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Making homemade pie can be so easy; I should make more of them. This Lemon Ice Box Pie recipe was a good reminder to add more pie to my life. Lemon pie, especially a lemon cream pie, is one of my all-time favorites — but somehow I had never made it. I know, I know.
I had to change that. Fortunately, I found a recipe for pie in “Sweet Serendipity: Delicious Desserts and Devilish Dish” by Stephen Bruce and Brett Bara. The recipe for this condensed milk lemon icebox pie follows the Table of Contents immediately below. Please use it to get to where you need to go, whether that’s insight into this fabulous cookbook or the recipe (and maybe a few tips on how to make pie).
Table of Contents
- Lemon Cream Pie Recipe
- Cookbooks by Stephen Bruce
- Inside the “Sweet Serendipity Cookbook”
- Serendipity 3 on Valentine’s Day and Other Big News
- Serendipity 3 Recipes at Home
- Making Lemon IceBox Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Lemon Icebox Pie FAQ
- Can I top a slice of pie with Cool Whip or Redi Whip instead of making whipped cream?
- Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh lemon juice from real lemons?
- Do I have to use egg yolks? Can I just use the whole egg instead?
- How do you get the egg yolk and not the egg white anyway?
- Could you put the lemon filling into a baked pie crust and not a graham cracker crumb crust?
- Can I use evaporated milk instead of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk?
- What is Serendipity 3?
- How can I visit Serendipity 3?
- Pie-Making Resources for Perfect Pies
Lemon Icebox Pie Recipe
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NYC Serendipity, Diamond Giveaway + Lemon Icebox Pie Recipe
- Total Time: 25
- Yield: 1 9″ Pie 1x
Description
You’ll love the ease of making this recipe for lemon icebox pie, no fussing with a pastry pie shell, waiting for unsalted butter to melt, or hunting down oddball ingredients. This sweetened condensed milk pie requires a custard filling, so you’ll have to do some stovetop stirring. But that’s as tricky as it gets (and that’s not at all complicated). I hope you enjoy this pie as much as we did.
Find it in Serendipity 3’s “Sweet Surprises” cookbook. This is a cookbook as wonderful as the shop’s reputation for dessert excellence.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Pie Crust Ingredients
1 1/2 Cups (6 ounces) graham cracker crumbs (10 to 12 full-sized graham crackers)
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon (the original recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Lemon Pie Filling Ingredients
2 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
4 Large Egg Yolks
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice (the juice of 3–4 good-sized lemons)
Whipped Cream Ingredients
1 Cup Heavy Cream (sometimes written as Heavy Whipping Cream)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 teaspoons Light Corn Syrup
OR
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 teaspoons Granulated Sugar
Instructions
Grab your prettiest 9″ pie plate. Set it aside.
To Make the Graham Cracker Crust
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and the melted butter. Press into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. I think it’s easiest to use your fingers, but the back of a spoon can help, too.
The crust should be about 1/4″ thick. Refrigerate the crust until you’re ready to put the lemon filling in it.
To Make the Lemon Filling
In a medium saucepot (they recommend using a nonstick pot), whisk the milk, the 4 egg yolks, and the lemon juice until the mixture is smooth.
Cook the lemon custard over medium heat until it is very hot to the touch, but don’t let it boil. This will take roughly 10 minutes. I whisked it the entire time.
Although the recipe says to strain the lemon custard into the graham cracker crust, I did not. I thought it looked plenty smooth. Pour in the filling, making a slight dome in the center of the pie.
Refrigerate for one hour, or until the pie is set.
Cover with plastic wrap, and chill completely. This will take another hour.
Before serving: Top slices with whipped cream. Pile it high.
To Make the Whipped Cream with Light Corn Syrup
With a chilled bowl and beaters (I admit I never chill mine), pour heavy cream and vanilla extract into the bowl.
As it whips on medium speed, drizzle in the corn syrup. Keep beating it until it forms soft peaks (it will look like whipped cream).
To Make Whipped Cream with Vanilla Extract and White Sugar
Pour the vanilla extract and heavy cream into the bowl. Beat at medium speed as above, then sprinkle in the granulated sugar.
Beat until it looks like whipped cream (and you see those soft peaks like mini mountains in the bowl).
