Midwestern HomeLife

  • Recipes
  • Holiday Recipe eBooks
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Recipe eBooks
  • 🥞FREE Brunch eBook!
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Recipe eBooks
    • 🥞FREE Brunch eBook!
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Pies

    Easy Jello Pie (No Bake)

    Published: Mar 29, 2023 by Cara Lanz · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    lemon jello pie topped with cool whip and lemon zest on a blue and white tea towel
    piece of Lemon jello pie on a white plate with a fork resting on it
    piece of Lemon jello pie on a white plate
    piece of Lemon jello pie on a white plate

    No bake Jello pie with a graham cracker crust is a light and fluffy 4-ingredient pie recipe made with Jello, pudding, and Cool Whip. It's an incredibly easy recipe and the perfect dessert for Easter and spring and summer parties.

    piece of Lemon jello pie on a white plate with a fork resting on it.

    Want to Save This Recipe?

    Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, you'll get more FREE recipes and tips from my Midwestern kitchen to yours!

    Save Recipe

    By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Midwestern HomeLife

    Jump to:
    • Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make No Bake Jello Pie
    • Success Tips
    • FAQs
    • More Easy Pie Recipes
    • 💌Let's Stay in Touch
    • 📖 Recipe

    Oh, Jell-O, we love how you bring bright flavor to everything from Strawberry Pie and Lemon Poke Cake to creamy Orange Fluff Salad. And this Lemon Jello pie with Cool Whip. 

    It's such a delicious pie -- light as air, fluffy as a cloud, and one of the easiest pies you'll ever make. It's just 4 ingredients!

    And you can make it with any flavor of Jell-O you like. I made it for Easter with strawberry Jell-O, and it was the first dessert to go!

    Why You're Going to Love This Recipe

    • Lemon pie with graham cracker crust is light and refreshing -- perfect for spring and summer parties!
    • Quick and easy Jello pie recipe with just 4 ingredients (plus water and ice)
    • Fun to make with different flavors of Jello
    • No bake icebox lemon pie is an easy dessert the whole family will love

    Ingredients

    This easy Jello pie comes together with simple ingredients you can find in any grocery store.

    jello pie ingredients.

    Lemon Jell-o. Two 3 oz. boxes of lemon Jello (4-serving size) give this easy no bake lemon pie plenty of puckery lemon flavor. You can also make this with any flavor of Jello you like. Orange Jello, cherry Jello, peach Jello, or strawberry Jell-o mix would all be delicious!

    Instant vanilla pudding. One 3.4 ounce box of instant vanilla or French vanilla pudding. Even though the mixture is cooked, instant pudding gives this pie the perfect smooth consistency. Do not use cook-and-serve pudding - it'll come out clumpy and weird.

    Cool Whip. One 8 oz. container of Cool Whip makes this pie super light and fluffy. If you're not into Cool Whip, I suggest giving Truwhip a try.

    Graham cracker crust. You can use a premade graham cracker crust or make your own crust with this recipe.

    How to Make No Bake Jello Pie

    jello and pudding mixture in saucepan.

    Step 1: Place the pudding mix and gelatin mix in a medium saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Simmer and whisk frequently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

    Add enough ice cubes to ½ cup of cold water to get 1 ¼ cups of ice water. Add the ice water to the pudding and gelatin mix, stirring until the ice melts.

    jello and pudding mixture in clear bowl.

    Step 2: Pour the gelatin mixture into a heat-proof bowl.

    Chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, until the mixture has cooled and slightly thickened. Whisk the mixture to break up any clumps of Jello.

    lemon jello pie filing mixture in clear bowl.

    Step 3: Fold the Cool Whip into the lemon Jello mixture until it is completely combined. Chill for 30 minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to mound into the pie crust. 

    hand holding a spatula spreading jello pie filing into a graham cracker crust.

    Step 4: Spoon the lemon Cool Whip mixture into the prepared pie shell. Cover and chill the pie for at least 4 hours or overnight to set.

    lemon jello pie topped with cool whip and lemon zest on a blue and white tea towel.

    Step 5: Spread more whipped topping on top of the pie and, if desired, sprinkle with fresh lemon zest.

    piece of Lemon jello pie on a white plate with a fork resting on it.

    Serve with fresh berries or fresh fruit. This pie is best enjoyed within 24 hours.

