This is the perfect lemon meringue pie! With a delicious homemade pie crust, tart and smooth lemon filling, and a fluffy toasted meringue topping, itโs impossible to resist.
Letโs welcome a fresh new season with a fresh new pieโthe pie Iโve been taunting you with for weeks!! The beautiful, the timeless, the Classic Lemon Meringue Pie.
My lemon meringue pie recipe has a billowy and toasty meringue topping, a balanced sweet/tart lemon filling, and an extra thick and flaky pie crust. I worked on this recipe for a long time, making at least a dozen meringue pies in the past few months. Both my kitchen and head were exploding lemons. Whenever we had friends or family stop by, Iโd force lemon meringue pie on them. โPLEASE TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTSโ I begged while barely blinking.
How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie
Over the years and especially the past few months, I learned that lemon meringue pie can be a daunting process but it doesnโt have to be. Let me make this recipe easy for you by giving you a tested (and praised!!!) recipe, lots of helpful recipe notes, and a video so you can watch it come to life. Perhaps youโre looking for Easter dessert recipes? Celebrating a birthday? Or just want to enjoy a beautiful lemon-y pie? No matter your reason, Iโve got you ๐
- Blind bake pie crust
- Prepare lemon meringue pie filling
- Whip meringue topping
- Spread meringue on top of filling
- Bake pie until toasty brown on top
Now that you have a general idea of the process, letโs learn why this lemon meringue pie recipe works and what mistakes to avoid.
Hereโs Why This Recipe Works
There are 3 main roadblocks when making lemon meringue pie: a soggy pie crust, a watery lemon filling, and/or a weeping meringue. Letโs work through each.
- Letโs avoid a soggy pie crust: Start by reviewing how we blind bake pie crust. You want to partially blind bake the crust because it will continue to bake when you bake the assembled lemon meringue pie. Watch me blind bake the crust I use for this lemon meringue pie in my separate post on how to blind bake pie crust. Lots of tips and tricks there. And to get those pretty decorative edges, see my how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial.
- Letโs avoid a watery lemon filling: This is where I always had the most trouble. Lemon meringue pie filling is basically a thinner version of lemon curd. Youโll temper egg yolks. And before you run away screaming, watch me do this in the video below. Promise itโs not scary. While lemon meringue pie filling should be blissfully creamy, we also want it to be stable enough to slice somewhat neatly. (Think: a slightly firmer version of pudding, but not as firm as jello.) There was a lot of back and forth with the water vs lemon juice vs cornstarch vs sugar amounts. Follow my lemon meringue pie filling below. Itโs not too tart, not too sweet, and has the silkiest, yet not-too-watery texture.
- Letโs avoid a weeping meringue: There are many different types of meringue topping, but letโs use a French meringue. Beat egg whites into soft peaks, add sugar, then beat into stiff peaks. Unless you want to waste a bunch of egg whites in failed meringue attempts, read these tips: Make sure you begin with just egg whites. Not even a drip of egg yolks. Make sure the bowl youโre using is completely wiped clean. No oil or water residue. Make sure you add cream of tartar. This will stabilize your meringue. Make sure you add the sugar *after* soft peaks are formed. If added before that, the egg whites could stretch too much which prevents a stiff peak altogether. (These tips apply for my chocolate swirled meringue cookies, too.) Make sure you spread the meringue topping so it touches the pie crust. This seals the lemon filling underneath and allows the crust to grip onto the meringue so the two do not separate. And, finally, donโt make lemon meringue pie on a humid day.
How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie Topping
The meringue toasts in the oven. A lot of recipes call for putting the whole pie under the broiler, but I prefer to bake it so that the egg whites have a chance to cook through. Also, see the end of step 6 in the recipe below. Make sure you spread the meringue topping on while the filling is still warm. The warm filling helps seal the two layers together, preventing separation.
- Did you know? (1) Room temperature egg whites whip faster than cold egg whites. And (2) room temperature egg whites whip into a greater volume than cold egg whites. So make sure your egg whites are at room temperature before starting the meringue.
