Creamy, dreamy Lemon Sour Cream Pie could be my favorite pie recipe of all time! 
 A slice of the BEST Lemon Sour Cream Pie - tastesbetterfromscratch.com
I’ve mentioned before that my beautiful sister-in-law, Jessica, blogs over at Pretty Providence. Several years ago I noticed that she posted “The Best lemon sour cream pie ever!” and when I saw it, I was totally intrigued.
You see, she is married to my brother, Bryce, who is the biggest pie snob on the planet. And he’s especially particular about lemon pie–his favorite!
So if Jessica posted a lemon pie recipe that claimed to be “the best ever”, it meant it had Bryce’s stamp of approval, and it really must be the best!

So, I made the pie that Friday night.
And I made it again on Saturday night.

Overhead photo of a Lemon Sour Cream Pie with whipped cream topping and sliced lemons in the background.

I’ve made it dozens of times since, and I completely agree that it’s the Best Lemon Sour Cream Pie recipe!

It has the perfect level of lemon tartness combined with the perfect level of creaminess. And, I love how easy it is to make!

The process for making this lemon sour cream pie is really simple. Here are some step-by-step photos to walk you through it, and I’ve also included a video, below.

A saucepan with flour, sugar and cornstarch and lemon juice being added to it, then mixed together, to make lemon sour cream pie.

Start by adding sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and milk to a saucepan. Stir everything together until smooth.

Add the egg yolks to a bowl and whisk them together.

Heat the mixture in the saucepan. Stir it often, until it begins to thicken and bubble. Reduce heat to low and cook it for two more minutes.

 

At this point it’s time to add the eggs, but we need to temper them first, with the hot liquid. If you add the beaten egg yolks right away then you’ll end up with scrambled eggs in the pudding.

Process for tempering eggs, including hot pudding mixture added to a white bowl of beaten eggs whites, and then mixed until smooth.

To temper the eggs, add a spoonful of the hot mixture from the saucepan, into the bowl with the eggs. Whisk it well. Add another few spoonfuls, whisking the mixture after each addition, until the egg yolks are pale yellow.

Then, add the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan. Stir everything until smooth, and continue to cook the mixture until it comes to a low boil. Cook it got two more minutes, then remove it from heat.

Saucepan with the ingredients for lemon sour cream pudding with butter, lemon zest and sour cream added to the pudding.

Add butter and lemon zest and stir until smooth. Allow the pudding to cool for at least 15-20 minutes, and then stir in the sour cream.

Lemon sour cream pudding poured into a baked pie shell, next to a photo of the filled lemon sour cream pie.

Pour the pudding into a blind-baked (already cooked) pie shell. At this point you can refrigerate the pie for 2-3 hours, and then top with fresh whipped cream, or make the whipped cream and top it immediatly, and then refrigerate for a few hours.

Make sure to let the pie refrigerate for a few hours to give it time to set up, before you cut it. The last thing we want is the pudding mixture to pool into the center of the pie when you remove your first slice!

Lemon sour cream pie with a piece removed.

How to make pie crust:
Combine flour and salt in a medium size bowl.  Add the shortening and chunks of butter and use a pastry blender to cut in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add ice water to the mixture a tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to clump together.
Form into two balls and chill the dough for about 2 hours.  Use my parchment paper and towl trick to help making rolling our pie crust extra easy! Find the full recipe here.

This lemon sour cream pie is absolutely fantastic and beloved by our family. I hope you all enjoy it just as much!

 

Consider trying these homemade pie recipes:

 

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Recipe

A slice of the BEST Lemon Sour Cream Pie - tastesbetterfromscratch.com
Prep 30 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Total 30 minutes
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 9-inch homemade pie crust , baked and cooled
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 Tablespoon + 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)
  • 3 large egg yolks , lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup butter , softened
  • Zest of one lemon , about ½ tablespoon
  • 1 cup sour cream

For whipped cream topping:

Instructions
 

  • Crack eggs in a small bowl, beat slightly with a fork and set aside. 
  • In a large saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in milk and fresh lemon juice and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick and bubbling.
  • Reduce heat to low and cook for two more minutes. Add a spoonful of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and stir well. Repeat this process with two or three more spoonfuls of the hot mixture added to the egg yolks. (The goal is to temper the egg yolks so they don't cook when added to the hot saucepan.)  Poor egg mixture into the saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a gentle boil and cook for two more minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Add softened butter and lemon zest and stir until butter melts completely. Allow mixture to cool and then stir in sour cream. Add filling to your pie shell.

