How to Make Pink Lemonade Pies and Their Cousins
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Dennis Weaver

I made  seven pink lemonade pies this morning.   Actually, they weren’t all pink lemonade—some were strawberry guava.  That’s a nice thing about this recipe—you can use whatever fruit juice concentrate you desire—cherry cranberry, peach mango, cranberry pear . . ..  In your grocer’s freezer case there is an amazing array of frozen fruit juice concentrates.  They’re all game for this dessert.

We’ve been making pink lemonade pies and their cousins for years now.  We’ve tweaked the recipe along the way but basically, it’s the same.  We now make it in a springform pan instead of a pie pan but you can use either.  With a graham cracker crust, it’s easier to cut nice, neat slices using a springform pan.

Originally, we thought of this as a summer pie but it’s great year around.  Try a cranberry apple in the fall, a cherry version at Valentines, and the green Leprechaun Pie version for Saint Patrick’s.  These pies are absolutely scrumptious.  They are frozen, almost ice cream pies, and don’t require baking (unless you choose to bake the crust for eight to ten minutes) so they are perfect for summer.  Since everyone loves them, they’re great for guests or a family occasion.  They can be made ahead. 

Get the Colors for Free

Regardless of the juice concentrate you use, you’ll want to intensify the color with the addition of food color.  We recommend Americolor Professional Food Color Gels.  They’re bright, intense—nine times more concentrated than liquids—and easy to apply.  They come in 27 colors.  The pink pie in the picture was tinted with three drops of Red Red—a great strawberry color. 

(Get your first three colors free. Use coupon code "3COL11b47."  Shipping to most locations is $2.99.  Limit one set per order.  Not valid with any other free offer.)

Pink Lemonade Pie Recipe

This pie can be made in a deep dish pie pan or a springform pan.  We nearly always use a springform pan, our Candy Apple Red Silicone Springform Pan.   It doesn’t leak.  You peel the outer ring off like a candy wrapper.  The dessert is left sitting on the tempered glass base.  Set the base on a platter to cut and serve.  It’s much neater than digging servings out of a pie pan. 

It’s made in three parts: a graham cracker crust, a lemonade and cream cheese filling, and a whipped cream topping.  If you prefer, you can use a commercial whipped topping or whipped cream from an aerosol can for the topping. 

For the Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter

1. Mix the crumbs, sugar, and butter in a nine inch pie pan or spring form pan.  Mix until the crumbs have absorbed the butter and the mixture is uniform. 
2. Press the crumbs across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. 
3. Bake for eight to ten minutes at 350 degrees.  (If it’s a hot July day, you can choose not to bake the crust.  A baked crust holds together better because the heat melts the sugar to help hold the crumbs together.)

For the Filling

1 8-ounce packet of cream cheese, softened
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup pink lemonade concentrate (not mixed with water)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
AmeriColor Red Red food coloring or equal

1. Using the whip attachment and your stand-type mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together on medium high speed until the mixture is smooth.  (If you place the sweetened condensed milk in the bowl first, the cream cheese will not stick to the bowl and you will have little need to scrape the sides.)
2. Add the lemonade concentrate and lemon juice and continue beating.  Color with red food coloring as desired.
3. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and place it in the freezer while you mix the topping.

For the Topping

1/3 cup shredded coconut
red food coloring
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place the coconut in a small bowl with a drop of food coloring and a couple drops of water and stir until the coconut turns pink.
2. Whip the cream until stiff, adding the sugar and vanilla in the process.
3. Spoon the cream over the pie filling and garnish with the pink coconut.
4. Freeze the pie until firm.

How to Make the Cousins

You make the cousins just as you do the original but substituting another juice.  Taste your filling before adding the two tablespoons lemon juice but you will probably want to use them to balance the fruit flavor against the cream cheese.  We just made pink raspberry lemonade pie but to balance the raspberry and the lemon, we added a 1/2 teaspoon lemon flavor.  For strawberry guava pie, use the two tablespoons of lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon strawberry flavor.  Here is the recipe for the limeade pie (leprechaun pie).

Limeade Pie

The mixture of lime and cream cheese is delightful, almost like a key lime pie. 
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter

1. Mix the crumbs, sugar, and butter in a nine inch pie pan or spring form pan.  Mix until the crumbs have absorbed the butter and the mixture is uniform. 
2. Press the crumbs across the bottom of the pan and up the sides. 
3. Bake for eight to ten minutes at 350 degrees.  (If it’s a hot July day, you can choose not to bake the crust.  A baked crust holds together better because the heat melts the sugar to help hold the crumbs together.)

For the Filling

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup limeade concentrate (not mixed with water)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
green food coloring as desired

1. Using the whip attachment and your stand-type mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together on medium high speed until the mixture is smooth.  (If you place the sweetened condensed milk in the bowl first, the cream cheese will not stick to the bowl and you will have little need to scrape the sides.)
2. Add the limeade concentrate and lemon juice and continue beating.  Color with food coloring as desired.
3. Pour the mixture into the pie shell and place it in the freezer while you mix the topping.

For the Topping

1/3 cup shredded coconut
green food coloring
1 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place the coconut in a small bowl with a drop of food coloring and a couple drops of water and stir until the coconut turns pink.
2. Whip the cream until stiff, adding the sugar and vanilla in the process.
3. Spoon the cream over the pie filling and garnish with the pink coconut.
4. Freeze the pie until firm.

Discover More Desserts Like This You Can Make

1. Get our Perfect Pie e-book.  It’s free and has really good recipes and instructions.  It will tell you how to make fruit pies with juice concentrates.
2. Make Sweetheart Cream Cheese Tarts.  They are easy and very good—like a cherry cheesecake in a cup. 
3. Try this easy flourless chocolate cake.  It has only five ingredients and four steps.    
4. To learn how to make chiffon pies with fruit juice concentrate, read “The Search for the Best Chiffon Pie Recipes.  (It includes the recipe for Blueberry Chiffon Pie, pictured.)
5. Subscribe to our newsletter.  Get free recipes, craft projects, and advice. 
6. Download How to Bake.  This free 250 page book explains the art and science of baking and includes supporting recipes. 

Dennis Weaver is the founder of The Prepared Pantry.  He is the author of How to Bake, a 250 page book about the art and science of baking and has written many articles.  He has worked as a professional baker.  He is married and has five grown children.  You can download a free copy of How to Bake here.