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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Our Luscious Creamy Lemon Chiffon Pie is a dream dessert with its sweet-tart billowy filling and easy preparation. Plus, most of the prep time is hands-off—you bake the crust, whip up the filling, and pop it in the fridge to set!

The chiffon filling is a zingy lemon custard lightened by whipped egg whites. The gelatin in the mixture gives it a perfect structure and mouthfeel: silky, fluffy, and pleasantly chilled.
Our irresistibly flaky, golden-brown Perfect Pie Crust is the ideal complement to the creamy filling.

I adore lemon; its refreshing taste and vibrant color make it especially lovely for spring and summer desserts. For other treats full of puckery lemon flavor, try The Whole Lemon Tart, One-Bowl Lemon Cupcakes, and Refreshing & Creamy Lemon Posset. You can also make my Quick & Easy Lemon Curd to use in Blueberry and Lemon Eton Mess or just enjoy it on top of ice cream.

What is Luscious Creamy Lemon Chiffon Pie?
Tools You Need
Key Ingredients and Why
How to Make Lemon Chiffon Pie
Can I Make this Pie in Advance?
How to Store Leftovers
FAQs
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
More Refrigerated Pie Recipes

What is Luscious Creamy Lemon Chiffon Pie?

Luscious Creamy Lemon Chiffon Pie is a delectable dessert featuring a light and airy lemon custard filling combined with meringue, nestled within a pre-baked flaky pie crust. In comparison with the pie crust, the pie filling does NOT require baking but sets in the refrigerator, offering a creamy texture with a refreshing citrus flavor.

It is a cold-set pie that uses blind baking which fully bakes the crust without filling in advance.
Baker Monroe Boston Strauss invented lemon chiffon pie in the 1920s. Dissatisfied with the heavy custard pies of the day, he experimented until he devised a technique for making a glamorous, fluffy filling that firmed up in the fridge. His mom compared the pie’s ethereal texture to silk chiffon, and the name stuck!

Tools You Need

Key Ingredients and Why

1 Recipe Pie Crust
- Our Homemade Pie Crust Recipe produces a versatile crust with an exquisite taste and texture.
- Pro tips and detailed instructions help you nail this perfect crust, even if you’re a new baker!
Powdered gelatin
- Powdered unflavored gelatin is the key to a smooth but firm filling.
- The gelatin is bloomed, or hydrated, in water before you whisk it into the lemon custard.
Eggs, separated
- In lemon chiffon pie, egg yolks are used to make the custard. They emulsify and thicken the mixture and give it a velvety texture and rich flavor.
- Egg whites and sugar are whipped to stiff, glossy peaks and folded into the lemon mixture. This meringue is foamy yet stable, and it lightens the custard.
- Check out our post, How Long Do You Whip Egg Whites? to get the perfect consistency.
- Egg wash (an egg whisked with 1 tablespoon of milk) is brushed on the pie crust edges before baking.
Granulated sugar
- Sugar sweetens the pie, balancing the tart citrus flavor.
- In addition, sugar interacts with the egg yolks and gelatin to form a thick and stable filling.
Lemon zest and fresh lemon juice
- Lemon’s refreshing flavor is the star of this pie.
- Using both lemon zest and lemon juice layers and intensifies the citrus taste. Use organic lemons if possible.

How to Make Lemon Chiffon Pie

Blind bake the pie crust:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Roll out the pie crust to a ¼ inch (6 mm) circle and put it in the pie pan.
- Crimp the edges and brush with egg wash.
- Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights/dried beans.
- Lower the heat to 350°F (180°C), and bake pie shell for 10 minutes more, until the bottom looks matte and not wet and the edges are golden. Let cool.
Make the lemon custard:
- Bloom the gelatin: In a small bowl, mix the gelatin with 1/3 cup (2 ½ fl oz/75 ml) of water and let stand to thicken for five minutes.
- In a small saucepan, whisk egg yolks, ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) of sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the gelatin mixture until dissolved.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve and let cool to room temperature.
Finish the pie filling:
- Whip the egg whites until they reach soft peaks, about three minutes.
- Gradually add ¼ cup (2 oz/57 g) of granulated sugar, and continue whipping until you have thick glossy peaks, another three to four minutes.
Chill the pie and serve:
- Fold the meringue into the cooled custard and fill the pie crust with the mixture.
- Refrigerate for at least four hours until set.
- Serve with whipped cream on the side.

Can I Make Luscious Lemon Chiffon Pie in Advance?

Yes, you can make Luscious Lemon Chiffon Pie in advance.

Make the pie crust in advance:
- You can roll out the pie crust, put it in the pan, and refrigerate it for two days.
- You can also freeze the pie crust for up to eight weeks. When you’re ready to use it, take the crust out of the freezer and bake directly from frozen.
- If the crust is frozen, you can blind-bake it as is, with no pie weights or beans.
Make the lemon custard in advance:
- After the custard is cooled to room temperature, press plastic wrap directly on the top to prevent a skin from forming.
- Refrigerate for up to three days.
Whip the egg whites in advance:
- The egg whites are best whipped right before folding them into the custard, but they can be whipped one hour in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

How to Store Leftovers

Put the leftover pie in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to two days.

FAQs

Can I make this with a gluten-free pie crust?
- Yes, you can make this with a gluten-free crust.
- You’ll love our recipe, The Flakiest Gluten-Free Pie Crust
How do I keep my crust from shrinking when I blind-bake it?
- Too much water in your crust, which evaporates during baking, causes it to shrink.
- The solution is just to add the minimum amount of water that you need. Pull your dough together into a ball, and if it’s extremely dry, lash it in water.
How do I make sure my chiffon filling stays fluffy?
- Make sure your mixing bowl and beaters are clean. A little grease can affect the whipping results.
- Be sure to beat the egg whites to glossy, stiff peaks
- Fold the meringue into the custard gently so that it doesn’t deflate.

Can I use sheet gelatin instead of powdered gelatin?

Yes, you can substitute sheet gelatin for powdered gelatin.

- One packet (1 tablespoon) of powdered gelatin is equivalent to four gelatin sheets.
- If you’re using sheet gelatin, soak the sheets of gelatin in a bowl of cold water for 5 to 10 minutes. (Figure about 1 cup, 250ml, of cold water per sheet.) –
- Once soft, lift the sheets from the cold water.
- Wring gently to remove excess water, then add to warm liquid, stirring until dissolved then add to the thickened mixture of egg yolk, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

To keep this crust extra crisp, brush a bit of melted white chocolate on it and let it harden completely before filling.
You can make this a completely no-bake dessert by using my No-Bake Cookie Pie Crust. With this flexible recipe, you can use graham cracker crumbs or Biscoff crumbs with butter.
Use a metal spoon when folding the whites into the custard to keep them from deflating.
Crème Fraiche Whipped Cream is absolutely delicious with this pie!
You can turn this into a lime chiffon pie by replacing the lemon juice and zest with lime!

More Refrigerated Pie Recipes