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
SUBSCRIBE to our free EMAIL LIST – LIKE us on FACEBOOK – Follow on INSTAGRAM
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.
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
Teri tatu
Perfect spring pie!
Thao @ In Good Flavor
I love watching reruns of Friends and never get tired of them. That pie on the floor scene is hilarious! I have been into lemons lately and this pie looks irresistible!
Celebrating Sweets
Friends is the best! I’ve been into lemons too, I love them this time of year.
Carly
Yummmmm I need this in my life!
Celebrating Sweets
Thanks, Carly!
Daner
Thanks for the great recipe! It’s SO good! Will absolutely make this again 🙂
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for stopping by!
Dollis Scheele
Thank You. I used your recipe to make a lime pie and it is fantastic.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for stopping by! Happy New Year!
Shelley
Thinking of making for Easter; what did you change to make it thicker?
Celebrating Sweets
Hi! I slightly increased most of the filling ingredients so that the lemon filling would be thicker/higher. I like having the filling reach almost all the way to the top of the pie crust. I hope you enjoy it. Happy Easter!
Kathy
Just made this for Easter…which is today. Cutting it close but I am sure it will turn out great! I love lemon so much. This is a nice change from typical Lemon Meringue pie!
Celebrating Sweets
I hope you like it. Happy Easter!
Andrea
Made this for Easter and it was delicious! However, for some reason my pie didn’t set up too well and therefore would not slice neatly. Any idea what I may have done wrong? I followed the recipe exactly but I do know that custard-type pies that are not baked can be tricky.
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Andrea. I’m sorry that the pie didn’t set up all the way. What type of milk did you use? Also, was your sour cream thick or runny? I’ve made this with two different brands of sour cream, but both types were rather thick. I’m wondering if a thinner sour cream would yield a different end-result than what I typically get? Also, the thickening agents are the cornstarch and egg yolks, I’m assuming you used both as written, since you said you followed the recipe?
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you had a Happy Easter!
kim
Can this dessert be made ahead and frozen?
Celebrating Sweets
No. The dairy (sour cream, heavy cream) would likely separate.
Lana
Can I use lime juice, to replace lemon juice?
Celebrating Sweets
Yes, you can use lime instead of lemon. I have never tried doubling it. Enjoy!