This citrus sour cream pie is a creamy, not-too-sweet pie that blends the flavors of fresh lemons, limes and oranges in its silky filling. The buttery, crumbly, salted graham cracker crust is the perfect contrast to the citrus cream filling. Decorate the pie with dollops of lightly sweetened fresh whipped cream and beautiful, translucent slices of oranges, lemons and limes for an easy spring and summer dessert that everyone will love.
Looking for more recipes like this one? Don’t miss this key lime pie, fresh strawberry pretzel pie, and lemon icebox pie tarts.
This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links. This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services. All opinions expressed on this site are my own.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sweet and Tart. A citrus sour cream pie is a cousin to the key lime pie, although not quite as tart, and with a more complex blend of citrus flavors. You could even add grapefruit to the mix, if you like. This easy and delicious pie will please everyone who tastes it!
Easy to Make. Just whisk up the filling, pour it into the crust, and bake for a few minutes. Then the pie simply needs to chill until it’s ready to eat.
Versatile. You can try playing with the ratio of different citrus juices to make one flavor stronger than another.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Crust
- Graham Crackers. Finely crushed graham crackers make up the base of this citrus sour cream pie. I prefer the original honey flavor, but the cinnamon graham crackers are also good.
- Granulated Sugar. Sweetens the crust, just a touch.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted Butter. Melted butter moistens the graham cracker crumbs to bind the crust together.
Filling
- Sweetened Condensed Milk. A can of sweetened condensed milk contributes to the rich, creamy texture of the filling, as well as sweetens it since it contains sugar.
- Egg Yolks. Add richness, as well as help to thicken the filling as it cooks.
- Sour Cream. Adds a little tangy flavor, richness and creaminess.
- Citrus Juice & Zest. I used a blend of lemons, limes and navel oranges for my pie, and the combination of flavors is really delicious.
Topping
- Heavy Whipping Cream. Makes a delicious light and creamy topping.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and stabilizes the whipped cream.
Instructions
Crust.
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly spray a 9-inch deep dish pie pan or a tart pan with a removable bottom with non-stick spray. If using a tart pan that doesn’t have a rimmed edge to hold on to, I recommend placing the pan on a baking sheet to make it easier to get the pan in and out of the oven.
- In a bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers, sugar and salt. Drizzle with the melted butter and toss with a fork until moistened and crumbly.
- Press the crumbs firmly and evenly against the bottom and up the sides of your pie pan.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool for 5 minutes while you make the filling.
Filling.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and sour cream until smooth.
- Use a microplane zester to zest the lemon and lime, and whisk the zest into the milk mixture. You can add a little fresh orange zest, too, but no more than 1/2 – 1 teaspoon, or it can add a bitter flavor.
- Juice the lemon and lime, measuring the juice into a liquid measuring cup. You’ll probably get a couple tablespoons of juice from each.Now juice the two oranges, adding their juice to the measuring cup. Altogether, you need 1 cup of citrus juice. Add 1 cup of juice to the mixing bowl, and whisk until smooth.
- Slowly pour the filling into the crust.
- Bake the pie on the center oven rack for about 22-25 minutes. The pie should be mostly set, although the center will still be slightly wobbly.
- Let the pie cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate until completely cooled and set, about 2-3 hours, before serving.
Topping.
- Pour the cream into a bowl, and whip on medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
- Add the vanilla and powdered sugar, and whip until the cream is thick enough to hold its shape.
- Decorate the finished pie with fresh citrus slices and whipped cream.
- For the whipped cream “snow balls” in the next photo, just use a cupcake scoop or ice cream scoop with a release lever to scoop balls of whipped cream and drop them onto the pie.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re not able to find graham crackers, digestive biscuits make a good substitute.
Yes, you can combine lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit juice for this citrus pie. I don’t suggest using only orange juice, though, since that would make the pie too sweet. The sourness of the lemons and limes balance the sweetness.
Leftover pie should be covered loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerated, and is best eaten within 2 days.
You Might Also Like
Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
Citrus Sour Cream Pie
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 9-inch Round Tart Pan with Removable Bottom (or a deep-dish pie pan)
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 14 oz (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
- 6 egg yolks
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 small lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 small lime, zested and juiced
- 2 navel oranges, juiced
Topping
- 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly spray a 9-inch deep dish pie pan or a tart pan with a removable bottom with non-stick spray. If using a tart pan that doesn't have a rimmed edge to hold on to, I recommend placing the pan on a baking sheet to make it easier to get the pan in and out of the oven.
- In a bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers, sugar and salt. Drizzle with the melted butter and toss with a fork until moistened and crumbly.
- Press the crumbs firmly and evenly against the bottom and up the sides of your pie pan.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool for 5 minutes while you make the filling.
Filling
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and sour cream until smooth.
- Use a microplane zester to zest the lemon and lime, and whisk the zest into the milk mixture. You can add a little fresh orange zest, too, but no more than 1/2 – 1 teaspoon, or it can add a bitter flavor.
- Juice the lemon and lime, measuring the juice into a liquid measuring cup. You'll probably get a couple tablespoons of juice from each.Now juice the two oranges, adding their juice to the measuring cup. Altogether, you need 1 cup of citrus juice.Add 1 cup of juice to the mixing bowl, and whisk until smooth.
- Slowly pour the filling into the crust.
- Bake the pie on the center oven rack for about 22-25 minutes. The pie should be mostly set, although the center will still be slightly wobbly.
- Let the pie cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate until completely cooled and set, about 2 3 hours, before serving.
Whipped Cream
- Pour the cream into a bowl, and whip on medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
- Add the vanilla and powdered sugar, and whip until the cream is thick enough to hold its shape.
- Just before serving, decorate the finished pie with fresh citrus slices and whipped cream.
Super yummy dessert! it’s a great way to use up extra citrus, and very simple to make for this non-baker. I’m a fellow Coloradoan (Fort Collins) :-), so it’s nice to have someone who lives at altitude with yummy recipes. This is the second time I’ve made this pie in the last couple of weeks. I tweaked it a little bit this time to change it up. I made the crust out of the Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Snaps instead of graham crackers. I also zested my oranges and grapefruit (yes, I used freshly squeezed lime, lemon, orange, and grapefruit juice). The first time I also used lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit juices (my parents live in Phoenix and like to send me lots of citrus). Just popped it into the oven and can’t wait to taste it!
The addition of the ginger snaps sounds delicious! Ginger and citrus go so well together.