Are you a fan of tart, citrus flavor and silky smooth custard? Then this yuzu pie recipe is for you. My yuzu pie is essentially the Asian version of a key lime pie, yuzu being a type of citrus from Japan. It’s got a refreshingly tart filling on an optionally no-bake graham cracker crust. I like to balance the acidity with whipped cream on top, but it’d go great with vanilla ice cream as well. The best part is, yuzu pie requires only three ingredients for the filling!
What is Yuzu?
Yuzu is a type of citrus. It’s about the size of an orange and has a yellow peel like a lemon. Yuzu is very popular in Japan, but is also found throughout East Asia. In terms of flavor, yuzu is much more sour (at least to my tastebuds) than lemons or limes. I find that yuzu has more floral notes than other citrus as well.
How Do You Use Yuzu?
You can use yuzu pretty much the exact same ways you would use lemons or limes. For example, you could do dipping sauces, like ponzu. You could also use it in salad dressing, squeezed onto vegetables, pasta, or even mixed into tea.
But my favorite way to use yuzu is in desserts! With added sweetener, yuzu has an amazing flavor: super punchy from its acidity, but also floral and sweet. It’s like lemon on steroids. I’ve used it before in many recipes: my yuzu lemon cupcakes, yuzu glazed donuts, and of course my yuzu pie.
Where Can You Find Yuzu or Yuzu Juice?
I find it pretty difficult to find fresh yuzu in stores, even with a Japanese market nearby. (Side note: I am planning on trying to grow yuzu in my yard next year, as I just recently learned they do well in the Pacific Northwest!). But it’s fairly simple to find yuzu juice in stores. And if you don’t have an Asian market near you, there’s always Amazon.
The tricky part about yuzu juice is that it is often sold as yuzu extract or juice concentrates. That means the concentration of yuzu will be different from brand to brand. Especially considering that yuzu is much more sour than lemon, you could get huge ranges in flavor. To avoid having your desserts come out disastrously sour, please always taste your yuzu juice first. You want your juice to taste just a little more sour than lemon juice. Chances are you may need to reduce the amount of yuzu juice called for in the recipe and dilute it with water.
Creamy Yuzu Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 4 tbsp salted butter melted
Filling
- 2/3 cup yuzu juice
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and sides of a 9" pie tin using your hand.
- Optional: Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F for an extra toasty crust, or leave as is to keep the recipe completely no-bake.
- Whisk together egg yolks, yuzu juice, and condensed milk in a saucepan.
- Cook on stovetop on medium heat until steaming, continuously whisking.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high and continue to whisk until mixture is boiling and has custard-like texture and thickness.
- Take off the heat and let cool slightly before pouring into your prepared crust.
- Leave in fridge uncovered to set, at least a few hours but preferably overnight.
- When ready to serve, whip the heavy cream and sugar on high until stiff peaks form.
- Either pipe whipped cream in a fun border around the pie, or simply smooth over the top of the pie with a knife. Serve slices with any leftover whipped cream.
What did you think? Do I have any yuzu converts out there?