This delicious pie features a fresh lemon filling and whipped cream topping inside of a buttery graham cracker crust. This lemon pie has a bright flavor and super creamy texture that will make it an immediate favorite for citrus lovers.
I like to think of lemon cream pie as the {more delicious} cousin to a lemon meringue pie. This is the perfect cool and refreshing pie for spring and summer.
Jump to:
This lemon cream pie is:
Flavorful: Lemon zest, lemon juice, and freshly whipped cream make this pie sweet and tangy.
Super creamy: You’ll love how smooth and creamy the filling and topping are.
Perfect for spring and summer: This pie and cool and refreshing, perfect for hot days!
Fully homemade: No instant pudding or store bought whipped topping. Each layer of this pie is homemade.
Step by step overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Crust: Make the graham cracker crust by combining graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate and bake for about 10 minutes, until golden and fragrant.
Filling: Make the lemon filling on the stovetop, then set it aside to cool to room temperature. Add the filling to the crust. Refrigerate the pie for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Topping: Prepare the whipped cream and add it to the pie right before serving.
Recipe tips
- You’ll need about 4 large lemons for this recipe
- Be sure to remove the zest from the lemons before slicing and juicing them
- This pie needs 6+ hours to cool, so this is the perfect make-ahead dessert
- For the best result, use a thick sour cream. I typically use Daisy brand
- You can spread the whipped cream on top of the pie or you can pipe it on using a star tip and piping bag
Serving and storage
This pie should be stored in the refrigerator. It is best within two days of making it.
Serve chilled.
More lemon desserts
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Recipe
Lemon Cream Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (145g)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (70g), melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25g)
Lemon filling:
- 1⅓ cups granulated sugar (266g)
- ⅓ cup cornstarch (43g)
- 1½ cups whole or 2% milk (370g)
- ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (156g)
- 4 large eggs yolks
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (56g), cubed
- 1½ tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 cup full fat sour cream (238g), use a thick sour cream, I use Daisy brand
Whipped cream:
- 1 cup chilled heavy cream (240g)
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour the graham cracker 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 10-12 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 the pan 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 one generous cup (eyeball it) 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 the whole thing to a gentle boil for 1-2 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. This takes about one hour.
- Once cooled, whisk in sour cream. Whisk vigorously to maintain the creamy texture. Pour the lemon filling into cooled the crust. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 6 hours.
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.
Notes
- You’ll need about 4 large lemons for this recipe
- Be sure to remove the zest from the lemons before slicing and juicing them
- This pie needs 6+ hours to cool, so this is the perfect make-ahead dessert
- For the best result, use a thick sour cream. I typically use Daisy brand
- You can spread the whipped cream on top of the pie or you can pipe it on using a star tip and piping bag
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!Lemon filling adapted from Taste of Home
rose
Can I make meringue with the whites left over from this recipe?
Celebrating Sweets
Sure! Enjoy!
Mimi A
I’m craving lemon and chocolate…think a nice chocolate graham crust would work?
Celebrating Sweets
Sure, you can try it. Enjoy!
Nettie Moore
Thank you for contributing! The post is live! 34 Strawberry and Lemon Desserts for Spring!
Cheers,
Nettie
Tracy L. Keesling
Did you use a deep dish pie plate? Making this this weekend!
Celebrating Sweets
Yes, I did. Enjoy!
Jessica
Yummy! Love lemon, gonna try this but just wondering what measurement of graham crumbs is 19 crackers?Gonna be lazy and use the pre crumbled box of gr.cr.crumbs. thanks!
Celebrating Sweets
Hi! I believe 9 crackers is around 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups of crumbs. Enjoy!
Jo Marie Cucchiara
I need to serve 10. Have you ever made it in a 13×9 glass dish?
It looks wonderful and I can almost taste it
Celebrating Sweets
Hi! I have only made the recipe as written. I would guess you would need either 1 1/2 of the recipe, or possibly a double recipe. Let me know how it goes if you try it. Thanks for stopping by!
Roxanne
I loved the pie. However my filling was runny. How long does it need to be refrigerated? How can I prevent a runny filling?
Celebrating Sweets
Hi, Roxanne. I’m glad you enjoyed it. It needs to be refrigerated until completely chilled, I’d say at least 5 hours, even up to overnight. If the filling was runny, your sour cream might have been on the thinner side. I use thick sour cream, Daisy brand is my favorite. You can also try increasing the cornstarch a bit, maybe going with a generous 1/3 cup instead of a scant 1/3 cup. And make sure you cook the filling at a gentle boil for a full two minutes.
Thanks for stopping by!
Pat
Do you think making this 2 days in advance would be okay? I’d save putting on the whipped topping til day of
Celebrating Sweets
My concern would be the crust. The longer the wet filling sits in the graham cracker crust the softer it will get. I would recommend serving within 1 day for best texture. Enjoy!
Susan Mccoy
I loved the lemon cream pie , I was wondering if I could add something else besides the sour cream this time and maybe add cream cheese or maybe yorgert if so how much would I add to it ?
Celebrating Sweets
You can try swapping the sour cream for plain (or maybe lemon flavored?) yogurt. Be sure to use a yogurt that is on thicker side, if it is watery it will make the filling too thin.
I’m not sure about cream cheese. You would have to play around with it. You’d definitely want to add it after cooking (when the sour cream is added), and you’ll want it be room temp so it blends in smoothly.
Enjoy!
J
I made this for the first time tonight and used a half block (4 oz) plain cream cheese and 3 cups of powdered sugar. The filling was just as creamy and lemony as I’d hoped!
Celebrating Sweets
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Linda Osborn
This was delightful! I thought the balance of tart and not to sweet was perfect. I strained the mixture after cooking, cooled the filling to room temp quickly with a bowl of ice under the bowl of lemon filling, added the sour cream. It set up very quickly in the fridge! Serve with whipped cream. Delicious!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