    Success Tips

    • Be sure to use instant pudding (even though you're cooking it -- odd, I know). Because of the ratios of the liquid and whipped topping, cook-and-serve pudding will make the mixture clumpy and weird.
    • If you like a crispier graham cracker crust, bake it for 8-10 minutes at 350 and let it cool completely before adding the lemon pie filling. You can even brush it with an egg wash before baking to keep it from softening. 
    • Swap out lemon Jello for your favorite Jello flavor. No bake strawberry pie and orange Jello pie are two of our faves!
    • Dress up the foil pie tin by serving the pie in a pretty pie plate. This is the one you see in the photos.

    FAQs

    How long does Jell-O pie last in the refrigerator?

    Store leftover lemon Jello pie covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

    Do you need to bake the graham cracker pie crust before adding the lemon pie filling?

    No, that's the beauty of no-bake dessert recipes! You can spoon the filling into a store-bought graham cracker crust or use your own graham cracker crust recipe.

    For a crispier or sturdier crust, bake it for 8-10 minutes and let it cool completely before adding the filling.

    Can I make Jello pie with any flavor of Jello?

    Absolutely! This is a great recipe to swap out with different flavors of Jello.

    A pretty pink strawberry pie, dreamy orange creamsicle pie, or zesty key lime pie would all be absolutely delicious and refreshing summer dessert recipes.

    piece of Lemon jello pie on a white plate with a fork resting on it.

    More Easy Pie Recipes

    • side view of piece of strawberry pie topped with whipped cream and a strawberry
      No Bake Strawberry Pie with Jello
    • slice of banana pudding pie on white plate.
      Banana Pudding Pie (No Bake)
    • side view of one piece of chocolate pudding pie
      Easy Chocolate Pudding Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
    • side view of slice of no bake chocolate peanut butter pie
      Oreo Peanut Butter Pie without Cream Cheese

    💌Let's Stay in Touch

    Follow Midwestern HomeLife on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of the latest recipes!

    📖 Recipe

    piece of Lemon jello pie on a white plate with a fork resting on it

    No Bake Jello Pie

    Cara Lanz
    No bake Jello pie in a graham cracker crust is a light and fluffy 4-ingredient pie. It's an incredibly easy recipe and the perfect dessert for Easter and spring and summer parties.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe!
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Chill Time 4 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
    Total Time 4 hours hrs 55 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 296 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 3 oz. boxes lemon Jello
    • 1 3.4 oz. box instant vanilla pudding
    • 1 ½ cups water, divided
    • ¾ cup ice cubes
    • 8 ounces Cool Whip or whipped cream
    • 1 9" graham cracker crust store-bought or homemade
    • Optional: more Cool Whip (or whipped cream) lemon zest, and fresh berries, for serving
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Place the pudding mix and both boxes of gelatin mix in a saucepan.
      Add 1 cup of water. Whisk and bring to a boil. Simmer and whisk frequently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
    • Add enough ice cubes to ½ cup of cold water to get 1 ¼ cups of ice water.
      Add the ice water to the pudding and gelatin mix, stirring until the ice melts.
      Pour the mixture into a heat-proof bowl. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until the mixture has cooled and slightly thickened.
    • Fold 8 ounces of Cool Whip into the lemon pudding and gelatin mixture until it is completely combined.
      Chill for 30 minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to mound.
    • Spoon the mixture into the graham cracker crust. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight to set.
    • If desired, add more Cool Whip and lemon zest on top of the lemon Jello pie. Serve with fresh strawberries or fruit.
    • This pie is best enjoyed within 24 hours.
      It's also delicious frozen and slightly thawed :).

    Video

    Notes

    Use instant pudding (even though you're cooking it -- odd, I know). 
    Feel free to swap out lemon Jello for your favorite Jello flavor (orange Jello is like a creamsicle!)
    You can use freshly whipped cream instead of Cool Whip. 

    STORAGE & FREEZING

    Store leftover pie covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
    To freeze, wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap and again in foil. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or enjoy it frozen (slightly thawed is best!).

    Nutrition

    Calories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 4gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 299mgPotassium: 57mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 21IUCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
    Easy Honey Lime Dressing »
    • Facebook

    Comments

    1. Michelle G says

      November 16, 2024 at 10:49 pm

      5 stars
      I made it although I used 2 cups of milk on the stovetop instead of water. The 1 cup just wasn't enough to completely dissolve the mixes. Also, I used lime gelatin, added in finely chopped pecans, pineapple tidbits, mini marshmallows and topped it off with whipped cream flowerets and maraschino cherries. It was absolutely superb!

      Reply
      • Cara Lanz says

        November 17, 2024 at 1:18 pm

        Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing your yummy adaptation :). Cara

        Reply
    2. Jennifer Box says

      June 30, 2023 at 9:57 pm

      5 stars
      I made this and it was great. Can you use sugar free jello?

      Reply
      • Cara Lanz says

        July 01, 2023 at 8:12 pm

        Hi, Jennifer, thank you I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
        As soon as I saw your note, I tried the recipe with the only change being sugar-free Jello, but the texture wasn’t as creamy. I tried many iterations and this is what worked the best — with either sugar-free instant pudding or regular instant pudding. It's still not exactly the same, but close.
        •Bring 1 cup of water and Jello to a boil. Remove from heat and stir 2 minutes.
        •Add the dry pudding mix and stir for 2 minutes.
        •Add 1 ¼ cup ice water and stir until it melts.
        •Pour the mixture into a bowl. Fold in the Cool Whip.
        •Chill 30 minutes or until firm enough to mound. Spoon into pie shell and chill 4+ hrs.

        Thanks for the great question! Let me know if you try it and how it works for you.
        Thanks, Cara

        Reply
    3. Tammy says

      June 21, 2023 at 10:04 pm

      I don’t know what I did wrong, but the consistency of the pudding and jello mixtures with 1 c of water, you couldn’t even stir much less bring to a boil. I measured out 3.4oz of pudding mix because I had small boxes. I ended up adding a second cup of water and went from there! Hopefully will be ok! Help, what did I do wrong??

      Reply
      • Cara Lanz says

        June 22, 2023 at 12:59 am

        Well, darnit, I'm so sorry you ran into trouble! And I really can't say where you veered off course because I haven't run into that before. The two boxes of Jello mix and one box of pudding mix are the 4-serving size boxes, if that helps. As long as the mixture thickens up, you should be just fine. I'll be putting a video up of exactly how I made this pie in the next day or so, so maybe that will shed some light on something helpful if you should choose to take another swing at this recipe.

        Reply
    4. Hope B. says

      May 15, 2023 at 11:17 pm

      Can you make this recipe without the Cool Whip? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Cara Lanz says

        May 16, 2023 at 10:22 am

        Hi Hope, Do you mean without any type of whipped cream or whipped topping at all? I would think so, though I haven't tried it. You might want to add a little more water, as the lemon flavor might be pretty intense without the Cool Whip. If you're looking for a substitute for Cool Whip, whipped cream should work just fine, it just might not stay firm for quite as long. I also like Truwhip, which is a "healthier" alternative to Cool Whip. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Hi, I'm Cara!

    I love sharing easy, delicious everyday recipes from the heartland.

    Whether you're looking for a fast and easy dinner recipe, something yummy for a potluck or holiday gathering, or just a little inspiration, I hope you'll find something you love here.

    Dig in!

    More about me →

    Easy Brunch Recipes ebook cover.

    FREE eBook

    Easy Brunch Recipes with sweet and savory favorites!

    Let's go!

    Summer Baking Recipes

    • two Strawberry Brownies ona white plate in front of a platter of strawberry brownies
      Strawberry Brownies
    • side view of white plate with piece of pineapple cream cheese pie topped with toasted coconut and a blackberry
      No Bake Pineapple Cream Cheese Pie
    • side view of piece of strawberry pie topped with whipped cream and a strawberry
      No Bake Strawberry Pie with Jello
    • lemon bar with graham cracker crust on white plate with cutting board with bars in background
      Easy Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust
    • two carrot cake mix bars on a a white counter top.
      Carrot Cake Mix Cookie Bars
    • slices of lemon blackberry bread on a white plate
      Lemon Blackberry Bread

    Most Popular Recipes

    • piece of chocolate caramel poke cake on white plate
      Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake
    • Million Dollar Bars
    • ground beef vegetable soup recipe in a white bowl
      Easy Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
    • pot roast with onion soup mix, potatoes, and carrots on a white platter
      Lipton Onion Soup Pot Roast Recipe
    • taco spaghetti in stainless steel skillet
      One Pot Taco Spaghetti
    • oven baked teriyaki chicken thighs on a white plate
      Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (Boneless or Bone-in)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Services
    • Media Kit
    • About
    featured on logos

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 MIDWESTERNHOMELIFE Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.