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: dessert
- Cuisine: American
Cookbooks by Stephen Bruce
Sweet Serendipity: Delightful Desserts and Devilish Dish (2004) by Stephen Bruce and Brett Bara
Serendipity Sundaes: Ice Cream Constructions and Frozen Concoctions (2006) by Stephen Bruce with Sarah Keys
Diamond Edition: Sweet Serendipity: Delicious Desserts and Devilish Dish (2014) by Stephen Bruce
Inside the “Sweet Serendipity Cookbook”
The books in my cookbook collection that tell a story are especially fun. “Sweet Serendipity: Delicious Desserts and Devilish Dish” by Stephen Bruce and Brett Bara does exactly that. Most recipes include a fun little tidbit, whether it’s how the recipe started, insight into what celeb ordered it, or a helpful hint.
This is a fun read about Serendipity 3, a celebrity favorite on the East Side of NYC since 1954. It’s come a long way since the four tables and 16 chairs it originally boasted. Serendipity’s Time’s Square locale opened in September 2024 to celebrate 70 years.
Flip open the front cover, and you’re instantly greeted by a pink two-page spread of Serendipity’s layout and which star preferred to sit where. How fun is that? Downstairs celebrities included:
- Susan Sarandon
- Diana Ross
- Chelsea Clinton
- Julia Roberts
- Prince
- Jim Carrey
- Daryl Hannah (I was obsessed with her movie, “Mermaid” in the 1980s)
- Marilyn Monroe
Upstairs, you may have seen the following stars in their favorite spots:
- John Cusack
- Brooke Shields
- Cher
- Stephen Spielberg
- Jennifer Love Hewitt
- Kim Cattrall
- Michael Douglas
- Danny DeVito
You’ve probably seen Serendipity 3 in movies and TV shows. The list of screen appearances include:
- “One Fine Day” (1996) with Michelle Pfeiffer (sort of, but that recreation story is inside the cookbook)
- “Serendipity,” (2001) with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale
- “Trust the Man” (2006) with David Duchovny
- “Girls” (2013)
- E!’s “Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?” with Joan and Melissa Rivers
Tori Amos shared a great story about a raspberry-topped chocolate sundae. The book is full of fun Serendipity memories and images. Oh, and excellent recipes. We’ll get there. But first, there’s more to know about this place (Selena Gomez has a stake in ownership, even).
Cindy Crawford loved the grilled cheese and the (trademarked) Frrozen Hot Chocolate (page 115), and Callista Flockhart was happy to see her own son have his first sip of it (page 103). George Lucas ordered not one, but two Frrrozen Hot Chocolates after the 1976 filming of Star Wars.
Why the big fuss over a frozen hot chocolate? It’s a blend of 14 gourmet cocoas and quite large, that’s why. You can also choose from over a dozen different flavors.
Serendipity 3 on Valentine’s Day (and other Big News)
Grab your Valentine’s Day cookbooks and get to work. Oh, and make a visit to Serendipity 3 for this incredible treat — if you’ve got the bucks to throw around, that is:
“Our classic Frrrozen Hot Chocolate made with 14 cocoas, topped with whipped cream, chrome sprinkles, and a crackable milk chocolate heart revealing a REAL diamond inside.”
Serendipity 3 Instagram Post, February 8, 2026, accessed February 10, 2026.
I received a press release last week that described the experience:
“The collaboration with Serendipity3 is such a special way to celebrate Valentine’s Day,” Isabela Grutman, the founder of Isa Grutman, said. “Their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate is iconic, and we loved the idea of adding a playful surprise hidden inside a chocolate heart.”
“Diamonds are meant to celebrate love, individuality, and timeless beauty, and this experience lets guests discover that magic in a completely unexpected way — with one lucky person winning an incredible 1.1-carat emerald-cut diamond and the opportunity to work with me to create a bespoke jewelry piece designed just for them,” Grutman finished.
This isn’t the first time Serendipity 3 has gone above and beyond for Valentine’s Day or other events.
- The $25,000 dessert used a fine blend of 28 cocoas, but not just any cocoas — 14 of those were among the most expensive in the world, making this pricey 2007 offering a record holder, as shared on the Guinness World Records website. This Frrrozen Hot Chocolate variation, in partnership with Euphoria New York, featured 5 grams of edible 23-karat gold and was served in an edible gold-lined goblet adorned with an 18-karat gold bracelet and 1-karat white diamonds. People ate it with a gold diamond-covered spoon (which you then could bring home).
