Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Taste: Imagine a creamy, cool, and refreshing orange creamsicle, but in the form of a delectable pie. You’ll enjoy the authentic orange flavor, free from artificial ingredients and dyes.
• Ease: The recipe involves a few simple steps: crafting the graham cracker crust, preparing the homemade orange pudding, whipping the cream, and assembling everything together. The best part? No baking required! The pudding is cooked gently on the stovetop. For an even easier version, you can opt for a store-bought crust.
• Time: Preparing the crust takes approximately 5 minutes, while the pudding requires around 10-15 minutes of cooking time (excluding chilling).

📝 Ingredient Notes

• Orange Juice: While fresh oranges are wonderful, they often yield only about ¼ cup of juice each. For this recipe, which utilizes two oranges for zest, I typically use store-bought orange juice. Store-bought juice tends to have a reliably tart and robust flavor, which is ideal for the pie filling, whereas fresh oranges can sometimes be overly sweet.
• Heavy Cream: Although Cool Whip can be used as a substitute, keep in mind that the texture might not be as firm. Using heavy cream creates a richer, more stable whipped cream.
• Thickeners: I use a combination of eggs and cornstarch to thicken the orange filling. No gelatin is necessary, making it suitable for vegetarians who avoid gelatin.

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

✏️ Substitutions & Variations

• Sour Cream: You can easily substitute light sour cream, cream cheese, mascarpone, or unflavored Greek yogurt. If using cream cheese or mascarpone, ensure they are softened to room temperature first to avoid lumps in the filling.
• For a gluten-free version, simply use a gluten-free graham cracker crust! You can find these pre-made or make your own using gluten-free graham crackers.
• If you prefer a tangier pie, substitute ¼ cup of orange juice with lemon juice. I don’t recommend using all lemon juice, as it might be too overpowering. The combination of orange and lemon creates a lovely balance of sweet and tart.

🧑‍🍳 Instructions

1. Step 1. Make the graham cracker crust! Crush the graham crackers in a blender or in a large zip-close bag using a rolling pin. Add melted butter and brown sugar, then mix thoroughly until well combined.
2. Step 2. Press the graham cracker mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Use a measuring cup or bowl to help even out the bottom and ensure it’s firmly packed. If making ahead, bake the crust at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes at this stage.

3. Step 3. Make the orange pudding! Begin by combining the sugar and orange zest in a saucepan. Stir them together vigorously to help release the fragrant oils from the zest into the sugar. This step enhances the orange flavor of the pie.
4. Step 4. Add the orange juice, eggs, and cornstarch to the saucepan. Blend the mixture using a blender for 20-30 seconds until smooth and free of any noticeable egg pieces. An immersion blender makes this step incredibly easy!

5. Step 5. Heat the mixture over low/medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. The mixture should thicken significantly. Avoid boiling it; aim for a gentle simmer. The filling will continue to thicken as it cools.
6. Step 6. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla extract until well combined. Cover the pudding with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Allow it to cool to at least room temperature before adding the whipped cream. Do NOT add the whipped cream while the pudding is warm, or it will melt and cause the filling to become runny.

7. Step 7. Make the whipped cream! In a mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip the mixture using an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes on high speed until it forms stiff peaks. Refrigerate the whipped cream until the orange mixture has cooled.
8. Step 8. Gently spoon half of the whipped cream into the cooled orange pudding mixture and stir thoroughly to incorporate. (If the orange filling has been chilled overnight, give it a good whisk to loosen it up and smooth it out.) Then, fold in the remaining whipped cream until the filling is light and airy.

9. Step 9. Spoon the prepared orange filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the top with a spatula.
10. Step 10. Cover the pie and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours to allow the filling to set and the slices to become more firm. (You can serve it immediately if you prefer a softer, less-set consistency.) Garnish with fresh orange zest, orange slices, mandarin oranges, whipped cream, or fresh mint leaves for a beautiful and flavorful presentation. Enjoy!

📌 Troubleshooting

• Runny Filling: A runny pie filling can be caused by several factors:
  • The orange pudding wasn’t cooked long enough, preventing the cornstarch from activating properly.
  • The orange pudding wasn’t cooled sufficiently, causing it to melt the whipped cream.
  • The whipped cream wasn’t whipped to stiff peaks, or it became too warm before being added to the filling.
• Sloppy Slices: If your pie slices are not holding their shape, it likely wasn’t set enough. To achieve cleaner edges, you can flash freeze it (after chilling for a few hours) for approximately 30 minutes. This will help firm it up without negatively affecting the whipped cream.

