This creamy, tangy low carb lemon sour cream pie will become your favourite spring dessert. With an easy grain-free press-in pie crust, it’s simple to make too.
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 low carb lemon sour cream pie.
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 Lemon Sour Cream 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. That tanginess plays particularly well with fruity flavours and I knew it would make a great low carb pie.
The crust, obviously, needed to be revamped so I used my easy low carb press-in pie crust. But I also knew I would have to work a little harder to get the filling to set properly. In a recipe such as this, sugar has the effect of thickening and setting a filling, and it goes without saying that I am not about to use sugar. So I used one extra egg yolk and some xanthan gum, as well as replacing the milk with heavy cream.
I also did something a little different than I’ve done in the past and that was to add the sweetener to the custard AFTER it had been cooked. One of the tricky parts with working with erythritol-based sweeteners like Swerve is that it wants to recrystallize and I’ve found that heat accentuates this property. So when Swerve gets cooked along with the other ingredients in a smooth custard-like recipe, you sometimes get that funny little grittiness as it cools and recrystallizes. I have been testing out this new method a bit for creamy fillings and I find that if you can add the sweetener at the end, you get little to no grittiness (for some recipes, it still makes sense to add the sweetener along with everything else). Anyhoo, that’s my story and I am sticking to it.
The end result? Oh friends, if you like creamy lemon desserts, you are going to go nuts for this pie. It was so smooth, so tangy, so lemony and delicious. It’s one that will stick with you. But being low carb, at least it won’t stick to your hips!
Lemon Sour Cream Pie
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 330 Calories from fat 279 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 31.05g | 48% |
| Cholesterol 142mg | 47% |
| Carbohydrate 5.74g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.82g | 7% |
| Protein 5.77g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
This creamy, tangy low carb sour cream pie will become your favourite spring dessert. With an easy grain-free press-in pie crust, it's simple to make too.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe press-in pie crust, baked
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1/4 tsp xanthan
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, egg yolks, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook, whisking frequently, until mixture thickens, about 5 to 8 minutes (but watch carefully, you do not want it to curdle).
- Remove from heat and add butter and lemon extract. Sprinkle with xanthan gum and whisk quickly to combine. Stir in sweetener to taste (I like mine rather tart).
- Whisk in 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.
Recipe Notes
Serves 10. Each serving has 3.92g NET CARBS. (this includes the pie crust)
Food energy: 330kcal Total fat: 31.05g Calories from fat: 279 Cholesterol: 142mg Carbohydrate: 5.74g Total dietary fiber: 1.82g Protein: 5.77g Sugar alcohols (erythritol): 18g
Love your recipes. Planning to make this one for my family. Thank you for all your research and work.
Thanks, I love doing it so it’s a win-win!
Ohhhhh man, I cannot wait to try this one. I love lemon and your press-in pie crust recipe looks incredible too.
How many lemons would the recipe need? Thanks! HUG!
3 to 4, depending on how juicy they are.
I got by with 1.5
Carolyn, this reminds me of a Key Lime Pie recipe I have been wanting to try that uses sour cream. I have egg yolks I need to use and want to try this today! I like to make my pies in sheet form so they can be cut into smaller servings. Do you think if I double the crust and keep the filling the same, that would work in a 9×13 pan? Thanks!
I think so, although you will have less filling to crust, obviously.
Carolyn, I made your pie in a 9×9 pan with a removable bottom after seeing how much volume I was dealing with. It turned out great and was received well by all! Perfect on a warm summer day. 🙂 Thanks for posting!!
So glad you liked it!
Could you use gelatin in place of xanthan gum?
Yes, but you’re in for a much different consistency for the filling.
I use so many of your recipes!!! I love them!!! I noticed Swerve occasionally gives me a funny taste in the back of my throat so I only use it in some recipes. Could I use truvia in this recipe? I would use 12-18 packets.
Oh, on another note!!! I USD to use Bobs Red Mill Almond flour but finally ordered Honeyville super fine. Wow!!!! Enormous difference. So fluffy and delicious!!!
Well, guess what? Bob’s is coming out with a superfine almond flour and I had a chance to try it. Works beautifully and less expensive than honeyville! And yes, you could use Truvia here. Not sure how many packets.
Wonderful news, w need a break Almonds were in abundance in 2015(California) and yet the prices of Almonds and related products did not go down ! So I am look forward to
Bob’s new almond flour.
Thank you Caroline.
Is there a way to go by without using extract? How much more juice/zest would I have to add?
