Lemon Chess Pie: A Southern Family Tradition

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Lemon chess pie is a deliciously thick custard pie bursting with zesty lemon flavor that’s long been associated with Southern cuisine. You are going to love it!

Slice of old-fashioned lemon chess pie, with full pie in background.

I’m so excited to share this lemon pie recipe with y’all today. There are many, many pie recipes on Southern Plate, but lemon chess pie is my personal favorite. There’s just something about the light, sweet, and tangy lemon curd-like filling paired with the flaky pie crust that I can’t resist. This is a classic Southern dessert that you need to try for yourself.

Fortunately, this is a super quick and easy lemon chess pie recipe. Let’s hear it for simplicity! All you need to make this pie is butter, eggs, lemons, and sugar. I have used lemon juice on occasion when I didn’t want to fuss with fresh lemons or didn’t have them on hand and it was still wonderful. I like to make it with my homemade pie crust for a totally old-fashioned, simple but good experience. But it works beautifully in a standard store-bought pie shell, as you’ll see in this tutorial.

To make my chess pie, we’re going to cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the egg yolks, fresh lemon juice, and grated lemon zest. Now here is my secret weapon. You see, most chess pie recipes use cornmeal or flour as a stabilizer to thicken the filling. But in this recipe, the egg whites have the same effect. So beat them separately until stiff peaks form, fold them into the pie filling, and then pour this into your pie crust.

In 30 minutes, your lemon chess pie is ready to serve. Serve your pie slice with a dusting of powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream if you like. 

Recipe Ingredients

  • Pie crust
  • Butter
  • Eggs
  • Granulated sugar
  • Lemons (we use both the lemon juice and lemon zest).

How to Make Lemon Chess Pie

Cream together butter and sugar, then beat in egg yolks.

Begin by separating your egg yolks from the whites.

Make sure there is no yolk at all in your white because we are going to beat those and they won’t do what we want them to do if they have yolk in them. 

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg yolks. 

Add lemon zest and juice to mixing bowl and mix.

Lightly grate the rinds of your lemon to get some lemon zest.

Add grated lemon rind and fresh lemon juice to the mixing bowl and beat the ingredients together.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

In a separate bowl, with clean beaters (important), beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Then lightly fold them into your batter by hand using a spatula or large spoon (this means just stir them by hand until they are mixed in).

The above photo shows stiff egg whites.

Add pie filling to pie shell and bake.

After you fold egg whites into your batter, pour the filling into the pie pan or pie shell.

Bake the pie at 350 until set and golden (about 25 to 30 minutes).

Old-fashioned lemon chess pie

It will have a perfectly golden crust on top and smell like heavenly sunshine. 

For pretty sake, you can sprinkle a little confectioner’s sugar on top, if you like. 

Allow to completely cool before cutting. Even better if you make a day ahead of time and refrigerate until serving.

Storage

  • Store leftover lemon chess pie in an airtight container or covered in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 2 days.
  • However, you can also freeze lemon cheese pie for up to three months. After slicing the pie into individual servings, place the slices into an airtight container or wrap them individually in both plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Once you’re ready to eat, simply thaw the slices overnight in the fridge.

Recipe Notes

  • As mentioned, you can definitely use a homemade pie crust. Here’s my easy recipe where you mix the pie dough directly in the pan!
  • For gluten-free lemon chess pie, use a gluten-free pie crust instead. All of the other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
  • For best results, ensure both the butter and eggs are at room temperature before mixing.
  • As mentioned, you can use bottled lemon juice and skip the lemon zest if you like.

Recipe FAQs

Why is it called chess pie?

Chess pie has been a Southern tradition since the 1700s, so there are several rumors about where the name came from. Some people believe it has to do with enjoying a slice while playing chess. Others believe it was kept in the kitchen chest in the olden days and later referred to as chess pie. And some believe that the term chess pie came from the fact a Southerner once said “just pie,” which can sound like “jes’ pie” in the Southern dialect and that somehow transformed into chess pie. Choose the story you like the most!

