The animation pioneer wasn't an adventurous eater, but he made an exception for this recipe.
Walt Disney Had a Favorite Dessert—But It’s Not What You’d Expect
Published on Mar. 26, 2025
Walt Disney is, of course, a film icon. With nearly two dozen Academy Awards under his belt, Walt’s animation legacy is practically untouchable. But despite his many accolades (and indulgent Disney parks food), Walt was a simple man at the dinner table.
Historians say Walt was never the most adventurous eater. Perhaps owing to his Midwestern upbringing, he liked to eat familiar, somewhat basic foods like canned chili, eggs and toast, sandwiches and macaroni and cheese.
For dessert, however, PBS shares that Walt had a more unusual favorite. He loved a family recipe called Chris’s Cold Pie, named by Walt’s grandson, Christopher Disney Miller.
What is Chris’s Cold Pie?
Walt’s live-in cook, Thelma Howard, is said to have prepared Walt’s dessert every night. Her desserts included things like custard, bread pudding and red Jell-O with fruit. But one of Walt’s particular favorites was Chris’s Cold Pie, a lemon chiffon pie with a graham cracker crust.
The pie’s ingredients are fairly straightforward: eggs, lemon, gelatin, sugar and salt. These ingredients are all combined to sit atop a graham cracker crust. Then, an unusual finishing touch: Dust the top with nutmeg.
The result is a tart yet balanced dessert that’s perfect for a warm summer day (or any day in Los Angeles, where Disney and his family lived).
Where do I find the recipe?
The recipe for Chris’s Cold Pie first appeared in the 1960s, in Mamie and Dwight Eisenhower’s cookbook, Five-Star Favorites: Recipes from Friends of Mamie and Ike. For anyone who doesn’t want to search through vintage cookbooks, the recipe is also on D23, the official Disney fan club website.
The most important thing to remember with any chiffon recipe is that it should be chilled for several hours before serving. The filling needs enough time to set and firm up before being served at its ideal cool temperature.
