Eagle Brand Lemon Pie

Eagle brand lemon pie puts simple ingredients to use in a sweet-tart filling that’s so easy to do you’ll be making this one for every holiday, gathering or average Tuesday you can. Give it a simple chill and the filling will set up perfectly.

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Evaporated milk vs sweetened condensed milk: Know the difference

Evaporated milk is just milk that has been cooked to reduce its water content then canned. This milk has no sweetener and is much thinner than condensed milk. Make sure you don’t buy it for this recipe.

Sweetened condensed milk has reduced water content as well but also has sugar added (a lot of sugar!) and ends up a bit syrupy and thicker than evaporated. Eagle brand is what we’re using in this recipe. You should find it in your baking aisle.

What crust do you use with an icebox lemon pie?

Icebox pies are made in crumb crusts like graham cracker. You can make your own with grahams, sugar and melted butter if you’d like to. You will need to bake it a few minutes and let it cool before using it in this recipe. Check out this homemade graham cracker crust recipe for details.

You can also use a pre made crust from the store. You can find them in the baking aisle and they don’t require baking again, but I find the tiny aluminum pans they come in to be too small to fit all the filling.

Tips for the best Eagle brand lemon pie

As always, when you are baking a pie with only a few ingredients, you need to use good ones for the best flavor.

• Choose full fat cream cheese in a block. Avoid spreadable cream cheese, or low fat versions that may not mix in correctly or could separate when mixed with the acid from the lemon juice. Low fat is often low flavor as well.
• Use real lemon juice and zest. Bottle juice isn’t even real juice and doesn’t taste right in this recipe. When using zest use an organic lemon to avoid the pesticides on the surface.
• Allow the blended filling to sit as long as possible so the cream cheese can get stiff again and firm the pie up well. You shouldn’t have any trouble with this filling being runny because of the cream cheese.

Ways to decorate your icebox lemon pie

Decorate your Eagle brand lemon pie any way you want to. You can leave it without any decoration or you can pile on fresh whipped cream or Cool Whip if that’s what you use.

If you have a piping bag, you can go the extra mile like I did and pipe shapes around the edge. Thin slices of lemon will tell your guests what flavor to expect and a pop of mint leaves would add extra contrast.

Why did my Eagle lemon pie not set?

There are a few reasons your lemon pie may not set, but most of them are easy to prevent. Here are some reasons:

• You used the wrong milk. If you chose evaporated instead of sweetened condensed it would make your pie much too thin.
• You added too much lemon juice. This recipe calls for fresh lemon juice. Make sure you don’t eyeball it or you could thin your filling too much.
• You didn’t use cream cheese, or it wasn’t full fat. Many icebox pies skip the cream cheese or use a reduced fat kind. Use full fat so its firm when cold.
• You didn’t give it enough time to chill. Eagle brand lemon pie needs at least four hours in the fridge. You can also partially freeze it to make it hold together better.

How to assemble Eagle lemon pie

Beat full fat, room temperature cream cheese with a stand mixer, hand mixer or by hand until smooth.

Add the lemon juice, zest and sweetened condensed milk and beat again until totally incorporated.

Transfer the mixture to a prepared graham cracker crust. You can use a store bought one or make a homemade crust. Refrigerate at least four hours to set or overnight is even better.

Can lemon pie with Eagle milk be made ahead?

Yes! This lemon pie will be good for several days in the fridge but could soften your crust so keep that in mind. You need to let this pie chill and set for at least four hours before serving. But you could go as long as three days in advance.

Can icebox lemon pie be frozen?

Yes this is a good pie to freeze. If yours is a little soft-set for some reason, serving it partially frozen may even help with serving.

To freeze, wrap the whole pie in plastic wrap then two layers of foil and freeze for up to three months.

Thaw in the refrigerator.

More lemon desserts to try

Lemon is one of the best flavors in baking! Try one of these other great lemon desserts.

• Easy lemon mousse bars
• Shortbread lemon bars
• Lemon pots de creme
• Lemon lush dessert