This recipe was originally published on SouthernPlate in 2008. I updated the photos and instructions in 2018. I hope you get to make this wonderful old fashioned pie soon! 
The first time I remember hearing of a chess pie was as a little girl at my grandmother’s house. There was this pie on their dining room table and my grandparents and their friends had practically swarmed it until there was only a tiny piece left. Fortunately, that piece went to me.
A thick, custardy textured pie, chess pie has long been associated with southern cuisine. No one quite agrees on the actual origins of the name except for the fact that it has absolutely nothing to do with the game of chess (We’ve always been more checkers type folks down here anyway). One theory is that since this pie kept so well in a common piece of furniture known as a pie safe or pie chest, they simply named it after that (we do have a tendency to drop our T’s – gotta love the drawl!). Another theory is around the time the pie was invented, it did not have a name and when the cook was asked what kind it was, she simply replied “Its ‘ches pie” (which is southern for “It’s just pie”).
Either way, chess pie is just a good old fashioned dessert. Lemon chess pie is my personal favorite. I like to make it with my mix in the pan pie crust for a total old fashioned, simple but good experience but it works beautifully in a standard store bought pie crust, as you’ll see in this tutorial.
Lets hear it for simplicity! All you need to make this is is butter, eggs, lemons, and sugar! I have used lemon juice on occasion when I didn’t want to fuss with lemons or didn’t have them on hand and it was still wonderful.
The actual recipe is at the bottom of this post in a printable recipe card, as always.
Begin by separating your eggs, yolks from whites. Make sure there is no yolk at all in your white because we are going to beat those and they won’t do what we want them to do if they have yolk in them.
Cream sugar with butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks.
Lightly grate the rinds of your lemon to get some zest. Add grated lemon rind and juice, beat in. 
In a separate bowl, with clean beaters (important), beat egg whites until stiff and then lightly fold into your batter by hand using a spatula or large spoon (this means just stir them by hand until they are mixed in).
The above photo shows stiff egg whites.
After you fold egg whites into your batter, pour into pie shell and bake at 350 until set and golden, about twenty five to thirty minutes.
It will be light and golden on top and smell like heavenly sunshine.
For pretty sake, you can sprinkle a little confectioner’s sugar on top, if you like.
Allow to completely cool before cutting. Even better if you make a day ahead of time and refrigerate until serving.
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- Grated rind and juice of two large or three small lemons
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1 pie crust (baked)
- Cream sugar with butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks. Add grated lemon rind and juice, beat in. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl (with clean beaters) until stiff and lightly fold in. Pour into pie shell and bake at 350 until set and light, about twenty five to thirty minutes.
~Christy
Yum
You need a microplane for your zesting. They might be a tad expensive but worth it. My favorite is lemon meringue pie but I am going to try this using Splenda baking substitute since I am a diabetic.
I just love love lemon pie
Ditto on the microplane graters — love them! Pie looks fabulous, definitely love anything lemony. You reminded me of that old (bad) movie, ‘Spatula City.’ At least that’s what I think it was called. For years, my kids (now grown) used to quote it to me, “What better way to say I love you than with a spatula?”, and my daughter gave me one for mother’s day. Still makes me laugh.
Christy, if I wanted to make a plain chess pie would I just leave the lemon out?
Hi there. I’m excited to try your recipe. Lemon Chess is one of my favorite pie from back when I was a kid. I’m curious about one thing. Your recipe calls for an already baked pie crust. I’m wondering why that is? Just to make the finished pie nice an brown around the edges? Or does it make a difference in the way the pie sets? Also, several of the recipes that I’ve seen have called for corn starch, either in the filling or sprinkled into the pie shell before pouring in the filling. I’m assuming this is to thicken up the filling and help it set. I was just wondering if anyone had ever tried either of those options, and if so, what you thought. Thanks for the recipe, and the nice walk through and photos. It’s nice to have a little personality in addition to the instructions.
hello, i think christie means, an unbaked pie crust, because if it was already baked it would get toooo brown.
