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.
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
Lana
P.S. can recipe be doubled successfully?
Lynn
An absolutely delicious pie. Finally a lemon pie that is lemony and tart. I made it twice. Once with thick sour cream and the second time with Greek yogurt and both were a great success. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so happy to hear that you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!
Janet
Can you make it the day before, and add whip cream before serving it
Celebrating Sweets
Yes, that will work. Enjoy! 🙂
Ren
Mine was a big pile of a runny lemon mess with a healthy mix of graham crackers. As I can’t eat this like an actual pie, I will have to put it on ice cream.
Celebrating Sweets
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. As long as your cornstarch was fresh, and you used large egg yolks, it should have set up.
Linda
We had the same experience. The lemon cream didn’t set up. I followed the instructions exactly. My granddaughter and I made it together. It was delicious though and everyone liked it.
Celebrating Sweets
Sorry to hear that. Glad it still tasted good. Thanks for stopping by!
Jessica
This looks great! Without the whipped cream, can the pie be stored at room temperature?
Celebrating Sweets
I would recommend storing it in the fridge. It will hold up better and taste better chilled.
Julie
I just made this pie and it turned out perfect, thank you so much!! It is delicious and beautiful too!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad that you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.
Debbi
Can I make meringue for the topping instead?
Kelly Howard
This pie was so delicious. It was my favorite of all the pies I made for my friendsgiving, I was so glad I pulled it off! Its dangerous with how high in calories it is, it tastes so light and fresh.
Celebrating Sweets
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, the calories are crazy. Sometimes I’d just rather not know. Ha! Thanks for stopping by. Happy holidays!
Abbe
Thinking of making this. Is it really tart?
Celebrating Sweets
It’s not really tart, but it definitely has a noticeable lemon flavor.
Lisa Ajmal
I made this recipe this week and it was absolutely delicious. I used ginger cookies instead of the Graham Crackers. Will definitely make it again, thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe.
Celebrating Sweets
Fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Leanne
I adore this recipe. I’ve made it twice now. The first time I did not make the whipped cream and instead used up some blackberries and made a sauce, it was excellent! I am planning to make the whipped cream this time, but I wondered, should it only be put on if the pie will be eaten at that one time? The first time it took my family a couple days to eat this and I don’t want the whipped cream to get runny and gross. Any thoughts on this? Thanks so much!
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Leanne. I would recommend topping each serving with whipped cream when you serve it. Store the whipped cream in a covered container in the fridge. It should stay thick for a day or two, but if it starts to deflate/thin out, just whip it up again. I’m happy to hear that you like the pie. Your blackberry version sounds delicious. Thanks for stopping by! -Allison