By Claire Saffitz
Updated Nov. 16, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour 40 minutes, plus at least 4 hours’ setting
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes, plus at least 4 hours' setting
- Rating
- 4(312)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A citrusy cousin of coconut cream and chocolate cream pies, this pie is filled with a lemon pudding that’s tart like curd but is also light, smooth and creamy at the same time. Infusing the filling with fresh ginger gives it a more autumnal flavor, but omit it you prefer. For the crust, make sure to use only very thin, very crisp, wafer-style gingersnaps, otherwise it will likely slump as it bakes. If you can’t find those, graham crackers work just as well. (Watch Claire make Thanksgiving dinner from start to finish on YouTube.)
Featured in: These Five Thanksgiving Pies Are a Dessert Lover’s Dream
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 6ounces/170 grams wafer-style gingersnaps or graham crackers
- 4tablespoons/57 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1large egg yolk
- Pinch of kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
- 1(3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced
- Zest of 2 lemons, removed in strips with a vegetable peeler
- Generous pinch of kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ¼cup/28 grams cornstarch
- 6large egg yolks
- 1⅔cups/400 milliliters heavy cream
- ¼cup/80 milliliters honey
- ⅔cup/157 milliliters fresh lemon juice (from about 3 large lemons)
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1small lemon, sliced into 7 or 8 very thin rounds, ends discarded and seeds removed
- Honey, for drizzling
- ¾cup/180 milliliters heavy cream, chilled
- ½cup/120 grams sour cream or crème fraîche, chilled
For the Crust
For the Filling
For the Topping
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
627 calories; 41 grams fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 43 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 174 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Arrange an oven rack in the center position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
Step
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Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse the cookies until you have fine crumbs (don’t overprocess or the crust mixture will be too wet). Transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl, then add the butter, sugar, yolk and salt. Stir with a fork to combine, then rub the mixture between your hands until it looks and feels like wet sand.
Step
3
Transfer just shy of half the mixture to a 9-inch pie plate, and push it outward to create an even ring along the perimeter. Use a straight-sided 1 cup dry measure to press the mixture firmly all the way up the sides. Scatter the remaining crumb mixture across the bottom of the pan and use the bottom of the cup to flatten into an even layer with no bare spots. Place pan on a baking sheet, and bake until crust is fragrant and the outer edge darkens in color, 13 to 15 minutes, then set aside to cool.
Step
4
Make the filling: Place a mesh strainer over a large, heatproof bowl and set aside. Combine the sugar, ginger, lemon zest and salt in a medium saucepan and work the mixture with your fingertips, bending and bruising the ginger and zest, until it resembles wet sand. Add the cornstarch and whisk to combine. Add the yolks and whisk to break them up, then whisk the mixture more vigorously, making sure there’s no unincorporated sugar at the sides. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens, about 30 seconds, then whisk in the heavy cream, followed by the honey and the lemon juice. Make sure to work the whisk along the bottom of the pan to dissolve all of the sugar mixture, then set the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture holds whisk marks and large bubbles form beneath the surface when you stop whisking for a few seconds, about 3 minutes. Immediately remove the pan from heat. Pour mixture into the strainer set over the bowl and use a spatula to press the pudding through, removing the solids.
Step
5
Whisk the vanilla into the still-hot pudding, then pour the pudding into the cooled crust and smooth the surface (discard solids). Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and transfer the pie to the refrigerator. Chill until cold and set, at least 4 hours.
Step
6
Prepare the toppings: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange lemon slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly. Drizzle a little bit of honey over each slice, then use your finger to rub the honey evenly across each slice. Bake slices until golden brown and caramelized in spots, 25 minutes. Set the baking sheet aside and let the slices cool completely. In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream and sour cream, and whisk, starting slowly and increasing intensity as the mixture thickens, until you have a light, voluminous whipped cream that forms medium peaks.
Step
7
Remove the pie from the refrigerator and uncover. Scrape the whipped cream onto the surface and spread in an even layer. Arrange the lemon slices over top, then drizzle the surface with more honey.
Tip
- The tart will keep for several days in the refrigerator but is best served within 24 hours while the crust is still crisp. (It will soften over time.)
Ratings
4
out of 5
312
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Marie
It would be great to have a measurement for ginger AFTER it's been grated-- tablespoons, ounces or grams, for example.
Sarah C.
I used Anna’s Swedish Ginger Thins and they worked great for the crust. I also candied the lemon peels in the oven after taking out the crust and let them cook while I prepped the filling. The timing made much more sense than doing it at the end like the recipe suggests.
lauren
Making the filling I decided to grate in the ginger and lemon zest and it came out so delicious. I also did a meringue topping rather than cream and it was great.
Beatrix
Effie’s ginger biscuits are great and so are Midel’s!
Alyssa S
Can’t wait to try this! Just to clarify is this with lemon zest or the peels?
Michael Napa
Learned from a produce manager at a Safeway in Hawaii — freeze the ginger before peeling then grate with a Microplane. Works like a charm. Some places (Trader Joe’s) carry frozen grated ginger.
Richard
Where does it say to grate the ginger?
