An easy throw-together pie that’s lemony, luscious, and delicious!
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Lemonopita is a Greek lemon and phyllo custard pie made with dried phyllo, a decadent lemon custard, and sweet lemony syrup. In some parts of Greece, it’s even known as patsavouropita because it means sloppy, and you’re just throwing everything together in a baking pan. Regardless of how easy the pie is to put together, it doesn’t change how luscious and decadent it is. Everyone will love the creaminess and lemony flavor. So, I can’t wait for you to try it!
Why you have to make this
- Soft pudding-like phyllo layers
- Perfectly lemony
- Not too sweet
- Caramelized pie edges
- It’s a luscious and impressive lemony dessert that’s super easy, and you can make it ahead!
Here’s what you’ll need
Lemon Syrup:
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon peel –the easiest way to remove the peel is with a vegetable peeler
- Lemon juice –peeling before juicing is so much easier
Lemon Pie:
- #4 phyllo –thawed
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil –light oil, or you can use melted unsalted butter
- Yogurt –Greek or regular yogurt or sour cream
- Granulated sugar –you can use a little less sugar if you prefer your pie less sweet
- Lemon juice –freshly squeezed
- Lemon zest –don’t forget to zest before juicing!
- Baking powder
- Pure vanilla extract
How to make Greek Lemon & Phyllo Custard Pie: Lemonopita
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 160°C.
- Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch (23 by 33 cm) baking pan.
- Remove the phyllo roll from the packaging and keep it rolled up. Slice it into about half-inch strips.
- Separate the phyllo strips, spread them onto a tray or over the counter, and allow them to dry for about an hour or overnight.
Make the Syrup:
- In a saucepan, combine all of the syrup ingredients except for the vanilla extract and bring to a boil.
- Stir together and remove the pan from the heat as soon as the sugar has dissolved. Add the vanilla, stir together and set aside to cool completely.
Assemble the dessert:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until thick and pale—about 3 minutes.
- Add the oil, yogurt, baking powder, juice, and zest and mix until incorporated.
- Toss the phyllo strips in the custard and pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake on the center rack for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden on top.
- Remove the pan from the oven and pierce the pie all over.
- Then, pour the cooled syrup over the hot pie and set it aside to cool for 2 hours.
- Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Serving
This lemon pie tastes excellent cold. So, you can make it a day ahead of time and chill it in the fridge. I prefer it that way, but room temperature is good too. You can serve each slice with whipped cream, ice cream, or mascarpone cheese and then top with salted ground pistachios for extra deliciousness. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You’re going to love this pie as much as I do! Kali Orexi!
Delicious Phyllo Desserts:
Greek Lemon & Phyllo Custard Pie: Lemonopita
Lemonopita is an easy Greek lemon custard pie made with dried phyllo, creamy yogurt custard, and a sweet lemon syrup. Also known as Patsavouropita, this luscious dessert has soft, pudding-like phyllo layers, caramelized edges, and plenty of fresh lemon flavor. Serve it chilled or at room temperature for an easy make-ahead Greek dessert.
Ingredients
For the Lemon Syrup:
- 1 and ½ cups (375 milliliters) water
- 1 and ½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- Peel of 1 lemon
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Lemon Phyllo Custard Pie:
- 1 pound (500 grams) #4 phyllo, thawed
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup (250 milliliters) vegetable oil
- 1 cup yogurt or sour cream
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest from 2–3 lemons
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the Phyllo: Remove the phyllo roll from its packaging, keeping it rolled up. Slice the roll into approximately ½-inch strips.
Separate the phyllo strips and spread them over a tray or clean countertop. Allow the phyllo to dry for approximately 1 hour or overnight.
Prepare the Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-centimeter) baking pan.
Make the Lemon Syrup: Combine the water, sugar, lemon peel, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Stir together and bring to a boil.
As soon as the sugar has dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and stir to combine.
Set the syrup aside to cool completely.
Make the Lemon Custard: Add the eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Beat for approximately 3 minutes or until thick and pale.
Add the vegetable oil, yogurt, baking powder, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix until incorporated.
