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This Lemon Custard Pie takes the best parts of lemon meringue pie and crème brûlée and combines them into one irresistible dessert. The silky lemon custard filling is perfectly tart and sweet, baked in a buttery pie crust, and finished with a crackly caramelized sugar topping.
Krissy’s Notes
This pie is pure heaven. It’s the kind of dessert that makes you close your eyes with the first bite. It’s smooth, creamy, and bursting with bright lemon flavor.
If you want to take the flavor to the next level, make it with my All Butter Pie Crust. But if you plan to refrigerate the pie before serving, I actually recommend using an oil-based crust since butter crusts can harden in the fridge. (That said, if you’re like me and can’t wait for it to chill before diving in, the butter crust wins every time.)
This pie is perfect for any season. It can be a citrusy option at Thanksgiving in addition to your classic pumpkin pie or a fresh made apple pie. It can also be a bright dessert for spring gatherings, or a cool and refreshing summer treat.
If you love lemon desserts, don’t miss my Lemon Bars and Homemade Lemon Curd.
What You’ll Need To Make It
You’ll find the full recipe in the card below, but here’s what gives this lemon brulee pie its irresistible flavor and texture:
- Pie crust: Use a 9-inch pre-baked crust, homemade or store-bought.
- Eggs: The base of the custard and they make the filling rich and silky.
- Sugar: Sweetens the tart lemon and caramelizes beautifully on top.
- Lemon juice and zest: Bright, tangy flavor that defines the pie.
- Orange juice: Adds a touch of sweetness and rounds out the citrus.
- Heavy cream: Creates that luscious crème brûlée-style custard.
How to Make Lemon Brulee Pie
Full details are below, but here’s the high-level process:
- Par-bake the crust. Line the crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake until lightly golden.
- Make the filling. Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, orange juice, and cream until smooth.
- Bake. Pour into the crust and bake slowly at a low temperature until set and slightly jiggly in the center.
- Cool and chill. Let the pie cool completely, then refrigerate.
Make Ahead and Storage
To make ahead: Bake the pie a day before serving. Add the brûlée topping just before serving for that perfect crackly crust.
To store: Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To serve: Bring to room temperature for about 15 minutes before slicing to get that perfect custard texture.
Learn From Me
After years of pie making, here area few tips that might help you recreate this recipe in your own kitchen.
- Use fresh lemons. Bottled juice won’t give you the same flavor.
- Keep an eye while torching. The sugar layer melts quickly and can burn fast.
- Make it year-round. This pie is light enough for spring and indulgent enough for the holidays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few questions from readers I’ve gotten over the years.
Nope. A broiler works too. Just watch carefully and rotate for even caramelization.
Yes, bake the filling in small ramekins for individual tart flavored crème brûlée-style desserts.
Granulated sugar caramelizes best, but superfine sugar gives a more even crust.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Line a 9 inch pie pan with the 9 inch pie crust and fork the edge of the crust. Line the crust with a parchment round or a paper coffee filter and add pie weights, dry rice, dried beans to fill the crust about 2/3 full. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes.
- Stir 6 large eggs and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar together. Add 2 tablespoons lemon zest, 3/4 cup lemon juice, and 3 1/2 teaspoons orange juice. Add 2/3 cup heavy cream and stir to combine.
- Pour liquid into parbaked pastry shell and bake at 300°F for about 50 minutes until the center looks set.
- Allow to cool to room temperature on cooling rack and store in refrigerator.
- Optional: Brûlée the top. Sprinkle an even layer of 1 tablespoon sugar over the chilled pie and use a kitchen torch (or broiler) to melt and caramelize the sugar until golden and crisp
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, do I need to buy a torch to make this?
How many days ahead can I make it?
Thanks!
🙂🍋
Nope. The oven should do the torching. I would plan on eating it the day you make it or within a day or two of baking.
Wow! Made this last night. I am a lemon lover. Excellent. I would love to make this without a crust in little ramkins. Who needs a crust when it taste that good.
Excellent recipe, I make this pie for every holiday
Where are the rest of the instructions? how do you get the top crusty like in the photo, sugar? and torch it, if so how much sugar etc
Looking forward to making this! I’ve seen a lot of other creme brulee pie recipes use only egg yolks, or a combination of egg yolks + whole eggs (yolks + whites), to make the filling a little more dense. Just wanted to confirm that you meant to use 6 whole eggs?
Thanks!
How much sugar did you place on top the pie the Lemon Brulee pie before you torched it? Did you use a torch or the broiler?
A very fine thin layer, and I use a torch
I just made this and it it’s cooling now. There wasn’t a mention but am wondering if you just torches the top or dusted it with sugar and torches like a regular creme brûlée? Thanks for a great recipe
like a regular creme brûlée
Real lemon juice or bottled?
I always use real. -Krissy
Mines been in there for 50 minutes on 300 and is still liquid. I didn’t forget anything….
Hmmmm. Did it ever set? Just wondering how much oven variation as well as rack position came into play. Krissy