I’d add another tbsp zest at least and maybe a few more tbsp juice.
Why don’t you have a show on the Food Network? Every show on that channel makes food that is not good for anyone, way to high in calories, and carbs, even that Giada makes everything way to sweet. And she claims California healthy.
Thanks! <3
Food Network desperately needs a Low Carb cooking show. Your recipes are wonderful and have added much eating pleasure and success to my low carb life. Would you be open to doing a show and if so, how do we get the Food Network provide a show for us who live low carb?
Of course I would do a show…but your second question is the kicker! 😉
I think we are going to have to find a way to get you on tv.
George Stella had a low carb cooking program on the Food Network but from what I remember of it, there weren’t a lot of episodes dedicated to low carb dessert baking from scratch. Carolyn’s expertise would contribute enormously.
You should start with a YouTube channel! Like Hannah Hart.
So true!
Oooh… this looks like one I’m going to love, I love lemon… I was just thinking that you haven’t done a lemon tart… this is close! I’ve been using your crust from your lemon meringue pie recipe in all kinds of recipes (I just omit the sweetener when I want to make a quiche). What would you say are the differences between that pie crust and this one? Particular reasons to use one over the other? Also very excited to find out Bob’s Red Mill is making a superfine almond flour! I have to ship my stuff via vitacost or iherb, and they don’t ship Honeyville, so I can only get that when I have a family member visiting America… but they ship Bob’s Red Mill!
Just saw Bob’s super fine almond flour at local store yesterday. This recipe looks delish. I too thank you for the work you put into these recipes.
So glad you were inspired! Looks like creamy perfection!!!!
🙂 Thanks for it!
This filling is so good! I just made it as a custard and skipped the crust. I’m glad I only added 1/4 cup of swerve, this was sweet enough for me. It’s very tart but tastes perfect. Thank you for the recipe. A bite of this here and there will help curb my sweet cravings this week.
I think you did what I would do with it too! I love pie and I love my almond flour crust, but that filling…
We are in lemon heaven. My all carb husband loved it. He had seconds. I left a pic of it on your FB page. We used essential lemon oil in place of the extract. Yum!
So glad everyone liked it!
How much essential oil did you use?
This is definitely our new favorite!
Sooo good!
Thx Carolyn!
So glad you liked it!
Made this last night and just ate a slice. This pie is lemon perfection! Thank you so much for this recipe!
I made this yesterday and we all had a slice last night for dessert. THIS IS A WINNER! The sweet/tart was perfect. Son and hubby (who both live for carbs) also gave it 2 thumbs up.
I had never cooked a custard from scratch before and I had a little problem determining at what point it had thickened enough. I was pretty sure that by the time the 8 minutes cooking time were up and I had added the sweetener, and xanthan gum (but not the sour cream), that it wasn’t thickened enough so I turn the burner on and heated it more, watching and whisking. I was glad I did because I would have ruined a beautiful pie shell because the custard never would have set. But it all turned out perfectly and next time, I’ll know what I’m looking for as far as the thickness of the custard.
The only problem was getting the slices out of the pie plate, because it stuck so the presentation was not pretty.
Thanks for a great lemon pie recipe.
Oh my goodness — this is the perfect pie (and crust)!! I made this for a party as the low- carb offering for myself and my hubby and everyone LOVED it. :). The crust was perfect and the lemon sour cream filling was sweet & tart and I only used 1/2 cup of swerve. OH and the pie pieces came out perfectly – the crust didn’t stick nor fall apart!! Oh my word — this pie is heavenly. Thanks!!!
That makes me so happy to hear!
Ok…I am lazy and want to avoid as many carbs as possible so I made puddings. It is in the frig now but it was delicious warm. Thanks for a keeper recipe.
It would be lovely as pudding too!
I made this pie yesterday and everyone loved it. It’s the best lo carb dessert I have made. Thanks for the recipe.
I made this pie yesterday and everyone enjoyed it. I think this is my favorite lo carb dessert and since it can be done ahead of time, it is perfect for company.
Shared on my Facebook page and trying to figure out how to reblog this on Blogger. I don’t post any recipes on my page or my blog before vetting them thoroughly, and this one passed all the tests. :))
Hi,
This recipe looks wonderful! I have a question…after reading it a few times I don’t see instructions on what to do with the strained lemon zest. What am I missing here?
Thanks!
Strained lemon zest? I don’t know what you mean. There is lemon zest and it goes in the first step, as stated. I never mention “strained” lemon zest.
