing dessert that you’ll ever eat. Served ice cold straight out of the fridge, it’s perfect for a hot summer day or summer gatherings.
- Lemon icebox pie is an old-fashioned southern staple recipe, and I’ll walk you through how to make this delicious dessert recipe with step by step instructions, just like Grandma made it back in the day!
Ingredients & Substitutions Notes
- Graham Cracker Crust – For the sake of ease, I just use a pre-made graham cracker crust in a 9-inch pie plate for this no bake dessert, but you can also make your own graham cracker crust from graham cracker crumbs if preferred.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – I like to use sweetened condensed milk for this recipe. If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute heavy cream and sugar instead. For the 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk used in this recipe, substitute 1 3/4 cups of heavy cream with about 4 tablespoons of sugar whisked into the cream.
- Frozen Lemonade Concentrate – This frozen lemonade concentrate from the grocery store works great for this recipe, but you can also make a homemade lemonade concentrate instead.
- Lemon Zest – You’ll need the zest from one fresh lemon for this recipe. In case you don’t know how, here’s a great guide on how to zest fresh lemons with a cheese grater.
- Cool Whip – I like easy, so I just use Cool Whip for this simple lemon pie. You can make homemade whipped cream, Dream Whip, etc.
How to Make Lemon Icebox Pie
Before getting started, you’ll want to prep your graham cracker crust. If you make a homemade graham cracker crust from crushed up graham crackers, you’ll want to press it into a 9-inch pie plate. If you buy a store-bought pie crust from the store, be sure to choose one that already comes in a 9-inch pie plate.
Mixing Up the Lemonade Icebox Pie Filling
- To make your filling for this easy lemon pie, start by stirring the sweetened condensed milk, lemonade concentrate and fresh lemon zest in a large mixing bowl, until well combined
- Next, use a spatula to fold in the Cool Whip, or whatever else whipped topping you use.
- Once your filling is mixed together, pour it out of the large bowl and into the prepared graham cracker crust.
- Finally, you’ll want to let your lemon icebox pie chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.
Waiting on this yummy pie to chill is probably the hardest part of this recipe! But it’s so worth the wait…
How to Serve Lemon Ice Box Pie
I like to slice up and serve my lemon icebox pie with a big dollop of whipped cream on top and a heaping pile of fresh berries, blueberry sauce, or even this mixed berry salad on the side. This perfect dessert is tastes so cool and refreshing during the dog days of summer!
Pair it with a large glass of iced tea, and you’ve got the ultimate southern treat that’ll cool you right down on a blistering hot afternoon.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, you can make it ahead of time, and it’s actually best served chilled rather than at room temperature. Covered with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container, icebox pie will store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Of course! Covered with plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container, it should store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, remember to first transfer it into the refrigerator and let it thaw out for several hours, preferably overnight.
Recipe Variations
Here are a few ways you can switch this recipe up…
- Use a different crust. I think this recipe would go really well with a scrumptious pecan nut crust, a no roll shortcut pie crust, or even just a regular old pie crust. I’ve also always wanted to try making it with the Oreo crust from my white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.
- You can use any flavor fruit juice concentrate you want. Make it a key lime pie by using lime juice concentrate and fresh lime zest over lemon!
- Instead of a whipped topping, why not make this a lemon meringue pie by topping it off with a beautiful meringue topping? This would pair perfectly with the creamy lemon filling.
- This creamy pie would be really good topped off with vanilla wafers, sort of like my no bake banana pudding!
More Refreshing No Bake Desserts
- My whole family loves this strawberry fluff salad. I also make a strawberry cottage cheese salad and a Mandarin orange Jello salad.
- This no bake cherry delight is probably one of the easiest recipes I know. In fact, it’s so good that I’ve adapted it made both a strawberry delight and blueberry delight as well!
- This strawberry cream cheese pie is a berry season staple around here. I also make a blueberry cream cheese pie when fresh blueberries are in season.
- This no bake chocolate delight recipe is perfect for all the chocolate lovers out there!
- If you like lemon icebox pie, you’ll love this Instant Pot raspberry cheesecake!
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Lemon Icebox Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 9-Inch Graham Cracker Crust*
- 14 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 3/4 cup Frozen Lemonade Concentrate thawed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Lemon Zest
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
Instructions
- Start by stirring the sweetened condensed milk, lemonade concentrate and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl 'til well combined
- Next, use a spatula to fold in the Cool Whip.
- Once your filling is mixed together, pour it into the pre-baked graham cracker crust.
- Finally, you'll want to let your lemon icebox pie chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight before slicing and serving. That's it!
