This easy Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe is a perfect version of the classic dessert. It’s got a creamy, tangy lemon filling inside a flaky pie crust, topped with a fluffy golden brown meringue topping.
By using a few recipe hacks, you can avoid any soggy crust, weepy meringue, or uncooked filling. Instead, enjoy a perfectly sweet pie with plenty of lemon flavor. For more classic pie recipes, you can also try this Banana Cream Pie, Key Lime Pie, or this Coconut Cream Pie.
Easy Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe
Lemon meringue pie is such a classic, but can be tricky to get it right. I wanted to create a recipe that was virtually foolproof. No one should have to suffer through taking the time to make a pie only to be disappointed by a soggy crust or runny filling.
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Using a few simple tricks that I’ve learned over the years, this recipe is about as good as it gets. Follow along and learn to make the most delicious lemon meringue pie with a perfectly creamy filling, fluffy meringue topping, and crisp flaky crust.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a classic. Classics are classics for a reason. It’s hard to beat creamy lemon, flakey pie crust, and sweet fluffy meringue topping.
- Easiest meringue recipe. This meringue recipe uses a warm cornstarch slurry to stabilize the meringue rather than a cooked sugar syrup. This means no thermometers needed!
- No soggy pie crust. Blind baking the crust gives it a nice seal so that you won’t risk a soggy pie. You can even do this the night before to save yourself a little time.
Key Ingredients You Will Need
- Pie Crust: you’ll need a single recipe of this Flaky Pie Crust. The crust can be prepped or even pre-baked the day before.
- Cornstarch: you will need cornstarch for both the lemon filling and the meringue in this recipe. It helps to thicken and stabilize.
- Eggs: you will need 7 egg yolks for the lemon filling and 7 egg whites for the meringue. When separating the eggs, try and make sure that the egg whites are completely free of all traces of egg yolks.
- Fresh lemons: you will need both the lemon juice and lemon zest from fresh lemons.
- Butter: the butter adds flavor and creaminess to the filling, but it also helps to cool it down a bit.
- Cream of Tartar: this helps stabilize the whipped egg whites.
How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie
- Prep the pie crust. Mix the pie crust, let it chill for about 1 hour, then roll it out until about ¼” thick.
- Par bake the crust. Line a 9” pie plate with the rolled dough, crumping the edges. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough, then line with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with ceramic pie beads or dry beans. Blind bake the prepared pie crust in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the filling.
- Cook the lemon filling. Whisk the cold water, cornstarch and sugar mixture, egg yolks, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth and bring to a boil. Continue to whisk at a low boil for 30 seconds, or until the filling is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat, add the butter, and stir until melted. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside while the crust bakes.
- Make the meringue. Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the sugar, vanilla, and cream of tartar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. While the eggs are beating, add the cold water and cornstarch to a small pan. Whisk until smooth. Heat on medium heat until the mixture turns from white to translucent and bubbles a little. Remove from heat, then slowly stream it into the egg white mixture and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
- Assembling. Reheat the lemon filling, if it isn’t already warm, then add it into the prepared crust. Top with the prepared meringue, using the back of the spoon to create decorative peaks with the meringue. Be sure to spread the meringue all the way to the edges of the crust to seal it.
- Bake. Bake the pie in the oven at 325 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until the meringue peaks are golden brown. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure that the lemon filling is warm when you add the meringue on top. This helps seal them together as it bakes so that the layers don’t separate.
- When you are making the meringue, make sure there are no traces of egg yolks in the egg whites. Having “dirty” egg whites means they will never whip up as stiff as you need.
- Use fresh lemon juice. The bottled stuff never tastes even close to as good.
- You can experiment with different types of citrus! Try replacing some or all of the lemon juice with Meyer lemon juice, lime juice, key lime juice, or various types of orange juice.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerator: store in the fridge, covered loosely with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.
- Make-ahead: you can make both the pie crust and the lemon filling ahead of time. Store separately (the crust at room temperature and the filling in the fridge). When you are ready to finish the pie, add the filling to the crust, make the meringue, and bake as directed.
More You’ll Love
This is the best lemon meringue pie recipe—perfectly cream, rich, tart, and sweet. Bake until the soft meringue on top is golden brown.
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Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe
This easy Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe is a perfect version of this classic dessert. It’s got a creamy, tangy lemon filling inside a flakey pie crust, topped with a fluffy golden brown meringue topping.
Yields 9-inch pie
Ingredients
Single Pie Crust Recipe
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces Crisco
- 1/4 cup water, cold
Lemon Pie Filling
- 2 cups cold water
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 7 large egg yolks, reserve the whites for the meringue
- 3/4 cup lemon juice
- 1½ tablespoons lemon zest
- 5 tablespoons butter, add after cooking
Meringue for Pie
- 7 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 1/3 teaspoon cream of tarter
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
Single Pie Crust
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the Crisco and use your fingers to combine. Once the mixture resembles coarse meal, make a well in the center and add the water.
- Carefully bring the flour mixture from the sides of the bowl into the center with the water and gently mix until combined and the flour is all moistened. Do not overmix or knead! Form the dough into flat discs, wrap in plastic and let rest in the cooler for about 30 minutes – 1 hour.
- Once the dough has rested, remove from the plastic wrap and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll from the middle of the dough outwards to make a circle that is about 1/4" thick and large enough to hang over your pie plate at least 1/2".
- Carefully line a 9" pie plate with the rolled dough, pressing into the sides and bottom edges. Fold the top edges under and pinch to make a decorative edge. Prick the bottom and sides of the pie crust with a fork about 2 inches apart, then line with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with ceramic pie beads or dry beans.
- Blind bake the prepared pie crust in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the filling.
Lemon Pie Filling
- In a small bowl combine the sugar and cornstarch, mix.
- In a large pot, combine the cold water, cornstarch and sugar mixture, egg yolks, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk until smooth.
- Heat over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue to whisk at a low boil for 30 seconds, or until the filling is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the butter and stir until the butter has melted. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming on top of the filling. Set aside while the crust bakes.
- Reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees F.
How to Make Meringue for Pie
- Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites and beat on medium. Once soft peaks have formed, add the sugar, vanilla, and cream of tarter. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- While the eggs are beating, add the cold water and cornstarch to a small pan. Whisk until smooth. Heat on medium heat until the mixture turns from white to translucent and bubbles a little. Remove from heat, then slowly stream it into the egg white mixture and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
Assembling the Pie
- Add the lemon filling into the prepared crust, reheating it slightly if it has set up. Top with the prepared meringue, using the back of the spoon to create decorative peaks with the meringue.
- Bake the pie in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the meringue peaks are golden brown. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.
Video
Notes
Storing instructions: cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and store for up to 3 days in the fridge.
For the meringue: be sure there are no traces of yolks in the egg whites before whipping, or they will never whip to stiff peaks.
Nutrition
Calories: 4695kcal | Carbohydrates: 667g | Protein: 62g | Fat: 206g | Saturated Fat: 76g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 40g | Monounsaturated Fat: 76g | Trans Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 1436mg | Sodium: 2111mg | Potassium: 1092mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 458g | Vitamin A: 3481IU | Vitamin C: 83mg | Calcium: 256mg | Iron: 12mg
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