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.
Daphney says
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.
Joyce Kdd says
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.
Nikki says
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.
Diane Paine says
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.
Carolyn says
Sugar alcohols are already subtracted, as I state in my nutritional disclaimer in every post. 🙂
Carol says
Have you tried this with soured, whipping cream it seems like it should work, but I would hate to ruin the whole pie
Carolyn says
I am not sure it would be thick enough.
Me says
My new favorite!
Judy James says
This is my hubby’s favorite. I have learned that if I whisk the xanthan together with the sweetener, I never have to worry about lumps.
The only downside to this recipe is that it usually takes us a few days to finish it, and the Swerve re-crystallization gets really bad by the end of it. I’m making it for Thanksgiving, and I’m going to try allulose to see if it will maintain its texture. (Sorry, Carolyn, I know you’re a Swerve gal, but…)
Carolyn says
Okay Judy, piece of advice… do HALF Swerve and half allulose. If you do it with all allulose, it will never set! Also, do it at least a day in advance and freeze it to help set the filling.
Judith James says
Thanks, Carolyn – sorry I didn’t see your reply in time. I did use all allulose, but I had taken your earlier comments to heart, so I doubled the xanthan to help with the setup, and cooked the egg/cream mixture a little longer than usual. It’s rare that I would try to tweak one of your recipes, but I had to try to eliminate the grittiness. So far, so good, no re-crystallization at all.
Carolyn says
Excellent!
Chris says
I made this last night and it turned out almost perfect. It tastes delicious but I do have a couple questions. My filling has a slight graininess to it. Is that the alternative sweetener or did I do something, possibly over cook? Also it’s set but fairly soft. Is that the way it’s suppose to be. Thanks for a Great recipe
Carolyn says
yes, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
carol walter says
I have a pint of soured heavy whippi88ng cream.
can I add a tsp of soda to one cup of the soured cream to make it work like regular sweet whipping cream. In non Keto recipes I have done tis often with good result.
Also Can I use the soured cream as the sour cream or do I need the thicker cultured sour cream that we buy in a bowl? Thaks a bunch.
Kimberley says
Made this today and first time I was disappointed. My crust was beautiful but my filling was runny
Carolyn says
Sounds like you didn’t cook it quite long enough. Sorry to hear it!
Elaine says
that’s exactly what happened to mine. I thought it was the allulose I used as sweetener. the recipe says cook the custard until thick – mine was nice and thick, then I took it off.
Carolyn says
So… if you subbed allulose, then that’s the problem right there. It simply doesn’t set very quickly and keeps things much gooier. Please read this: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/best-keto-sweeteners/
Jamie says
Could I substitute whole mild strained greek yogurt for sour cream?
Carolyn says
Probably… I haven’t tried. As long as it’s REALLY thick! 🙂
Nikki says
I know it’s been a while, just wanted to let you know that yogurt works. I didn’t have full fat yogurt, but I tried vanilla-flavored Oikos (in the little cups) and it still worked pretty well. It didn’t get super set, but I think that was because I didn’t cook it enough.
Carolyn says
Great, thank you!
Lar says
Does the powdered Swerve stay smooth and will it not crystalize in this recipe? I’m learning, but i made a lemon curd last year and once cooled it became gravel. Is Swerve best to cook with lemon?
Carolyn says
It should be fine.
MjeanF says
Made this yesterday for the first time. It was truly delicious! served ot 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.
Elizabeth Wesley says
Finally a Keto dessert that is honestly delicious and one anyone can enjoy. This makes me want to try more from this site bc the descriptive adjectives of food could be accurate!! Thank you!