Lemon Meringue Pie

5 from 6 votes

This is the best lemon meringue pie recipe you'll come across! With a buttery, flaky pie crust, tangy lemon filling, and a toasted meringue topping on top!

Prep Time2

Cook Time1

Chilling time4

Total Time7

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 317kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

1 single pie crust homemade or storebought

For the lemon filling:

4 large egg yolks room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (360 mL) water
½ cup (120 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the meringue

4 large egg whites room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons (74 g) granulated white sugar

Instructions

Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out the disc of chilled dough. Turn the dough a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9” pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Trim the excess, leaving about a 1 inch overhang. Fold the excess pie dough underneath, crimping the edges. Optional: Refrigerate the pie crust for at least 30 minutes to firm it up before baking. 1 single pie crust
Blind bake the crust. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Bake until the edges of the crust are starting to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper/aluminum foil (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick holes all around the bottom crust with a fork. Return the pie crust to the oven. Bake until the bottom crust is golden brown, about 7 minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350oF.
Make lemon filling. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, about 10 minutes until mixture is thick. Once bubbling, continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes more, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. 4 large egg yolks 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar 6 tablespoons cornstarch ¼ teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups (360 mL) water ½ cup (120 mL) fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Temper the eggs. Stir a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks (this helps to prevent them from curdling), and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep whisking. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and stir until combined and smooth in consistency. Pour into prepared pie shell. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Make meringue. In a clean, dry mixing bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar then continue beating on high speed until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Spread meringue on top of warm filling. Spread the meringue to the edges of the crust, making sure it touches the crust (to help prevent the meringue from weeping. 4 large egg whites ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar 6 tablespoons (74 g) granulated white sugar
Bake the pie. Bake for 15-20 minutes in preheated 350°F or until the meringue is browned on top. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Lemon meringue pie is best enjoyed the day it is made. Store leftovers, covered in the refrigerator. The meringue will weep over time and begin to separate.

Video

Notes

Storage: This pie will keep refrigerated covered for up to 2 days. The meringue will begin to weep each day it sits. I recommend sticking a few toothpicks into the top of the meringue topping and then cover with plastic wrap.
Make ahead: This lemon meringue pie does taste best on day 1 as the meringue can begin to weep the longer it sits. That being said, you can prep components of this pie ahead of time. The pie crust can be made up to 5 days ahead of time. Just wrap in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator. Or you can freeze the pie crust for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using. You can also blind-bake the pie crust up to 2 days ahead of time. I simply let it cool and then wrap and store at room temperature.
Freezing: No I do not recommend freezing a lemon meringue pie as the meringue topping will not hold up well when thawing.
Troubleshooting: When making the meringue, make sure your bowl is clean and dry. Any residual grease in the bowl will prevent the egg whites from whipping. Be sure there is no trace of egg yolk in the whites, which will also keep them from whipping up. To prevent the meringue from separating and weeping, be sure to place the meringue on top of warm filling. This will help seal the two layers together.

Nutrition