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.
Karen says
Perfection! Thank you 🙂
Angela Plafcan says
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.
Carolyn says
Thank you, Angela. Glad to hear it worked out and you loved it!
Jan S. says
Love anything LEMON! Thanks so much for sharing!
Pam says
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.
Carolyn says
Sorry it wasn’t a hit for you. 🙂
Anne says
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.
Reesa says
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!!?
Julie says
Could you use full fat coconut milk for the sour cream and heavy cream? I need it to be dairy-free. Any tips?
Carolyn says
I think you might need something thicker for the filling. I’d see if there is a dairy-free sour cream alternative.
Diane says
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!!
Carolyn says
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.
Deb says
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!
Melissa says
This pie is amazing! I just had a slice for breakfast! Thanks for the great recipes!
christina eaton says
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!
Carolyn says
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?
christina says
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!
Reatta says
How much glucomannan would you use instead of xanthum gum?
Carolyn says
I find them interchangeable in amounts.
Diana says
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!
Jessica says
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 🙂
Anne says
I have made this three times so far – and will definitely be making it again and again. It’s so good! I use twice the xanthan gum that the recipe calls for and it turns out thick enough to set up. Like you, the first time I made it, it was soupy even when chilled.
Lisa says
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.
Mimi says
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.
Tonya S. says
I’ve made this now three times and LOVE it! Thank you for such an enjoyable recipe!
Carolyn says
So glad! It might be one of my faves from recent months too.
Elaine Markley says
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
Carolyn says
Phew! 🙂
Deborah says
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!
Natalie says
This was absolutely delicious!
Lee says
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!
Carolyn says
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.
BB Free says
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. :))
Tammy says
I would love to follow you I love your recipe but it doesn’t have any way on here to follow you
Carolyn says
Do you mean my email list? http://madmimi.com/signups/107971/join