This low carb lemon curd pie filling is no-bake and it's as simple to make as.... well, lemon pie. A press-in crust adds even more ease, the lemon curd takes approximately 10 minutes to make then, whipped cream is folded in to give it a mousse-like texture.
When I was a kid, I would always order lemon meringue pie when my family went to Marie Calender's. It is still my all-time-favorite-pie. But don't get me wrong, I like all pies. In fact, I have a special place in my heart for fruit pies - my grandmother taught me how to make fruit pies when I was a young woman and it brings me a special joy to make them just like she used to. Fruit pies are great...
But, I really like lemon; it's tart-bright flavor wakes-up my mouth and it's color makes me happy. And although this is not a low carb lemon meringue pie, this lemon pie certainly satisfies my cravings for all things lemon.
Two weeks ago I posted both a low carb lemon curd recipe and an almond pie crust recipe, and I did so with this recipe in mind.
I have been making this low carb lemon curd pie in some form or another for several years and my family always enjoys it. But, with my 3X test rule for each recipe I post, I am now faced with a major problem - especially because I have been testing quite a few dessert recipes the last few weeks... I have a refrigerator full of low carb pies and low carb dessert bars at the moment and I don't know how my family is going to eat it all. I will definitely have to freeze some of them. One Facebook friend called my dilemma "a first world problem" and it's true. I told her that I felt like Marie Antoinette saying "Let them eat cake" or pie, I should say.
So, some may be wondering why I don't have any side-shots of the slices of pie. I cut the pieces crookedly and they weren't photographing well. I am obviously not a Carolyn Ketchum. Her photos of pies and cakes always look good. The same thing happened with the French Silk Pie I posted last week. Some of those slices were a little wonky! I hope you forgive me and try the recipe for these pies anyway, because they were really nice. Hopefully, I will have better luck cutting the next one!
Here are a few other great desserts:
Low Carb Lemon Curd Pie is 5.5 net carbs per serving
[Disclosure: This recipe contains affiliate links.]
Gluten- Free Low Carb Lemon Curd Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Basic Almond Pie Crust
Lemon Curd
- ¾ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup low carb sugar (or sweetener of your choice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
- 4 large eggs
- 4 large egg yolks
- lemon zest from the lemons used
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, cut into pieces
- ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite, or more of your favorite sweetener
- 1 cup heavy cream
- â…› teaspoon xanthan gum
Whipped Cream Topping
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons low carb powdered sugar (or Swerve Confectioners)
Instructions
- Suggestion: Make the lemon curd the day before or in the morning so that it has time to chill.
- Crust: Prepare the Basic Almond Pie Crust (or your favorite pie crust recipe) per instructions and let cool completely before assembling the pie.
- Lemon Curd: Measure the erythritol and cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) and put them in a medium pot. Stir together.
- Roll the lemons on the counter to get them juicy, then zest the lemons adding the zest to the pot.
- Add the 4 yolks and 4 whole eggs to the pot and whisk the eggs and erythritol together until thoroughly combined.
- Juice the lemons and measure ¾ cup. Strain the lemon juice and stir it into the egg mixture.
- Turn the heat to medium and continuously whisk the mixture until it begins to thicken - it only takes a few minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue whisking. The lemon curd will thicken - all at once
- Remove the pot from the heat and continue to stir with the whisk for one minute more. Pour the lemon curd into a clean container and add the stevia glycerite and salted butter, incorporating completely. To cool, place a piece of plastic wrap right on top of the low carb lemon curd and refrigerate at least 6 hours.
- Assemble: Whip 1 cup of the heavy cream with 2 tablespoon of the powdered erythritol and the xanthan gum until the whipped cream is very stiff. Stir ⅓ of the whipped cream into the lemon curd to lighten it. Then, fold ½ of the remaining whipped cream into the lemon curd and finally fold in the rest. Scrape the pie filling into the pie crust and smooth out to the edges.
- Whip the remaining heavy cream with the remaining 1 tablespoon of powdered erythritol until stiff. Stir to soften and break-up the whipped cream just a bit, then spread it over the filling. Refrigerate at least four hours but it's best if left in the refrigerator over-night.
Lola Teabo
I want to use your lemon curd recipe in my lemon meringue pie but I don’t see anywhere in your recipe about baking the filling.. if I put this curd filling into a prebaked pie shell and put meringue on top, then put it all in the oven long enough to brown my meringue, will the filling still behave?
Kim Hardesty
Hi Lola. Although I haven't tried what you are asking, I am familiar with the lemon curd because I make it often. If the lemon curd is chilled and thick, the meringue should insulate it from the broiler. -Kim
Sharon
Absolutely Fabulous. It's to good!,can not stop eating it!!!!
