This lemon meringue pie recipe has been in our family for three generations, and I've spent the last eight years getting it just right. My grandmother started making this pie back in the 1960s, and after countless Sunday dinners and birthday celebrations, I finally cracked the code to her version. The secret isn't fancy ingredients or complicated steps - it's knowing exactly when to stop stirring the filling and how long to beat the meringue.
Why You'll Love This Lemon Meringue Pie
This pie actually works every time, which is more than I can say for most dessert recipes I've tried. When I was learning to bake, I'd spend hours on pies that would fall apart or taste bland. This one comes together in about an hour, and you can make most of it ahead of time if you're having people over.
Max started helping me with this recipe when he was five, and now he can separate eggs better than most adults. He gets excited about "making the fluffy stuff" (the meringue) and always wants to be the one who checks if it's ready. The filling has a real lemon taste - not too sweet like the ones from the store, but not so sour that kids won't eat it.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Lemon Meringue Pie
- What You Need for Perfect Lemon Meringue Pie
- How To Make Lemon Meringue Pie Step By Step
- Smart Swaps for Your Lemon Meringue Pie
- Fun Ways to Change Up This Recipe
- Equipment For Lemon Meringue Pie
- How to Store Your Lemon Meringue Pie
- My Grandmother's Meringue Secret
- Top Tip
- FAQ
- Time to Make Your Perfect Pie!
- Related
- Pairing
- lemon meringue pie
What You Need for Perfect Lemon Meringue Pie
For the Crust:
- All-purpose flour
- Cold butter
- Ice water
- Salt
- A little sugar
For the Lemon Filling:
- Fresh lemons
- Egg yolks
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Butter
- Water
For the Meringue:
- Egg whites
- Sugar
- Cream of tartar
Basic Tools:
- 9-inch pie pan
- Medium saucepan
- Electric mixer
- Measuring cups
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Lemon Meringue Pie Step By Step
Make the Crust:
- Cut cold butter into small pieces
- Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl
- Work the butter in with your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs
- Add ice water one tablespoon at a time until dough holds together
- Roll it out and press into pie pan
- Poke holes all over with a fork
- Bake empty for 12 minutes until golden
Cook the Filling:
- Mix cornstarch and sugar in saucepan
- Add lemon juice and water
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes until thick
- Remove from heat, stir in butter and lemon zest
Add the Egg Yolks:
- Beat egg yolks in small bowl
- Add one spoonful of hot lemon mixture to yolks, stir
- Add another spoonful, stir again
- Pour this back into saucepan
- Cook one more minute while stirring
Make the Meringue:
- Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy
- Slowly add sugar while beating
- Keep beating until peaks stand up straight
Finish the Pie:
- Pour hot filling into baked crust
- Spread meringue over top, touching all edges
- Bake 10 minutes until meringue is golden
Smart Swaps for Your Lemon Meringue Pie
Crust Changes:
- All-purpose flour → Whole wheat pastry flour
- Cold butter → Cold shortening or lard
- Regular pie crust → Graham cracker crust
- Homemade → Store-bought (when you're in a hurry)
Filling Switches:
- Fresh lemons → Meyer lemons (sweeter, less tart)
- Cornstarch → Arrowroot powder
- Regular sugar → Fine sugar (dissolves faster)
- Water → Milk (makes it richer)
Meringue Options:
- Cream of tartar → Lemon juice (about ½ teaspoon)
- Regular sugar → Superfine sugar (easier to dissolve)
- Egg whites → Pasteurized egg whites from a carton
When You're Out of Something:
- No lemons → Use 2 lemons plus 2 tablespoons bottled juice
- No cream of tartar → Add ½ teaspoon white vinegar instead
- No cornstarch → Use 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Fun Ways to Change Up This Recipe
Chocolate Touches:
- Drizzle melted chocolate over the meringue before serving
- Add mini chocolate chips to the filling while it's still warm
- Make a chocolate cookie crust instead of pastry
- Dust cocoa powder on the meringue peaks
Different Citrus:
- Use half lemons, half limes for a sharper taste
- Try all key limes if you can find them
- Mix in some orange zest with the lemon
- Add a tablespoon of lime juice to regular lemon filling
Berry Additions:
- Fold fresh blueberries into the filling
- Layer sliced strawberries on the crust before adding filling
- Mix raspberry jam into half the meringue for pink swirls
- Top with fresh berries after the pie cools
Holiday Versions:
- Add coconut flakes to the meringue
- Use colored sugar on the meringue peaks
- Mix in a little almond extract with the vanilla
- Make mini pies in muffin tins for parties
Equipment For Lemon Meringue Pie
- 9-inch pie pan (glass works best so you can see the bottom browning)
- Medium saucepan with heavy bottom (thin pans burn the filling)
- Electric mixer (hand mixer is fine, stand mixer is easier)
- Rubber spatula for stirring
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Sharp knife for cutting lemons
How to Store Your Lemon Meringue Pie
Same Day (Best Option):
- Serve within 4-6 hours of making it
- Keep at room temperature, not in the fridge
- Cover lightly with a cake dome or big bowl turned upside down
- Don't use plastic wrap - it makes the meringue weepy
Next Day Storage:
- Put it in the fridge uncovered for 30 minutes first
- Then cover loosely with foil
- The meringue will soften some but still taste good
- Eat within 2 days maximum
What Doesn't Work:
- Freezing (the meringue turns into mush)
- Plastic wrap (creates condensation)
- Storing more than 2 days (gets soggy and weird)
- Leaving it out overnight in summer (filling can spoil)
Make-Ahead Trick:
- Bake the crust up to 2 days early, store covered
- Make filling up to 1 day early, keep in fridge with plastic pressed on surface
- Only make meringue right before serving
My Grandmother's Meringue Secret
During my culinary training, I struggled with consistently stable meringue until I remembered my grandmother Rose's technique from her 1950s bakery. She discovered that adding one tablespoon of hot filling to the egg whites before whipping created an incredibly stable foam. The heat partially cooked the proteins, preventing that dreaded weeping that ruins so many pies.
