Cool and Easy Summer Dessert: Freezer Lemonade Pie with a Gingersnap Crust

Put your freezer to work instead of the oven, and cool off with this frosty no-bake dessert! Equal parts creamy and tart, with frozen lemonade imparting a concentrated lemony flavor, this easy pie features a gingersnap cookie crust. You’ll also find alternative no-bake cookie crust options.

Happy Friday!

 How about a no-bake frozen dessert for your weekend?

Our heat index is in the triple digits and this freezer pie is a delicious way to cool off!

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I’ve made this pie a couple of times. . .

it’s refreshing, easy to make, and perfect for beating the heat!

The second time I made it, I used the food processor which made for less clean up and speedy mixing!

I used gingersnap cookies for the crust which added some welcome zip and spice, but feel feel to use a traditional graham cracker crust or cookies of choice. . . sandwich cookies, shortbread or vanilla wafers would all work. You’ll need 2 cups of cookie crumbs and 6 tablespoons of melted salted butter.

Method:

Process gingersnaps in a food processor until crumbled, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter, and pulse until mixture is combined. Transfer crumb mixture to a deep dish 9-inch pie plate; press mixture on bottom and up sides. Transfer to freezer to firm while preparing pie filling.

Archway Cookies, Crispy Gingersnaps Cookies

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Freezer Lemonade Pie, recipe adapted Southern Living

You’ll need a 9-inch deep dish pie pan that is freezer safe.

Ingredients

Cookie Crust

2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs, about 3/4 of a bag

6 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Pie Filling

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, full fat for best texture, softened

1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12-oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons)

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 /2 cup heavy whipping cream or 1 cup non dairy whipped topping

Topping

Whipped Cream or Non Dairy Whipped Topping

Optional garnish: lemon wedges and / or cookie crumbs

To make filling:

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add condensed milk, and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add lemonade concentrate, lemon zest, and salt; beat on low speed until incorporated about 1 minute; set aside.

Beat 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in a medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Spoon mixture into prepared crust, spreading evenly. Freeze, uncovered, until firm, about 6 hours or up to overnight.

Stabilizing whipped cream helps it hold its shape and prevents it from weeping liquid, which happens when you’re making desserts ahead of time and regular whipped cream sits for a while. Stabilizing whipped cream also helps it hold its shape when piping. My favorite stabilizer for whipped cream is a little cream cheese, which adds some richness but doesn’t change the flavor.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

Makes 3 cups

2 oz. cream cheese, full fat, room temperature

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method:

Place a metal or glass mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and powdered sugar to chilled bowl, beat with mixer for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy.

Add in the heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract, beat for 4-5 minutes on high speed, or until stiff peaks form.

Decorate top of frozen pie with whipped cream using piping bag fitted with a large piping tip.

Alternatively top pie with a billowy cloud of whipped cream / topping using an offset spatula.

 Garnish with lemon wedges and gingersnap cookie crumbs if desired. Return to freezer until ready to serve.

Optional food processor method:

Wipe food processor bowl and blade clean after pulsing cookie crumbs with butter. Add pie filling ingredients to bowl of processor in order as written above and process until mixture is blended and smooth.

Note: The high sugar content in sweetened condensed milk prevents this pie from freezing hard, so even after hours in the freezer, this pie has a soft-firm texture, with the edges melting quickly.

Tip: Serve this pie directly from the freezer on a chilled plate with chilled forks for a refreshing treat on a hot summer day!

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Print Recipe

Freezer Lemonade Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Put the freezer to work instead of your oven and cool off with this frosty no-bake dessert! Equal parts creamy and tart, with a can of frozen lemonade imparting a concentrated lemony flavor, this easy pie features a gingersnap cookie crust.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time0 minutes mins

freeze time 8 hours8 hours hrs

Total Time8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cream cheese, frozen pie, gingersnap cookie crust, lemonade concentrate, no bake recipe, stabilized whipped cream, summer dessert, sweetened condensed milk

Servings: 8

Equipment

• 9 inch deep dish pie pan, freezer safe
• mixer or food processor

Ingredients

Cookie Crust

• 2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs about 3/4 of a 12 oz. bag
• 6 tablespoons salted butter melted

Pie Filling

• 1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese, softened use full fat for best texture and flavor
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 12-oz. can frozen lemonade concentrate (such as Minute Maid), thawed
• 1 tablespoons grated lemon zest from 2 large lemons, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 /2 cup heavy whipping cream

Stabilized Whipped Cream Topping

• 2 oz. cream cheese room temperature
• ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional Garnish

• Lemon wedges
• Gingersnap cookie crumbs

Instructions

Make and freeze crust

• Coat a deep dish 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray.
• Process gingersnaps in a food processor until crumbled, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and pulse until mixture is combined and can hold its shape when pinched, 10 to 15 pulses.
• Transfer crumb mixture to pie plate; press mixture on bottom and up sides. Transfer to freezer for 20 minutes until firm.

Make filling

• Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
• Add condensed milk and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Add lemonade concentrate, lemon zest, and salt; beat on low speed until incorporated about 1 minute; set aside.
• Beat 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in a medium bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
• Spoon mixture into prepared crust, spreading evenly. Freeze, uncovered, until firm, about 6 - 8 hours or up to overnight.

Make stabilized whipped cream topping:

• Place a metal or glass mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove the bowl from the freezer. Add the cream cheese and powdered sugar, beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy.
• Add heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract and beat for 4-5 minutes on high speed, or until stiff peaks form.
• Add whipped cream to top of frozen pie with piping bag fitted with a large open star tip or use an offset spatula to top pie with whipped cream. Garnish with lemon wedges and gingersnap cookie crumbs if desired. Return pie to freezer until ready to serve.

To Serve

• Serve this pie straight from the freezer. The sweetened condensed milk in this recipe prevents this pie from freezing hard due to its high sugar content, so even after hours in the freezer this pie stays soft-ish with the edges melting quickly. I like to serve it on chilled plates and forks from the fridge for a refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

Notes

• Alternate crust: Substitute graham crackers, vanilla wafers or sandwich cookies for gingersnap cookies if desired.
• Substitute non-dairy whipped topping for heavy whipping cream if preferred. You'll want to add 1 cup whipped topping to pie filling as whipping cream doubles in volume.
• Optional food processor method: Wipe food processor bowl and blade clean after pulsing cookie crumbs with butter. Add pie filling ingredients to bowl of processor in order as written above and process until mixture is blended and smooth.
• Stabilizing whipped cream helps it hold its shape and prevents it from weeping liquid, which happens when regular whipped cream sits for a while. This is useful for making desserts ahead of time, using it for piping, or when exposed to warm temperatures.
• This pie should be served straight from the freezer. Store leftovers in the freezer, covered, up to 3 days for best flavor.

More cool and refreshing treats for lemon lovers:

Refreshing and Easy Lemon Dessert for the Lazy Days of Summer

Lemon Lovers No-Churn Ice Cream

No-Bake Raspberry-Lemon Freezer Pie

Stay cool! ♥

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