Creamy Key Lemon Pie (w/ raspberry sauce)

I don’t exaggerate when I say that this is the BEST Key Lemon Pie recipe I’ve ever made! Better than lemon meringue pie, better than lemon icebox pie, better than lemon cream pie. It’s the perfect combination of creamy, crispy, sweet, and tangy.

This lemon raspberry pie recipe was inspired by our favorite easy Key Lime Pie recipe from Once Upon a Chef. If you want to avoid the key limes vs persian limes vs regular limes debate, just make it lemon instead!

Pies make the best desserts. For more recipes, try this Pecan Pie with Maple Syrup, this Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, or even these Apple Pie Biscuits.

🏅 Why this recipe is great

• So creamy! You make this key lemon pie with condensed milk and Greek yogurt for the perfect texture.
• It’s easy to make. The homemade crust is quick, there's no mixer necessary, and the creamy lemon filling just takes a handful of ingredients.
• It's easy to decorate. Just swap the lime slices found on a traditional key lime pie with lemon slices and raspberry sauce!
• It's a great recipe to make ahead for easy holiday serving.

🍋 Ingredients

• Graham cracker crumbs: Crush them yourself or buy them as crumbs. You could also buy a store-bought crust in a pinch, but it must be deep dish to hold this amount of filling.
• Sugar: Regular granulated sugar will do. 
• Butter: I use salted, but unsalted will work too.
• Frozen raspberries: You can use fresh raspberries if you prefer.
• Cornstarch: Just a touch to thicken the raspberry sauce.
• Sweetened condensed milk: Generic brand is just as good as Eagle brand. Evaporated milk cannot be substituted.
• Greek yogurt: This recipe uses yogurt instead of egg yolks or egg whites for a silky, smooth filling that’s simple to bake.
• Fresh lemons: Meyer lemons or any regular lemons will do. You will need lemon zest and fresh lemon juice to make the tangy filling.
• Heavy cream: Make your own whipped cream or buy some from the grocery store.

🔪 How to make Key Lemon Pie with condensed milk

Graham Cracker Crust

Start by pulsing the graham crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor. Add the melted butter, sugar and salt and pulse until it resembles wet sand. 

To form the crust, dump ⅔ of the crumbs in the bottom of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan. Using your fingers or a tamper (affiliate), press the crumbs firmly into the side. Then add the remaining crumbs and press firmly into the bottom of the pie dish with a tamper or bottom of a measuring cup. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes, then set aside to cool on a wire rack.

Raspberry Sauce

Combine the raspberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan and simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Pour through a mesh strainer (affiliate) into a mixing bowl to remove the seeds. Set aside to cool. 

Key Lemon Pie

Combine the condensed milk, yogurt, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl. For zesting, I highly recommend using a microplane (affiliate). Pour the filling into the slightly warm pie crust and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until set. 

Cool the baked pie at room temperature for 30 minutes, then move to the fridge uncovered for at least 3 hours. When ready to serve, beat the whipping cream with hand beaters or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Once chilled, add raspberry sauce and whipped cream to top of the pie and serve.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For a crowd

This is an easy recipe to serve to a group because you can make it early in the day or the night before and keep it in the fridge until it’s time to serve. If you’re serving more than 8, just double the recipe and make two pies at once. 

🙋 Questions and Answers

👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & Tricks

• Pour the filling into a slightly warm crust. If the crust is too hot, it will trap steam when you add the filling, making the crust soggy.
• Put the raspberry sauce and whipped cream on top close to serving time to prevent the color from bleeding.
• Don’t bake the pie more than 1 day in advance, otherwise the crust will get soggy.

📖 More dessert recipes

• Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie - An easy dessert with a classic flavor combination.
• Easy Lemon Bundt Cake - Made with yogurt and oil for a super moist, flavorful cake every time!
• Creamy Blackberry Lemon Cheesecake - Smooth cream cheese, lemon cookie crust, and tangy blackberry sauce. Yum!
• Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes - To satisfy any chocolate craving.
• Ultimate Crumbl Peanut Butter Cookies - Possibly the best peanut butter cookies I've ever had (and the reviews agree).