This was absolutely delicious!
Wow!!! I made this for a special meal over the weekend and it was delicious. Perfect. You have outdone yourself with this one! Thank you!
I made this, this week. But I forgot to whisk in the lemon extract and butter, which I had all cubed, ready to go, but in the fridge. It still set up nicely overnight, though, and is super yummy, anyway! LOL
Phew! 🙂
I’ve made this now three times and LOVE it! Thank you for such an enjoyable recipe!
So glad! It might be one of my faves from recent months too.
Loved this and so did my company. I generally am only attracted to dark chocolate recipes, but my visitors can’t have caffeine even just what is found in chocolate so it was great to have a delicious non chocolate dessert to offer them.
I’ve made this three times in the last month! We just couldn’t stop devouring this fantastic pie. My daughter is due to visit next month and I’ll just have to make it again, poor us, lol. Thank you so much for your meticulous creations and your wonderful blog. I’m always so excited to find your next posting in my email.
I made this over the weekend for our family mid-winter Christmas dinner, although the taste was great (I like it extra tart too!) It didn’t set and was mostly pretty soupy in the middle 🙁 I feel the instruction to heat ‘until mixture thickens’ confused me a bit. I didn’t know how thick it was supposed to be and I didn’t want to overcook it as stated so i took it off the heat at 8 minutes but it was only slightly thicker than heavy cream at that stage. Can you give any kind of descriptor of what level of thickness it needs to get to before its ready? I’d love to make it again! (oh and the pie crust worked great as well – my first time making a pie EVER 🙂
Made this tonight and it is every bit as good as it looks! Since my son and his little girls arrived at 9 o’clock, we broke out the pie after it had been in the fridge a little less than 5 hours. It was still soft like pudding, but heavenly, nonetheless. This will be my go-to for taking to pot lucks or serving to guests from now on!
Lovely site! I live in Mexico so it is hard for me to get some ingredients. I have not found guar gum or xantham gum YET. Until I do, is there a substitute. I know it is the binder. Thank you!
Hmmmmm, I don’t know of any other substitutes that would be easy to find, like gluccomannan (I am sure that’s even harder to find!). You could try an extra egg yolk to thicken and if it doesn’t set properly, freeze it for a while until it’s firm but still sliceable?
Yay! I found a source! Someone that has lived here a while also suggested guar gum in case anyone else ever asks. 🙂 Looking so forward to this as lemon and lime are my favorite. Thanks!
This pie is amazing! I just had a slice for breakfast! Thanks for the great recipes!
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!
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.
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.
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!!💕
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. 🙂
Love anything LEMON! Thanks so much for sharing!
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!
Perfection! Thank you 🙂
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.
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!
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!
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.
So Good!
Made this twice my Honey requests it!
Thank you for all the great recipes!
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.
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.
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.
Thanks! I’ll check out agar agar and I already have xanthan in my pantry.
I have a lot of lemons and need to make a couple different recipes. Can this pie be frozen after it is made?
Yes, in fact it’s quite good that way!
I wanted to tell you that I made this over the weekend. We love it so much! I got an offer from my daughter’s boyfriend, who said he would pay me to make this for him! Thank you, for your wonderful recipes. It makes the low carb lifestyle so much fun!
Hah! That is delightful to hear!
This is seriously the BEST pie I have ever eaten. Seriously! Thank you for such a tasty and easy recipe.
I’ve just come across this recipe and I’m excited to make for my keto family. I do, however have a few questions regarding the ingredients.
I’m assuming that by saying egg yolks, you mean for the whites to be removed?
Also, I have had trouble locating xanthan at my local stores–could you suggest an alternative? Would corn starch work?
Thank you!
Yes, just the yolks. I am sure you can do cornstarch but you will need to mix it with water first.
Have you tried using the confectioners sugar from Swerve?
The first and only fat bombs I’ve made were made with the granulated Swerve. Needless to say the candy is gritty even though I melted the coconut oil and tried to dissolve the granules. I bought confectioners Swerve to use for my next attempt.
I use confectioner’s all the time. I use them both. They work a little differently but you could use confectioner’s in this recipe.
Could slices of this be frozen? I’m the only one eating it at my house and won’t be able to finish it before it will go bad.
I’ve frozen it, and it keeps well. But we do still finish it off in just a few days. So I’m not sure about longer.
Carolyn, do you happen to know an instant-read temperature that would correspond to the custard being thick enough in this recipe (like with ice cream recipes)? Thanks!