Assemble the Lemonopita: Add the dried phyllo strips to the custard and toss until evenly coated.
Pour the phyllo and custard mixture into the prepared baking pan.
Bake the Lemonopita: Bake on the center rack for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden on top.
Begin checking the pie halfway through the baking time. Check it again approximately 15 minutes before the baking time is complete because oven temperatures can vary. Remove the pie once it is golden.
Add the Lemon Syrup: Remove the hot pie from the oven and pierce it all over.
Immediately pour the cooled lemon syrup evenly over the hot pie.
Set the pie aside for 2 hours to cool and absorb the syrup.
Serve: Serve the Lemonopita at room temperature or chilled. Top each serving with whipped cream, ice cream, or mascarpone cheese and ground pistachios, if desired. Kali Orexi!
Notes
Drying the Phyllo: Separate the sliced phyllo strips and allow them to dry for at least 1 hour or overnight. This creates the proper texture once the phyllo is mixed with the custard.
Do Not Overbake: The finished Lemonopita should have a soft, custard-like texture. Remove it from the oven once the top is golden. Overbaking can make the pie dry.
Syrup Temperature: Pour completely cooled syrup over the hot pie immediately after it comes out of the oven.
Oil Options: Use a light vegetable oil or light olive oil. Melted unsalted butter may also be used.
Yogurt Options: Greek yogurt, regular yogurt, or sour cream may be used.
Make Ahead: Lemonopita tastes delicious chilled and can be prepared 1 day before serving.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or lightly sweetened mascarpone cheese. Garnish with salted ground pistachios, if desired.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
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I made this today for my family and everyone loved it. I let the phyllo dry for 24 hours and the rest couldn’t have been easier. Took your suggestion for a light olive oil and was not disappointed. Just one thing, the printed recipe says to add vanilla to the syrup – I think you meant lemon.
I’m doing this recipe for my sister birthday next week,
Thank you for sharing ❤️
Awesome! Happy Birthday!
I made this last night and it is fantastic! Very lemony, but perfectly sweet. It was easy to basically toss together and used ingredients that I mostly already had. I highly recommend this recipe!
I made this desert and I overcooked it so mad.
It came out like a dry cake out it went.
I will try it again I want it more like custard. I also think a pound of phyllo is too much.
Can I use less to make it more like custard or was it the overcooking. Thank you
I am Greek and I love your recipes
Oh, I hate it when that happens… I wouldn’t change anything about this recipe. Keep an eye on it as your oven’s temperature might bake at a higher temp than you think… sometimes oven’s need to be calibrated. Check it halfway through and then 15 mins before it’s done. Once it’s golden take it out of the oven. Hope this helps and good luck on the next try!
How much vanilla extract is needed for the syrup? The amount of vanilla extract is only listed in the pie ingredients. Thank you.
half a teaspoon will be enough 🙂
Dimitra, how many serving does this one baking dish make? This is delicious
Technically, 10-12 but for our family it’s more like 6! lol!!
Hello, thanks for this recipe, i will be trying it soon. How big is the cup you are using for measurements? Like a mug? Or a cup of tea? Thank you
Any suggestions on how/where i can cut on the amount of sugar in this recipe? We love it but for health reasons we need to cut down on the sugar.
Yes! Here are a few ways you can reduce the sugar without compromising too much on taste and texture:
1. **Reduce the sugar in the custard** – You can cut it by **25-30%** and still have a balanced flavor. Since there’s lemon in the recipe, the tartness will help keep it from tasting flat.
2. **Use a sugar substitute** – A **natural sugar alternative** like monk fruit, allulose, or erythritol can work well in custards. If using honey or maple syrup, slightly reduce the liquid in the recipe to compensate.
3. **Lighten up the syrup** – Instead of a traditional sugar-heavy syrup, try:
– **Using less sugar** in the syrup itself.
– **Swapping part of the sugar for honey** (which tastes sweeter, so you can use less).
– **Skipping the syrup altogether** and just dusting the top with powdered sugar or a light drizzle of honey before serving.
Let me know if you need more adjustments—I’d love to help you make it work! 😊