Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe
Looking for the best Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe experience? Well, my Lemon Meringue Pie has a delicious crispy tart shell and is filled with a smooth and aromatic lemon filling. It’s finished off with a mound of toasted Swiss meringue on top and is simply impossible to resist!
By the way, if you’re looking for some more lemon treats, can I recommend my Lemon Crinkle Cookies or Lemon Bars which are the ultimate lemon lovers treat!
Table of Contents
What I love about this Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe!
Ugh! Where do I start? This dessert is so simple but so delicious! And that’s what we love on The Scran Line. Simple, but big bold flavors! The flaky butter crust is so yum, and takes a bit of prepping ahead of time, but so worth it. The Filling is a punch to the tastebuds with loads of aromatic lemon in it. Real lemons mind you. And the topping is a safe-to-eat Swiss meringue that is gently cooked before it is piled on top and toasted.
What does this Lemon Meringue Pie recipe taste like?
The pastry is slightly sweet but not too sweet. It’s light and buttery which is what you want in a pie crust. The filling is deep. But you know what? Even though is a big flavor punch because of the extreme amount of lemons packed in, it’s really good. There’s so much lemon zest and juice packed in.
What are the ingredients I need for Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe?
Note: the whole recipe, including the ingredient quantities, can be found at the bottom of this page – just scroll down to the bottom, or click the ‘Jump to Recipe’ button at the top of this post.
Jump to Recipe
All-purpose flour – also known as plain flour
Powdered sugar – also known as icing sugar. Pure (no corn starch) or soft (with corn starch) is fine in this case.
Vanilla extract – always use good quality vanilla extract!
Unsalted butter – you can use salted, just keep in mind, the dessert will have a different flavor.
Egg yolks – these are used to bind the pie dough and to thicken and make the lemon filling richer in flavor.
Caster sugar – also known as superfine sugar.
Corn starch – used to thicken the lemon filling.
Lemons – Make sure you clean and dry your lemons before using.
Egg whites – These are used to make the meringue. Make sure that you don’t get any egg yolks in the egg whites when separating otherwise your meringue will not thicken properly.
How to make a Lemon Meringue Pie
Crust
- Add the flour, vanilla extract and powdered sugar to the bowl of a food processor and blitz for 20 seconds to combine.
- Next, add the butter and pulse until you reach lentil sized pieces.
- Add the egg yolks and blitz until small clumps of dough form.
- Turn the crumbly mixture out your workbench and bunch it together (without kneading). Form a rough disc shape and then wrap in plastic. Chill for 60 minutes.
- Dust your workbench with flour.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out to 14 inches wide.
- Carefully roll over the rolling pin.
- Transfer and unroll over a deep 9-inch tart tin with removable bottom.
- Carefully lift the dough over the tart to allow it to naturally fall into the corns of the tart. You don’t want to stretch it or it will shrink as it bakes and become uneven. Discard excess dough.
- Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust.
- Place the pie tin on a baking tray. Scrunch up a large piece of baking paper and then un-scrunch it. Place on the inside of the tart tin.
- Fill with baking beads. I used dried chickpeas. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Then take it out of the oven, carefully lift out the beads using the baking paper.
- Bake on 150°C / 300°F for a further 10 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool completely.
Lemon Filling
- Add the sugar and corn starch to a medium sized mixing bowl and use a whisk to combine.
- Next, add the egg yolks and whisk until well combined.
- Add the zest
- And juice of the lemons.
- Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into a large saucepan and mix using a wooden spoon on medium heat
- Until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the butter and mix until completely melted and combined.
- Pour the mixture into the baked tart shell.
- Use a spatula to spread around evenly. Place in the fridge to chill for 3 hours or overnight.
Swiss Meringue
- Fill a large pot one-quarter of the way with water. Let it come to a gentle boil over a medium–high heat.
- Place a large heatproof bowl on top of the pot of boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
- Add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl.
- Gently whisk your egg white and sugar mixture for about 3–4 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved and you reach 72°C / 160°F.
- The best way to check that it’s dissolved is by running it through two fingers. If you can’t feel the sugar granules, then it’s time to take it off the heat. If you can feel the granules, continue whisking for another 2–3 minutes and keep testing until you can no longer any granules.
- Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to whip for 4–5 minutes until thick and glossy.
Let’s finish!
- Add the meringue on top as soon as you’ve made it. Use a spoon to spread around into a mound that looks like a giant swirl or poke the meringue with the back of the spoon and make it spikey.
- Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue or place it under a broiler until golden.
Tips and Tricks For Recipe Success!
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- The best way to torch your meringue is using a kitchen torch. The boiler method doesn’t work very well.
- Add the meringue up to two hours before serving. Longer than an hour and the meringue begins to weep.
- When making the pie crust, use a rolling pin to cut off the excess pastry. It’s so quick and easy to do and it makes for a neat cut.
