Old Fashioned Lemon Pie Recipe

You will love these old fashioned lemon pie recipes chosen from Grandma's old fashioned recipe collection. All are family favorites.

Did you know that lemons are one of the world's favorite fruits when used in making pies? That's because of their tangy, zesty, fresh taste. You can't beat a lemon pie without meringue for its flavor.

Grandma's Old Fashioned Lemon Pie Recipes

Mom's Recipe Scrapbooks (1920s)

Classic Lemon Chiffon Pie

1 level tablespoon gelatin, 1/4 cup cold water, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoonful grated lemon rind, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Soak gelatin in cold water for about five minutes. Separate egg whites and egg yolks. Add one-half cup of sugar, one-half cup lemon juice, and salt to beaten egg yolks and cook over boiling water until thick. Add softened gelatin to hot egg custard. Add grated lemon rind. Cool.

Beat egg whites until stiff and dry. Fold remaining half-cup of sugar into egg whites very carefully. Fold egg whites into cool egg custard.

Fill pre-baked pie shell or graham cracker pie crust. Chill in refrigerator. Garnish with whipped cream before serving.

Lemon Sponge Pie

2 egg yolks, 1 cup milk, 1 cup white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon melted butter, juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind, 2 egg whites, baked pastry shell.

Beat egg yolks until light and add milk. Mix together sugar, flour, and salt, and stir into first mixture. Add melted butter, lemon juice, and rind while stirring. Gently fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Pour mixture into baked pastry shell and bake in moderate oven (350°F) about 40 minutes or until firm. Cover with meringue or whipped cream.

Lemon and Apple Pie

Grated rind of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 cup white sugar, 1 egg yolk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/4 cup hot water, 2 apples pared and grated.

Mix well together, then add egg white, beaten stiff, and bake between crusts at 350°F until done. —Mrs. W. A. Jones

Traditional Lemon Cake Pie

Cake Pastry:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt

Put the softened butter into a bowl, add the boiling water, and stir. Gradually blend in your sifted dry ingredients to form a soft, moist pastry dough. Lightly flour counter and roll out dough until very thin. Line a 10-inch non-greased pie plate with the dough.

Lemon Filling:

2 tablespoons flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons butter
Juice of 1 lemon
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon rind in a bowl. Blend in the butter, then add the lemon juice and slightly beaten egg yolks. Gradually add milk and combine ingredients well.

Gently fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites and pour the filling into the prepared pie crust.

Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, then lower temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes until done.

Mock Lemon Pie

Recipe used by pioneer cooks when lemons were unavailable: 3 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1-1/2 pints buttermilk, 1 teaspoon extract of lemon, 1-1/2 tablespoons flour. (Bake at 350°F until done.)

Old Fashioned Lemon Pie Recipes

The White House Cook Book (1913)

Small Lemon Pie

Moisten a heaping tablespoonful of cornstarch with a little cold water, then add a cupful of boiling water; stir over the fire till it boils and cook the cornstarch, say two or three minutes; add a teaspoonful of butter and a cupful of sugar; take off the fire, and, when slightly cooled, add an egg well beaten and the juice and grated rind of a fresh lemon. Bake with a crust at 350°F. This makes a small pie.

Medium Lemon Pie

Two large, fresh lemons, grate off the rind, if not bitter reserve it for the filling of the pie, pare off every bit of the white skin of the lemon (as it toughens while cooking).

Then cut the lemon into very thin slices with a sharp knife and take out the seeds; two cupfuls of sugar, three tablespoonfuls of water, and two of sifted flour.

Put into the pie crust a layer of lemon, then one of sugar, then one of the grated rind, and, lastly, of flour, and so on till the ingredients are used; sprinkle the water over all, and cover with upper crust.

Be sure to have the under crust lap over the upper, and pinch it well, as the syrup will cook all out if care is not taken when finishing the edge of crust.

(Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes on a lower rack, then reduce oven heat to 350°F and continue baking until done.) This quantity makes one medium-sized pie.

Dr. Chase's Old Fashioned Lemon Pie Recipes

Dr. Chase's Receipt Book (1891)

Lemon and Raisin Pie

Two small lemons, prepared as in the recipe above; sugar, 1 coffee-cupful; 1 egg; butter, 1 rounding tablespoonful; flour, 3 tablespoonfuls; boiling water, 2-1/2 coffee-cupfuls; raisins, 1 coffee-cupful; a little salt.

Directions: Stir the flour smooth in a little cold water, and mix all, putting in the beaten egg last, not to scald it.

This old fashioned lemon pie recipe makes 2 or 3 pies, according to your liberality in filling or size of your plate. Bake with 2 crusts (350°F).

Lemon and Raisin Open Pie

Raisins, 1 pound; 1 lemon, prepared as above; sugar, 1 cup; flour, 2 tablespoonfuls.

Directions: Stew the raisins 1 hour, leaving just water enough to cover them; then, having rubbed the flour smooth in a little cold water, mix all and make 3 pies. (Bake at 360°F.)

Remarks. —Either of these old fashioned lemon pie recipes with raisins may be baked with or without upper crust, as you choose, generally without. —Dr. Chase

Old Fashioned Lemon Pie Recipes: Frequently Asked Questions

About Lemon Pies

Food historians agree that the history of lemon pies dates from medieval England. They were often served at Elizabethan banquets and Renaissance fairs.

Lemon pies became popular in North America during the 19th century, as lemons became more readily available and home cooks embraced their bright, zesty flavor.

Thanks to these old fashioned lemon pie recipes, you'll get to enjoy the flaky crust and creamy lemon filling that became a staple at church socials and family gatherings.