Today, long after she passed, I found this little oddity of a recipe, Frozen Lemonade Pie, in my Mom’s recipe box. My Aunt Mary’s name was on the card. I held that card, looking at the ingredients, puzzled (they are a little strange), and the memories started coming back.
Frozen Lemonade Pie
I remember them making this Frozen Lemonade Pie when we used to share a cabin way back when we kids were small, at Spirit Lake. We called it, and most people from the area do, “The Iowa Great Lakes.” Summer and sunburns, catching fireflies, and always a faraway train whistle in the night through the open windows. Need I say more?
About Frozen Lemonade Pie:
I make a couple of killer lemon desserts, but nothing I’ve ever made has been as easy as this 4 Ingredient Lemonade Pie. So yesterday with no-shame (well, maybe just a little, because somehow in the back of my head I always think a more complicated from-scratch dessert will always be better!) I would consider this a casual family, not necessarily a dinner party, dessert, though.
I plunked a grocery store crust in a pan, stirred the filling together, and froze this pie.
I just had to see if this tasted as good as I remembered. Verdict: It’s darn good. Really. Surprisingly good. The flavor is intense in that sweet frozen lemonade way, and on a hot day, it hit the spot! And when you compare the effort to results, this is WAY off the charts.
I am still having a hard time with the Cool Whip in this (so many ingredients in it!), but what can I say? Everyone loved it. Happy Memorial Day, folks, and be safe. And remember a loved one who served. 🙂 And eat the frozen lemonade pie fast; it melts quickly. 🙂 Don’t stand around like an idiot taking pictures of it, lol!
Frozen Lemonade Pie
Making Frozen Lemonade Pie:
Ten minutes, folks. That’s right, ten to make this pie. Plus time for the ingredients to thaw out ( put them in the fridge the night before), so they are ready to mix. Once mixed, immediately freeze. That thawing and freezing time hardly counts as work, though you’ll want to plan for it.
When making, carefully fold the ingredients together very gently to keep the pie light, airy, and mousse-like.
This pie will need to freeze for at least six hours, so if made in the morning, it will be ready when everyone comes out of the lake or sits down for dessert. It’s perfect for making ahead of time for the next day.
Note: this pie doesn’t freeze completely hard, and it melts fast. Plan on pulling it from the freezer and serving it immediately, or it will become melty.
The pie can become a little strangely gummy around the top and edges if it’s been cut and is leftover. I attribute that to melting a bit and then refreezing. (It still tastes good, but the texture does suffer.)
More Easy Family Recipes for Frozen Desserts:
- Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles: so much better than they sound!
Lemon Buttermilk Popsicles, with optional Thyme
- No Churn Strawberry Ice Cream: so delish, and the quality for price is amazing.
No Churn Strawberry Ice Cream
Saving Money on Groceries:
What you pay for groceries depends not only on WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.
- The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Use these sales not just for your holiday, but to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
- Take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality; be selective.
The best way to save money on this or any recipe is to have a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer full of sale-priced items.
Frozen Concentrate:
- Buy on sale; these days, jugs of juice are sometimes a slightly better value. Unfortunately, there’s no good substitute for the concentrate in this recipe.
- The discount stores in my area don’t carry concentrate, and I’m unsure about buyers’ clubs.
Cool Whip:
- The topping keeps in the freezer almost indefinitely, so pick it up on sale before almost any holiday when it drops to a low. Check store brands.
- Both Aldi and Lidl sell brands of their frozen topping for an incredibly low price.
Graham Crackers:
- Premade Crust: one of the pricier options; they do go on sale before the summer holidays.
- Boxed crumbs, even on sale, are higher than making your own. Use a rolling pin or food processor.
- Brand names are pricer, but generally better quality, with the expected taste. Buy them at a buyers’ club. Store brand and discount store options can be as much as half the price of brand names. Making your own is a flex.
- Refresh any stale Graham crackers (just like other crackers or cereal) by placing in a 325 degree F. oven for 1 to 2 minutes. Using a rack means no need to turn over.
Condensed Milk:
- Rock bottom pricing is during the Winter holidays. Watch for sales at the discount grocerys and dollar stores. Shoot for $1.00 to $1.25 a can and stock up for the year.
- Good pricing will be found at Latino or other ethnic markets, as well as during grocery store sales before any holiday known for baking.
- Condensed milk stores for years; dates have little meaning. If the product has settled and is denser at the bottom of the can, stir it back together. If darker than usual, heat and/or time have started to carmelize the sugars. It is perfectly safe. Once opened, store any leftover tightly covered in the fridge. It will keep for weeks, but it may dry out over time.
- Condensed milk is easy to make using sugar and milk, keeps for about six months in the fridge, but takes a lot of time. The equivalent of a can will cost about $1.20 to make in 2025, using Lidl pricing for ingredients.
Frozen Lemonade Pie
Frozen Lemonade Pie – 4 Ingredients
An easy 4-ingredient recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: freeze at least 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: Desserts Frozen
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 8-inch graham cracker pie crust
- 1 8-ounce container Cool Whip, thawed
- 1 6-ounce container of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 1 can condensed milk
Instructions
Place Cool Whip in a large bowl. Stir the lemonade and condensed milk together and fold into the Cool Whip. Pour into crust and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Serve frozen.
I’m posting Frozen Lemonade Pie at Angie’s Fiesta Friday.
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