If you love lemon but aren’t a big fan of meringue, this pie is for you! Adding lemon to this classic Southern pie creates a creamy, custard-like texture that will have your tastebuds screaming for more. This is one of the most popular variations of traditional chess pie. It includes cornmeal, which is what makes it chess pie.
Are you required to use cornmeal for this recipe? Yes and no. The cornmeal is a thickener so technically you could use flour or cornstarch. However, without cornmeal you’ll be making a custard pie. The traditional rule is if it doesn’t contain cornmeal then it’s not chess pie. Who am I to disagree with tradition?
Normally the crust for a chess pie should be prebaked or blind baked. In wanting to create my own recipe for lemon chess pie, I tried two different recipes to see what I needed to add or otherwise modify. One recipe recommended prebaking the crust while the other didn’t. I actually noticed no difference between the two pies. Some bakers claim not prebaking the crust will cause the filling to soak through the crust and/or create a soggy crust. I had no problem with either pie even though one was prebaked and the other wasn’t.
You’ll notice this recipe lists lemon extract as optional. If you squeeze your own lemons you shouldn’t need the lemon extract. I practically live in the fruit/produce section of the supermarket. I’m one of those old timers who looks at everything even if I’m not buying anything. Sometimes the lemons are tiny and not much bigger than a medium-sized egg. They’re shriveled up and look like they probably don’t have more than a few drops of juice. If you can’t find decent lemons for this recipe and resort to using bottled lemon juice, then you might want to consider adding the lemon extract. Or, if you really love lemon then use fresh squeezed juice AND the lemon extract!
What You’ll Need
Utensils & Tools
- Large mixing bowl
- 9-inch pie plate
- Wire cooling rack
- Wire whisk
- Spoon or spatula
- Measuring cup
- Set of measuring spoons
Key Ingredients
- Refrigerated pie crust
- All-purpose flour
- Yellow cornmeal
- Granulated sugar
- Butter (melted)
- Lemon juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
- Large eggs
Lemon Chess Pie Recipe
Utensils & Equipment
- 1 9-inch pie plate
- 1 wire cooling rack
- 1 wire whisk
- 1 large bowl
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 spoon or spatula
- 1 measuring cup
- 1 set of measuring spoons
Ingredients List
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup lemon juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
- 6 Tbsp butter melted
- 3 Tbsp yellow cornmeal
- 1 tsp lemon extract (optional)
- 5 eggs large
Instructions
Prepare The Crust
- The refrigerated crust should sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes or as directed on the box.
- Carefully unroll the crust and place it in the pie plate.
- Place the pie plate in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Preheat Oven
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
Prepare The Filling
- In large bowl whisk together the sugar and cornstarch.
- In medium bowl whisk together the eggs, melted butter, and lemon juice. You can whisk in the lemon extract if you're adding it.
- Drizzle the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients then blend together with spoon or spatula. Stir until the filling is well blended.
- Pour the filling into the chilled pie crust.
Bake
- Bake on the BOTTOM RACK of the oven at 375℉ for 45-50 minutes or until the center of the pie is fully set.
- Pie is done when the center isn't jiggly.
Cool
- Allow to sit on wire cooling rack until the pie plate is cool to the touch.