This lemon pie is almost no bake, and the homemade lemon custard is folded with sour cream for an ultra creamy tang that is perfect for summer!
This rich and velvety smooth sour cream lemon pie is a classic at diners across the country, yet it’s easy to make right at home! After pre-baking the pie crust, the filling is no bake, which makes for an ultra easy dessert that’s perfect for warmer weather!
To me, there’s no more iconic dessert than pie. So many varieties… from cherry to chocolate, no bake to frozen… you really can’t go wrong! I don’t know about you guys, but I think summer just screams LEMON, so you know I had to bring a lemon pie to the table!
I love these kind of pies, where there isn’t a whole lot of actual pie baking going on. I consider myself a reasonably good baker, but pies always have a bit of an intimidation factor.
This sour cream lemon pie is a cinch to make, all you have to do is make sure your custard is cooked enough so it thickens up. The pie looks a bit droopy in these photos because it was HOT in the house when I was trying to take the photos. You want the custard to look like a loose pudding, and make sure it’s chilled for at least several hours.
One bite of this sour cream lemon pie and you’ll be singing it’s praises! It tastes like pure summer!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 9 inch frozen pie crust
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup milk
- 2 lemons juiced (about 1/2 cup of juice)
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
- 4 Tbsp cold butter, cubed
- 1 cup sour cream
- whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line the frozen crust with heavy duty foil (or two sheets of regular foil) and fill with dried beans, rice, or pie weights. Bake 8 minutes, remove weights and foil, bake another 5-7 minutes. Cool completely.
- To a heavy bottomed saucepan, add sugar and cornstarch. Whisk to combine and slowly whisk in milk and lemon juice. Heat over MED-HIGH heat, stirring often, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat down to LOW, and cook 2 minutes longer, stirring very often. Remove from heat.
- Lightly beat eggs in a small mixing bowl. Whisking continually, stir in a small amount of the hot lemon mixture (no need to measure), then return mixture to the hot saucepan.
- Heat pan over MED heat until it comes to a gentle boil, and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat again and stir in cubed butter and lemon zest. Continue to cool, but don't stir.
- Cool mixture for about 30-40 minutes, then fold in sour cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mixture into the prepared pie crust and spread out evenly.
- Cool in the refrigerator for 4 hours (or more). To serve, top with optional whipped cream and slice.
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Chef Tips
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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Sandra D says
So, sooooo very good. I love anything lemon and this was perfect. It’s a keeper for sure.
Tiffany Ball says
I mean to make a comment on this every year. This is our family’s favorite pie! We make it every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We used to get a similar pie from the best little tiny local bakery near my grandma’s growing up, and thirty years later, I am the host now at family holidays and I love bringing back the spirit of my late 80’s holidays with my family. Best pie ever.
Janice Olsen says
I made this pie today. Delish! Jan from, Las Vegas, Nevada
Lily says
Creamy, tangy, and lovely lemon sour cream pie! Very scrumptious! I am now making my second lemon sour cream pie with meyer lemons!
Linda says
How do you keep the mix from curdling when adding lemon juice and milk?
The Chunky Chef says
Do you mean in Step 2 of the recipe? You’re whisking as you add it, so there’s no curdling going on.
JessP says
This looks so good, but I have one question. In step 3 you say to beat the eggs, and then add a small amount of the hot liquid while whisking, and then return mixture to the pan on the stove. Do you mean for us to add the hot liquid a little at a time, and then return that mixture to the pan? Or add a little bit to the eggs, and then mix that with what’s in the pan? I know adding the hot liquid a little at a time while whisking is to make sure the eggs don’t become scrambled. I am a novice baker, and want to make sure I do it right, lol. Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Jess 🙂 You’ll want to add a little of the hot liquid to the eggs while whisking, which is called tempering the eggs. It increases the temperature of the eggs so that when they’re added to the hot pan, they won’t scramble. So after you whisk in a little bit of the hot liquid into the eggs, then add all the eggs to the pan with the remaining hot liquid. Just keep stirring and you’ll be okay 🙂
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That sounds soooo good, I LOVE creamy lemony desserts like this!
Catalina @ Peas & Peonies says
The texture of this pie is perfect! I love it!
Cookin Canuck says
While I do love a good lemon meringue pie, I have a feeling I’d enjoy this one just as much. Perfect for summertime!
Ron says
Great recipe! Funny to read about you pecan pie adventure, I had a similar experience with my first pecan pie. For me it wasn’t the pie shell, instead it was using too much syrup.
Glad I found your site, it’s a good one to follow.
Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie says
I love a good pie! This one is a must make!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
Summer and lemon just go together! This is such a pretty pie too!
Paula - bell'alimento says
Love the addition of sour cream! This looks dreamy.
Stephanie says
We love all things lemon in the summer time! This looks amazing.
Angie says
I love your pecan pie soup story – hilarious! And that Sour Cream Lemon Pie looks scrumptious. I agree with you on summer and lemon pie.