For the topping:

  • In a mixing bowl, beat heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer. While beating, add sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over pie filling. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before serving.
  • Enjoy the best lemon sour cream pie ever!

Notes

Don't miss my tips for perfect lemon sour cream pie listed in the post above!
 
Recipe adapted from Pretty Providence , from Taste of Home

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 2gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 68mgPotassium: 84mgSugar: 20gVitamin A: 625IUVitamin C: 4.2mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 0.2mg

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Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

 

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    So good. Made one for wife and kids… making a 2nd one tonight. Must try if you like lemon cream pie. The sour cream takes it up a notch. 5 out of 5

  2. 5 stars
    this recipe is AMAZING. i followed it as written (with the exception of using bottled lemon juice—that’s all i had) and it was delicious. couldn’t recommend enough!

  3. I think this recipe is a Spring/Summer regular now for me. I thought I had plenty of sour cream but it ended up being unusable so i used yogurt instead. It turned out tangier, but just as delicious!

  4. Absolutely love this recipe! I have made it too many times to count. Just wanted to mention that I have always added the egg yolks at the beginning with the rest of the mixture and brought it to a boil all together. I have never had an issue with the eggs hardening. Thought I’d share because it makes it that much easier!

  5. 5 stars
    I didn’t have milk on hand so I replaced it with buttermilk. Still came out amazingly delicious. I’ll probably just keep using buttermilk for when I make it again.
    What a delightful recipe. Thank you 🙏

  6. 5 stars
    I have made this twice now and it has been a hit!! So delicious and seriously noticeably better than a standard lemon pie!!
    Thanks for the share

  7. best lemon desert I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve had a few. my personal preference is a graham cracker crust and no whip cream topping. pretty easy to make

  8. This pie is absolutely delicious! I plan on making it again for Easter coming up. I normally make it on the day it is to be eaten…but will be making it the day before to save some time since I will be very busy cooking on Easter Sunday. Hoping it is just as delicious in spite of. Thanks!

  9. Made individual pies in ramekins (4). Lots of compliments. It was a bit heavy for my taste… Used the “leftover” filling to make ice cream. 20 minutes in the ice cream maker. Delicious ice cream!!

  10. 1 star
    I so very much wanted this recipe to be a phenomenal success but it fell flat. Literally. 🤭 As a commercial baker myself, I understand and appreciate that following a recipe exactly as it states is imperative to achieve success, so trust me when I say I did just that. I’m not sure what happened but I think if I give this another go, I will increase the cornstarch quite a bit! Thank you for your recipe! It was otherwise delicious, but almost inedible due to the runny filling. My apologies for only being able to give this 1 star.

    1. I’m so sorry that happened, but something had to have gone wrong in the preparation. 3 egg yolks and 3+ tablespoons of cornstarch should be plenty to thicken it properly. Hope you get to try it again soon and make sure the mixture is thickened in step 3 before removing it from heat.

  11. If possible, can you revise this to add how long one should cool the mixture before adding sour cream? I had to look at other recipes to find out. This way other newbies will know too. Thank you. 😊

  12. Hello Lauren,
    This pie looks amazing. I was wondering if a graham cracker crust would work with this pie, or if you’ve ever tried a different crust than traditional pie crust?

    Thank you 😊

  13. 5 stars
    I have been making this for years for Thanksgiving and it turns out perfectly every time! The flavor is incredible and it’s just the perfect lemon pie!

  14. Could this be made a day in advance? Do you foresee any issues making this in a ceramic tart pan as opposed to a glass pie dish?

  15. 5 stars
    I made this recipe at least 5 times in the last month! It’s so good! For some reason, the last one I made tasted incredibly metallic, like uneatable! I can’t figure out what was different about the preparation.

    1. Hello Laura,
      In answer to your question about the metallic taste, the eggs and lemon juice can react with metal pans and cooking utensils. Maybe you used a different pan or your lemons were extra acidic when you cooked the metallic tasting batch. If possible use a double boiler that has a glass or porcelain insert and a silicone whisk to avoid the metal taste. I don’t have an actual double boiler but make one by using a heat proof glass bowl that sits over my pan of simmering water. Just make sure the water in the pan below your bowl doesn’t actually touch the bottom of the bowl to avoid burning. Hope this helps! I am excited to try this recipe for Thanksgiving!! 🙂

  16. 4 stars
    I love this pie but gave this version 4 stars because it’s a little too sweet for me. I cut the sugar by a 1/4 cup and it made a difference. I think I could even cut it by 1/3 and make it better still. I also use homemade blueberry topping to get it as close to Shari’s Cafe as possible.
    Definitely a favorite!

