One night, while flipping through television channels, we found Andrew Zimmern’s new show, The Zimmern List. He was in Bessemer, Alabama, a little town outside of Birmingham, sharing the story of a diner’s famous lemon icebox pie. My first thought after “Why have I never eaten there?” was “I haven’t had lemon icebox pie in forever.” Actually, I know why I hadn’t had the pie. They’re fattening. But one bite reminded me why they were sooooooooo worth the calories. Plus, it’s probably the easiest recipe ever. Trust me. You need this classic Southern Lemon Ice Box Pie recipe in your life.
I am a Swiffer Fanatic and this is a partnered post. All opinions are my own.
Classic Southern Lemon Ice Box Pie
One of the best things about this pie is the simple substitutions you can make in the recipe. While it calls for a homemade graham cracker crust, I usually cheat and purchase a pre-made crust, unless I need the pie to be gluten-free. And, if you’re in a hurry, forget the homemade whipped cream and top it with a container of frozen whipped topping. Either way, you’re in for a treat. I’ve adapted the classic recipe a little, adjusting to give it a more lemon-y taste and removing the eggs, plus adding a gluten-free option. I added some yellow food gel to give it a deep yellow color, but usually I don’t bother. It tastes delicious regardless of if it is pale yellow or a darker yellow.
Printable Recipe:
- For the Crust:
- 1 ½ cups crushed graham crackers (can use gluten free)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- OR 1 prepackaged graham cracker crust
- For the Filling:
- 2 cans (14 ounces each) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 to 1 ½ cups lemon juice (add to your tastes)
- For the topping:
- 16 ounces heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- OR 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping
- For the Crust:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the graham crackers and sugar until blended.
- Stir in butter until crumbs are coated.
- Pat into a 9 inch pie dish.
- For the Filling:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice until blended.
- Pour into Graham cracker crust.
- For the Topping:
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer set on medium speed, blend the whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, approximately five minutes.
- Blend in the vanilla. Spread the topping evenly across the pie.
- Refrigerate for approximately two hours or until set.
And, if you have a mess in the kitchen like I often do when I have toddlers helping me “cook,” I use my Swiffer products to clean afterward. Seriously, have you seen how much mess two toddlers can make?
My Swiffer Sweeper, with its specially designed pads to trap dirt, is perfect for picking up all those little crumbs that hide under the counters. And, all the sticky stuff that is stuck on my floor? It’s Swiffer Wet Jet to the rescue. While I use it for cleaning the entire floor, it’s also great for touch up jobs. I carry it around my house wondering, “How could sticky popsicle residue be in so many places when they ate those in the kitchen?”
So, there you have it. The recipe for one of the most delicious pies I’ve ever put in my mouth, and some great products for speedy cleaning. What more could you ask for?
What’s your favorite pie recipe for summer?
Oh this looks amazing. I know my wife is a huge fan of lemon so I may have to surprise her with this!
I love good Lemon Icebox Pie!! I just wish my merengue would look as good as yours, LOL!!
This dessert looks so light and refreshing! What a great combination for a summer dessert. My daughters would absolutely love this!
Ohhhhh yes. PLEASE. I need this in my life. Lemon is my favourite, so this is going to be made at my house!
I love the taste of lemon in desserts and this recipe looks absolutely delicious! Those little helpers of yours are adorable!
That looks really amazing and I love recipes like this because they aren’t just sweet treats, they keep you cool as well. I can’t wait to try the recipe one of these days!
I have never made a pie myself but if I do I would love to try the ones with fruits and nuts in it. That looks good = though.
That lemon ice box pie is perfect for summertime entertaining or snacking. I love how easy it is to make.
I could eat a big bowl of the filling right now. Sigh. Now I have cravings. 🙂 LoL.
I love lemon flavored pies and this one certainly looks amazing!
This pie is calling my name. Lemon is my favorite flavor for pastries!
This summer pie looks delicious. I love lemon in the summer. It’s so light and fresh.
This recipe looks divine. Can’t wait to try it. I’m a huge lemon fan. One of my favorite pie recipes is millionaire pie. It’s perfect for summer.
Oh my gosh does this look delicious! Lemon screams summer to me! I love anything with lemon anyway, but I would love to try it as an icebox pie! This looks delicious.
I know exactly where Bessemer is! I grew up in Irondale. I will have to check into hunting this place down and eating there the next time we are up visiting family.
Mmmm I love lemon pies!! I used to buy a whole Lemon Meringue and eat it myself when I was younger…the good ol’ days!
Your lemon ice box pie would’ last very long in my house. I would have to make two if we have friends over because just my family would eat all of this in one setting.
That pie sounds SO good. We are having some people over on the 4th of July for a little cookout and this would a perfect dessert to serve.