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Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie

Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Prepare pie shell:
  2. Prepare pie dough recipe and chill one disc of dough in the fridge overnight.
  3. Place pie dough onto a floured surface and roll into a round 12-inches in diameter. Transfer into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp edges, then prick all over with a fork. Transfer prepared shell to refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line pie shell with foil, fitting it tight against the shell. Add pie weights or 2 cups of dried beans or rice and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until shell is golden. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
  5. Prepare the filling:
  6. Whisk egg yolks together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
  7. Whisk sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium-sized saucepan. Pour in water and milk and stir until sugar is dissolved. Place pan on medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture begins to boil and the filling thickens.
  8. Remove pan from heat and gradually drizzle about a cup of the hot filling mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Place pan with remaining filling back on the stovetop, and whisk the yolk mixture back into the pan. Add the lemon juice and zest, reduce to a simmer, and cook stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in butter until well incorporated. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap.
  9. Prepare the meringue:
  10. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on medium speed using a stand or hand mixer. When the whites start to hold soft peaks, increase speed to high and begin adding superfine sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Once all of the sugar has been added, continue mixing until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks.
  11. Assemble pie:
  12. Pour hot lemon filling into baked pie shell. Carefully add dollops of meringue to surface and spread in a decorative manner, making sure the surface of the pie is covered to the edge. Tap the top of the pie lightly with a spatula to create soft peaks.
  13. Bake:
  14. Transfer to oven and bake until the meringue has an even golden-brown colour, approximately 15 minutes. Note: if using a convection oven setting, baking time will be less.
  15. Remove pie from oven and transfer onto a wire rack, allowing to cool for 3 hours before serving. Cut pie with a sharp knife dipped in cold water for smooth edges.
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Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie

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An exceptionally tangy, lemon custard-filled pie topped with billowy, whipped egg whites.

  • clock icon
    130 MIN
  • 8 SERVINGS

The stuff of legends, let’s make HOMEMADE LEMON MERINGUE PIE!

I’ll go out on a limb and predict that you’re going to read this story, check out the photos, watch the video, and, wait for it, make this HOMEMADE LEMON MERINGUE PIE.

Want another prediction? You’ll be so proud of how perfectly it turns out that you’ll smile ear to ear on the first bite. Trust me and read on with confidence – you got this!

Here’s what to remember when you make HOMEMADE LEMON MERINGUE PIE for the first time:

Ingredients for Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie

The base of every great pie is a great crust and I always suggest using an all butter pie dough for sweet pies. Let’s face it, butter and sugar go so well together, right? Making a PIE DOUGH from scratch is really easy. Our pie dough recipe yields two discs of dough. You’ll need one disc for this recipe. The other, you can simply freeze the other until you’re ready to make your next pie.

The crust of the pie baked before we add the custard filling.

Unlike a fresh fruit pie, the crust in this recipe is cooked before we add the lemon custard filling. I prepare the shell per the instructions and never skip chilling it for 30 minutes right before it goes into the oven. You’re going to need parchment paper and pie weights to prevent the crust from puffing up. I’ve added links to purchase pie weights below. You can also use beans or rice to weight down the dough if you’d rather.

Meyer lemons being juiced for the recipe

Pucker up, friends! This pie is all about the lemons!

There is both lemon juice and zest in this recipe. Try to use organic or Meyer lemons if you can find them. These lemons will give the custard filling an extra bit of zing and tanginess.

If anything causes this pie to fail, it will be not cooking the lemon custard properly. The crucial moment happens after you add the egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest to the thickened pie filling. Once you return it to the stovetop, make sure to cook it, stirring constantly for the full three minutes.

The meringue resting on top of the custard before being baked

I used to make the meringue for this recipe using granulated sugar. Then, I read an article about how superfine sugar is recommended for producing ultra-light, billowy meringue. Look for superfine sugar at a bulk or specialty food store. Remember, it’s neither granulated nor icing sugar, but the consistency right in-between.

Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie

Allow the finished pie to sit for three hours, if not longer. This will give the pie a chance to set. Doing so will ensure that each piece comes out holding its perfect wedge shape.

In case you’re wondering, pies hold a special place in my heart, and tummy too. They’re also the quintessential dessert of cottage country. If you love pies as much as we do we have a few others you may wish to try. How about a CLASSIC PEACH PIE or maybe a HOMEMADE RHUBARB. If your tastes run more to savoury flavours perhaps our TURKEY POT PIES will do the trick. Yay!

Make this gorgeous HOMEMADE LEMON MERINGUE PIE and turn dessert into a special occasion!

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Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie

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Ingredients

  • 1 disc of pie dough
  • For the filling:
  • cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • cup water
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 5 large egg yolks, room temperature
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest, grated
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • For the meringue:
  • 5 large egg whites, room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ cup superfine sugar

Directions

  1. Prepare pie shell:
  2. Prepare pie dough recipe and chill one disc of dough in the fridge overnight.
  3. Place pie dough onto a floured surface and roll into a round 12-inches in diameter. Transfer into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp edges, then prick all over with a fork. Transfer prepared shell to refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line pie shell with foil, fitting it tight against the shell. Add pie weights or 2 cups of dried beans or rice and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until shell is golden. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
  5. Prepare the filling:
  6. Whisk egg yolks together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
  7. Whisk sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium-sized saucepan. Pour in water and milk and stir until sugar is dissolved. Place pan on medium heat, whisking constantly until mixture begins to boil and the filling thickens.
  8. Remove pan from heat and gradually drizzle about a cup of the hot filling mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Place pan with remaining filling back on the stovetop, and whisk the yolk mixture back into the pan. Add the lemon juice and zest, reduce to a simmer, and cook stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in butter until well incorporated. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap.
  9. Prepare the meringue:
  10. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on medium speed using a stand or hand mixer. When the whites start to hold soft peaks, increase speed to high and begin adding superfine sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Once all of the sugar has been added, continue mixing until meringue holds stiff, glossy peaks.
  11. Assemble pie:
  12. Pour hot lemon filling into baked pie shell. Carefully add dollops of meringue to surface and spread in a decorative manner, making sure the surface of the pie is covered to the edge. Tap the top of the pie lightly with a spatula to create soft peaks.
  13. Bake:
  14. Transfer to oven and bake until the meringue has an even golden-brown colour, approximately 15 minutes. Note: if using a convection oven setting, baking time will be less.
  15. Remove pie from oven and transfer onto a wire rack, allowing to cool for 3 hours before serving. Cut pie with a sharp knife dipped in cold water for smooth edges.

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