This ooey-gooey, sweet and tart lemon chess pie bakes up with a sweet delicate candy-like top crust. Made with simple ingredients and easy directions, this pie is an old-fashioned southern favorite that everybody loves.
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Why This Recipe Works
I'm glad you're here. Now, let's talk about this easy recipe for lemon chess pie and highlight its best features!
Easy crust shortcut! This delightfully easy recipe comes together in almost no time thanks to using a store-bought frozen pie crust. A bright and tangy lemon pie, this recipe is sure to please anyone who tries it.
Are you a lemon lover? I absolutely love everything lemon. Lemon pie, lemon cake, lemon chicken, etc., are just the best! So if you're here because you're wondering how to make a lemon chess pie, then you've come to the right place.
And it's a super easy dessert! Not just for a summer or holiday dessert either, this beautiful lemon chess pie is a wonderful dessert any time of the year. Make this simple and classic southern dessert and bring a little sunshine into your day no matter what time of year it is!
If you're also a fan of super easy recipes, give my One Pot Chicken and Rice a try! It also uses some shortcuts to make sure your dinner is ready in 30 minutes.
What Goes into this Pie?
Deep dish pie crust - make sure you use the 9-inch, deep dish version; otherwise, all the pie filling won't fit in a regular size pie crust. The frozen pie crust is just fine and very handy.
Yellow cornmeal - the cornmeal gives the top of the crust a nice, sweet crisp!
Lemon juice and lemon zest - the star of the pie! Fresh lemons give the pie that classic lemon tartness. Save some of the lemon peel for garnish. It takes about 4-5 large lemons to make ½ cup juice.
Sugar, flour, eggs, and butter - basic ingredients you probably already have on hand. Just make sure to use real butter.
How to Make Lemon Chess Pie
For the best results, please follow the recipe card!
- Combine sugar, cornmeal, flour, and eggs in large bowl using a whisk.
- Stir in melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix well.
- Pour into prepared pie crust and bake for 35 minutes or until filling is mostly set but no more than 40 minutes. Check on the pie after about 25 minutes to see if the crust is starting to brown too quickly -- see recipe note below if this happens.
- Cool on a wire rack. Transfer to refrigerator to chill. When chilled, sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream. TIP: Can be served at room temperature but I think it's better served cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
So now that you've made this delicious lemon chess pie, what is the best way to transport it? I recently discovered a plastic carrier that's perfect for transporting pies, muffins, and cupcakes. It's the Southern Homewares 3-in-1 Plastic Holder Container. It offers easy-grip handles, a snap-tight lid, and it's made out of durable plastic. Available now on Amazon!
Vinegar pie and buttermilk pie can both be categorized under the broad term "chess pie." Any sort of acid added to the eggs - whether citrus juice in this recipe, or buttermilk or vinegar in others - will help lower the temperature at which the egg will achieve a custardy consistency.
So, in short, vinegar pie and buttermilk pie are types of chess pie. Vinegar pie gets its twang from vinegar instead of lemon juice. Lastly, buttermilk pie usually contains evaporated milk whereas chess pie typically doesn't contain dairy.
While I happen to LOVE lemon everything, there is nothing at all preventing you from trading out different citrus for this recipe. Lime would easily be the most comparable switch and you likely wouldn't need to change anything else about the recipe. Lime chess pie sounds intriguing doesn't it?
Bitter citrus like grapefruit might require more sugar, depending on your taste preferences. Oranges and mandarins, which are naturally sweeter, would likely require less added sugar.
One large, ripe lemon will give you about 4 tablespoons of juice. You'll need 4-5 large lemons to have enough lemon juice for this pie.
Recipe Tips
- For a gluten-free chess pie, consider using gluten-free all purpose flour and a gluten-free pie crust. A follower of mine told me that Walmart carries a gluten-free graham cracker ready made pie crust that works well with this recipe!
- Place the pie on a cookie sheet, then place it into the oven to bake it. The cookie sheet makes it easier to handle in and out of the oven.