- Time saving tip: You need 5 egg yolks for the lemon filling and 5 egg whites for the meringue topping. Separate the 5 eggs while they are cold. (Cold eggs separate easier! Remember NO egg yolks in the meringue, not even a smidge.) Leave the egg whites out on the counter. Blind bake the pie crust and prepare the lemon filling. By the time youโre ready to start the meringue, the egg whites will be room temperature.
Meringue can be tricky, but youโre a baker and you can absolutely handle this.
Craving something smaller? Here is my lemon bars recipe.
Print
Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
- Prep Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours, 10 minutes
- Yield: one 9-inch pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is the perfect lemon meringue pie! With a delicious homemade pie crust, tart and smooth lemon filling, and a fluffy toasted meringue topping, itโs impossible to resist.
Ingredients
- Homemade Pie Crust*
- 5 large egg yolks (use the whites in the meringue below)
- 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) water
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (38g) cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
Meringue
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pie crust: I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin making lemon meringue pie. I always make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).
- Preheat oven to 375ยฐF (190ยฐC) and adjust your oven rack to the lowest position. Partially blind bake pie crust in a 9-inch pie dish. (Follow blind baking instructions through step 9. Be sure to crimp or flute the pie crust edges, too.) Tip: You can get started on the lemon meringue pie filling steps while your crust is blind baking. But making the filling is time sensitive because you will temper the egg yolks, so if multi-tasking isnโt your thing, just wait until your crust is done blind baking before beginning the filling.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC).
- Watch the video below to see how I work through each of the following steps.
- Make the filling: Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside. Whisk the water, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. The mixture will be thin and cloudy, then eventually begin thickening and bubbling after about 6 minutes. Once thickened, give it a whisk and reduce heat to low.
- Temper the egg yolks: Very slowly stream a few large spoonfuls of warm lemon mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Then, also in a very slow stream, whisk the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan. Turn heat back up to medium. Cook until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter. Spread filling into the warm partially baked crust. Set aside as you prepare the meringue. (Donโt let the filling cool down too much as you want a warm filling when you top with the meringue in step 7. The warm filling helps seal the two layers together, preventing separation.)
- Make the meringue: With a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium speed for 1 minute, then increase to high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 more minutes. Add the sugar and salt, then continue beating on high speed until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Spread meringue on top of filling. (I like to make decorative peaks with the back of a large spoon.) Make sure you spread the meringue all the way to the edges so that it touches the crust. This helps prevent the meringue from weeping.
- Bake pie on the lowest oven rack for 20-25 minutes. (If the meringue is browning too quickly, tent a piece of foil over it as best you can without the foil touching the meringue.) When pie is done, remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour before placing in the refrigerator to chill. Chill for 4 hours before slicing and serving.
- Cover any leftovers and store in the refrigerator. Lemon meringue pie tastes best on day 1 because it doesnโt keep very well. No matter how hard you try to prevent it, the meringue will wilt and separate over time. Best to enjoy right away.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The pie crust can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also blind bake the crust ahead of time, see how to blind bake pie crust for details. Lemon meringue pie is not the best pie to freeze. The filling and meringueโs texture are never quite the same.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | 9-inch Pie Dish | Rolling Pin | Pie Weights | Glass Mixing Bowls | Citrus Zester | Saucepan | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Pie Crust: My homemade pie crust recipe makes 2 pie crusts. If you use my โdough stripโ method explained in my how to blind bake pie crust tutorial, you will need 1 and 1/2 pie crusts. Or you can skip that little trick and just use 1 pie crust.
- Prepare Ahead of Time: Prep all of your ingredients before you begin, including grating the lemon zest and separating the eggs. Donโt multitask unless youโre confident! The filling is time sensitive and you want to make sure everything is ready when you need to add it. Prep all of the meringue ingredients as well. You want them on hand, especially the sugar and salt, the very moment you need them. Donโt walk away from the bowl of egg whites as they whip. Meringue can beat into stiff peaks quite quickly.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Thank you so much Sally for your recipe, the Classic Lemon Meringue Pie recipe. It was so easy and turned out beautiful and yummy. Loved the tips!
Thank-you so much for this recipe. It was perfect except for the store bought pie crust I bought. I bought the kind you unroll and place in the pie pan. I recently had shoulder surgery and am unablt to roll out dough as I essentially only have one arm. Still, even with the store bought crust, it was the best Lemon Meringue Iโve ever had. Served it at a dinner party and everyone raved about it. It was so good, you deserved a comment! Thanks again.
