We loved this, but I did modify it just a little. I only had 8 oz cream cheese, so I folded about a cup of Cool Whip into the mix. I also used the juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime. Added 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon orange extract. The recipe I normally use for lemon icebox pie only calls for condensed milk and lemon juice, but I like this recipe better, because I believe the cream cheese tones down the flavor of the condensed milk. We really enjoyed the creaminess and light lemon taste.
This recipe is fabulous! The pie comes out beautiful and so tasty. I used the zest and juice of 3 lemons and it turned out great. Just enough tartness to offset the sweetness of the cream cheese and condensed milk. A hint? Keep it in the freezer for a while before you eat it, makes it even more refreshing!
I made this pie tonight for a dinner party and everybody loved it. I did however, use the zest of 4 lemons! I also used a regular crust intstead of the graham. I really whipped the heck out of it to make it thick and creamy. UPDATE: USE THE ZEST OF 4 LEMONS, NOT THE JUICE OF 4 LEMONS!!!!
This is actually one of my favorite summertime recipes for it's light refreshing flavor, the fact that it's an easy no bake recipe, and doesn't call for cool whip or jello. I've made it often and it's one of my most popular desserts. Seeing that it has some very mixed reviews, mostly addressing consistency and flavor, I will offer this...cans of sweetened condensed milk only come in 300 ml (10 oz) sizes around here so that's the amount I use, and it sets up quite well for me, so I would recommend using that amount only. Because the size of a lemon can vary and the recipe doesn't give a specific amount of juice, I would suggest adding the juice to taste so it doesn't get too tart. If more lemon flavor is desired, but it's tart enough, up the amount of lemon zest instead of adding more juice. To ensure a smooth filling, be sure to scrape down the bowl after beating the cream cheese, and add the milk and lemon slowly, again scraping the bowl occasionally until all is well incorporated. Finally, I have found that beating the mixture for a good five minutes after it's smooth yields a very light textured, mousse like result. Be sure to also use a 'tnt' crust if going the store bought route or it may detract from the overall flavor of the finished pie. I prefer to just mix up some graham crumbs, butter, and sugar if needed, and press into the pie plate. It isn't always necessary to bake a crumb crust.
Disappointing. I thought two packages of cream cheese would be too much and I should have followed my instincts instead of the reviews (and made the other Lemon Icebox Pie recipe on this site that calls for only ONE package of cream cheese, darn it) Too cream cheesey tangy, not sweet enough because of it (I'm sure the sweetness level would be fine if only one package of cream cheese was used) and not lemony enough, even tho' I nearly doubled the amount of zest called for. I also made my own crust, using "Graham Cracker Crust," also from this site. It's a pretty pie, but it's not as mouthwatering good as it looks.
This was extremely easy to make and pleased my dinner guests. I recommend adding the cool-whip topping...it made the dessert much better. I also made my lower in fat by using lite cool-whip and fat free cream cheese! Every little bit helps! Be sure to blend the cream sheese well before adding lemon juice or it will curdle and taste terrible!
This was EXCELLENT. I made it twice in one week. I used a shortbread ready-made pie crust from the store and fat-free cream cheese. I used real lemons one day and the next time I used a 1/2 cup of lemon juice from consentrate. Both worked out well. We kept it in the freezer until ready to serve. Thanks for a quick and perfect summer pie.
Very easy to make and loved by everyone. I did use the juice of two lemons and the zest of two lemons.
This is great recipe especially for the hot summer months when you don't want to turn on your oven. The second time I made this pie I used fat free condensed milk 1/3 less fat cream cheese and fat free cool whip to cut fat down to 10g. Do not use low fat condensed milk from my past experience it does not thicken as well as the fat free or regular when citrus is added. Have not tried the fat free cream cheese yet.
