Lemon Meringue Pie
This is the perfect foolproof Lemon Meringue Pie recipe! With a flakey crust, topped with a tart lemon filling, and a golden meringue you won’t be able to have just one piece!
Servings 8 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust store-bought or homemade
Meringue
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 large egg whites room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Lemon Filling
- 1 2/3 cups of sugar
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups of water room temperature
- 4 large egg yolks beaten
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Crust: Preheat the oven to 375°. If you are using a refrigerated or homemade crust, press it into a 9-inch pie dish and use a fork to prick holes into the bottom of the crust. Place a piece of parchment paper over the pie crust and pour pie weights or dried beans into the pie. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Then, remove the parchment paper and pie weights and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Set the crust on a cooling rack while you make the meringue and pie filling. Lower the oven temperature to 350°.
- Meringue: Mix the water and cornstarch and heat it in the microwave for about a minute or until it starts to bubble and get slightly thick. Give it a quick stir and set it aside. In a large bowl, add the egg whites and cream of tartar and use an electric hand mixer at medium speed to beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time and continue beating until the sugar has dissolved (feel the mixture with your fingers to see if it is still grainy). