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orange pie with whipped topping
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No-Bake Orange Jell-O Pie Recipe with Graham Cracker Crust

This old-fashioned orange Jell-O pie recipe is a nostalgic no-bake dessert with a graham cracker crust. Just like the one in your grandma's church cookbook.

Equipment

  • 9-inch pie plate

Ingredients

  • 1 package Oange Jell-O
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 cup hot orange juice
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • thawed whipped topping for decorating (optional)

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ cup melted butte

Instructions

  • Start with the crust. Mix your graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar together until it looks like damp sand. Press it into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate, and set it aside.
  • Dissolve the Jell-O. Stir the orange Jell-O and sugar into your hot orange juice until it's completely dissolved. Now the hardest part: waiting. Let it cool until it's thickened and syrupy, about 20 to 25 minutes.
  • Chill your evaporated milk. While that Jell-O is doing its thing, pour the evaporated milk into a small mixing bowl and stick it in the freezer. You're waiting for little ice crystals to form around the edges, and that's how you know it's ready.
  • Whip it up. Take that icy-cold milk and whip it until it's nice and stiff, about a minute. Add your lemon juice and keep going until it's very stiff. It takes about 3 - 4 minutes in total. This is where the magic happens!
  • Fold everything together. Gently fold your whipped milk into the cooled, syrupy Jell-O. Be gentle here, you want to keep all that lovely air you just whipped in. Spoon it into your crust.
  • Chill and enjoy. Pop it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or until it's set firm. Dollop some thawed whipped topping onto top of the pie, if you like. Then slice it up and enjoy every nostalgic bite.

Notes

A Few Tips From My Kitchen

This pie is simple, but I've made it enough times to know a few little things that help.
  • Don't rush the Jell-O. It needs to be thickened and syrupy, not set, before you fold in your whipped milk. If it sets too far, the two won't blend together nicely.
  • Really chill that milk. It has to be very cold to whip up properly, so give it plenty of time in the freezer.
  • Fresh lemon juice makes a difference. It brightens up the orange flavor so the pie doesn't taste flat.