1 ½cupgraham cracker crumbs11-12 whole crackers - or store-bought crust
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
1tablespoonlight brown sugar
7tablespoonsunsalted butter -melted
Pie Filling
8ouncescream cheese -room temperature
14ouncessweetened condensed milk
2Tablespoonslemon zest-from 2 lemons, plus more for garnish
¾cupfresh lemon juice-from 6 lemons
Whipped Cream
1½cupsheavy whipping cream
¼cuppowdered sugar or granulated sugar
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to finely ground into crumbs.
Add the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar and brown sugar to a medium-sized bowl. Mix to combine.
Add the melted butter and use a fork to combine the ingredients, until the crumbs are all moistened.
Pour the mixture into pie plate. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to firmly pack crumbs into the bottom of the pan and use your fingers to pack crumbs tightly into the sides of the pie pan.
Freeze the crust for 10-20 minutes before filling.
Pie Filling
Add the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a large bowl.
Using an electric mixer, whip on medium until smooth and creamy.
Spread the filling into the pie crust and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours (overnight is best).
Whipped Cream
Add the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or a large bowl with an electric mixer).
Start at a low speed and gradually build up to a faster speed (this will give you better consistency for your whipped cream than over-beating it from the beginning.
Continue beating the cold cream until stiff peaks begin to form (just a little past soft peaks). The process should take 7-10 minutes.*Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
Spread the whipped cream topping over the chilled pie. Garnish with lemon and lime zest.
Garnish the pie with lemon and lime zest. If time permits, refrigerate the lemon icebox pie for 2-3 hours before serving. You can also freeze the pie and serve ice-cold frozen slices. It's the perfect refreshing dessert for those hot summer days.
Notes
*You can also buy a ready-to-use graham cracker crumbs or a premade graham cracker pie crust at your local grocery store.Can I use bottled lemon juice?Although you can use bottled juice, I wouldn’t recommend it. Fresh lemons give the juice a brighter, cleaner citrus flavor. Bottled juice tends to be flat and acidic without the bright, fresh flavor.Can I use a different pie crust?Absolutely. Although a classic graham cracker crust is most often used, vanilla wafers, shortbread, or lemon cream cookies can be used to make the pie crust.