These cute little, luscious lemon cream cheese pies are so easy to make – even if you think your pie challenged. If you’re not a lemon lover, use your favorite fruit topping.
This year I’m cooking a Thanksgiving meal for just the four of us in a little condo in the mountains. Hopefully, we’ll have a roaring fire and lightly falling snow. I didn’t want to haul all my kitchen tools and spices with me, so I made most of the meal ahead of time. Even if you’re eating at home, preparing as much as you can the days before Thanksgiving really helps alleviate a lot of the stress.
My husband likes a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Here’s what’s on the menu:
- Dry-Brined Turkey. I tried this recipe from the Los Angeles Times last year and it was the best turkey I’ve ever made.
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Last Thanksgiving was the last day I spent with my sweet mom. We had a nearly perfect Thanksgiving dinner, played her favorite card game, then had dessert. I made a lemon tart because I knew how much she loved lemon desserts. Of course, she also wanted to try just a sliver of the other two pies too. I get my sweet tooth from my mom.
Mom’s favorite pie was Marie Calender’s Lemon Cream Cheese pie. So in honor of my mom this Thanksgiving I made Mini Lemon Cream Cheese pies. These could not be easier to make. I bought some mini graham cracker pie crusts at the store, mixed together a simple no bake cheese cake layer and topped them with a luscious fool-proof Lemon Curd. Of course you could also buy lemon curd if you were short on time.
Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with great food, family and friends.
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No Bake Mini Lemon Cream Cheese Pies and Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas
Ingredients
- 1 package 6 mini Graham Cracker Pie Crusts
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounce cream cheese room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup [lemon curd]
Instructions
- In small mixing bowl, whip heavy cream until it thickens.
- In medium mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, lemon juice and sugar. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Fill each pie crust ⅔ full with the cream cheese mixture. Top each pie with two tablespoons of lemon curd. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour before serving.
Deborah
I bet it’s so nice to have the meal done ahead of time, so you can just enjoy the day! These look so delicious – wish I had them on my Thanksgiving table! I hope you have a wonderful holiday!
Megan
What a wonderful little pie! I have a bunch of lemons and I was thinking about your curd. Now I’ll be thinking about these pies too. 🙂 Have a great Thanksgiving, you’ll be on my mind.
Lisa
Those lemon cream cheese tarts are so beautiful and I love how simple they are, plus, since they were your Mom’s fav..it’s a fitting tribute.
I love your green jello cream cheese salad that’s expected every year. In my family, it’s the candied sweet potatoes with mountains of marshmallows, toasted, on top, and they HAVE to be bagged supermarket mini- marshmallows. I proposed a homemade marshmallow meringue, spread in a sheet on top of the potatoes, then browned..and received quite a few evil eyes lol
Finally..thank you so much for the Thanksgiving idea mention! Have a Wonderful, Delicious, Happy and Safe Thanksgiving, Barb!
Kitchen Belleicious
I am a HUGE meringue fan- what is a pie without meringue may I ask you? 🙂 This pie looks so festive and beautiful (almost too good to eat- almost).
Barbara
lol – I’d eat meringue if it were on the pie, but I prefer whipped cream. Thanks!
Blond Duck
Mini pies are so cute!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Angie's Recipes
Those tartlets look fantastic!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Mrs Sweetcheeks
bookmarked your recipe and will try it soon 🙂 love how elegant the pies look. i wonder if they can be done as cupcakes?
Barbara
Thanks! I have made cheesecake in muffin tins using cupcake liners – https://www.barbarabakes.com/2010/12/lemon-and-berry-swirl-mini-cheesecakes/. Because this recipe isn’t baked, I would be sure and chill it well in the muffin tin so it holds it’s shape better. Let me know how it goes if you try it.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Happy Thanksgiving mum! I hope to share Thanksgiving with you one day! xxx
Valérie ( France )
Un tour de table bien gourmand
Je te souhaite une belle journée
Valérie
Teresa
Love your blogg and your great recipes. Just wondering on the freezing the bread dough for your monkey bread and rolls, do you freeze the dough before it rises or after. Thanks.
Barbara
Thanks Teresa! I let the dough rise the first time, then punch it down and shape it into rolls, then I freeze them. When I’m ready to bake them, I’ll let them thaw and rise on the counter and then bake them.
Libby
You’ve got to be kidding on the portion control – a dozen of the little lemon pies would be gone in minutes here 😉
I wish you a lovely Thanksgiving holiday. And I give Thanks for all you do.
Libby
Jessica @ How Sweet
These little pies are adorable!
JG
I smiled as I read about your family wanting Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce. It’s all part of my family’s tradition for my sons to graze in the fridge looking for it when they come “back home” for Thanksgiving. Would not be Thanksgiving without it 🙂 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
~Judy
Claire @ Claire K Creations
What a lovely tribute to your mum. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!
Amy @ uTryIt
What a wonderful recipe. 🙂 Simple, easy, and delicious. Perfect for any celebrations. Wish you and your family a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.
Amy
Becki's Whole Life
Have a great Thanksgiving Barbara. I am sure you will have lots of great memories of your mom while you are having your dinner and these little pies. I love that layer with the cream cheese and your lemon curd.
I am torn between doing the dry brine or the liquid. I am leaning towards the dry because the thought of storing a turkey in the cooler for the wet method is making me a little bit anxious.
Bonnie
Hi Barbara,
I was thinking of you this week and hoping that your have sweet memories and a sweet Thanksgiving this year. I’m sure it will be hard, but I know your Mom is watching over your family and she must be so proud!!! I know she’d love your lemon pies.
Kalyn
Yes, I would love to have this type of pie for Thanksgiving. Love the Marie Callender’s one too.
Barbara
And it’s portion controlled! Thanks! Have fun with your family.
Lyndsey@TheTinySkillet
The mini lemon cream pies are perfect. I will have to make these…I’m not a meringue fan, so I alway make lemon cream pie. I am also checking out that dry-brine turkey. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Rosa
Great ideas and divine looking tartlets/pies! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Cheers,
Rosa