When it comes to favourite homemade pies, this LEMON MERINGUE PIE RECIPE is the stuff of legends!

This LEMON MERINGUE PIE RECIPE has long been one of my favourites, not only for its flavour but also its superb beauty. When made correctly, this pie is something to behold, with its perfect mix of tender, flaky pie crust, smooth, creamy filling and light, airy topping. Having made this pie recipe now a number of times, I can safely say it always gets rave reviews. Everyone loves it.

Before listing a few tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years, how about some LEMON MERINGUE PIE fun facts? Though fruit desserts covered with baked meringue first appeared in France in the 18th century, it’s American bakery chef and cooking school instructor Elizabeth Coane Goodfellow who is most often credited for creating this lemon pie we all love so dearly. Perfecting the process in 1806 at her bakery, Goodfellow’s “lemon cream pie” or “lemon custard pie” was all the rage by the 1860s. Even a few celebrity pie lovers were known to prefer this one pie to all others. “Hello, President Abe Lincoln! More of your favourite pie, sir?” Pretty cool history, right?

Before continuing with a deep dive into this LEMON MERINGUE PIE RECIPE, how about a lead on some of the other fabulous pies we just know you’ll love? If seasonal fruit pies are your jam, try this RHUBARB PIE, our beautiful WILD BLUEBERRY PIE, this gingery PEACH PIE or our SOUR CHERRY PIE. Two pies for all you chocolate lovers, our CHOCOLATE PUDDING PIE and this CHOCOLATE WALNUT PIE recipe. Rounding out this list with some savoury offerings, our TURKEY POT PIES, this brunch-worthy QUICHE LORRAINE, a tasty SMOKED SALMON QUICHE and our superior meat pie, TRADITIONAL TOURTIÈRE. For a complete list of all our pies, go HERE.

Back to our feature recipe. Here are the details on this LEMON MERINGUE PIE RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS

Check out the photo of the ingredients you’ll need to make this homemade lemon custard pie. Most of the ingredients—granulated sugar, corn starch and kosher salt—are standard pantry items. You may have to pick up a small bottle of cream of tartar for the meringue. Look for it in the spice or baking sections of your grocery store. An additional, “might need” ingredient is the superfine sugar, sometimes called fruit sugar or caster sugar. Last couple of items, the lemons, whole milk and butter, will be easy to track down. Oh, what about that disc of pie dough? More about that later in this post.

LEMONS

What would a homemade lemon pie be without lemons? (Nothing gets by us, eh?) Make sure to watch the VIDEO accompanying this post for two important prep steps we swear by whenever we use this beloved citrus fruit: rinse and roll. It’s a lemon beauty parlour LOL!

Additionally, when measuring the ½ cup of fresh lemon juice for this recipe, make sure no lemon seeds end up in there. The final point about the lemons is a comment about lemon varieties. Here are our top three faves: Meyer lemons, sweeter than others; Eureka lemons, high acidity with few seeds; and Lisbon lemons, tangy with smooth skins. Experiment with different varieties until you find your favourite. Pucker up!

HOMEMADE PIE DOUGH

As a seasoned pie baker, I say the following for good reason: behind every great pie is an equally great pie crust. We truly believe that the flavour of fruit pies is enhanced when prepared using a homemade pie dough, specifically one made using only butter. So, though you may be tempted to make a pie dough with vegetable shortening, lard, oil, or a combination of those with butter, we’re suggesting that only an ALL-BUTTER PIE CRUST will do. Go HERE for our recipe.

Here’s this story’s unexpected good-news plot twist! Our recipe yields two discs of dough, yet this LEMON MERINGUE PIE RECIPE only calls for one! We suggest taking that second disc of dough and freezing it. It can be defrosted for another time. Pro tip: when ready to make another pie, simply transfer the disc to the fridge overnight to defrost or place it out on the counter for four hours to thaw. Pro tip #2: Keep discs of dough in the freezer at all times. You’ll find yourself making this pie at a moment’s notice, or one of our other PIE RECIPES, like a QUICHE LORRAINE or this SMOKED SALMON QUICHE.

HOW TO BLIND-BAKE PIE CRUST

The first step to actually preparing this pie is to prepare the first component of the recipe, the pie crust. The process of partially baking the crust, AKA the pie shell, is to blind-bake it. To begin, roll the dough out on a floured surface, then transfer it to a 9-inch pie dish. Trim away excess dough, then shape or crimp the edges to fit the dish. Dock the dough with a fork and refrigerate. The final step is to add a square of foil to the shell, which gets weighed down using pie weights — dry rice or beans will also work. 

The actual baking happens in 2 steps. Once the foil-covered pie shell has baked for 15 minutes, carefully remove the weights and foil, then return it to the oven for 5 minutes more.

That extra 5 minutes results in a lightly browned crust that’s ready to be filled. Remove it from the oven, leaving it to cool while you prepare the next two components: the lemon custard filling and the whipped meringue.

FRESH EGGS

During the testing of this recipe (and trust us, we tested this recipe many, many times to get it perfect), we discovered two game-changers. First, we only made this pie using organic eggs from free-range chickens. Though experts are divided as to whether they taste better or if they have higher levels of omega-3’s, etc., we support the cause towards animal welfare, ethical farming, and reduced chemical exposure. If you can get unwashed eggs from a local farm or farmers’ market, even better. 