  17. This pie tasted exactly like this bakery in my town! My grandma would get this pie for me every year for my birthday, and it was in danger of being eaten wholly in the parking lot because it’s THAT GOOD!
    I was wondering why you have the cornstarch separated? Do I add it all at once to the sugar/lemon juice mixture or do I separate it?

    Thank you for bringing my childhood memories back!!!

  18. 5 stars
    I was given a bunch of sour cream and lemons for free and came across this recipe as I was searching for a recipe that used those two ingredients together.
    This pie is AMAZING!! I will never make lemon pie a different way again. I have already made two of them – one to give away…and I am making two more today!
    Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
    I would give it 10 stars if I could.
    I think this is my favourite pie!

  19. Hi Lauren.
    I was wondering if I could make this same pie using limes instead of lemons.
    We have a lime tree just bursting with fruit.
    If it is doable, do I still use the same amount of juice and rind.
    Thank you.

    1. 4 stars
      I made one (though I accidentally swapped juices): its really good, though pretty potent. AKA really strongly lime. i would suggest a littl eless if you use lime juice

  20. This looks amazing. Could I substitute plain greek yogurt for the sour cream? What % is the sour cream you use?

  21. Quick question…. ingredients call for egg yolks but in the direction you say crack eggs in a bowl and beat and set aside. Are you using just the yolks and tossing the whites?

    Thanks!

  22. This pie is my go to in the winter months because it brightens up the cold with the fresh citrus flavor of e lemon. It’s my number one most requested dessert to bring to my family functions.

  23. 4 stars
    Made this recipe for Thanksgiving this year, complete with the crust recipe. It was so yummy. I’m not really a pie lover, but this one I would make every thanksgiving it was that good!

  24. 5 stars
    Made this for our Thanksgiving Dinner. After sneaking a taste of the filling I don’t think it will wait til dinner time. Love love love this recipe. Super simple.

  25. 5 stars
    Delicious lemon pie. I do not care for regular lemon pie, but this one is amazing! We can’t get enough of it. This is the 2nd time in 3 days I’ve “had” to make it. The only thing I added was a little lemon extract for an extra kick of tartness.

  26. 5 stars
    Never heard of Lemon Sour Cream pie prior to this recipe. Super easy to make and BEYOND DELICIOUS!!! New pie added into my rotation.

  27. 5 stars
    YUM! This is a great recipe as-is tho I made a couple minor changes based on my personal preference — I made a Nilla wafer crust instead of plain – it was perfect! I added a little extra lemon zest, and because I love lots of lemon flavor perhaps I’ll use a bit less sour cream next time as well (it tasted great before any sour cream was added!) A wonderful change from regular lemon meringue :-))

  28. 5 stars
    This pie is heavenly! Lemon is my favorite flavor and I crave it year round. This pie was the perfect blend of lemon flavor with creaminess that held it’s shape and have wonderful texture. This is one pie I will be making over and over again!

  29. 5 stars
    This recipe is requested at every BBQ I attend and my mom requests it every birthday! We all love it…thank you!

  30. 5 stars
    I have made this pie several times and love it! It has now become a holiday favorite. I have also used key lime instead of lemon. It was great as well, although a very different flavor yet that was to be expected.

    1. Hi Ariane, I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. But, I’m not sure that I personally would, just because I think freezing it would really change the texture and dull the taste.

  31. 5 stars
    I’ve made this pie and have had leftovers for a few days, still tastes fantastic. So I thought can I prep it 4-5 days ahead and top it with the whipped cream the day of?

    1. Thanks Mary, I’m so happy to hear that! Yes you could definitely make it in advance and top it with whipped cream before serving.

  32. 5 stars
    Amazingly easy, and delicious!!! The only change I made was the crust, I used graham crackers/butter/sugar combo. What a big hit. This will my go to. Thank you!!

    1. I bet it was delicious with a graham cracker crust! Thanks for sharing Mary–I’m really happy you enjoyed it.

  33. This has become my favorite pie ever! I made it first in the summer, now it’s Thanksgiving and I’m making it for about the 10th time. Thank you for the recipe.

    1. Thanks so much Debbie! I’m so happy to hear you liked it 🙂 Thanks for coming back to comment, and thanks for following TBFS!