Lucy Gorham
Since the recommendation is for a crisp, wafer cookie, I'd recommend Anna's Swedish ginger thins that are available in the grocery store. Or Moravian ginger snaps but those are often seasonal and harder to find.
saba
What brand of ginger snaps do you recommend?
wesley
Just want to spell this out for people (like me) who might read the recipe and notes and still not notice this: there are (at least) two different kinds of ginger snap cookies. There’s the thin wafers that this recipe calls for and the thicker, more cookie-like ginger snaps. I used the cookie style ones and they are far too dense and moist. Still tasted fantastic, but the crust was almost like toffee.
Sj
A word to the nervous chef, my pudding took almost 10 whole minutes to stiffen on the stovetop. At minute 6 i almost gave up but decided to just have faith. Then all of a sudden it came together beautifully.Also as one person suggested i used grated lemon zest and 3 defrosted cubes of grated ginger that i buy at TJ's. Might up the ginger amount next time bc mine came out very lemon forward.Happy baking friends!
PABA
A big hit! And very easy, too. We were doubtful about using the Nabisco brand gingersnaps, in the yellow box, but they were absolutely perfect. The custard comes together on the stove slowly and then all at once, so pay attention and be ready to remove from heat!
Rebecca
This recipe is a keeper. Heed the advice to be patient with the lemon filling - it will thicken. Thank you for the advice for Anna’s ginger cookies. They worked great.
John
Tried making this today. Everything is incredibly tasty, but...Unfortunately the pudding/custard (whatever it is) didn't set and was incredibly runny after sitting in the fridge for 4-5 hours. I kept whisking it on the stove for ~5 minutes, and even though I never got it to the thick texture the recipe describes, I figured that had to have been enough. I guess not! I see several comments about whisking for longer, so I'll have to do that next time.
Tanya
I’ve made this twice. Both with and without the crust. It is one of the most delicious pies that I’ve made, especially during the holidays. Light, but still feels decadent, truly delicious. I made it with gluten-free ginger snaps, and it still turned out great.
JT
Agree with others who report the filling took longer than indicated to thicken on the stovetop. I used creme fraiche for the topping because I'm not a sour cream fan but still worried after tasting the finished topping that it would be off-puttingly sour. But in combo with the super sweet/tart filling the topping is perfect. Any added sugar would absolutely have been too sweet.
Ferguson
I had no problem with the crust. I used Anna's ginger snaps and baked for 13 minutes. I grated the lemon zest and ginger as others had suggested. The advantage of slices would make straining faster but I went with grating for the taste and will do so again. Everyone who suggested skipping the lemon slices on top was right. I made them and they were pretty but unpleasant to eat.
Karen
My pie is delicious, however the crust is hard and tough. I found my answer below, I think, "There’s the thin wafers that this recipe calls for and the thicker, more cookie-like ginger snaps. I used the cookie style ones and they are far too dense and moist. Still tasted fantastic, but the crust was almost like toffee."Also agree that it took far longer than 3 min. on the stove for the filling to thicken & boil.
Karan Johnson
My sister made this for Thanksgiving. Oh my gosh it was SO good. Like a lemon meringue pie but so creamy. I loved it! Very pretty too.
erin b
Loved this. Served for family Thanksgiving and got so many compliments. Only had an 11” tart pan on hand so made 1.5x the recipe and it worked. Added more ginger than the recipe called for and still couldn’t taste it. Next time I will add more.
Claire
Used Tate’s ginger cookies for the crust - expensive but worth the cost for a delicious and non soggy crust! Recommend letting the sugar/lemon/ginger mixture to sit for several hours if you’ve got the time. We also set the strained solids in the cream before whipping the topping to infuse the flavors. Grateful for the comment about the curd magic happening around 10 minutes—3 minutes is not nearly enough! Keep whisking.
Sara in VA
This filling and topping were so good. But I’d swap out a butter crust. The ginger snap crust ended up mushy. But I will definitely make this again!
Kim from Corbett, OR
Made this pie 3x (who doesn’t want to make sure it’s perfect for the holiday feast?!). Used Anna’s ginger thins. First 2 pies, received comments that they loved the pie but couldn’t taste the ginger. Third try, I juiced a 2-inch ginger piece & added the juice to the creme fraiche topping. Everyone raved about that one. Thanks NYT.
beth
I made a 7” version of this which was half a recipe.I used graham crackers because couldn’t find the right ginger snaps but added extra ginger. I have made graham cracker crusts forever with no egg so left it out here; the pie is plenty rich.We loved this pie and the sour cream/ whipped cream topping was great. I was too lazy to make the slices lemons, added a little crystallized ginger on top. Five stars.
Ello
A big hit at my friendsgiving! Will definitely make again!
Jen S.
This was a fabulous pie, the clear favorite of our Thanksgiving desserts. I will definitely make this again. The only issue I had was that my lemon slices didn't come out great. I think I may have cut them a bit too thick, next time I'll be sure to slice them as thinly as possible.
Leigh
Following others advice, I used thin ginger snaps. Perfect! Custard came together quickly (watched my grandma make homemade pudding on the stove so I knew what to watch for). Pie set in fridge - 2 hours with chilled crust and was delicious. Substitutions: used 1/16 c maple syrup and 1/16 c honey which I felt gave it enough sweetness. Added extra fresh ginger as well. Served with Meyer lemon thin cookies instead of lemon slices.
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