The edges do get kind of brown, but if you don’t pre-bake it a bit, the bottom comes out soggy! It’s a balancing act!
You can bake the pie crust beforehand, but put foil around the rim of crust when returning it to the oven with the filling.
I LOVE chess pie!
I enjoy your website so much, thanks to a friend. It brings such happy thoughts of my Mom who was a wonderful cook and so many of your recipes are like hers exactly . It must just be the Tenn. Valley moms who can cook like this, she lived in Florence. The chess pie looks wonderful. Thanks and keep them coming
For it to be true chess pie, it needs a spoon of flour and a spoon of cornmeal…..a bit of meal is the definitive for chess pie
My great grandmother’s recipe calls for flour and meal also…but the simplicity of this one is appealing. 🙂
i agree using a tablespoon of cornmeal, that is how i bake mine.
Not in my grandmothers’ recipes….!
According to Southern Living Magazine, Classic Chess Pie calls for twice as much sugar, salt, milk, vinegar and vanilla..basides corn meal and flour. HowEVER, again according to SLM, Lemon Chess pie (which is the pie Christy is speaking of here) does NOT require corn meal or flour. Besides (adds with a wink) Christy is all about making it good AND simple and so, I am gonna make my first Lemon Chess Pie today and I’m proud to say I’ll be using Christy’s family recipe!
What an EXCELLENT recipe! Will be making this again! Thanks you, Christy for such an easy and delicious recipe! We’re happy campers here!
I’d never heard of chess pie til I moved to Knoxville to start college. I love it and lemon chess is even better.
FINALLY, I have something to go in that “easy one-dish pie crust” haha
thank you christie for being here.
I tried this but I use a premade shortbread pie crust and you were right it was the first thing gone everybody loved it have made many more!
The taste was AMAZING! I was so pleased with this recipe. I’ve been craving it ever since I finished the last slice. I chose this recipe because cornmeal and vinegar did not sound good to me, even if it is more authentic. I made this recipe for New Year’s Eve and dusted the top with powdered sugar to give it a snowy appearance. I used a gluten free crust from Whole Foods, the bake time was about 5 minutes longer in my oven. I highly recommend this one! It’s easy and delish!
Vidalia restaurant in Washington, D.C. serves an incredible lemon chess pie. Best I’ve ever had anywhere!
I have never heard of chess pie (showing my northern background here) but I love any pies with that custard, pudding, cream type filling and this looks wonderful! I will have to try it very soon and now I know what to call those kind of pies 🙂
can’t wait to try this.never thought of a lemon chess pie. have tried chocolate. is it right you will be having a new cookbook out soon and if so when can we be looking for it?
I hope you get to try it soon Linda!! And yes, I will have a new cookbook out this fall!!
I was welcomed to the little town of Needville, Tx by a little Chek neighbor lady who brought us a picnic to welcome us to our new home.She made fried chicken, german potato salad, some pickled beets and a Lemon chess Pie made just like yours. It was the first (but not the last by any means) lemon Chess Pie I had ever eaten, I was hooked. she invited me down to show me how easy this pie was…lovely lady who made delightful Kolaches and homemade sauerkraut. Ever since then Lemon Chess pie has been great comfort food
( good food that calls us great memories= comfort food!)
What a precious neighbor and memory!! I am so glad you like the pie!!
Ms. Christie
I am sending you this message to use as future reference when making this pie. Today is the first day of making it. I did so by reading and following the tutorial rather than following the recipe. When I finished and had pie in oven I was looking over the recipe to save when I noticed the amount of butter as being 4 tablespoons. Looking back at the tutorial it looks as if you have a whole stick of butter in with the sugar which would total 8 tablespoons. I know pictures can be deceiving on things like this when viewing. I am wondering if my eyes are deceiving me, or if in fact you do have a whole stick of butter and whether it will affect the outcome of the pie. Thank you in advance for responding to clear this up for me. Your recipes are wonderful. Have a nice day.
Regards,
Joyce Oliver
Does the chess pie require refrigeration?
I refrigerate mine after a day or two if it isn’t all gone, but that is something that rarely happens around here.