But her real magic was in the timing. While others rushed to brown their meringue, she'd let the assembled pie rest for exactly seven minutes before going into the oven. "Patience makes perfect peaks," she'd say, watching as the meringue settled slightly and bonded with the hot custard below. This simple rest period eliminated shrinking and created those picture-perfect, golden-brown points that made her bakery famous throughout our small town.
Top Tip
- My great-aunt Ruth taught me the one trick that changed everything about this pie. She ran a small diner back in the 1970s and made six lemon meringue pies every morning for thirty years. Her secret wasn't anything fancy - she'd save the lemon shells after juicing them and drop one half into the filling while it cooked.
- "The oils in that peel make all the difference," she'd tell me, fishing out the lemon shell right before pouring the filling into the crust. That little bit of peel adds something you can't get from just the juice - a deeper lemon flavor that doesn't taste fake or too sharp.
- Max discovered our other trick by accident when he was seven. He knocked over the vanilla bottle while I was making meringue, and about half a teaspoon splashed in. Instead of starting over, we just kept going. The meringue tasted better than usual - not vanilla-flavored, just somehow more complete. Now I always add that little splash on purpose.
FAQ
What is lemon meringue pie made of?
Lemon meringue pie has three parts: a pastry crust on bottom, lemon custard filling made with fresh Lemon Meringue Pie juice and egg yolks, and meringue topping made from whipped egg whites and sugar. The filling gets its thickness from cornstarch and its rich taste from butter and fresh lemon zest.
What is the difference between lemon pie and lemon meringue pie?
Regular lemon pie usually just has the crust and Lemon Meringue Pie filling, sometimes with whipped cream on top. Lemon meringue pie has that fluffy meringue layer that gets browned in the oven. The meringue makes it look fancier and adds a different texture.
Which country invented lemon meringue pie?
This pie started in America in the 1800s, though it borrowed ideas from European cooking. The meringue part came from French pastry making, and the Lemon Meringue Pie curd filling was similar to what English cooks were already doing. Americans put them together into one dessert.
What are the three rules for making successful meringue?
First, make sure your bowl and beaters are completely clean with no grease or soap residue. Second, use room temperature egg whites and add the sugar slowly after the whites get foamy. Third, spread the meringue over hot filling so the bottom cooks right away and doesn't weep later.
Time to Make Your Perfect Pie!
Now you have everything you need to make a lemon meringue pie that actually works from Aunt Ruth's Lemon Meringue Pie shell trick to the right way to store it so the meringue doesn't turn into soup. This recipe has gotten me through more dinner parties and family gatherings than I can count, and it's never let me down.
Want more classic desserts that actually taste homemade? Try our Delicious Lasagna Roll Ups Recipe that's ready in 20 minutes, or our Easy Cheesy Pizza Pockets Recipe that uses real whipped cream instead of the fake stuff. For something really special, check out our Healthy Ranch Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers Recipe that's been in Max's dad's family for three generations.
Share your pie pictures! We love seeing how yours turned out, especially if you tried one of our variations.
Rate this recipe and let us know what you think!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Lemon Meringue Pie
lemon meringue pie
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Mix flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in cold butter until crumbly. Add ice water gradually until dough forms. Roll into pie pan, poke holes, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 12 minutes.
- In a saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Add lemon juice and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick (3-4 min). Stir in butter and lemon zest.
- Beat egg yolks. Add a spoonful of hot filling to yolks, stir, repeat twice. Return mixture to saucepan, cook 1 more minute while stirring.
- Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Optional: add a splash of vanilla.
- Pour hot filling into crust. Spread meringue over top, sealing edges. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes until golden. Rest 30 minutes before serving.
Leave a Reply