Try This Excellent, Easy-to-Prepare Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe (2024)

This recipe for lemon meringue pie has a delicious, tangy lemon curd and loads of billowing meringue piled high. The combination of flaky crust, sweet and tart filling, and toasty meringue makes for an irresistible dessert. Using a pre-baked pie crust simplifies the recipe, but you can make one from scratch if you are so inclined.

"This lemon meringue tart is silky and smooth, a perfect dessert to have after a heavy meal. It’s very easy to make and it requires no special skills. Make sure that you chill the pie completely before slicing for clean slices." -Tara Omidvar

Try This Excellent, Easy-to-Prepare Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe (1)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Lemon Filling

4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/2 cups cool water
2 1/2 ounces (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 (9-inch) pre-baked pie shell

For the Meringue Topping

4 large egg whites
1 pinch cream of tartar
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8 tablespoons granulated sugar

Steps to Make It

Make the Lemon Filling

Gather the ingredients.
Whisk the egg yolks in a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside.
Whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in the water to combine. Place over medium heat. Stir frequently and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and remove from the heat.
While whisking briskly, add 1/2 cup of the hot cornstarch mixture at a time to the egg yolks until you have added at least half of the cornstarch mixture.
Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining cornstarch mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute.
Remove from the heat and gently stir in the butter and lemon zest and juice until well combined.
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Pour the mixture into the pre-baked pie shell.Set aside.

Make the Meringue Topping

Whisk the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft peaks form.Then add the cream of tartar and beat for a few more minutes, until larger peaks form.
Add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue beating until stiff peaks form, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.

Assemble and Bake the Pie

Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Spoon the meringue over the top of the filling while it is still hot. The meringue should completely cover the lemon mixture.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the meringue is golden.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, refrigerate for 1 hour. Slice and serve.
Enjoy.

How to Store

A lemon meringue pie will last in the refrigerator for up to three days. To store, place a few toothpicks in the top of the pie and drape plastic wrap over top. Do not freeze, as the pie will become soggy when thawed.

Why Is My Pie Watery?

When water accumulates between the lemon curd filling and the meringue topping, this is called weeping. To prevent this from happening, make sure to add the meringue when the filling is hot—this will cook the meringue from the bottom and ward off a watery pie. Spreading the topping all the way to the edges of the pie crust will also help.

Meringue Tips

Making meringue can be tricky, but if you follow certain steps you are likely to have success.

The eggs should be at room temperature.
Be sure there isn't any yolk in the egg whites.
The bowl needs to be clean.
Add the sugar slowly. Adding it too quickly can cause the meringue to deflate.
Include the cream of tartar. This ingredient helps to stabilize the meringue. If you do not have cream of tartar you can substitute an equal amount of white vinegar.
Do not overbake.

What to Do With Lemons

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
521	Calories
21g	Fat
76g	Carbs
8g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	521
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g	27%
Saturated Fat 9g	45%
Cholesterol 135mg	45%
Sodium 317mg	14%
Total Carbohydrate 76g	28%
Dietary Fiber 2g	5%
Total Sugars 48g
Protein 8g
Vitamin C 3mg	16%
Calcium 33mg	3%
Iron 2mg	9%
Potassium 133mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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