Atlantic Beach Pie is a beloved North Carolina coastal dessert — bright, salty-sweet, and incredibly easy. Think lemony custard + salty cracker crust with fluffy whipped cream 🍋🥧
🥧 Atlantic Beach Pie (Classic Bill Smith–Style)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1½ sleeves saltine crackers (about 60 crackers)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tbsp sugar
Filling
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
(traditionally Meyer lemon, but regular works)
Topping
- Fresh whipped cream
- Optional: lemon zest or flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Make the crust
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Crush saltines finely.
- Mix with melted butter and sugar.
- Press into a pie plate.
- Bake 15 minutes until lightly golden.
- Mix filling
- Whisk condensed milk and egg yolks.
- Stir in lemon juice (it will thicken immediately).
- Bake
- Pour filling into warm crust.
- Bake 15–18 minutes until just set.
- Cool
- Cool completely, then chill at least 2 hours.
- Serve
- Top generously with whipped cream.
- Finish with zest or a tiny pinch of flaky salt.
🌊 Why It’s Special
- Sweet + salty balance
- Silky, custard-like texture
- Simple pantry ingredients
- Perfect summer pie
Variations (Still Coastal-Approved)
- Lime version (Key lime vibes)
- Graham + saltine mix crust
- Cracker crust with Ritz for extra butteriness
If you’d like, I can share:
- A no-bake shortcut
- A make-ahead party version
- Or the story behind the pie (it’s a great one!)
Just let me know 😊
