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Sour Cream Lemon Pie is a little piece of heaven on a plate. The creamy lemon pie starts with a graham cracker crust that is topped with a delicious lemon sour cream layer and then topped with whipped cream.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
This easy sour cream lemon pie recipe is full of tangy flavor from both the lemon and the sour cream. And the creamy consistency is nothing short of heavenly. Every time I have a slice I am reminded just how good it is.
Ingredients Needed
- Graham Cracker Crust. Use a store bought one but a homemade one is so much better and so easy to make. Follow the recipe here. You will need one sleeve of graham crackers which is 9 sheets to make 1 1/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs. I use a food processor or a blender to make the crumbs.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar.
- Cornstarch
- Lemon. You will use the lemon zest and the lemon juice
- Eggs. You will only be using the yolks
- Milk. I use what I have on hand, usually 2 percent.
- Butter. Salted butter is what I use. If using unsalted butter, add in a pinch of salt.
- Sour Cream. I prefer a full fat sour cream. You can also use plain Greek Yogurt.
- Heavy Whipping Cream
How to Make A Sour Cream Lemon Pie
- Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar with a fork
- Pour the crumbs into a 9-inch pie plate
- Use your measuring cup to press crumbs into bottom and sides of pie plate
- Bake at 325 until the crust begins to brown – about 12-15 miinutes
- Allow to cool.
- Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon peel, juice, egg yolks and milk in heavy saucepan and whisk until combined. Cook over medium high heat until thickened. Let it come to a gentle boil and stir constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter and cool mixture to room temperature.
- Add in sour cream and pour into graham cracker crust.
- Whip cream and top pie with it. You can spread it over the whole surface of the pie or use a decorating bag with a large star to pipe the whipped cream on.
- Garnish with lemon twists or thinly sliced lemons.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Allow a few hours for pie to set up.
Tips and Tricks
- If you prefer, you can use a pastry crust instead of a graham cracker crust. Use my recipe for the perfect pie crust found here.
- If using a graham cracker crust, use your measuring cup to press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of the pie pan to get a nice smooth, even crust!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will this pie last in the refrigerator?
The pie will last for 3-4 days stored in the refrigerator. I recommend keeping it covered to prevent the whipped cream from drying out.
Can I use a store bought pie crust?
If you need to save yourself some time, a store bought graham cracker crust or pastry crust will work just fine!
Can I use Cool Whip topping instead of whipping cream?
I don’t recommend it, real whipping cream is less sweet and is a better compliment to the lemon.
Check out more of my favorite recipes using sour cream :
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Sour Lemon Cream Pie
The combination of lemon and sour cream give this pie a smooth texture and tangy taste. Just perfect with the graham cracker crust.
Prep:30 minutes
Cook:20 minutes
Total:50 minutes
Ingredients
Pie Filling
- 1 cup Sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch plus 1-1/2 tsp
- 1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 3 egg yolks lightly beaten
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter cubed
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream whipped for garnish
- * Lemon twists for garnish
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 5 Tbsp butter melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
Pie Filling
- Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon peel, juice, egg yolks and milk in heavy saucepan. Whisk ingredients together.
- Cook over medium heat until thickened. Stir constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter
- Cool mixture to room temperature and add in sour cream
- Pour into prepared Graham Cracker Crust
- Top with sweetened Whipped Cream and garnish as desired.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve
Graham cracker crust
- Mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar with a fork
- Pour the crumbs into a 9-inch pie plate
- Use your measuring cup to press crumbs into bottom and sides of pie plate
- Bake at 325 until the crust begins to brown – about 12-15 miinutes
- Allow to cool.
Tips & Notes:
- If you prefer, you can use a pastry crust instead of a graham cracker crust. Use my recipe for the perfect pie crust found here.
- If using a graham cracker curst, use your measuring cup to press the crumbs into the bottom and sides of the pie pan to get a nice smooth, even crust!
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Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 523kcal (26%) Carbohydrates: 47g (16%) Protein: 4g (8%) Fat: 35g (54%) Saturated Fat: 20g (125%) Cholesterol: 166mg (55%) Sodium: 266mg (12%) Potassium: 148mg (4%) Sugar: 33g (37%) Vitamin A: 1160IU (23%) Vitamin C: 7.3mg (9%) Calcium: 108mg (11%) Iron: 0.9mg (5%)
janistpc@hotmail.com says
When is the sour cream added? Am I missing it?
Leigh Anne says
It tells you in the post but not the recipe directions – thanks for catching that. I went in and added it to the recipe.
Chris says
Is part of the recipe missing from the second half? It stops at ‘cool recipe to room temperature’ and nothing else. Or am I missing something which wouldn’t surprise me. lol
Leigh Anne says
Chris – the recipe was a little messed up – got it fixed though. Thanks for letting me know
Tara says
I made this pie and replaced all of the sour cream with plain greek yogurt! It turned out great! Thank you for all your work you put into your website. My family has truly enjoyed all of your recipes that we have tried! Thank you!
Leigh Anne says
Tara, So glad you enjoy the recipes and I love the idea of substituting the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt. Will definitely try it next time.
Sharileen says
I LOVE making pies! I am excited to try this recipe and I think I’ll try the graham crumb crust. I will let you know how it tastes.
Tammy Tisher says
I have enjoyed many of the recipes on this website, and forward many of them to friends. This pie is my favorite dessert. I tried a couple different versions of crust. For some reason my graham cracker crust always comes out to hard. I used a sweet shortcrust last time and it turned out really good. Thanks for your wonderful recipes!