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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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).
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
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
Ditto on the microplane graters — love them! Pie looks fabulous, definitely love anything lemony. You reminded me of that old (bad) movie, ‘Spatula City.’ At least that’s what I think it was called. For years, my kids (now grown) used to quote it to me, “What better way to say I love you than with a spatula?”, and my daughter gave me one for mother’s day. Still makes me laugh.
You need a microplane for your zesting. They might be a tad expensive but worth it. My favorite is lemon meringue pie but I am going to try this using Splenda baking substitute since I am a diabetic.
I just love love lemon pie
YUMMY!!!!
Christy,
My great-grandmother was famous for her chess pies. I was raised in southern Tennessee but I moved to New Mexico a few years ago. I have tried every combination of the ingredients that I can think of to be able to bake a chess pie at 6500 ft above sea level. Any hints?
Let me just reiterate the Microplane zester. It was invaluable tool in culinary school and I highly recommend it to everyone!
This sounds like a lemon sponge pie from the Dutch county,Lancaster Pa
Love this pie – anything lemon or lemony is #1 on my list. I make this on a regular basis because it is so easy. It is 8:37 am and I already have one cooling.
I’m glad someone else loves spatulas. Several years ago, my Mom stated that all she needed for Christmas was some new spatulas. So… she got about 50 of them. All shapes, all sizes, all colours, short handles, long handles… you get the picture. She said she would never need a new spatula as long as she lives but the supply is depleting. However, she does not have one with hearts, just butterflies.
I have one with fish on it and carry it in my picnic basket for when we stop for a shore lunch while fishing, gets those last crispy bits of fish out of the pan every time.
Love this site and all the resipes. Although I am far from being “from the South” I enjoy these recipes immensely. I think every region has its own variation of “old favourites” based on the availability of the ingredients. It is my grandpa that was the cook – not so much “eatin food” as he called it, but the preserves, jams, jellies, pickles; it it grew either domestic or in the wild, and we picked it, we did something with it as nothing was allowed to go to waste.
He has been gone for 11 1/2 years but I still think of him after the first frost of the year and I pick rose hips for my jam and jelly and supply of Vitamin C.
Keep up the good work. I look forward to receiving these emails.
Hope everyone has a great 4th of July. I will be celebrating July 1st. Don’t know yet what I will be preparing. As I will be in a camping environment, I have to come up with something to prepare on an open fire. Probably an upside down apple spice cake. Drives everyone in the campgrounds absolutely “nuts” when they smell it cooking