Creamy, tangy, and delicious, this keto lemon pie will have your tastebuds singing. With a simple low carb press in pie crust and a rich sour cream filling, it’s sugar-free pie happiness.
This keto lemon sour cream pie is one of those desserts you dream about. It features a creamy sugar-free lemon filling in an easy keto pie crust. It really doesn’t get any better than this.
There are some desserts that just stick with you. And I don’t mean this in a bad way, as in making you too full or uncomfortable, or sticking to your hips or thighs or love handles. I mean it in the sense that it was so delicious, you can’t stop thinking about it.
You carry it around on your brain rather than your body, wishing you still had some and wondering when you can get around to making it again.
For me, that’s usually a rich chocolate dessert of some sort, but this time that honour goes to lemon. Specifically this keto lemon sour cream pie. So so good. Did I say it was good? I mean it was so SO good!
I have a lot of great keto pie recipes. Like my Keto Pecan Pie and my Strawberry Cream Pie. But this lemon pie recipe definitely ranks up there near the top. And since it’s such a fan favorite, I decided it needed a new instructional video too!
Keto Lemon Pie Inspiration
Being such a dessert fanatic, I am always on the lookout for recipes that I think will convert well to a healthier version. I spied this pie from Ashlee Marie quite some time ago and saved it in my Pinterest folder for makeover recipes. It looked creamy and refreshing and perfect for a spring dessert.
Plus I have a bit of a thing for sour cream in sweet recipes these days, including my Keto Chocolate Chip Muffins. It gives baked goods such tenderness, and that slight tanginess complements fruit desserts perfectly.
How to make keto lemon sour cream pie
For the crust, I used my easy almond flour pie crust. It’s a delightfully simple press-in crust that takes only a few moments to make.
However, the filling was a little trickier to figure out. In conventional pie recipes, sugar helps to thicken and set the filling, and it goes without saying that I am not about to use sugar.
For this keto pie recipe, I used an extra egg yolk and some xanthan gum, as well as replacing the milk with heavy cream.
As with any custard-like filling, you need to watch it carefully. Don’t walk away while it’s cooking. Just hang out there right by your stove, whisking and watching. It will take less than 10 minutes.
Let it set properly!
This is where you need a little patience. While it can be tempting to dig in early, a custard based pie like lemon sour cream pie needs time to set properly. At least 4 hours, if not more. So be forewarned. If you are planning on making this for an event, make it at least a day ahead!
The end result? Oh friends, if you like creamy lemon desserts, you are going to go nuts for this keto lemon pie. It was so smooth, so tangy, so lemony and delicious. It’s one that will stick with you. But being a low carb recipe, at least it won’t stick to your hips!
Frequently Asked Questions
I simply can’t guarantee the results with any other sweetener. I have found that Allulose and BochaSweet make custards so soft that they take longer to set properly (up to 24 hours!).
You could try other erythritol based sweeteners but Swerve also contains pre-biotic fibers, which help fillings like this.
It’s hard to pinpoint what went wrong, but it’s possible that you didn’t cook the filling sufficiently. Egg yolks need heat to help set custards like this. Also, if you used a different sweetener, that may be the problem.
A quick rescue for custards that don’t set? Stick them in the freezer and serve them frozen! It’s a deliciously creamy frozen dessert.
Try using sunflower seed flour for the crust. It is a 1:1 ratio with almond flour, but do know that your crust will be more grey in appearance.
I don’t recommend making custard-based desserts more than a day or two in advance of when you plan to serve it.
Store the pie in the fridge, tightly wrapped, at all times. It will last for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze this pie for up to a month. Wrap it up tightly to avoid freezer burn and only add the whipped cream when ready to serve.
Want more Keto Lemon Desserts?
- Lemon Poppyseed Cake
- Keto Lemon Curd
- Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
- Low Carb Lemon Meringue Pie
- Keto Lemon Bars
- Keto Lemon Cupcakes
Keto Lemon Sour Cream Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe press-in pie crust full baked
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ¼ cup butter chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum or glucomannan
- ½ to ¾ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, egg yolks, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes (but watch carefully, you do not want it to curdle).
- Remove from heat and add the butter and lemon extract. Sprinkle with xanthan gum and whisk quickly to combine. Stir in the sweetener to taste (I like mine rather tart).
- Whisk in the sour cream until no lumps remain. Pour into pie shell and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set – the longer, the better, so overnight is best if you can wait that long. (It's also awesome if you pop it in the freezer for an hour after being refrigerated).
- Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Kathy Pearson says
Wonderful pie! Made exactly as written, the pie firmed up beautifully over night without a soggy crust to the last piece.
Anu says
Yikkkkeeeeeees… this is just so bloomin’ good, and I’m not even the lemon lover of the family! My poor husband, who was probably born with a lemon in his mouth, is having to fight his self-confessed super-dark-chocoholic wife for this, and I’m reallllly not in the mood to share :))) This is truly so delicious and so flavour-packed, Carolyn, it’s the best lemon tart I’ve ever had. Very easy to put together, with an excellent crust, and looks so pretty too! Thank you so much, yet again, this is marvellous.
Joyce K says
Oh Carolyn, have I told you that I love you?!!? And your recipes!!! Made this for Easter this year as I’m still working my way through my 30 pound box of lemons (lucky me!!!) and this did not disappoint. So easy to put together and the flavor is amazing! I used the lesser amount of sweetener as I prefer my lemon desserts a little tart and it was perfect. I made mine into 3 mini pies so I could keep one at home for myself. DIVINE!!! I know I can always count of you for awesome recipes that work perfectly.
Tiffiny says
Out of this world! Amazing flavor. Not too sweet and not too tart! ADIDAF does it again!