What’s the difference between chess pie and regular pie?

The main difference between a Southern chess pie and a regular pie is that it has a custard filling made with butter, sugar, and eggs. Regular pie fillings can be made with a variety of ingredients. Take fan favorite, pecan pie for example, which is made with eggs, butter, sugar, corn syrup, and chopped pecans. 

Why is my lemon chess pie runny?

Sometimes, lemon chess pie will unfortunately still be runny after the recommended cooking time. If this happens, you can leave the pie in the turned-off oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. If that doesn’t work, place the pie in the fridge for a few hours to help it set.

What does chess pie taste like?

The chess pie filling is similar to that of a custard pie, so think a light and sweet custard filling. In this instance, the filling is a similar taste and texture to lemon curd.

How do you serve chess pie?

I love to serve my lemon chess pie with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar and a dollop of whipped cream (here’s my homemade recipe).

You may also like these Southern pie recipes:

Water Pie: Recipe from the Great Depression

Perfect Pecan Pie Recipe

Sawdust Pie

Chocolate Chess Pie

Southern Sweet Potato Pie

Buttermilk Pie Recipe

Lemon Chess Pie

Lemon chess pie is a deliciously thick custard pie bursting with zesty lemon flavor that's long been associated with Southern cuisine.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon, pie
Servings: 4
Calories: 482kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2-3 lemons (for lemon juice and lemon zest)
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 pie crust

Instructions

  • Cream sugar with butter until light and fluffy.
    1 cup sugar, 4 tablespoons butter
  • Beat in egg yolks.
    4 eggs, separated
  • Beat in grated lemon rind and juice.
    2-3 lemons (for lemon juice and lemon zest)
  • Beat egg whites in a separate bowl (with clean beaters) until stiff peak forms, then lightly fold this into the pie mixture.
    4 eggs, separated
  • Pour into the pie shell and bake at 350 until set and golden brown on top (about 25 to 30 minutes).
    1 pie crust

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 482kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!
 
This post was featured on Meal Plan Monday.
Lemon chess pie Pinterest image

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129 Comments

  1. Christy, you say that zesting is not your strong suit. Have you ever tried using a MIcroplane Grater? It looks like a woodworking tool, but it will zest a lemon (or grate Parmesan cheese or chocolate) so fine it will make you cry.

  2. Happy Birthday Jyl.
    Wonderful pie!. My husband thinks that you are best thing that’s ever happened to me. He has never eaten so well….Thankyou and keep it up.

  3. Can’t wait to try this on my hubby, his fav pie is Lemon meringue , but most of the recipes are the thick creamy looking stuff, he like the clear looking, any good recipes for that? I hope you know what I mean??? LOL.

  4. Would this work well with splenda? Has anyone tried it with the sugar subsitute? This sounds good but hubby is diabetic …

  5. I, too, grew up in rural Alabama with some wonderful chess pies. They always had cornmeal and vinegar and the eggs were added whole. I’ve enjoyed lemon chess pie as an adult. Can’t wait to try this variation with the whipped egg whites folded in. I bet it’s wonderful. My husband doesn’t care for cakes, except my strawberry cake, so I make all kinds of pies for dessert — when we allow ourselves to have it. I figure that should be about five times a week — some sacrifice, huh?

  6. One ~ cannot believe you broke out the “Dora” bowl. lol. If I start singing the backpack song tonight in class I am soooo going to blame you! Two ~ my first attempt at making chess pie was for this past Thanksgiving. Billy makes all of the pie doughs and I make the filliings. (He is quite the keeper) BUT, we make ours with cornmeal. (Never thought about lemon…sounds delish!) Three ~ for the last 35 years of my life (I will be 36 next month) my Uncle teased me to no end about not pronouncing my “t’s” at the end of light, bright, night, etc. 😉 Will be trying this one soon!!!

  7. I want some of this, RIGHT NOW!! Love this sunshiny day we’re having today, Christy. Hey, by the way, since I live not that far from you, if you ever need someone to tag along with you or help you out in some way, please let me know!

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