❄️ Make Ahead, Store, and Freezing Tips

This creamy orange pie is an excellent make-ahead dessert!

1. Prepare the graham cracker crust, orange pudding, and whipped cream the day before you plan to serve the pie. Store each component separately in the refrigerator overnight.
2. The next day, gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled orange filling and transfer the mixture to the prepared pie crust. You can serve the pie immediately, or chill it for an additional 3-4 hours for more defined slices.

For a fun twist, freeze the pie for at least 6 hours or overnight to create a delicious ice cream-like version! This transforms the creamy filling into a frozen orange creamsicle delight.

❓Frequently Asked Questions

🐣 More Delicious Easter Desserts

• Peanut Butter Easter Eggs
• Carrot Cake Cinnamon Rolls
• Carrot Banana Muffins
• Lemon Blueberry Bread Pudding

Did You Try This Recipe?

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📝 Printable Recipe

Creamy Orange Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

Author : Sara Smith | Eat Dessert Snack

Creamy Orange Pie is a bright, citrusy no-bake dessert with an orange creamsicle filling and buttery graham cracker crust. You can even freeze it!

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 0 mins

Chilling Time 3 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 20 mins

Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Servings 8
Calories 510 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Electric Mixer
• 1 blender

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 11 graham crackers
• 7 Tablespoons salted butter
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar

For the Pie filling:

• ½ cup white granulated sugar
• 1 Tablespoon orange zest 1 large orange
• 1½ cups orange juice
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon salted butter
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1¾ cups heavy whipping cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• optional: orange zest, slices, or mint leaves for garnish

Instructions

1. Crush the graham crackers either in a blender or large zip close bag. Add melted butter and brown sugar and mix well. 3 Tablespoons brown sugar, 11 graham crackers, 7 Tablespoons salted butter
2. Press into a 9 inch pie pan, and use a cup or bowl to press the crust down and help even out the bottom and make it firm.
   If making ahead, now is the time to bake it at 350 ℉ for 10 minutes. See Note 1.
3. Combine the sugar and orange zest and stirring it together really well to help release the oils from the zest into the sugar. ½ cup white granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon orange zest
4. Add in the orange juice, eggs, and cornstarch and blend in a blender for 20-30 seconds until smooth and there are no noticeable egg pieces left. An immersion blender makes this super easy! 1½ cups orange juice, ¼ cup cornstarch, 2 large eggs
5. Heat over low/medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often until the mixture thickens. It will be pretty thick, this is what we want. We don’t want it to boil hard and curdle the eggs, just to barely get to the bubbling point.
6. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter, sour cream, and vanilla. See Note 2.
   Cover with plastic wrap and let cool to at LEAST room temperature, preferably chilled before adding whipped cream, it should not be warm at all. See Note 3. ½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 Tablespoon salted butter
7. Meanwhile, make the whipped cream. In a mixing bowl, combine the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes on high speed until it forms stiff peaks.
   Refrigerate until orange mixture cools. 1¾ cups heavy whipping cream, ⅓ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla
8. Spoon half of the whipped cream into cooled orange pudding mixture and stir in thoroughly, then add the other half of the whipped cream and stir in until smooth and creamy. See Note 4.
9. Spoon mixture into pie shell and smooth the top. Chill for 2-3 hours to set for more firm slices. (You can always serve right away if you don’t mind looser slices.)
10. Serve with orange zest, slices, mandarin oranges, whipped cream, or mint leaves as a fun but beautiful garnish. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1. If making the pie ahead, baking the crust for 10 minutes helps to prevent it from getting soggy and crumbly. Just make sure it’s completely cooled before putting filling into it or it can become runny.

Note 2. It’s fine if the orange mixture is still hot when mixing the other ingredients in, that will melt the butter and help the sour cream mix in with no lumps.

Note 3. Do NOT add the whipped cream while it’s warm or it will melt and become runny.

Note 4. Make sure to mix the whipped cream into the pudding in 2 batches. Mixing in half of the whipped cream first helps to keep the mixture fluffy like mousse instead of becoming runny.

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcal
Carbohydrates: 48g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 34g
Saturated Fat: 20g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
Monounsaturated Fat: 9g
Trans Fat: 0.4g
Cholesterol: 132mg
Sodium: 173mg
Potassium: 237mg
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 32g
Vitamin A: 1287IU
Vitamin C: 25mg
Calcium: 90mg
Iron: 1mg

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