- It's OK if the pie filling doesn't appear to be fully set when you remove it from the oven. As the pie cools, it will thicken. Once completely cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar, or top with whipped cream.
- If the crust starts to brown too quickly while baking, take a strip of foil and cover just the edges of the pie crust. Continue to bake as directed.
- If you're one of those bakers that makes your own pie crust, good for you! I recommend that you always double up on your favorite recipe and freeze your own pie crusts for easy use in the future. This comes in handy when you have an unexpected guest coming over and want a last-minute dessert or a crust to whip up an easy chicken pot pie.
- Buy a ready-made pie crust and pre-bake (blind bake) according to package directions.
- Alternatively, you could press the thawed, ready-made pie crust into a tart pan for that fancy crinkled pie look; then bake as directed.
More Pies to Try
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Recipe
Lemon Chess Pie
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- whisk
- measuring cup(s)
- measuring spoons
- wire rack
Ingredients
- 1 ready-made deep dish pie crust
- 1-½ cups sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 3 Tablespoons melted butter
- ½ cup lemon juice it takes about 4-5 large lemons to make ½ cup juice. Alternatively, you can use bottled lemon juice.
- zest of one lemon
Instructions
- Bake ready made pie crust according to package directions. This is known as blind baking or par baking.
- Heat oven to 375F. Combine sugar, cornmeal, flour, and eggs in large bowl using a whisk. Stir in melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix well. Pour into prepared pie crust and bake for 35 minutes or until filling is mostly set but no more than 40 minutes. Check on the pie after about 25 minutes to see if the crust is starting to brown too quickly -- see recipe note below if this happens.
- Cool on a wire rack. Transfer to refrigerator to chill. When chilled, sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with whipped cream. TIP: Can be served at room temperature but I think it's better served cold.
Notes
- Place the pie on a cookie sheet, then place it into the oven to bake it. The cookie sheet makes it easier to handle in and out of the oven.
- It's OK if the pie filling doesn't appear to be fully set when you remove it from the oven. As the pie cools, it will thicken. Once completely cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar, or top with whipped cream.
- If the crust starts to brown too quickly while baking, take a strip of foil and cover just the edges of the pie crust. Continue to bake as directed.
- If you're one of those bakers that makes your own pie crust, good for you! I recommend that you always double up on your favorite recipe and freeze your own pie crusts for easy use in the future. This comes in handy when you have an unexpected guest coming over and want a last-minute dessert or a crust to whip up an easy chicken pot pie.
- Buy a ready-made pie crust and pre-bake (blind bake) according to package directions. Alternatively, you could press the thawed, ready-made pie crust into a tart pan for that fancy crinkled pie look; then bake as directed.
- Chess pie is at its best flavor and texture when fully chilled, but some people eat it while it's still warm or room temperature. Either way, it's oh so delicious.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2019 and was updated in 2022.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.
Beth
Made recipe as posted but should have doubled to fill my deep dish crust. Very disappointing.
Anne Clark
Beth, I'm sorry the pie didn't turn out like you'd hoped. What I can say is, the filling isn't supposed to come all the way to the top of the crust; it should be about an inch from the top. The reason for this is because before baking the pie, the filling is very thin and has the consistency of water and would spill over while trying to put it in the oven. Before baking the pie, it should look like the photo in my process shots. Hopefully, it tasted OK. I appreciate you letting me know!
Shelly
The filing tastes great, but never set up. It got super dark in the oven, so I took it out to cool and hopefully set, but it never did. Q we
Anne Clark
I'm sorry the pie did not work out for you, Shelly. I'm not sure why the filling got super dark and never set. My lemon chess pie filling is supposed to be somewhat gooey like curd pie (not firm like a cream pie). The top browning too quickly sounds like your oven cooks at a higher temperature than what you set it on, perhaps? I am glad you liked the flavor. Thank you for letting me know!
Dancermum
So easy, so good…but too much sugar; i did 1cup and I will be reducing it to 3/4C next time