  34. 5 stars
    We really love this pie. It is quite tart though! I found the pie crust gets soggy so I’ve started using a cookie crust which works nicely. Do you think I could make the filling a couple days ahead and just put it in the pie shell the day I’m going to serve it?
    Thanks for a yummy recipe!

    1. Hi Emily, thank you so much! Love the idea of a cookie crust 🙂 I do think you can make the filling ahead–just make sure to give it a few hours inside the pie shell before you slice it.

  35. 5 stars
    I made this pie several times and everyone loves the lemony taste. Plan on making this for Thanksgiving Dinner. ☺️

  36. 4 stars
    In Instruction 3 toward the bottom of the instruction the word “poor” should actually be “pour”.

    BTW thought pie needed a little more lemon taste so changed 1/4 lemon juice 1/2 cup and that satisfied my lemon tastes very nicely.

  37. I’m wondering if I can get away with making it the night before serving? That would make my Easter dinner prep easier. Thanks!

  38. HI There! SO excited to taste this delicious treat! However I am in the process of making it and as the filling is cooling (eggs already added) is still seems a bit runny… will that just continue to set as it cools, has the sour cream added and then chills for the 3 hours or is there something I should do now ? The flavor is delicious so I’m pretty sure we will eat it if it’s anyways! lol But I’d love your feedback/help !

    1. Hi Nichole, the filling should set up nicely and hold together after being refrigerated for a few hours! I’d love to hear how it turns out!

  39. 5 stars
    I took this pie to a neighborhood BBQ last evening. I cut it into 12 smaller pieces so that more people could enjoy it. OMG people were hoarding and hiding pieces and eating it first before their BBQ dinner, it was pretty funny but definitely a HUGE hit. This was probably the fourth time I’ve made this pie since you posted and it has been a winner every time! I just had to tell you thanks for another great recipe.

  40. I really appreciate the recipe, but it was not a good pie. I went strictly by the recipe and directions. It has such a strong sour cream taste. Maybe I did something wrong….

    1. So sad I wasn’t a fan. I thought it smelled and tasted like baby spit up 🙁 my husband asked if I was holding the baby when I made it. Darn.

    1. Although I haven’t tried it to say for sure, I think it should work well (mixing in the sour cream still, of course 🙂 )

  41. Oh my goodness! This pie is amazing and oh so simplistic!
    Def on my list of faves.
    I love that it is not terribly sweet.
    Thank you for sharing!

  42. A very lovely pie. I made this for Memorial Day, a delicious way to kick off summer. Thanks for a great recipe.

  43. This looks delicious! Do you think subbing plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream would work well in this recipe?

    1. I’m sorry I just saw your comment! I haven’t tried it, but I imagine substituting Greek yogurt would work just fine!

  44. This is delicious & easy to make. I used the egg white to make meringue only because I didn’t want to waste them. Really good. Thanks

  45. I just have to tell you what happened when I made the Lemon Sour Cream pie today with your Perfect Pie Crust recipe. My hubby is “funny” about sour cream–if he knows something has sour cream in it, he won’t eat it. But he loves lemon pie so he agreed to try it. (I wasn’t gonna tell him about the sour cream, but he saw the picture with the recipe name, so the cat was out of the bag!)

    Well…he tried it and can’t stop raving about it!! He said, “How much can I eat without getting sick or gaining weight?” Ha!

    It is truly the best lemon pie we have ever had. And your pie crust recipe is indeed “Perfect”!

    1. Hahaha your comment made made me smile! Thanks so much–I’m glad your husband approved!! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!

  46. This used to be our favorite pie at Marie Callendars and then we moved far, far away. This will make my husband SO happy. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

  47. This is my favorite pie from Marie Callendar’s, and I’ve yet to find a recipe just like theirs. Thanks for the recipe. I found your link through the Time to Sparkle link party.

    1. If you like Marie Callendar’s you shoulde definitely try this! It’s amazing!! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

    1. I know right? I was skeptical about the sour cream part at first but it makes it soo deliciously creamy! Thanks Jill 🙂

  48. This does look fantastic. I’ll have to give it a try. Lemon is so my thing this month.

    1. Thanks Becky! I love your blog as well and always find inspiration there! Thanks for your comment!

  49. Mmm this looks so pretty and so delicious too. I love how refreshing lemon is!

  50. Looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe – I love Lemon Sour Cream Pie!!

      1. OMG, I made this last night and it is soooooo good. I did use 1 cup of lemon juice tho. It was a mistake but will always add that much. Great great recipe