This homemade lemon meringue pie has a flaky pie crust filled with a tangy lemon curd and topped with toasted Swiss meringue! The perfect summer dessert!
You might also like these lemon meringue cupcakes or this cranberry meringue tart!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a handful of ingredients to make this classic lemon meringue pie!
Pie crust - I always use my homemade perfect flaky pie crust in this recipe! However, you can use your own homemade pie crust or store-bought pie crust if you prefer! Instead of regular pie crust, you could also use graham cracker crust (like the one from my key lime pie recipe).
Lemon Juice & Zest - I highly recommend using fresh lemons for the best flavor! But you can always substitute with a little bottled lemon juice if necessary.
Eggs - You need egg yolks to make the lemon curd filling and the leftover egg whites to make the Swiss meringue.
Cream of Tartar - This helps stabilize the egg whites for the meringue!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Homemade Pie Crust
I use my homemade flaky pie crust for this recipe. You can check out this blog post for all my pie crust tips and tricks!
Prepare one half of my perfect pie crust recipe according to directions. Form a disk and place into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Remove the pie dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to about ¼ inch thick and about 2 inches wider than your pie pan. Roll the pie crust into the pie pan and be sure to poke the bottom a few times with a fork to allow air to escape during baking. Cut away any undesired excess crust and crimp, curl, or decorate the edges however you like!
Chill the pie crust in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking (if you skip this step, the pie crust will shrink). While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.
Place a piece of parchment paper or heavy duty aluminum foil inside the pie crust and fill with pie weights (uncooked rice or dry beans also work great).
Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Carefully lift out the parchment paper and pie weights. Then return the pie crust to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or until the bottom just starts to brown.
Set aside and let cool slightly while you make the filling.
Lemon Filling
Reduce the oven to 350°F.
Create a double boiler by bringing 1-2 inches of water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Place a heatproof glass bowl on top and make sure it's not touching the water.
Add the sugar, cornstarch, water, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt into the top of your double boiler. Whisk until completely combined and then continue to whisk as the lemon curd cooks (constant whisking prevents the lemon curd from curdling).
Continue to whisk the lemon curd for 10-15 minutes or until it becomes thick and paler in color (it should be similar to the consistency of hollandaise sauce). If the lemon filling isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk. *If your lemon filling still is not thickening with the double boiler, you can transfer to a pot to cook over direct heat for a couple minutes until it fully thickens.
Once thickened, remove the glass bowl from the heat. Cut the butter into chunks and whisk into the lemon filling until fully combined and smooth.
Pour the filling into the slightly cooled crust and bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until the center is set but still jiggles slightly.
Let fully cool at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours but ideally overnight.
Swiss Meringue
I recommend making the meringue right before it's time to serve the pie for best results!
To make meringue, you really need a stand mixer. A hand mixer will do in a pinch, but be forewarned that your arm will get tired!
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the sugar and cream of tartar into the egg whites then set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about two inches of simmering water over medium heat. Do not let the bottom of the egg whites bowl touch the water.
Whisk the whites and sugar constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thinned out (about 3-4 minutes). If using an instant thermometer, it should read about 160°F.
You'll notice the mixture is lighter in color and increased in volume.
Place the bowl on the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on medium low speed for 2-3 minutes and gradually increase the speed until the mixture reaches soft peaks and the bowl is no longer warm to the touch. Then increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
Pie Assembly
Spread the Swiss meringue on top of the chilled lemon pie.
Then use a culinary torch to toast the top of the meringue.
The lemon meringue pie will last in the fridge for up to 3 days, but once topped with the meringue it’s best eaten immediately.
Tips for the Best Pie!
For all my pie recipes, I like to use my classic flaky pie crust! I have a whole blog post with tons of tips and tricks for perfect pie crust, but the most important are listed below. Be sure to check out the rest of our pie recipes too!
Keep it cold! The secret to a super flaky pie crust is keeping the dough cold at every step. Use cold butter and cold water while making the dough, and try to keep the dough as cold as possible while working with it. I often refrigerate my pies for at least 10-20 minutes after each step so that the dough stays as cold as possible. You want very cold dough going into a very hot oven for the best results!
Use a metal pie pan! Not all pie pans are created equal! Most pie pans on the market are either metal, glass, or ceramic. Overall, metal pie pans are the best of the best because they keep the crust very crispy and they're also the most durable and affordable. A fun alternative to classic aluminum pie pans that yields the same results is a cast iron skillet! I know ceramic pie plates certainly are pretty, but unfortunately the bottom crust just never gets crispy so I just don't recommend them.
