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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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
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
Tina A.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE ALL THINGS LEMON!! IT’S LIKE MY ULTIMATE GO TO WHEN MAKING A DESSERT!! I CAN’T WAIT TO TRY THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME, THANKS FOR SHARING THIS RECIPE!! I WILL HAVE TO COME BACK AT LEAVE MY REVIEW OF HOW AMAZING IT TURNED OUT AND HOW MUCH MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS ENJOYED IT!! ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS RECIPE WITH US!!
teresa
I would give this recipe a 5 star recipe. Very easy to make and lemony and creamy smooth. Going into my favorite recipe file. Thank You for sharing!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Dana
Okay, this is amazing! You will not be sad about the decision to make this. I just want to eat it all. Thank you for sharing this awesomeness! ?
Allison
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I am glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Nancy
I made this pie as part of my Pi Day celebration (3.14-Mar 14). It was absolutely delicious but I’m sure I did something wrong because it was not firm enough to cut into a nice clean slices. Where could I have gone wrong?
Allison
Hi, Nancy. The cornstarch and egg yolks are what thicken the filling. Are you sure they were measured properly? Also, it’s important that the sour cream is on the thicker side. If it’s too thin it can make the filling thin as well.
Jessica
Ok so I made this. I feel like I followed the directions to the letter. The pie looks amazing. I can taste the lemon but there is also a funny taste with it. the only thing I can think is it’s the cornstarch I used. It was a cheaper brand. What do you think?
Allison
Hhhhmmm, not sure. What is the funny flavor? Bitterness? Perhaps it was your lemons. Or maybe your sour cream. Was it fresh? Hard to say for sure.
Jessica
It was a metallic taste. Tasted like that before sour cream and after
Allison
I have not encountered that problem. In addition to the culprits noted in the thread below I also read that certain medications or pregnancy can make lemon taste metallic to certain individuals. https://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2009/04/avoiding-metallictasting-lemon-desserts.html
I’m just not sure why that happened.
Lisa Chantra
Can you add the egg yolks to the milk mixture whisk it and then heat till bubbly?
Allison
That is what you do you just have to temper the eggs first (bring up the egg temperature slowly). See step 2 under “lemon filling”.
Jan
The problem, no one mentioned this should be a deep nine inch pie plate. Too bad, very frustrating to take out for dinner to serve six and you can’t get all the filling into the crust.