No Bake Sour Cream Lemon Pie

This hassle-free, no-bake lemon pie has a luscious sour cream lemon pie filling in a graham cracker crust. No need to bake the crust or the pie itself. The sour cream adds a velvety texture in the filling with just the right amount of tang. Chill for 4 hours before you serve.

There’s something about a lemon pie that makes you feel welcomed. This no-bake sour cream lemon pie carries that classic welcome signal to anyone you serve it to.

• lemon – nothing says more summer
• sweet and tart – childhood memories associated with that flavor
• pie = a nostalgic dessert
• no-bake? – my kind of summer dessert

I love pies of all kinds, but lemon pie will always be at the top of my favorite pie list. Who wouldn’t enjoy the silky smooth tangy lemon custard with the just right amount of sweetness?

One thing that I love the most about this recipe? — Graham cracker (or graham cookie) crust instead of a traditional pie crust!

Which means that making the crust is much quicker and easier. I honestly think graham cookie crust goes really well with lemon pie filling.

Besides, you don’t have to pre-bake the pie crust like some of icebox pie crust recipes require. All you need to do is chilling to firm up the crust, and you are good to go.

I am so glad that this is no-bake version because I don’t have to keep my oven hot during the summer season. And the sour cream in the pie filling makes the lemon custard so velvety and luscious! It makes a lovey dessert for spring and summer.

Here are some tips on making now-bake sour cream lemon pie.

• Use fresh lemons: Freshly squeezed lemon juice makes a better tasting custard for pie filling
• Try graham cracker crust from scratch: It’s fun, quick, and tastes much better
• Enough chilling time: Since it is no-bake pie, you will need to chill the entire pie to set (4 hrs). So make the pie ahead of time.

No-bake graham cracker crust

• Crush graham crackers in a food processor or using a meat hammer until finely ground into crumbs.
• Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Add the melted butter and toss to combine with a fork, ensuring that the mixture is evenly moistened.
• Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan, and press tightly with your hand or using the back of a measuring cup.
• Place the pan in the freezer for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.

How to make No Bake Sour Cream Lemon Pie

Make lemon pie filling:

• Zest a lemon first, then juice the lemons to make 1/2 cup.
• In a pot, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice. Add the milk and mix well.

• Heat the lemon filling mixture over medium heat until hot whisking constantly.
• Remove the hot mixture from the heat and slowly pour about 1/2 cup into the egg yolks in a mixing bowl as you whisk. Pour more hot mixture a little bit at a time to temper the egg yolks.

• Pour the hot filling mixture back to the pot and cook until it thickens and bubbles for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
• Turn off the heat and immediately stir in the butter, whisking until smooth and creamy. Cool 15 minutes.

• Whisk in the sour cream and lemon zest until completely combined.
• Pour into the pie crust and refrigerate for 4 hours, until chilled.

Whipped cream decoration:

• Pour whipping cream in a bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, whip until stiff peaks form.
• Put the cream in a piping bag and pipe it around the edges of pie (I used a open star tip). Or spread it on in an even layer on top and garnish with thinly sliced lemons.

Try other Dessert Recipes. Some of my favorite lemon desserts are:

• Lemon Custard Almond Cake
• Lemon Meltaways
• Lemon Pudding Cake