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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Wonderful pie! Made exactly as written, the pie firmed up beautifully over night without a soggy crust to the last piece.
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.
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.
Out of this world! Amazing flavor. Not too sweet and not too tart! ADIDAF does it again!
I have had so many great recipes from this site, and here is another one. Love it!
This is incredible!!!
hey Caroline I have a meijer’s lemon tree that’s full of lemons right now. do you think that I would need to make any changes? Meyers lemons are slightly sweeter.
I think you could stick with it as is or cut back just a tiny bit on the sweetener.
“Plus I have a bit of a thing for sour cream in sweet recipes these days, including my Keto Chocolate Chip Muffins.”
The link from the Keto Chocolate Chip Muffins part of the sentence actually goes to “Easy Low Carb Cranberry Muffins” at:
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/best-low-carb-cranberry-muffins/
Just thought I’d let you know.
Thanks for the heads up!
We loved this pie! I was able to use our home grown Meyer lemons and it was perfect. I want to make another and use a mix of our own lemons and key limes. I was considering using whole eggs like in your lemon curd recipe. I would like to avoid leftover egg whites that tend to get pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten.Would I need additional thickener?
You have the best recipes and I try not to mess with success but an occasional tweak does happen…lol
Can Lakanto monkfruit sweetener be used instead of swerve?
Since Lakanto “Monk Fruit” Sweetener is mostly erythritol, yes.
Thanks once again for a wonderful recipe. My mom used to make it and this one, even though it’s sugar free, comes really close. I did use gelatin instead of xanthan gum and used your Keto Lemon Meringue Pie for the meringue.
I wanted a lemon dessert for Easter and I knew Carolyn would not disappoint. This pie is AMAZING!!! Just the right amount of sweet and tart, I used about 1/3 cup sweetener. The crust tastes like shortbread and the filling is divine! I made it into 2 small pies as I thought I would be able to take one back home with me. WRONG!!! This pie was such a hit even people who claim not to like sugar free desserts ate it up. I had to fight to get my piece before it was all gone.
I’ve made this a couple of times now and I LOVE it! However, I don’t make it as a pie, I separate the filling into ramekins to have portion-controlled servings. I like to top it with a bit of whipped cream, yummy!
This last time that I made it, I did not have any sour cream. I did have some vanilla-flavored Oikos yogurts, so I measured that out and it still worked out well.
I’ve never been able to get it to set super well, but that’s probably inexperience in making custards and undercooking the eggs. I’m afraid of overcooking and since I don’t need it to be super set like for a pie, it doesn’t really matter to me.
Hi, I am trying to determine the NET cars. In the nutritional info it does not say what they are. I usually subtract sugar alcohols.
Sugar alcohols are already subtracted, as I state in my nutritional disclaimer in every post. 🙂
Have you tried this with soured, whipping cream it seems like it should work, but I would hate to ruin the whole pie
I am not sure it would be thick enough.
My new favorite!