Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe from scratch. Fresh lemon flavour that isn’t too sweet but just right. The mile high meringue of course is what makes lemon meringue pie so special.
You cook the lemon pie filling on your stove stop, and pour it into an all butter pie crust. Sound good so far? Then while the filling is set aside to cool, get out the chilled egg whites and beat them into stiff, foamy peaks, and toast it lightly in the oven to get that gorgeous toasted effect.
Follow my tips and you will be asked to bring your homemade lemon meringue pie to the next family get together.
This post was originally published January 19, 2017 and updated December 24, 2018.
You will need one 9″ all butter pie crust (instructions below) 3 egg yolks, 4 large lemons, white sugar, cornstarch, unsalted butter.
HOMEMADE LEMON MERINGUE PIE BACKSTORY
When I was growing up we knew that every Easter there would be lemon meringue pie. That’s usually the only time it every appeared at my Mom’s or Grandma’s. It was a special treat, and that first mouthful of tangy lemon curd and sweet crunchy meringue was heavenly.
Now I must confess that until a few months ago, I always used the lemon pie filling mixes, thinking that I couldn’t possibly find the time, or have the patience to make this delightful recipe.
Boy was I wrong! Making homemade lemon pie filling is really like making any other type of custard, you just need to pay attention to the details.
Once I got past my initial bias, I found I could whip up a lemon pie any old time at all. So that’s what I want for you.
And the difference in flavour is amazing! This Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe is so easy — you will become a Pie Baking Rock Star!
HOMEMADE LEMON MERINGUE PIE FAQs
How do you make easy lemon meringue pie?
Lemon meringue pie really is easy to make, you just need to take your time, and follow the steps when mixing the eggs into the hot pie filling mixture. That’s why I recommend that you mix a small amount of hot filling first – you don’t want scrambled eggs!
2. How do you make the best meringue for a pie?
The secret to great meringue is to chill the bowl and beaters from your mixer. I put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes to make sure they are really cold. Then you need to start to beat the egg whites, adding the sugar a little at a time, while the peaks are building. Some people add Cream of Tartar as a stiffener, but I don’t. It’s just my preference.
TIPS FOR A PERFECT LEMON MERINGUE PIE
- Juice 3-4 large fresh lemons and put some of the peel aside to make lemon zest.
- Get all of your equipment and ingredients ready before you start to cook the lemon pie filling.
- Follow the instructions exactly.
- The first tip to making a lovely creamy lemon meringue pie is that you have to stay with it and keep stirring at the stove! That means no phone surfing!
- And the second if not equally important tip is to mix a small amount of the hot filling into the beaten eggs first, and stir rapidly- – the last thing you want are lemony scrambled eggs and have to start all over again.
And that’s it!
ALL BUTTER PIE CRUST
My recipe for an all butter pie crust is so easy – I show you how to make pie crust in your food processor! We also have a step by step video on how to make perfect flaky pie crust using the hand blending method.
If you’re short on time or not ready to tackle homemade pie crust, you can use a ready made pie shell from the grocer – if you wish, just make sure you bake it first. Another tip to lighten up the calorie load is to use a graham cracker pie crust. No baking required when you use a ready made crust!
YOU MAY NEED….
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A lemon zester is something you will use over and over again, and I like this one because it’s packaged with a lemon juicer! So easy to wash up too!
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Our Key Lime Pie Recipe is just as sweet, so if you’re making a lemon pie, why not lime? LOL! There are lots of great recipes out there too. I also like one that I found in Canadian Living Magazine!
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HOMEMADE LEMON MERINGUE PIE
Your family and friends will know that this lemon pie means something very special is about to happen. And print out the recipe below, cause they are going to ask you for it!
If you like this recipe, please give it a 5 star rating.
Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie | Lemony Delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 9" pie shell , One prepared and baked shortcrust pastry
Filling:
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 ½ cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch, plus 1 tbsp.
- 1 ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 2 tsp. lemon peel, grated
- 1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed,about 3 - 4 large lemons
Meringue:
- 3 egg whites
- 6 tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In small bowl, beat egg yolks with whisk. Set aside
- *Tip: chill bowl and beaters in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the meringue.
- In 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch;
- gradually stir in water.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.
- Immediately stir at least half of hot mixture into egg yolks;
- stir back into hot mixture in saucepan.
- Boil and stir 2 minutes; remove from heat.
- Stir in butter, lemon peel, lemon juice.
- Pour into pie crust.
- Set the pie aside on the counter to cool.
- In medium bowl, beat egg whites with electric mixer on high speed until foamy.
- Beat in sugar, a little at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy.
- Peaks will form when ready.
- Beat in vanilla.
- Spoon onto pie filling.
- Spread over filling, carefully sealing meringue to edge of crust.
- Bake 8 to 12 minutes at 350F/180C or until meringue is light brown.
- Cool, then serve or cover in a pie box and put in the refrigerator
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 660Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 387mgCarbohydrates: 110gFiber: 4gSugar: 72gProtein: 7g
This Lemon Meringue Pie is perfect in my opinion! Tall, sweet meringue on top of a creamy lemon pie filling with an all butter pie crust. A lemon meringue pie worthy of the best Diners!
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Judy Kahansky
Judy Kahansky is an experienced baker and writer. She loves to take classic and vintage recipes and update them to fit the busy lives of her readers. When not baking, Judy and her husband Mark are passionate golfers, travelers and dog lovers, spending as much time as they can with their sweet pup Millie.
Jeffrey Stern
Friday 20th of January 2017
Looks delicious! I've been looking for a recipe for a while so I am glad I found you. I will try it soon.
Judy
Friday 20th of January 2017
Hi Jeffrey, thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it. :)