Atlantic Beach Pie
on Jul 12, 2023, Updated Aug 03, 2023
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Atlantic Beach Pie is one of the most deservedly famous pies of all time: a crunchy saltine crust filled with creamy sweet-tart lemon custard filling, topped with billows of whipped cream.
Bill Smith’s Atlantic Beach Pie changed my life. How often does anyone get to say that? The crunchy, salty saltine crust filled with creamy sweet-tart lemon filling, topped with billows of whipped cream, is magical. The combo of flavors and textures makes this pie one of the best desserts I have ever eaten in my life, and I promise you you’ll feel the same.
Table of Contents
Atlantic Beach Pie: One of the best pies in the world, crunchy saltine crust filled with creamy, silky lemony filling and topped with whipped cream.The OH-MY-GOD pie, as heard/seen on NPR and The New York Times!
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Ingredients
For the Crust:
- Saltine crackers – You can crush these for the crust using a food processor or your hands.
- Unsalted butter – Make sure your butter is softened so you can blend it with the cracker crumbs.
- Sugar – A little bit adds sweetness, making this the perfect crunchy, sweet, and salty crust.
For the Filling:
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Egg yolks – Use large eggs.
- Fresh lemon juice – You can also use lime juice or a mix of the two —PLEASE USE FRESH! You only need half a cup, which is about 4 or 5 lemons, or 10 limes, and you won’t be sorry!
For the Sweetened Whipped Cream:
- Heavy or whipping cream
- Confectioners’ sugar
FAQs
Atlantic Beach pie is a pie with a lemon curd-like filling. It is baked in a crunchy crust made from crushed saltine crackers and topped with piles of sweetened whipped cream. The contrast of flavors and colors is magical.
This recipe comes from Bill Smith, long-time chef of Crook’s Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It’s his version of a pie that was commonly served at seafood restaurants on the North Carolina coast when he was growing up.
This pie came about because, as Bill explained, back in the day, there was a commonly held belief (which his mother still holds to this day) that if you eat sweets after a seafood meal, you would get sick. His aunt even went so far as to test this theory by driving to a Dairy Queen after such a meal and having a milkshake, and nothing actually happened.
Bill’s mom still holds staunchly to this belief, however. The exception was apparently this citrus pie, which was the only dessert served at many of these coastal seafood joints. It was often served with meringue on top, no doubt using the white from the yolks that are used in the filling. Bill prefers it with whipped cream, and I am not about to argue.
It’s a good story, but it’s an even better pie.
Found Recipe: Atlantic Beach Pie
When I first tried this pie, Bill Smith had just put it on the menu, not even as a permanent offering, just as a special. When I first tasted the pie, all I could say was, “OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD.” I went into a pie-induced fugue state of some kind. I have a very patchy memory of finishing the pie, sharing it with my dinner companion, forks gentile-ly nudging each other for the final bites.
“Found Recipes” on NPR
Just after my trip to Chapel Hill, NPR asked me if I wanted to do some segments on a series of shows they were creating called Found Recipes. In essence, the show is about a person (in this case, me) coming across a food or recipe that is delicious/amazing/surprising — that they weren’t looking for at all. A happenstance, serendipitous discovery that needs to be shared with a greater world.
Yes, I said. I would love to be on your show. And I have the perfect recipe.
The segment aired, and the response was crazy enthusiastic. The phone started ringing at Crook’s Corner, people making reservations and checking to make sure the pie was on the menu. It had been, in fact, a sometime special, not a permanent menu item…but Bill quickly realized that that pie needed to stay on the menu for good.
When Crook’s Corner celebrated its 50th anniversary, and they created a timeline of milestones for the restaurant, the NPR piece about the pie made the chart! I was very proud.
Atlantic Beach Pie in the NYT
And then Margaux Laskey told the whole story in the New York Times!
