Easy Frozen Lemonade Pie is the perfect combination of sweet and tart flavors, all wrapped up in a crunchy graham cracker crust. Light and refreshing with a sublime lemony flavor, it’s a perfect no-fuss dessert that will quickly become a family favorite.
A grand meal starts with delicious food, and this delightful frozen dessert topped with summer fresh berries is sure to wow your family and friends. With the addition of the optional berry topping, this Frozen Lemonade Pie will be the star of your Memorial Day or Fourth of July party, back-yard BBQ, or potluck.
As a bonus, I’ve also included instructions for making a homemade graham cracker crust. However, if you are short on time, a purchased premade crust can be your best friend.
Here’s what’s in it:
For the pie filling, you only three ingredients:
- Heavy cream – or you can use heavy whipping cream to make a creamy, light-as-a-cloud billowy topping that keeps this pie light and airy even though it’s frozen.
- Sweetened condensed milk – is probably my favorite canned ingredient ever. True to its name, it’s a decadent combination of milk with its water content reduced, and sugar added. Even though evaporated milk has also had its water content reduced because it has no sugar, you can’t substitute it for sweetened condensed milk in this recipe.
- Frozen lemonade concentrate – is the star of this show, and it is what brings the sweet and tangy lemony flavor to this yummy pie. Feel free to substitute frozen limeade concentrate to make a Frozen Limeade Pie.
If you are making the homemade graham cracker crust, you will need:
- Graham Cracker Crumbs – form the base of the sweet and crunchy crust. I usually buy a box of graham cracker crumbs, but you can certainly use regular graham crackers and pulverize them in a food processor. You can also purchase a premade deep-dish graham cracker pie crust and use that instead.
- Granulated sugar – besides adding a sweet taste, the sugar works with the butter to bind the graham cracker crumbs together.
- Unsalted Butter – holds the graham cracker crumbs together, makes it extra crunchy, and gives it that wonderfully buttery flavor.
For the optional topping:
- Berries – grab some fresh blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, or raspberries. Use what you like. I usually use a combination of strawberries and blueberries when I’m making this pie for a summer holiday meal.
- Lemon juice – adds a touch more lemon flavor and enhances the fresh berry flavor. You could also substitute a bit of orange liqueur or Grand Marnier.
- Granulated sugar – combines with fresh berries to create a thick delicious juice in a process called maceration.
Here’s how to make it:
- If you are making the graham cracker crust, first preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl.
- Press the graham cracker mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate—Bake for seven minutes. Remove from the oven, set it aside, and let it cool for at least 30 minutes.
- While the crust cools, make the pie filling. First, add the cream to a medium-size cold bowl and use an electric mixer set on medium to whip it until stiff peaks form. This will take around six to eight minutes. Set aside.
- In another bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and frozen lemonade concentrate. Mix well. Use a rubber spatula and gently fold the lemonade mixture into the whipped cream.
- Pour the pie filling into the prepared pie crust, cover with foil and freeze for four to eight hours.
- To serve the pie, take it out of the freezer 15 minutes before slicing to allow it to soften slightly. Slice and serve.
- If you are making the optional berry topping, about 45 minutes before you plan to serve the pie, toss the berries, sugar, and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Before serving, top each slice of pie with a generous spoonful of the berry mixture.
Frequently asked questions:
This is the perfect dessert to serve at a cookout or backyard barbecue. It is light and refreshing and goes beautifully with grilled or smoked meats such as Smoked Spatchcock Chicken, Smoked Chicken Thighs, or my Best and Easiest Grilled Chicken. It also goes well with casual sides such as my Southern Potato Salad, Summer Pasta Salad, or everyone’s favorite Southern Broccoli Salad.
Leftover Frozen Lemonade Pie should be stored tightly covered in your freezer. It will last a week or so in the freezer but may get icy if it’s left in there much longer.
To make it easy to slice this pie, be sure to take it out of the freezer at least 15 minutes before you plan to serve it. Use a sharp knife, hold it under hot running water to warm the blade before slicing, and wipe it off between slices.
