Lemon Meringue Pie

A homemade lemon meringue pie with a crispy all-butter pie crust, creamy lemon curd filling, and a fluffy French meringue topping is easy to make if you follow this recipe carefully.

Lemon Meringue Pie might seem intimidating, but I promise that I’ll give you all of my test tips and instructions so that you can have lemon meringue pie success!

The finished pie is well worth the effort too. You’ll love this lemon pie with a bright, zesty, and silky filling and a cloud-like topping with chewy edges just like toasted marshmallows.

Lemon Meringue Pie

A classic lemon meringue pie recipe with an all-butter pie crust, a tangy and sweet lemon curd filling, and a flufy, toasted meringue topping.

Course: Dessert Cuisine: American

Prep Time:10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Cooling Time: 2 hours

Servings: 8 servings Calories: 325kcal

Ingredients

1 9-inch pie crust blind baked

For the lemon curd filling:

4 large (85g) egg yolks at room temperature
1 ¼ cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon (1g) salt
½ cup fresh lemon juice FRESH only, not bottled.
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons (28g) butter cut into small pieces

For the meringue:

½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 large (142g) egg whites at room temperature
½ teaspoon (2g) cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon (1g) salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional but delicious

Instructions

Blind bake the pie crust, and allow to cool completely.
Make the meringue: In a small bowl, combine the sugar with cornstarch and set aside. In a bowl of a standing mixer, whip the egg whites with cream of tartar for 1 minute or until soft peaks. Then slowly add in the sugar mixture (1 tablespoon at a time) until stiff peaks form. Right before stiff peaks form make sure to add in the vanilla extract.
Make the lemon curd filling: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs very well and set aside. In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine water, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice. Cook the mixture while stirring with a whisk constantly about 2-3 minutes. To temper the egg yolks, add about half a cup of the hot mixture into the yolks and whisk vigorously. This will make the eggs come to the same temperature without scrambling. Add the egg yolk mixture into the lemon mixture and cook for 3-4 more minutes. It will thicken. Remove from heat, and whisk in the lemon zest and butter cubes, the butter will make the filling silky and smooth.
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
Briefly whip the meringue again for 20-30 seconds.
Spread the meringue over the hot lemon curd filling making sure that you touch the edges of the pie crust to seal the lemon curd.
Bake the pie in the oven for 10 minutes or until the meringue topping is toasted. Allow to cool at room temp for 1.5-2 hours before slicing.

Notes

To Store: I recommend that you serve this pie on the same day that you make it, but you can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Lemon Meringue Pie Tips: To ensure that your pie comes out perfectly, without any shrinking, weeping or beading.

Don’t make this on a humid day.
It’s important to let it sit at room temp before cutting into it, about 1.5 or 2 hours at room temp.
It’s important to blind bake your pie crust fully, and allow it to cool completely.
Avoid Fat. The bowls and utensils must be free of any oil or water residue in order for the meringue to whip properly.
Carefully separate eggs. Any egg yolks in the whites will ruin the meringue. Separate the eggs while they are cold, but let the yolks and whites come to room temperature before starting.
Avoid overmixing the meringue. Stop as soon as stiff peaks form.
The reason we make the meringue first is that we want to quickly add it to a hot lemon filling.
Spread the meringue starting at the edges and working toward the center. Make sure that the meringue touches the outer edges of the crust to create a seal. This will keep the meringue from shrinking.
Instead of baking the pie to toast the meringue, you can use a kitchen torch to get the same golden-brown result.