- When placing the pie crust dough into the tart tin, make sure you don’t stretch the dough. Instead, gently encourage it to fall into the bottom and sides of the tart tin. It will help stop the dough from shrinking as it bakes.
- Using dried chickpeas is a much cheaper (and in my opinion) better alternative to using baking beads.
- This recipe works well with a cookie crust too.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lemon Meringue Pie
What does it taste like?
Lemon meringue pie is a mixture of buttery crispy pie crust with a sweet and sour lemon filling custard with mounds of fluffy marshmallow like meringue that’s toasted. These textures and flavours come together to make the ultimate happy treat!
How do I store this?
Store this in an airtight container, in the fridge for up to three days. Please note: the meringue will begin weeping a couple hours after it’s added to the pie, so if you’re making this ahead of time, leave the meringue off and make it fresh before serving.
How do I stop my meringue from weeping?
I would recommend adding the meringue a couple hours before serving as it will weep. Some bakers suggest ways to prevent the meringue from weeping by using an Italian meringue. In my experience any meringue will weep as soon as it begins having contact with the acidity of the lemon custard filling.
If you loved this recipe, check these out!
- Fluffy Lemon Mallow Slice – Delicious, fluffy bars with lemon cheesecake center.
- Lemon Tart – Simple, much shorter cousin of this recipe!
- Try this! Lemon Meringue Cheesecake – Gorgeous baked cheesecake inspired by this dessert!
- Lemon Sponge Cake – A gorgeous lemony sponge cake!
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Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @thescranline on Facebook and Instagram!
PERFECT Lemon Meringue Pie
Serves 12
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 4 egg yolks
Lemon Filling
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 10 tsp corn starch
- 8 egg yolks
- 6 lemons, zested and juiced
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Swiss Meringue
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Learn How To Make it! [VIDEO]
Instructions
Crust
- Add the flour, vanilla extract and powdered sugar to the bowl of a food processor and blitz for 20 seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse until you reach lentil sized pieces. Add the egg yolks and blitz until small clumps of dough form.
- Turn the crumbly mixture out your workbench and bunch it together (without kneading). Form a rough disc shape and then wrap in plastic. Chill for 60 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to180°C / 355°F.
- Dust your work bench with flour and use a rolling pin to roll out to 14 inches wide. Carefully rollover the rolling pin and then transfer and unroll over a 9-inch tart tin with removable bottom. Carefully lift the dough over the tart to allow it to naturally fall into the corns of the tart. You don’t want to stretch it or it will shrink as it bakes and become uneven. Discard excess dough.
- Place the pie tin on a baking tray. Scrunch up a large piece of baking paper and then un-scrunch it.Place on the inside of the tart tin. Fill with baking beads. I used dried chickpeas. Bake for 15 minutes. Then take it out of the oven, carefully lift out the beads using the baking paper and bake on 150°C / 300°F for a further 10 minutes. Once baked, allow to cool completely.
Lemon Filling
- Add the sugar and corn starch to a medium sized mixing bowl and use a whisk to combine. Add the egg yolks and whisk until well combined.
- Add the zest and juice of the lemons and whisk until well combined. Pour the mixture into a large saucepan and mix using a wooden spoon on medium heat until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 4-5 minutes. Add the butter and mix until completely melted and combined.
- Pour the mixture into the baked tart shell and use a spatula to spread around evenly. Place in the fridge to chill for 3 hours or overnight.
Swiss Meringue
- Fill a large pot one-quarter of the way with water. Let it come to a gentle boil over a medium–high heat. Place a large heatproof bowl on top of the pot of boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
- Add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl. Gently whisk your egg white and sugar mixture for about 3–4 minutes, or until the sugar is completely dissolved and you reach 72°C / 160°F.
- The best way to check that it’s dissolved is by running it through two fingers. If you can’t feel the sugar granules, then it’s time to take it off the heat. If you can feel the granules, continue whisking for another 2–3 minutes and keep testing until you can no longer any granules.
- Use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to whip for 4–5 minutes until thick and glossy.Add the vanilla extract at about the 3 minute mark while the mixer is mixing.
Let's Finish!
- Add the meringue on top as soon as you’ve made it. Use a spoon to spread around into a mound that looks like a giant swirl or poke the meringue with the back of the spoon and make it spiky. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue or place it under a broiler until golden.
Notes
Nutrition
4 comments
Hi there! Thank you for this recipe. For the crust the recipe states “4 eggs”, is this meant to be the yolk only?
Hi Humaira! Good catch, you’re right. Sorry about that. Have gone ahead and fixed the recipe. N x
This pie was absolutely amazing! Very easy recipe to follow and the filling had the perfect amount of tartness from the lemons. 10/10 please make this it’s definitely worth the extra effort !
Thanks so much Sofia! Glad you enjoyed it! N x