Says Margaux: “It was a huge hit at the Southern Foodways dinner, so he added it to the Crook’s Corner menu. Katie Workman, the author of ‘The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket,’ discovered it while eating there and went on to share the recipe on National Public Radio’s Found Recipes series.
“And that was that. Soon, Crook’s Corner had a line out the door, and the pie was selling out. Magazines and newspapers wrote features about it. Food bloggers sang its praises. (A quick internet search for the pie yields about 458,000 results.) Every cooking website worth their flaky sea salt, added it to their recipes. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams even developed an Atlantic Beach Pie flavor.”
IS THAT EXCITING OR WHAT???? The pie has since been featured — oh everywhere. Southern Living (where it was the cover recipe for their July 2021 issue), billed it as “the easiest pie in the world!”
How to Make Atlantic Beach Pie
- Make the crust: Crush the crackers finely, but not to dust, and place them in a medium bowl. Add the sugar, then knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press the mixture into an 8 or 9- inch pie pan, as you would for a graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until the crust colors a little.
- Make the filling: While the crust is cooling slightly, beat the egg yolks into the milk, then completely beat in the citrus juice. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the filling has set. Let the pie cool on a pie rack, then refrigerate to chill completely.
- Whip the cream: Beat the cream and confectioners’ sugar just until slightly firm peaks are formed.
- Finish the pie: Pile the whipped cream over the entire filling. The pie needs to be completely cold to be sliced. This will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Cooking Tips and Variations
- Use fresh lime juice instead of lemon.
- You can use a food processor to crush the saltines, but it’s just as easy to use your hands.
- Chilling the crust briefly before baking the pie enables it to hold its structure better.
- Make sure to combine the filling ingredients very well and pour them into the crust just after blending, then bake immediately.
- Allow the pie to cool on a rack to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours to chill completely before topping with the whipped cream.
- Keep the pie chilled until serving.
Serving and Storage
Serve Atlantic Beach pie cut into wedges, making sure to slide the serving spatula completely underneath the thick crust. If you want to make the pie ahead of time, you can fill and bake the pie up to 2 days ahead of time, and then cover the pie and refrigerate. You can also make the whipped cream up to 8 hours before serving and keep it chilled.
Or, top the pie with whipped cream up to several hours before serving, and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.
Leftovers will last for another few days. The crust may soften slightly, but it will still be delicious.
Like lemon? Try these citrusy desserts!
More Pie Recipes to Try
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Salted Butterscotch Pie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie
- Best Banana Cream Pie
- Key Lime Pie
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Atlantic Beach Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 ½ sleeves of saltine crackers
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (softened)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
For the Filling
- 1 (14-ounce can) sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice or lime juice (or a mix of the two)
For the Sweetened Whipped Cream
- 1 ½ cups heavy or whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- For the crust, crush the crackers finely, but not to dust, and place them in a medium bowl. You can use a food processor, but it’s just as easy to use your hands. Add the sugar, then knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press the mixture into an 8- or 9-inch pie pan, as you would for a graham cracker crust. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until the crust colors a little.
- Remove the crust, and while it is cooling slightly, make the filling. In another medium bowl, beat the egg yolks into the milk then beat in the citrus juice. It is important to completely combine these ingredients. Immediately pour into the pie shell and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the filling has set. Let the pie cool on a pie rack, then refrigerate to chill.
- In a large mixing bowl using a whisk or a hand mixer, whip the cream and confectioners’ sugar just until slightly firm peaks are formed. Pile the whipped cream over the entire filling. The pie needs to be completely cold to be sliced. This will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- Use fresh lime juice instead of lemon.
- You can use a food processor to crush the saltines, but it’s just as easy to use your hands.
- Chilling the crust briefly before baking the pie enables it to hold its structure better.
- Make sure to combine the filling ingredients very well and pour them into the crust just after blending, then bake immediately.
- Allow the pie to cool on a rack to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours to chill completely before topping with the whipped cream.
- Keep the pie chilled until serving.
- Serve Atlantic Beach Pie, cut into wedges, making sure to slide the serving spatula completely underneath the thick crust. If you want to make the pie ahead of time, you can fill and bake the pie up to 2 days ahead of time, and then cover the pie and refrigerate. You can also make the whipped cream up to 8 hours before serving, and keep it chilled.
- Or, top the pie with whipped cream up to several hours before serving, and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.
- Leftovers will last for another few days. The crust may soften slightly, but it will still be delicious.
I was wondering if I can substitute 4 egg yolks for 4 egg whites or 2 eggs because 4 egg yolks sounds like a LOT of cholesterol in this cake. Just thinking how to make it a bit healthier without compromising the great taste…
hmmmm. I have not tried that. But now I am curious if it might make for a more whipped/lighter filling. I will try it, but if you try it first, please let me know!
I did make it today with just 2 eggs. It came out very good, I don’t know how it would be with 4 egg yolks though :) The filling holds pretty good.
This is very good to know! Thanks!
Unless you’re planning on eating the whole pie yourself, 4 egg yolks isn’t problematic. It’s a half a yolk per serving.
I only have 9-inch pie plates. Do I need to increase the filling?
no, not necessary!
The filling is the standard recipe you would usually use for a 9 inch lemon ice box pie, and I think you’ll find that the cracker mixture is gracious plenty for a 9 inch pan and did not use all the cracker mixture.
It does make a thick crust, a very thick crust….but I just love the crust! And the slightly tweaked proportions. You can certainly adjust as you see fit.
When I heard your story about this pie on NPR, I had to pull over and write down the information. I made this wonderful creation last weekend, and it was a big hit! I’ll be sharing it with my blog readers soon (and, of course I’ll link back to you). Thank you so much for sharing!
That’s so great! Thank you. I dream about this pie….
I was a little disappointed. I think I did everything right, but I felt it was like a regular lemon pie. Nothing spectacular….I think Katie went a little overboard with her praise…esp the ‘omg’…’omg”…thing…
I was good , not saying that ,but not OMG recipe.
Just my humble opinion!
well, I guess one person’s “OMG” pie is another persons “that’s just a good pie” pie. But glad it was at least a good pie.
ok, I’m humbled….made it yesterday for 8 lady friends, and they loved it!!! one thing….I can’t seem to get the crumbs to stay together? The crust just falls apart…it doesn’t come out ‘like dough’ for sure….what am I doing wrong?
Thanks again!
My husband sent me the link to pie after hearing about it on Friday.
I made it yesterday (doubled the recipe) and it was a huge hit. Everyone especially loved the crust and said it would be good for all kind of fruit pie recipes. The only thing I would change is the last line of the recipe “this will keep up to four days in the refrigerator”….mine didn’t. Thank you for a new summer recipe!
thanks very much for the feedback, and glad the pie was a hit!
I also heard this story on NPR. I now have the pie waiting only for the whipped cream before digging in!
I am thinking of making for a work pot luck….. and was thinking of making mini pies instead one large pie. Any conversions I should consider?
The crust is quite thick, so the ratio of the crust to pie filling will be a bit different from the big pie — lots of crust with not much filling if you are doing little 2 or 3 inch pies….but that may not be a bad thing! I would just watch the baking times – bake the crust first until lightly golden, and bake the filled pies just until the filling is set (give it a jiggle).
Heard you on NPR… heard your amazing description of the pie and the chef’s interview afterward. Couldn’t resist… my wife normally does the cooking in our house, but I came home and declared, “I am going to make you a pie.” Her jaw dropped.
and you did??? wow
I hear the snippet on NPR about this pie on my way home from work last night, and immediately looked the recipe up when I got home to make sure I had all the ingredients! I will be making tonight, and CANNOT WAIT!!!
Hope you loved it!
I cant wait to try this
That pie sounds delicious! I think I might have to try lemon, lime and lemon-lime!
It would be foolish to just try one :)