Lemon Meringue Pie

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!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 30

Chilling Time 3

Total Time 4 15

Servings slices

Calories 330kcal

Author Kyleigh Sage

Equipment

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

US Customary - Metric

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

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.

Nutrition