Kim
I'm so happy you like it, Sharon. Thank you for taking the time to come back and rate the recipe! -Kim
nc
Just from looking at your pictures I think they look wonderful and were photo(able) for a side view. Me thinks you worry too much!
Denise Freitas
Thank you for taking the time and effort to prepare a classic lemon curd pie recipe. I prepared the pie with the almond flour crust for a sugar free dessert for our Easter dinner. Here are my thoughts: since i didn't have any fresh lemons, i had to substitute bottled lemon juice and dried lemon zest. The results were not as lemony as fresh lemon juice would have been, so I'll try that next time. My classic lemon curd recipe calls for 6 egg yolks so I found the 4 yolks and 4 whole eggs produced a much stiffer curd. I'll try my 6 yolks next time. I used arrowroot as my additional thickener. Since I'm still getting accustomed to the use of alternate sweeteners, i had erythritol and xylitol on hand. I used the xylitol to sweeten the curd. It was not quite sweet enough so I will adjust the amount a bit more. I used erythritol to sweeten the whipped cream and found i needed a little more to achieve the correct sweetness. I did add a dash of vanilla to the whipped cream. I have plenty left over so I'll freeze it. I think it will taste yummy as a frozen dessert. It is very rich so a little goes a long way. Thank you again!
M
Thank you so much for this amaaaaazing recipe! I loved how my pie came out creamy with a kick of sour;)
I would give this recipe five stars! I did substitute the corn starch for tapioca starch and used coconuts sugar for my sweetener and it came out perfect! Thank you again for this recipe I’ll definitely be making it again for my family!
MC
Lynn Hoffman
I put the lemon Kurd thru my vitimix blender came out creamy and fluffy. Refrigerate overbite put into cooled pie crust topped with meringue,was amazing.
Kim
That sounds so AMAZING, Lynn! I'm going to try that for sure. THanks for sharing. -Kim
Cheryl
I like lemon meringue pie, I was wondering if make this pie the way a standard lemon meringue pie (flour crust) would work. I'm lemon meringue pie junkie.
Kim
Hi Cheryl. This us a lemon curd pie and not a lemon meringue pie. Some people use lemon curd for their lemon meringue pies. To make a great meringue, I have found that you can't use only erythritol - it makes it too dry. Using all xylitol makes a sticky mess that never firms up. The best sugar-free meringues are made with a combination of both sweeteners, but use what you feel comfortable using. Have a nice day. -Kim
Terri
Love the flavor of lemon but when I put in the butter and put it in the frig overnight, the butter hardened into clumps..
Kim
Hi Terri. I'm sorry that happened. It sounds like the butter wasn't properly melted and/or whisked in. -Kim
Carla
Hi, thanks for this amazing recipe. It was actually my first attempt to make a Lemon Pie and it turned out really great, everyone was very pleased! I followed all the steps, but when I got into step 9, I didn't know exactly what the '2/3 of the powdered erythritol' were referring too? I used all to make the custard, so I just added 4 tbsp of powdered erythritol, and it turned out just right.
Also, because I had 4 egg whites left, I attempted to make a meringue (egg whites + powdered erythritol + tartar) and I have to say it worked! I baked it by itself and carefully transferred to the top of the pie after cooling.
Thanks again for a great recipe!
Kim
The pie sounds like it turned out amazing, Carla! I love the meringue you cooked separately then added to the top. I'm sorry the instructions needed a little tweaking. Thanks for letting me know. I have made the changes. Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your changes with me. Have a great week. -Kim
Ellen
Made this for last night's dessert following grilled cod, asparagus with Gorgonzola and Kim's LC rolls with fathead dough. So worth the work! I had never made lemon curd before but will certainly make it many times more!
Kim
Ellen, your meal sounds like it was wonderful! I'm glad you liked the pie. It's one of my favorites. Thanks for sharing your menu and leaving such a nice comment. Enjoy your week. -Kim
Allan
Wow! This looks so good....maybe you could send me one! Especially since I burn, scortch and destroy everything I try making.
