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Experience pure dessert delight with this Cream Cheese Pie! A buttery graham cracker crust with a smooth cream cheese filling, and just a touch of lemon and vanilla. It’s so easy and simply delicious.
If you are a cream cheese. lover like me, then after baking this cream cheese pie, you will want to try other recipes that are just as delicious! Start with these Cream Cheese Mints, these Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles, and this delicious Cream Cheese Pound Cake!
Cream Cheese Pie Recipe
I love pies and I love cream cheese. So, if you ask me, this combo is a match made in heaven. If you’re on the lookout for a dessert that’s both comfy and fancy, you’ve got to try this Cream Cheese Pie. Even though it sounds all fancy, it’s easy to make, which makes it good for people who are new to baking and those with a lot of experience!
The best thing about this pie is that it’s perfect for every occasion, whether it shows up after dinner or at a holiday party. You can even make it extra colorful and fruity by adding cherry, strawberry, or blueberry pie filling as a quick and easy topping. The filling is so deliciously creamy that you will want to make this dessert again and again!
What Ingredients are in Cream Cheese Pie?
This pie is so easy to make, and the list of ingredients is short and sweet. But don’t think for a second that it’s not packed full of flavor! To find all of the exact ingredient measurements, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Crust
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: These are the base of the entire crust.
- Powdered Sugar: This adds in a tiny bit of sweetness to the crust without it being overpowering.
- Salt: The salt enhances all of the flavors in the graham cracker crust.
- Ground Cinnamon: A pinch of cinnamon takes this crust to the next level with its flavor!
- Unsalted Butter: The butter binds all ingredients together so you can form a crust in the pan.
Filling
- Cream Cheese: If you let your cream cheese sit out at room temperature first, then it will soften and mix into the filling so much better!
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This brings the best flavor to the filling.
- FRESH Lemon Juice: This reacts with the sweetened condensed milk, so it has to be fresh lemon juice.
- Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla brings in a sweet flavor.
- Pie Filling: This is optional and can be used as a topping for the pie.
How to Make Cream Cheese Pie
This pie comes together quickly and easily and will be the perfect dessert for any occasion! It’s so creamy and delicious, you won’t be able to stop at one bite!
Crust
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine Ingredients: In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix until it resembles damp sand.
- Press and Bake: Press the crust into a 9-inch pie dish using your fingers. Bake for 12 minutes and let cool completely.
Filling
- Combine and Beat: In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.
- Add to Crust: Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth over the top.
- Chill: Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. If desired, top with pie filling, such as cherry, strawberry, or blueberry.
Tips and Variations
There are ways to take this cream cheese pie up a notch. I have written out all of my suggestions so that your pie will turn out perfectly every time!
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Be sure to have your cream cheese at room temperature when you begin this recipe. This will ensure your filling is smooth. I like to set it out on the counter a couple of hours before I’m ready to begin baking.
- Use FRESH Lemon Juice: Don’t skimp on the lemon juice, and be sure to use fresh lemon juice. It reacts with the sweetened condensed milk, causing the filling to thicken as it sits in the fridge.
- Size of Pan: This recipe can be used in an 8-inch or 9-inch pie pan, although the crust recipe may have a little leftover if using an 8-inch pan.
- Fruit Topping: Any kind of fruit pie filling would be delicious as a topping, such as raspberry, strawberry, cherry, blueberry, or even lemon curd.
Storing Leftovers
This delicious cream cheese pie with no topping will last up to 3 days in the fridge. Once topped with pie filling or fruit topping, it will keep for up to 24 hours.
More Delicious Graham Cracker Crust Pies
I love pie but I love a pie with a graham cracker crust! It so delicious and crumbles in your mouth with the creamy filling. Here are som more delicious graham cracker crust pies that you have got to try!
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Cream Cheese Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Filling
- 12 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 14- ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 21- ounce can pie filing for topping optional
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix until it resembles damp sand.
- Press the crust into a 9-inch pie dish using your fingers. Bake for 12 minutes and let cool completely.
Filling
- In a large bowl add the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and smooth over the top.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. If desired, top with pie filling, such as cherry, strawberry, or blueberry.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Eight hours later still not set up inedible major disappointment.
Hi Jennifer, I am so sorry your pie didn’t turn out. That can be very frustrating to put time, energy and money into something and it isn’t what you were expecting. The reason you pie perhaps didn’t set up is either
1. Your cream cheese was too warm. Or needs to be barely room temperature, but not warm. Or it can be beaten while cold, but it can be more difficult to get it smooth.
2. You didn’t use fresh lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice doesn’t react the same way as fresh lemon juice does with sweetened condensed milk, which can leave you with filling that doesn’t set.
If either of these things were the case your pie wouldn’t set up. I also want to mention the consistency of this pie is not like cheesecake. It is softer and more pudding like in texture.
Follow up ro my question re Ginger Snap crust:
The pie was awesome. My wife is usually super critical about things, but she loved it!
I used Stouffers ginger snaps to make the crust instead of graham crackers. Nothing against graham cracker crusts — I just find them lacking in flavor. I used two cups of ground up cookies, and 5 tbsp of butter. No sugar needed, as the cookies are sweet enough, and no salt — the butter provided as much as needed. Instead of pulsing the cookies in the food processor, because they are so hard you will have to run the processor for 1 full minute to get the fine consistancy you want. Grind enough to make 2 cups of crumbs. (I had to keep adding more cookies to get there — it’s a process). In the food processor, add the melted butter to the crumbs and pulse until you have the consistency of wet sand, just like the procedure for the graham cracker crust. I decided to coat the pie plate with a little crisco befor pressing the crumbs in as i have had issues with the drust sticking to the plate in the past. I think they won’t need to bake as long. I went the full 12 minutes and some parts were scorched a bit, and the final crust was a bit too hard to cut. Maybe 10 minutes should do it.
The difference is a brighter, crispier, and tastier (IMO) crust, adding a new dimension to the pie. The recipe for the filling is awesome and beyond delicious.
Has anybody tried using ginger snaps instead of graham crackers for the crust? I would think you could skip the salt and sugar if you did. I would love to hear about it!
I have made this twice, and it is incredibly wonderful. My family loves it.
Can I use a pre-made graham cracker crust?
If I wanted to add peanut butter, how much would I add?
Yes, premade crusts work great!
And it really depends how strong you want the peanut butter flavor to be. I would start with 1/4 cup and then add more to taste.