I want to give you a tip.
When separating egg yolks from the whites, take an empty 16 oz. water bottle, crack whole egg into a bowl. Squeeze the bottle over the yolk, sucks the yolk right out! Drop yolk into another bowl. Quick and easy!!! No mess.
Thank you for all your short cuts, recipes, stories, and scriptures! I wanted to give back to you!!!
Thanks for the tip Kolene!!
Wow! It works. Thanks.
Please check the printable recipe. It still says to beat until stiff.
My grandmother told me the ” cook story” of “che a pie”. Always remember and think of her when I make or eat one.Love to retell yhe story. Great memories are made in the kitchen!
I have to agree Vicki!! Great memories are made in the kitchen!!
I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone really liked it a lot. I used Challenge Butter.
I love a good chess pie, but I don’t want it runny. Will this recipe be firm.
As long as you cook it until it is set and then allow it to cool completely. You may want it cold before serving.
Can someone tell me how much lemon juice to use in place of fresh lemons? it was mentioned but no measurements given.
Thanks for another fantastic recipe! I can’t wait to make this one too!!
I would probably do 1/4 of a cup.
I want to mkae the lemon chess pie but a little confused on the pie shell. Is it to be fully baked before filling and then still baked 25-30 minutes or is it just a pre-bake to keep crust from being soggy?
O I do LOVE chess pies! So easy and takes me back in time. I just ate the last of a coconut one!☺☺
works great with limes!!!
Good to know!! Thanks for sharing Kurt!!
how much lemon juice would you use, I keep lemon juice here but not lemons would love to try this pie thank you and have a nice day god bless you
I absolutely love chess pie. I will have to try it with lemon. It sounds amazing!
Can’t wait on your new book!! I have all of the previous ones and especially love Sweetness because of all the familiar and easy recipes in one book!! The blog may have the same recipes but it is always wonderful to see the technique and end result. The remarks always give me ideas as everyone comes up with a review and/or twist.
Thank you for taking the time to share not only recipes and inspiration but your family as they grow up.
What a wonderful quote…cute! Chess pies are my favorite…lemon, toasted coconut, chocolate…all are excellent and easy to make for a last minute offering. In a previous life I was known as either the Sheep Lady or the Pie Lady…Pie Lady is the only sobriquet that followed me.
I bet this would be good in graham cracker crust.
Can you verify that the piecrust should be “baked” as shown in the ingredient list? I think the pie filling should be poured into an “unbaked” crust. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
This looks and sounds so good. Being a diabetic, could I substitute Splenda for the sugar?
Thank you for any suggestions.
A must try! Maybe valentines day❤️
That would be a wonderful time!!
The first time I remember hearing about Southern Plate, I was looking for a lemon chess pie recipe! It’s one of my grandma’s favorites, and I wanted to make it for her. She’s 90 now…I should make one for her again.
Oh WOW! I sure am glad that this recipe is what brought you here Sandra!! I hope that you and your grandma get to enjoy a slice together soon!!
Christy: I made this yesterday and tried a tiny bite after it was in the fridge for a few hours. It was one of the best pies I ever had. My mom said it was spectacular. The lemon flavor was so perfect (I used 3 small to medium lemons). I par baked my crust for 12 minutes and did not even use weights. It was so easy to make and such a bright and yummy tasting dessert.
Thank you so much Claudia, that just made my day!!! I am so glad that you and your mother both liked it, that is the best compliment I could hope for!!
I have to now tell you that just now, my father tried the Lemon Chess Pie I made using your recipe. He said it was the one of the best things I ever made and definitely the best dessert I have ever made. He just kept shaking his head and smiling.
Oh Claudia, what a compliment!! I am so glad your Dad liked the pie, now I am shaking my head and smiling!!
Can you believe I am back here to comment that I made this pie yet again. This time it was last night and I brought it to my brother and sister in law for a house warming gift. 🙂
Lemon Chess Pie at its best!
Love everything lemon. It reminds me of spring
Sounds GOOD & EASY my kind of desert, will be making it,