My daughter is in a cooking class at her high school and she was tasked with bringing in a lemon meringue pie. I have baked for years and am decent if I may say so myself, but I have never tried to make this kind of pie. I was intimidated as Iโve heard the meringue topping can be tricky. My daughter found another recipe from another website that seemed really complicated- requiring a double boiler, which we donโt have, etc. I decided to find an easier recipe and came across this one, and Iโm so thankful! The step by step instructions are very descriptive and thorough (so helpful for a newbie baker like my teenager) and including a video to demonstrate everything was really helpful. Thank you so much for breaking this down into an easy to follow recipe! We were able to make the pie this morning before school and it turned out great! She said it was delicious and the class (and her teacher) loved it! I look forward to discovering more wonderful recipes on your website.
Can I bake puff pastry cups then add the lemon filling then place a dollop of whipped cream on top? Thank you, really enjoy your recipes.
Hi Sharon, that should work just fine since the filling itself doesnโt need to be baked because the egg yolks are cooked on the stove. Hope you enjoy it!
Made today and it turned out perfect!! So happy with the taste!
This is the third time Iโve used this recipe and itโs amazingly easy and even more delicious! I doubled the recipe for two pies (with some trepidation!) but they both turned out perfect. Thank you!!
Made my pie yesterday with the homemade crust. Came out delicious.
Made this today. As always, than you for the recipe. I love your recipes, your the first (and usually last) web site that I get recipes from. I donโt see where I can post a photo here but rest assured, it came out gorgeous!!
Lemon merengue pie came out perfect! My results never look as good as the recipe picture, but this one did, and my husband insists itโs as good as his Grandmaโs. I followed the recipe exactly except that I used a frozen crust and it was a humid dayl Still came out great, and itโs kept well for four days.
Could U substitute Ghee for butter, as I a, dairy free?
Hi Diana, We have not tested this recipe with ghee, but let us know if you give it a try.
Love your recipes.
What a terrific recipe!!
I made this 2 days ago for a dinner with neighbors. It was all the rage! I didnโt have shortening so I used a different crust recipe, but the lemon and meringue were superb!
Sorry but this recipe wasnโt the best. Followed the exact instructions and the curd was completely liquified and sloppy. Soaked the crust and the meringue was like soap bubbles. Think it needs a few tweaks
You list butter but donโt say where to add it
Hi Annie, see the middle of step 6: Cook until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter.
Hi. I baked my crust and used a can filling and then made your meringue which is awesome. After refrigerating it ended up watery. What can I do to prevent it? It still tasted good just not pretty. Thank you AnnMarie
Hi AnneMarie, this pie is best served after cooling, since the meringue will weep and separate from the filling in the refrigerator.
My husband, from Latin America, asked me to make something called Pay de Parchita (passionfruit pie) after some research, itโs basically a lemon meringue but with passion fruit instead of lemon. I doubled this recipe and put it in a 8โณ springform pan, and itโs beautiful! He said it tastes better than the stuff from home. Will make again!
So happy to read this, Lydia!
I love your simple but complete instructions and your recipes. I find I keepcomi g back to your site when I am looking for a recipe or explanation to help me with another recipe.
Thank you.
Great lemon meringue pie recipe and instructions. I have made two now a few days apart and they both came out delicious! I browned the meringue probably longer than most but thatโs how I like it. I was never a pie person before as my previous pies were horrible. I have a renewed confidence.
This was delicious, but
โฆI had to transport it a few blocks and by the time I got there, it ad leaked all over me, the pie server any car.
is there any substitute for cream of tartar that I could use? or Is it neccessary.
Hi Thea, Usually substituting 1 teaspoon of lemon juice for 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar can do the trick for meringue. Let us know if you give it a try!
I love this recipe. It was exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you.
The recipe was really easy to follow and offered tons of bonus knowledge.
This was my first time making meringue, and I did not know you could overwhip so followed the times to โbe safeโ. Ended up flattening out and had an eggy grainy meringue.
Great hints even for us old time bakers
This is my wifeโs favorite dessert. Boy did I win brownie points making this! Followed the recipe including the pastry. Wow. Great recipe. Thank you!