Kim
Thanks, Allen. Believe it or not, I saw a recipe for microwave lemon curd! Maybe you could try that recipe and replace the sugar with a low carb option? Worth a shot! Have a great day. -Kim
Angie
Well I wish I could come over and have pie and coffee with you...I'm always happy to help with these dilemmas lol
Kim
Lol, Angie. It gets bad when I'm recipe testing desserts! We are swimming in them by the time I get them where I like them. Maybe that's why I don't do them as often. Have a wonderful New Year. -Kim
Sylvia
Why did my Lemon Curd crystallize in the fridge over night? I used the basic 5 egg yolks and 1/4 cup Erythritol and 1/4 cup Swerve Powder Sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of Sweet Drops Stevia Clear along with the 1/2 cup fresh Lemon Juice and 1/4 cup of Lemon Zest and one stick of melted and cooled butter. I followed directions and stirred constantly for 20 minutes on low till it thickened and the temp came up to 170 degrees on the candy thermometer. It looked velveety and tasted tart. I cooled it down and put it in a Mason Jar and refrigerated over night. Today I went to put some on some low carb ice cream and noticed it was thick and when I tasted it was crunchy. It was good and tart but crunchy. What did I do wrong?
Kim
Sylvia, you did not do anything wrong! :) Erythritol will SOMETIMES crystallize upon cooling - not all the time - but sometimes. I haven't had it happen in the lemon curd, yet, but it has happened in other things - especially if sitting in the fridge for a few days. I try to use the least amount in recipes to prevent it from happening, but sometimes it does. It's my opinion that for some reason Swerve does it more, but it is only my opinion. Next time try powdering it before using in a custard type recipe (it may still try to recrystallize!). It will even crystallize in ice cream, sometimes. Please let me know if you have any more question. Have a great weekend. -Kim
Jo
Can I use coconut flour in place of cornstarch or arrowroot ?
Kim
Jo, I wouldn't use coconut flour. It will be grainy. Arrowroot is fine. The curd is really thick and that helps the pie set up with the whipped cream. You could leave it out and have a little softer pie. Enjoy, it's really delicious. Thanks for your question. Have a great evening. -Kim
Jo
Hi Kim , looks wonderful ! Do you think I could replace the arrowroot or cornstarch with coconut flour ? Or just leave it out all together ? Thanks
Kim
Thank you. Yes, Jo. Did I not put that as an option? I forget sometimes. The lemon curd is so thick with the cornstarch that it helps the pie set up. You could try omitting the cornstarch and blooming 1 teaspoon of gelatin in 1 tablespoon of water and then adding it in when it comes off of the stove. I don't know how it will work, but it's worth a try. Have a nice weekend. -Kim
Miruna
I made this pie a few days ago and... it was just fabulous. It was one of the best low-carb desserts ever. And it was complimented equally by another four people who are not on any special diet. The recipe worked beautifully (which does not always happen with recipes you've never tried before). I used coconut cream and the taste balance between lemon and coconut was just right. And what is even better is that, if you have some lemon curd already made, it takes very little time to prepare. That's a keeper! Thank you Kim.
Kim
Miruna, thanks for the great comment. You have absolutely made my day! I like that you used the coconut cream - it sounds heavenly! Thanks again and enjoy the rest of your week! -Kim
Kelsey
This looks so yummy! Lemon is my favorite too-- so fresh and light! I am pinning this to add to my growing list of possibilities for thanksgiving!
Kim
Thank you, Kelsey. I hope you enjoy it. Have a nice Thanksgiving. -Kim
vincent izzard
I have been eating low carb food for 4 months now & have lost 34 lbs. I am 15 & like to cook. My grandmother just made the coconut almond tarts & they are very good. She is making the Pastry cream filling now. I have been nibbling on one of the tarts. Thank you for all the recipes. We will be making more of them. Also, we think your photos are really nice!
Kim
Vincent, your comment absolutely made my day! Congratulations on your hard work and weight loss. It's nice to hear that you have found a way of eating that emphases wholesome food and non-starvation. Good for you. Thank you so much for your kind comments. I am so happy to hear that you are enjoying some of the recipes and the photos as well. I hope you have a great week!
Fran @ G'day Souffle'
Hi Kim, your pie looks delicious and easy to make. I like the first and last photos the best and I actually prefer the smaller size of the first photo since I don't have to scroll down to see the entire picture. I find that doing the food photography is the hardest part of blogging- it's a never-ending struggle- keep up the good work!
Kim
Hi Fran. Thanks for the nice compliments -- it means a lot coming from a graduate of Cordon Bleu, Paris. I am SO struggling with photography. I know ansolutely nothing about it. Can you tell I have a hard time chosing which images to put in my posts? Thanks for the encouragement. Have a great rest of the week! -Kim
Matthew
I think the photo look great! I'm like you; I like all pies, but lemon is an all time favorite. Right up there with key lime pie (hint hint). So looking forward to trying this one!
Kim
Hi Matthew. Thanks! I agree, key lime pie is an all time great, right? Have a nice week! -Kim