Brush the crust with egg wash before baking! Brushing the crust with an egg was (just a beaten whole egg) before baking, gives a beautiful, glossy, golden brown appearance! For savory pies I like to sprinkle with flaky sea salt and for dessert pies I like to sprinkle with sparkling sugar.
Par bake for extra crispy crust! For pies with more runny fillings (like a berry pie or custard based pie), par baking the crust before filling helps ensure a super crispy bottom! It also helps prevent overcooking the filling. Place a piece of parchment paper or heavy duty aluminum foil inside the pie crust and fill with pie weights. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the parchment paper and pie weights then return the pie crust to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or until the bottom of the crust is just beginning to brown. [Note: unfortunately this won't work with double crust pies]
Let it rest! Letting the pie rest for a bit after removing from the oven helps the filling thicken up and prevents a runny pie. For pies that you want to eat immediately while they're still hot, it's still best to let it rest for 20-30 minutes before cutting so that the filling can thicken up slightly. But for fruit pies or custard pies, letting the pie rest for at least 4-6 hours is ideal!
Recipe FAQ's
This lemon meringue pie will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To get clean slices of this lemon meringue pie, run a super sharp knife under hot water until the blade is warm, then wipe it dry. Then cut a single slice and repeat. It's a bit tedious to clean the knife before every cut, but you get perfect slices every time!
I highly recommend getting a culinary blowtorch to toast the meringue for this lemon meringue pie. But if necessary, you can place it under the broiler in your oven for about 30-60 seconds, just be careful because the meringue will burn quickly.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Lemon Meringue Pie
Special Equipment
- double boiler
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- ½ perfect pie crust, or your favorite store-bought pie crust
Lemon Filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ¾ cup water
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest , optional
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Swiss Meringue
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract , optional
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Prepare one half of my perfect pie crust recipe according to directions (or your favorite pie dough recipe). Form a disk and place into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the pie dough from the fridge and on a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to about ¼ inch thick and about 2 inches wider than your pie pan. Roll the pie crust into the pie pan and be sure to poke the bottom a few times with a fork to allow air to escape during baking. Cut away any undesired excess crust and crimp, curl, or decorate the edges however you like!
- Chill the pie crust in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before baking (if you skip this step, the pie crust will shrink). While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place a piece of parchment paper or heavy duty aluminum foil inside the pie crust and fill with pie weights (uncooked rice or dry beans also work great).
- Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Carefully lift the parchment paper and pie weights then return the pie crust to the oven to bake for another 5 minutes or until the bottom just starts to brown.
- Set aside and let cool slightly while you make the filling.
Lemon Filling
- Reduce the oven to 350°F.
- Create a double boiler by bringing 1-2 inches of water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Place a heatproof glass bowl on top and make sure it's not touching the water.
- Add the sugar, cornstarch, water, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt into the top of your double boiler. Whisk until completely combined and then continue to whisk as the lemon curd cooks (constant whisking prevents the lemon curd from curdling).
- Continue to whisk the lemon curd for 10-15 minutes or until it becomes thick and paler in color (it should be similar to the consistency of hollandaise sauce). If the lemon filling isn’t thickening, turn up the heat and constantly whisk. *If your lemon filling still is not thickening with the double boiler, you can transfer to a pot to cook over direct heat for a couple minutes until it fully thickens.
- Once thickened, remove the glass bowl from the heat. Cut the butter into chunks and whisk into the lemon filling until fully combined and smooth.
- Pour the filling into the slightly cooled crust and bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until the center is set but still jiggles slightly.
- Let fully cool at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 3 hours but ideally overnight.
Swiss Meringue
- I recommend making the meringue right before it's time to serve the pie for best results!
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the sugar and cream of tartar into the egg whites then set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about two inches of simmering water over medium heat. Do not let the bottom of the egg whites bowl touch the water.
- Whisk the whites and sugar constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thinned out (about 3-4 minutes). If using an instant thermometer, it should read about 160°F.
- You'll notice the mixture is lighter in color and increased in volume.
- Place the bowl on the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on medium low speed for 2-3 minutes and gradually increase the speed until the mixture reaches soft peaks and the bowl is no longer warm to the touch. Then increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Spread the Swiss meringue on top of the chilled lemon pie and use a culinary torch to toast the top of the meringue.
- The lemon meringue pie will last in the fridge for up to 3 days, but once topped with the meringue it’s best eaten immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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