Macerating is adding sugar to berries and other fruit to soften and release their natural juices.
It usually takes about six to eight minutes to get to the “stiff peak” stage when whipping cream. Stiff peaks mean that when you lift the mixture with a spoon, the peaks will remain without falling over. But don’t overdo it; whipped cream can turn to butter if whipped too long!
Sharon’s tips:
- When making the graham cracker crust, be sure to pack the crumbs firmly on the bottom and sides of the pan. You can use your fingers, but I find a small flat-bottomed measuring cup works better. If the crumbs aren’t packed, the crust will be crumbly and won’t hold together.
- Be sure to let the frozen lemonade concentrate thaw before adding it to the other ingredients.
- When combining the whipped cream, sweetened condensed milk, and lemonade concentrate, use a gentle folding motion with a rubber spatula to combine everything. Don’t stir it or use a whisk; you will deflate it.
- This pie is delicious by itself without any topping, but the blue and red berries give it a patriotic feel and make it perfect for the 4th of July or Memorial Day. To keep the patriotic theme going, you could substitute strawberries and blackberries, but any berries or fruit would be excellent.
- You will have the best results whipping the cream if the bowl, cream, and beaters are ice cold. If you have time, put your bowl and beaters in the fridge for 30 minutes before making the whipped cream.
- Don’t feel like turning on the oven to bake your crust? No problem, add two tablespoons of butter to the graham cracker crumb mixture, make sure to pack the crumbs down firmly, and pop the crust in the freezer while you are making the filling to set it.
- If you are using a purchased graham cracker crust, be sure to buy a “deep dish” crust or one that says “extra servings. The regularly sized ones are too shallow, and you won’t have room for all of your filling. .”
- If you are topping your pie with macerated berries, only macerate enough berries for the number of slices you will be serving. After a day, macerated berries get too mushy, and they are much better if they are freshly macerated.
More dessert recipes:
If you are like me and think desserts and cookouts are a match made in heaven, be sure to check out these other popular dessert recipes:
- Key Lime Mousse
- Blueberry Thumbprint Cookies with Lemon Glaze
- Best Kumquat Pie
- Blueberry Delight
- Grape Salad
- Old-Fashioned Strawberry Pie
- Southern Peach Cobbler
- Homemade Fresh Peach Ice Cream
- Easy Watermelon Lemonade Ice Pops
- Old-Fashioned Blackberry Pie
Need more menu ideas; here is a link to all of my dessert recipes. You also might want to check out my roundup post, 33 Incredible and Easy Ice Cream Recipes. And, finally, if you are planning a cookout, you might also want to check out all of my barbecue, smoked, and grilling recipes here.
★ If you make this dessert, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!
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Frozen Lemonade Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs About 13 rectangle graham crackers
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Pie Filling Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream or heavy whipping cream cold
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 14 oz can, chilled
- 12 ounces frozen lemonade concentrate thawed
Topping Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup strawberries sliced
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Purchase a pre-made deep dish or oversized graham cracker crust. Or, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl.
- Press the graham cracker mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and let cool completely.
Pie Filling Directions
- In a medium-size bowl, whip the cream with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- In another bowl, stir together the sweetened condensed milk and frozen lemonade. Mix well.
- Gently fold the lemonade mixture into the whipped cream.
- Pour this mixture into the prepared pie crust, cover with foil and freeze overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Berry Topping Directions
- About an hour before you serve the pie, make the berry topping by tossing the berries with sugar and lemon juice. Set aside until ready to serve.
- To serve the pie, remove from the freezer for about 10 minutes before cutting and top each piece with some of the berry mixture.
Notes
Nutrition
**This recipe was first published on June 29, 2016. It was republished on May 15, 2021, with new photos, an FAQ section, and expanded tips.
Looks yummy! I’m also thinking of frozen strawberry lemonade with a fresh strawberry sauce on top–it would be a pretty light pink with the red strawberries.
Strawberry Lemonade would be awesome! Great idea!