One bite of this Keto Lemon Cream Pie and you will be hooked! It has a mouthwateringly tangy, creamy filling in a crisp keto pie crust. Honestly, it’s like sunshine on your tongue! 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 something making you too full or uncomfortable. I mean it in the sense that it was so delicious, you can’t stop thinking about it. This lemon sour cream pie is one of them.
I have a lot of great keto pie recipes, like Keto Pecan Pie and Keto Peanut Butter Pie. But if you love lemon, then this keto dessert is an absolute must. It’s been a fan favorite since I first published it in 2016.
And now I’ve tweaked the recipe just a smidge to make it better than ever!
Why we love this recipe
- Gluten-free crust: My famous almond flour pie crust is super easy and completely gluten-free and low carb.
- Smooth custard filling: The pie filling involves making a lemon custard and then folding in some sour cream. It is so velvety smooth and rich!
- Tangy lemon flavor: Pucker up, buttercup! This wonderful lemon cream pie is full of that bright, fresh citrus flavor.
- Low carb dessert: With only 5.7 grams of carbs per serving, it’s a perfect dessert for low carb and keto diets.
Reader’s Thoughts
“Made this yesterday for the first time. It was truly delicious! Served it to my non-keto friends and family and they all love it. Carolyn, you are a keto baking genius!! Thank you for working out this recipe and for sharing this and all your other great recipes.” — MjeanF
Ingredient Notes
- Sweetener: I used a combination of Swerve confectioners and some allulose to get an extra smooth, creamy filling. I also like this pie quite tangy so I only used half a cup sweetener total.
- Glucomannan: Conventional sour cream pie uses cornstarch to thicken the filling, but glucomannan helps the keto filling set properly. You can also use xanthan gum.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream gives the pie a silky consistency.
- Egg yolks: You also need plenty of egg yolks for a custard filling like this one.
- Lemon: You can’t have lemon pie without the lemon!
- Butter: Chilled butter helps cool the custard more quickly and helps it set faster.
- Lemon extract: For more lemon flavor, I also use a little lemon extract.
- Sour cream: Use full fat sour cream as it may not set properly with anything less. I don’t recommend substituting greek yogurt for this recipe.
- Easy keto pie crust: You will want to make the fully baked version of this crust. For a nut free option you can use sunflower seed flour for the crust. It is a 1:1 ratio with almond flour, but do know that your crust will be more gray in appearance.
Step by step directions
- Whisk the sweeteners: In a large, heavy-duty saucepan, whisk together the sweeteners and glucomannan.
- Simmer the cream: Add the cream, egg yolks, lemon zest, and lemon juice and whisk to combined. Set over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture begins to thicken. This takes 7 to 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on it, you do not want it to curdle.
- Add the butter: Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and lemon extract. Let cool to room temperature.
- Add the sour cream: Whisk in the sour cream until no lumps remain. Pour the mixture 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.
- Serve: Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream and serve.
Tips for Success
For this recipe, you need a fully-baked pie crust. So bake it 15 to 20 minutes, until it’s a nice light golden brown. Let it cool completely.
As with any custard-like filling, you need to watch this one carefully. Don’t walk away while it’s cooking. Just hang out there right by your stove, whisking and watching, as it will likely take less than 10 minutes.
The best way I can describe knowing when it’s done is watching your whisk carefully as you move it through the custard. When it’s first cooking, it is very liquid and sloshes around the pan. When it starts to thicken, you will see the mixture move more lazily. Your whisk will almost leave tracks for a quick second. Once it hits that point, remove it from heat immediately.
Troubleshooting:
– Oh no, you over-cooked the custard and you see curdles! Quick, get it into a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend on low until smooth.
– Oh no, you undercooked the custard and the pie didn’t set properly! Simply stick it in the freezer and serve it frozen. It will be delicious!
Sweetener options
The pie crust requires an erythritol based sweetener to crisp up properly. Any amount of allulose will make it quite soft.
For the filling, I recommend a mix of erythritol and allulose (or xylitol). This helps provide enough structure but also keeps the filling from re-crystallizing as it cools. I don’t recommend using only allulose, as it may never firm up properly. If you use only erythritol, I recommend using a powdered version and only whisking it at the end of cooking the custard.
If that sounds confusing, please leave a comment and I will explain further what I mean.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend making this pie one day in advance of serving, as it firms up better overnight. I don’t suggest making it ahead much more than that, unless you plan to freeze it. Creamy custard desserts like this should be served and consumed within 4 to 5 days.
Store the pie in the fridge 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.
This keto lemon pie recipe has 5.7g of carbs and 1.8g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.9g net carbs per serving.
More Keto Lemon Desserts
Keto Lemon Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp (91 g) powdered sweetener
- 2 to 4 tbsp allulose, or xylitol
- 1/2 tsp (0.25 tsp) glucomannan, (can sub xanthan gum, see notes)
- 3/4 cup (177.44 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4 large (4) egg yolks
- 3 tbsp (42.61 g) butter, chilled and cut into pieces
- 3/4 tsp (1 tsp) lemon extract
- 1 cup (230 g) full fat sour cream
- 1 keto pie crust, fully baked
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-duty saucepan, whisk together the sweeteners and glucomannan.
- Add the cream, egg yolks, lemon zest, and lemon juice and whisk to combined. Set over medium heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture begins to thicken. This takes 7 to 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on it, you do not want it to curdle.
- Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter and lemon extract. Let cool to room temperature.
- Whisk in the sour cream until no lumps remain. Pour the mixture 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.
- Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I made this pie and I was obsessed with it. So delightful, creamy, lemony wonderment. I finished by myself in 3 days(no kids yet!) I used Steviva sweetener. I feel like I can enjoy it more without all the sugar because I’m focusing more on the flavors and I don’t feel yucky while/after eating. Thanks! I’m going to be getting your cookbook when it comes out! Also is there an equivalent to gelatin, as I do not eat pork or pork products but eat other meats?
I don’t know how to use it but agar agar is supposed to be a good alternative to gelatin. Xanthan gum can work too.
Hi, Carolyn . . .
I love your recipes, and don’t remember. Do you *ever* use Splenda? I am going to try this recipe, it sounds fabulous and wonder if Splenda will work.
I don’t expect you will necessarily know, but cannot resist asking.
Thanks.
I don’t like Splenda, it leaves a funny taste in my mouth. But if you like it, I can’t see why it won’t work in this recipe.
Do you have any suggestions on how much Xanthan gum should be added when making things? Do you go by the amount of eggs you have or by the amount of flour you have, or if it is too liquidy? So does adding just a small amount of Xanthan Gum work or do you need a full tablespoon for a batch recipe? Thank you!
Whoa! NEVER EVER use a full tablespoon of xanthan gum. Typically no more than 1/2 teaspoon. I am not really sure what you are asking here, though. Do you mean for any recipe, as in a formula? It really varies recipe to recipe.
Thank you so much for asking this important question.
So Good!
Made this twice my Honey requests it!
Thank you for all the great recipes!
Hi, this looks amazing! Can’t wait to try! One question: can I leave out xanthan gum? If not, any suggested replacement? Thank you!
I don’t know if it would set without a thickener like xanthan.
I don’t have Swerve, but have Xyla which is a xylatol sugar replacement. I also have pure liquid stevia but don’t love the taste. Would the Xyla be a good supplement and also keep the carbs low?
When I looked at the Swerve carb content it says 3G per tsp vs Xyla which says 4g per tsp. It seems like a lot of carbs to end up with less than 4g net carbs per slice. I’m new to Keto and baked Keto goods so maybe I don’t understand how these replacement sweeteners work.
Any insight or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! I was hoping to make this today for Easter weekend!
Ps. I’ve made it before with stevia and it was glorious! I just don’t LOVE the stevia flavor and that is why I was wondering about using Xyla.
Thank you!
Hi Allison,
Erythritol and xylitol both technically have carbs. In the case of erythritol, those carbs never enter the blood stream (excreted directly through the urine) so they don’t have any affect on blood glucose and no glycemic affect. Some of the xylitol carbs do enter the blood stream so most people only subtract HALF the carbs in xylitol.
As someone who tests her blood sugar, I can say that erythritol has no affect on my blood sugar but xylitol does a bit.
Hope that helps!
Has anyone added/do you think the filling would stand up to adding in fresh blueberries? My husband’s fav pie is a lemon blueberry pie made with sweetened condensed milk and I think this will be a great THM sub for it so I can have some too. But I want it to be amazing because he’s been not super impressed with the things I’ve been making 🙁
I definitely think you could!
This is pretty much the best dessert ever! I think we could eat it every week. The crust is so easy and terrific, I’m eager to try a savory version and make a quiche. This is so tangy, rich and delightful, no one would ever guess it’s sugar free.
Perfection! Thank you 🙂
I just made this lemon pie last night, and it was fantastic! I must have spent ages bouncing between three popular low carb blogs, trying to decide which lemon pie recipe to try this weekend… And I’m so glad that I chose this one! It has the perfect balance between lemony/creamy/sweet/tart flavors… I’ll be making this again, that’s for sure.
In the end, I chose this recipe because it had the most reviews from people who had actually *made it* and reported back. (I find too many blog recipes overflowing with “reviews” from people who simply say something like “Sounds/looks delicious! I’ll try it sometime!”) Well, I’m here to say that it not only looks and sounds delicious, but it tastes even better.
I can understand a little bit of confusion regarding the curd thickening. I feel like I must have simmered/stirred mine for a good 20 minutes without any significant thickening OR curdling. Eventually I gave up, proceeded with the recipe, and added a little bit of extra xanthan, just in case. It set perfectly.
Thank you, Angela. Glad to hear it worked out and you loved it!
Love anything LEMON! Thanks so much for sharing!
The crust was great but we did not care for the sour creamy filling. It was too tart but not in a lemony way. I would recommend using significantly more lemon juice. Thats what I would do if I ever remake this. I do like some of the other recipes, but this one was a huge miss for my family. Everyone else commenting seems to love it but it just had an odd flavor to me.
Sorry it wasn’t a hit for you. 🙂
I’ve thought about using True Lemon – the crystallized lemon that comes in a box that I found in the sugar and flour aisle. The recipe does make a pie with a light lemon taste so I think the True Lemon might give it more lemon flavor without watering it down. Haven’t tried it yet. I may do that the next time I make it.
I made this pie today. It was sooooo delicious!! The crust taste like shortbread to me. I waited about a hour before I just had to taste it. After that I put the pie in the freezer to speed up the chilling process. I’m going to let my family try it. They are very picky eaters. I’m sure they will love it too. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!!?
Could you use full fat coconut milk for the sour cream and heavy cream? I need it to be dairy-free. Any tips?
I think you might need something thicker for the filling. I’d see if there is a dairy-free sour cream alternative.
Carolyn – Love your recipes! Was wondering if this recipe might work with liquid sucralose or must I used erythritol (Swerve). Don’t have any on hand at the moment, otherwise I would make this exactly as you’ve written. Thanks for doing all the hard work for us!!
I think the filling will work with another sweetener but I can’t be positive. Swerve has fiber in it so it may help thicken the filling somewhat.
Your tip about the sweetener was spot on! The erythritol didn’t crystallise at all. I just made this pie and it tastes AMAZING. I can’t wait til tomorrow, when I can eat it!