- For $1,000 and with 48 hours’ advanced notice, folks could taste the $1,000 “Golden Opulence Sundae,” the world’s most expensive sundae at the time (and maybe still is). Beginning with three scoops of Tahitian vanilla ice cream covered in 23-karat gold leaf (plus almonds, caviar and a sugar-crafted orchid that takes eight hours to create), there’s gold, gold, and more gold. Presented in a $350 Baccarat crystal goblet that’s (unsurprisingly) lined with 23-karat gold leaf, you may eat this one with the provided 18-karat gold spoon. Oh, and enjoy the various other items imported from Paris (candied fruit), Madagascar (vanilla beans), and Tuscany (chocolate), shared CNBC.
- In honor of the 90th annual Academy Awards in 2018, Serendipity 3 offered a Frrrozen Hot Chocolate presented in a 23-karat gold-lined goblet, and piled high with whipped cream enrobed in 23-karat edible gold, the Daily Meal shared.
- In 2023, it cost a cool $250,000 for a Frrrozen Hot Chocolate with an “18-karat white gold and diamond bypass ring, featuring a 0.69-carat natural fancy pink heart-shaped diamond and a 0.77-carat natural very light blue pear-shaped diamond, highlighted by 1.15 carats of white diamond pave,” according to National Jeweler.com.
- For 2026, one lucky person will get quite the bonus: “The lucky winner of a 1.1-carat diamond will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to collaborate with Isa in crafting the stone into a one-of-a-kind signature jewelry piece,” the press release shared. “The Diamond Frrrozen Hot Chocolate will only be available on Valentine’s Day, with a limited number of servings to ensure a truly special experience.”
You may not make it to New York for a diamond on a frozen hot chocolate, but with the Serendipity 3 cookbook, you can bake up plenty of special things at home.
Serendipity 3 Recipes at Home
Now, you can make those famous flavors at home. I’ll admit I changed my mind about what I was making multiple times. Like, so many times. I’d mark the page, get ready to make something, and then think, “Hmmm … maybe I should try this one?”
You’ll have the same trouble I did, what with Coconut Supreme Pudding, Miss Milton’s Fudge Pie (I didn’t realize I was out of bittersweet chocolate, or you’d be reading about that one right now), or Manor Born Banana Cake with Coffee Buttercream.
See what I mean? I didn’t even get to Mad King Ludwig’s Chocolate Cake or Chocolate Blackout Cake. There are so many great recipes in this dessert cookbook. There’s even a Cherry Pan Dowdy. If you recall, I previously covered the origins of the pan dowdy in a different article. As for the lemon pie recipe I made, well, Andy Warhol was also a huge fan.
Chapters inside “Sweet Serendipity” include:
- Introduction
- Tremendous, Stupendous Cakes
- Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies
- World-Famous Pies
- More Delectable Delights That Defy Categorization
- Thick, Rich, and Dreamy Puddings
- Smooth, Icy, and Irresistible Frozen Drinks
- New York’s Most Outrageous Sundaes
Many pages feature quotes from famous people who share why they loved a particular dessert at Serendipity or an associated memory of it. Although I’m not a big “star follower,” I like reading why people loved whatever it is. Food is common ground (and nothing makes people happier than a great dessert, amIright?).
Making Lemon Icebox Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk
Do you remember Baker’s Square? I don’t know, maybe they are still a “thing.” But once upon a time, they were known for their pie. I know I ate dinner there on occasion back in high school with my then boyfriend. Even then I thought the meals were a bit bland. But the real reason I was there was for strawberry-rhubarb pie or their lemon supreme pie.
Lemon Supreme was a cream pie. This wasn’t a lemon meringue pie, and there wasn’t Cool Whip or cream cheese involved. No sour cream or powdered sugar or anything else people were throwing into pies then, either. This kind of lemon pie wasn’t as show-stopping as a lemon meringue, but it was one of my top two choices. It was an agonizing choice, deciding between the two of those, I tell you what.
I don’t know why I never thought to make it at home. It’s not like I don’t have a pie cookbook or two or (a lot, actually). This pie was so fast and easy to make, it will be making regular appearances in my home. Graham cracker crumb crusts are a real time-saver. This one is particularly good with the bit of cinnamon in there. I don’t remember seeing a Graham cracker crust calling for cinnamon before.
I wasn’t sure about that (especially since the original Serendipity 3 recipe called for a full 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon). I thought 1 teaspoon seemed right. Four people had this pie (including me), and it earned the highest recipe rating, at least, that’s what I gather from the general plate scraping and “mmm” sounds. If I’d thought about it, I should have grated a teeny tiny bit of lemon zest over the whipped cream for a little color.
Lemon Icebox Pie FAQ
If you have questions about making lemon pie, hopefully the following FAQ will help answer them.
Can I top a slice of pie with Cool Whip or Redi Whip instead of making whipped cream?
You could, but I don’t know why you’d want to. Okay, I’m slightly kidding. I love whipped cream. I think it makes simple desserts feel special. I didn’t even bother with the vanilla extract this time, and it was still amazing. But yes, if you really want to use Cool Whip, whipped topping, or canned whipped cream, go ahead.
Can I use bottled lemon juice instead of fresh lemon juice from real lemons?
No. Okay, once again, you could, but your pie won’t pack the same punch. Bottled lemon juice has a diluted flavor. For the best result, use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled. If you have the option to use Meyer lemons, go right ahead. They are sweeter and smell even more lemony. Either way, Meyer lemon or regular lemons, go with the real thing. You won’t believe the difference.
Please use lemons for fresh lemon juice. It doesn’t take long to juice them, and the flavor of those bottles of lemon juice does not taste anything like a real lemon. You lose so much flavor. Trust me. I’m all for saving time and energy, but those real lemons are the best source of lemon juice, and will make the best possible pie.
Do I have to use egg yolks? Can I just use the whole egg instead?
This recipe relies on egg yolks for flavor and texture. You’re basically making custard and then using that to fill the pie. A whole egg just won’t do the same thing. I know it’s a pain to deal with leftover egg whites. I typically make meringues with them (my youngest son loves those things).
How do you get the egg yolk and not the egg white anyway?
I separate an egg white from the yolk, and I hit the eggshell on the counter (not the corner of the counter, but flat on the counter). Then, when I go to pull the shell apart, I tip it to the side so the yolk slides into one end of the empty shell, and I let the white drain into a custard cup to use in something else.
Could you put the lemon filling into a baked pie crust and not a graham cracker crumb crust?
I don’t see why not. If you want to make your own pie crust, I’d let it cool completely, or you risk breaking your custard. You’ll still want to store this pie, covered, in the fridge.
Can I use evaporated milk instead of Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk?
Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand or not) aren’t used in the same way. Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are both shelf-stable milk, but with a difference.
Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (and the other brands, too) contain 40% to 45% added sugar, according to the University of Urbana-Illinois Extension Office. It’s thicker and richer than plain ol’ evaporated milk and perfect for use in a variety of desserts.
What is Serendipity 3?
Pals Calvin Holt, Stephen Bruce, and Patch Carradine pooled their resources, all of $500, rented a 300-square-foot basement, and opened Serendipity 3 on September 15, 1954. The name “Serendipity” came from an old 1700s Persian fairy tale, “The Three Princes of Serendip.” In the story, the princes experience accidental yet fortunate events.
Carradine came across the term “serendipity” while completing a London Times crossword puzzle. The meaning? “The art of finding the pleasantly unexpectedly by chance or sagacity,” according to the Sweet Serendipity 2006 cookbook (page 7).
It has since become a favorite place for dessert. Okay, and food, but you’ll hear far more about the outrageously-sized shareable desserts than the food. Truth be told, after viewing many images while writing this article, I am entirely confident there would be no sharing of any Serendipity 3 dessert.
How can I visit Serendipity 3?
Serendipity 3 has two locations. The Upper East Side locale is the original. Interior photos look like the dreams of my 11-year-old self. This restaurant and shop have earned 10 Guinness World Records (some sources say 9).
These records include “most expensive sandwich,” “most expensive French fries (the $200 “Creme de la Creme Pomme Frites,” according to Food & Wine), and “most expensive dessert.” When you’re handing out diamonds, I suppose that’s to be expected. They are a girl’s best friend, don’t’cha know?
Serendipity 3 Upper East Side
225 E 60th St, New York, NY, 10022
646.212.1442
Serendipity 3 Times Square
157 West 47th Street, Times Square, New York, NY, 10036
646.663.8586
Some items require advance notice. To book a reservation, call the numbers above. There is a minimum fee per person ($20), but since the sundaes alone are $19.95, you should hit that no problem.
Pie-Making Resources for Perfect Pies
Who couldn’t use more pie in their life? When you’re done making lemon pie icebox style, the following recipes, resources, and tips will help make it easy. to find your next great baking adventure.
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