Second tip about the eggs: have them at room temperature before you begin the recipe, especially since we’re using the egg whites to make the meringue. Room temperature eggs whip faster, achieve higher volume, and create a more stable, airy foam. 

The final point about the eggs goes to separating the egg yolks from the egg whites. Do this slowly and carefully, making sure the egg yolks never break into the white. Egg fun fact: if you get even the most minute amount of egg yolk in egg whites, the egg whites will never whip. Who knew? Oh, and another thing, eggshells inadvertently ending up in the whites is also a no-no. Be vigilant!

HOW TO MAKE LEMON CUSTARD

The very first time I ever made a LEMON MERINGUE PIE, this step is the one that got me. Stirring the cup of sugar, cornstarch and kosher salt together thoroughly in a medium saucepan was easy. Adding the water and whole milk, stirring some more until the sugar dissolved, was easy too. But it’s when you start heating that mixture over medium heat that’s where things get interesting. The viscosity changes and the mixture thickens as we stir continuously, and just like magic, we end up with a milky, hot, pudding-like creation.

The next step is to slowly whisk or stir about a cup’s worth of that mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. The final steps involve adding the tempered eggs back in with the remaining milky mixture before adding the tangy lemon juice and lemon zest. Stirring this mixture continuously for three minutes as it comes back to temperature is what finishes this lemon custard before we stir in butter and cover the pan with plastic wrap. Again, watch this VIDEO to see how easy and straightforward making custard is.

HOW TO MAKE MERINGUE

Making the meringue for this pie is easy, until it isn’t. Ready for a true story? Third time I tested the recipe, I got the meringue started. Egg whites into the bowl of the stand mixer along with the cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites and kosher salt. I then added the whisk attachment and started beating the eggs on medium speed. Once they got all bubbly and frothy I started adding the superfine sugar, one tablespoon at a time. So far, so good. Once all of the sugar was added, I turned the speed up to high, and while it was running, what the heck, I’ll do the dishes… big mistake! Over-whipping meringue yields a thickened mass without a single peak. It was like a massive egg of meringue plopped onto the pie.

Instead, the approach is a bit more finessed with the result being a true French meringue. We’re still adding that superfine sugar bit by bit, but when it comes to the final speed increase, we patiently wait, watching for maybe two minutes. That’s about the time it takes for the whipped meringue to take on a luxurious, billowy texture. The meringue has a shiny, glossy finish and when you lift the whisk, those glossy whites hold stiff peaks. Lesson learned, don’t over-whip the meringue when making a homemade LEMON MERINGUE PIE RECIPE!

ASSEMBLING THE PIE

First step to assembling the pie is to spoon the still-warm lemon custard filling into the pie shell. Smooth the custard out gently across the surface. One additional tip here, try a smidge of the custard off the spatula. SO creamy and buttery and lemony and smooth and tangy. Right about now you should be getting super excited.

With the lemon filling in the shell, the final step is to gently spill the meringue topping onto the filling. I usually plop spoonfuls down onto the surface, then coax it gently towards the crust. The goal here is to move the meringue so that it covers the pie filling where it meets the pie shell. This will help seal the fluffy, toasted meringue topping to the filling. Additionally, we’re looking for a bit of whimsy, so swirl the meringue or lift the spoon or spatula up to create to soft peaks. 

BAKING A LEMON MERINGUE PIE

For best results, do not toast the meringue under the broiler. Instead, we suggest baking the assembled pie on the bottom rack of the oven. This will create that soft, lightly golden brown tinge to the meringue without burning or blackening the wispy tips. If baking your pie on a convection setting, watch closely. I’ve made this pie in the city using a convection oven and found it browned quicker, plus I rotated the pie after eight minutes. Call me a nervous Nellie, but better safe than sorry.

SERVING

As mentioned in the video, please don’t be mad at me, but for absolute best results, leave your LEMON MERINGUE PIE to cool for at least four hours before serving. I guess I’m now thinking this is a “make-before-noon” dessert if you intent to serve for a dinner party.

Then, once the pie is cooled, slice individual wedges using a knife tempered in hot water, making sure to gently break through the edge of the meringue before going straight down cutting through the crust. First wedge always goes to the maker, but the subsequent pieces will be magazine-ready for photos, guaranteed.

Final thought on this goes to your first bite, and if you’ve never had a homemade LEMON MERINGUE PIE, prepare to be amazed. Of all the pie recipes on WATC, this one always seems to hit every feel; the flaky crust, tangy lemon custard and then the cloud-like, airy meringue. Truly something.

PIN IT!

Before you go to make this recipe, we do ask one favour: don’t forget to SHARE! Please PIN it to a favourite weekend baking, dessert or homemade pie board on Pinterest. After that, please send some love our way and subscribe to our monthly newsletter HERE, where we share our top recipes and give a sneak peek at upcoming posts. You’ll also receive Gather, our mid-month missive focused on ideas to entertain family and friends.

This HOMEMADE LEMON MERINGUE PIE RECIPE turns dessert into a special occasion! Enjoy!

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