Sour Cream Lemon Pie (No Bake) - House of Nash Eats

Name: Lemon Sour Cream Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 255 min
Ingredients: 24 Golden Oreos (finely crushed); 1/4 cup salted butter (melted); 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar; 1/3 cup cornstarch; 1 1/2 cups whole milk; 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice; 4 large egg yolks; 1/4 cup salted butter (cubed); 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon zest; 1 1/4 cups sour cream; 1 cup heavy cream; 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

This refreshingly tart and sweet Sour Cream Lemon Pie is the dreamiest no-bake summer dessert! A vanilla cookie crust crust, silky soft lemon custard filling, and swirls of sweetened whipped cream all assembled in only 15 minutes before chilling with no oven necessary.

A no bake sour cream lemon pie in a white pie plate garnished with whipped cream and lemon slices.

With summer upon us and the weather heating up, I’m already looking for ways to avoid turning on the oven and heating up my kitchen. Enter this easy, wonderful no-bake Sour Cream Lemon Pie! It’s light and refreshing, with just the right level of lemon tartness the gets balanced out by the addition of sour cream. It’s also the easiest pie for any beginner bakers, you’ll just need about 10 simple ingredients that are often found in your pantry.

Even with other “no-bake” recipes, I’ve baked the crust just to have it easily set. I decided that with this lemon cream pie I was going to try making it truly 100% no bake by chilling the crust to help it firm up rather than baking it in the oven, and it worked like a charm! The butter, which goes into the crust melted, helps bind the packed crumbs once it solidifies somewhat in the fridge and holds the filling beautifully.

Bring this to your next picnic or potluck, I know it will be a hit! When it comes to no-bake desserts, my other go-to’s are my banana cream pie (which I make in the microwave!), grasshopper ice cream pie, and chocolate cream pie. You should definitely give them a try.

Reader Quote: “This lovely lemon pie has the perfect balance of tart and sweet and that cookie crust is wonderfully delicious. Such a great dessert to welcome in summer.” – Joanie

An image of a slice of lemony no-bake sour cream lemon pie with swirls of whipped cream and a slice of lemon on top, with a bite taken out of it.

Ingredients

Granulated Sugar – Sweetens the lemon pie filling.
Golden Oreos – Ground into crumbs to make a vanilla cookie crust. You can also use vanilla wafers or graham crackers.
Salted Butter – Used to bind the crust and also to make the filling rich and decadent in flavor.
Cornstarch – Helps to thicken the lemon custard so that it can set in the fridge and be truly no-bake.
Whole Milk – Adds richness to the custard. Don’t skip on the whole milk with a lower fat milk.
Lemons – The star ingredient, we use both lemon zest and juice.
Egg Yolks – Responsible for giving so much richness to the custard.
Sour Cream – Makes this pie a true lemon cream pie and adds a hint of tang to balance the sweetness.
Heavy Cream – The base for any whipped cream! Make sure it’s chilled for easy whipping.
Powdered Sugar – Sweetens the cream lightly.
Vanilla Extract – Makes the whipped cream that signature flavor.

An image of an entire no-bake lemon cream pie decorated with swirls of whipped cream and lemon wedges.

How to Make Sour Cream Lemon Pie

Pulse the golden Oreos into fine crumbs in a food processor (affiliate link) with some melted butter, then press it into a pie plate (affiliate link) and let it chill in the fridge while you make the filling. If you don’t have a food processor (affiliate link), you can also crush the cookies by putting them in a heavy duty zip-tight back and pounding them with a rolling pin (affiliate link) or meat mallet.
Make the homemade lemon filling by whisking the sugar and cornstarch with the milk and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat just until the custard starts to thicken and bubble. Then you will drop the heat down to low and continue to cook for 2 minutes more, stirring frequently while the mixture bubbles, filling your kitchen with the smell of sweet lemony lemon pudding.
Temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring about 1 cup of the hot liquid over the yolks, whisking so that the yolks come up to temperature, then pouring the tempered egg yolks back into the saucepan with the rest of the lemon filling and cooking another 2 minutes over low heat, whisking constantly.
Pull the lemon custard off the heat and whisk in the lemon zest and butter until it melts, then (and this is the hardest part) wait until the custard cools before stirring in the sour cream and pouring the lemon filling into the cookie crust.
Let the pie chill completely in the fridge for 4 hours before topping with the sweetened whipped cream and garnishing with lemon wedges.

An image of a slice of no-bake sour cream lemon pie on a white plate next to the pie dish.

Expert Tips

If the lemon custard hasn’t thickened to be a pudding-like texture but is still soupy instead, then you will need to cook it longer or double check that ingredients weren’t mismeasured.
Don’t skip tempering the egg yolks by adding a small amount of the hot lemon custard liquid to them and whisking before adding them to the pan. Otherwise they can easily scramble if added directly to the pot.
Make sure the pudding base is cooled before stirring in the sour cream. We want to preserve the thickened, glossy texture of the sour cream and not melt it with residual heat from the filling.
Let the pie chill thoroughly before topping with whipped cream and serving so that it has time to set up and slices well.
If you want to chill the pie overnight, I recommend carefully placing a piece of plastic wrap onto the cooled filling to help it avoid forming a skin. It should peel off easily the next day if you are careful.
Use a springform pan for easier serving. This no-bake sour cream lemon pie can be tricky to slice and get a clean serving. It might be slightly easier if you make this in a springform pan and can just slide the pieces out, instead of lifting them out of a classic pie plate (affiliate link).

Variations and Substitutions

Try adding blueberries or raspberries! You can stir some fresh blueberries or raspberries into the filling before pouring it into the pie crust. Or pour half of the filling into the pie crust, then arrange a layer of sliced strawberries before pouring the remainder of the filling on top. All of these fruits pair really well with lemon flavor.
Swap lemon for another citrus. Try switching out the lemon for another citrus like orange or lime for a different flavor profile.
Make a different crumb crust. Instead of Golden Oreos for the crust, you can use lemon sandwich cookies, graham crackers, or Nilla Wafers for a different taste.

An image of a no-bake pie with a golden Oreo crust, filled with a creamy sour cream lemon pie filling and topped with sweetened whipped cream.

How to serve Lemon Sour Cream Pie

A slice of this pie is delicious all on its own, but it wouldn’t hurt to serve it with some fresh berries and more whipped cream on the side. You could even drizzle some raspberry sauce over the top.

Storage

Store the lemon cream pie in the refrigerator until just before you are ready to serve, then return it to the fridge, covering with plastic wrap (if the whole thing isn’t eaten!). It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

I don’t recommend freezing this particular pie. You risk the texture changing once it thaws.

FAQs

What’s the difference between sour cream lemon pie and lemon meringue pie?

Sour cream lemon pie has sour cream mixed into the pudding-like filling, while lemon meringue pie has no sour cream and the lemon filling is topped with meringue.

What are common lemon cream pie mistakes?

The biggest mistake is not cooking the filling long enough before chilling. This will result in a soupy and liquidy filling rather than creamy and pudding-like.

How do I prevent this lemon sour cream pie from becoming soggy?

Make sure you let the cookie crust fully set and solidify before adding the filling.