A smooth and creamy pie with fresh lemon filling and whipped cream in a buttery graham cracker crust.
Lemon desserts. Yay? Nay? Meh?
I would never choose a lemon dessert as a first choice (I mean, hello, chocolate obsessed). But, I’m pretty sure this Lemon Cream Pie is trying to move me over to “Team Lemon.” There’s so much to love about this pie.
MORE LEMON RECIPES: CREAMY LEMON BARS – LEMON BLUEBERRY MUFFINS – LEMON BLUEBERRY CAKE – LEMON COCONUT CAKE
Lemon Cream Pie
- Graham cracker crust
- Sweet and tart lemon filling
- Freshly whipped cream
I went the homemade route with each of the components of this pie. If you have to take a shortcut with a store bought crust or prepared whipped cream, you can. I highly suggest you try the whole recipe from scratch at least once. This pie is straight up heavenly.
I have made this Lemon Cream Pie with regular lemons and Meyer lemons. Both versions are great. The Meyer lemon pie has a less tart, subtle lemon flavor. I would guess that you could also swap the lemon for limes for a lime pie.
With spring on the horizon I am craving light and refreshing flavors, this pie totally hit the spot. This would be absolutely perfect for Easter or Mother’s Day. It’s beautiful, delicious, and loved by many. Enjoy!
Try my other PIE RECIPES:
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Greek Yogurt Cheesecake
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Butter Pecan Ice Cream Pie
- Blueberry Pie with Whipped Cream
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Recipe
Lemon Cream Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
Crust:
- 9 whole rectangular graham crackers
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Lemon filling:
- 1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
- scant ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups whole or 2% milk
- ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 large eggs yolks, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 ½ tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 ¼ cups sour cream, use a thicker sour cream, not runny
Whipped cream:
- 1 ½ cups cold heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Break up the graham crackers and place them in a food processor. Pulse until the graham crackers are processed into fine crumbs.
- Pour the crumbs into a bowl and stir in the melted butter and sugar. Once all the graham cracker crumbs are moistened, press the crumb mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake the crust for about 13-15 minutes, until fragrant and light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Lemon filling:
- In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in milk and lemon juice. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and bubbling. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.
- Place the egg yolks in a bowl. Slowly add a cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, whisking as you pour (this will slowly bring up the temperature of the eggs). Add the egg mixture back to the pan and bring to a gentle boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat. Stir in butter and lemon zest, mixing until completely combined. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, whisk in sour cream. Whisk vigorously to maintain the creamy texture. Pour the lemon filling into the crust. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Assembly:
- Before serving, whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Top the pie with whipped cream (I used a star tip and piped it on, but you can also spread it using a butter knife or offset spatula). If desired, garnish with a sprinkling of finely grated lemon zest.
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!Recipe updated March 2018 – I increased the lemon filling to make it a little bit thicker. The rest of the recipe remains the same.
Lemon filling adapted from Taste of Home
Sheli Dishion
This is an excellent lemon pie! I don’t care for meringue so I was looking for something similar but without the meringue & found this. I have made it about 3 times. The only thing different is I use a store bought crust. Today I guided my boyfriend through the recipe & it came out just as great as the other times! I would highly recommend.
Allison
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Pete
Can I substitute the sour cream with cream cheese in the filling?
Allison
I haven’t tried it, but I would assume so. You’ll need to have the cream cheese at room temp and beat it in well so there are no lumps.
Michelle
i haven’t made this yet but plan on it! i noticed you wrote the calories in “kcal”, how many normal calories is that?
Allison
It’s the same as “calorie”.
Sophia
It was absolutely delicious! I am not a fan of lemon pie but my 8 yr old wanted one. I was amazed by the taste! One thing, is that our pie is a little runny. What can we do next time to make it firmer? Thank you!
Kim
This lemon cream pie was absolutely divine! Delicious!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
David
Was very delicious and light!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Laurie
Made this for my adult daughter’s birthday as she loves lemon. Really, really good.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Cynthia Stanley
I’ve made this pie a few times. Everybody loves it!
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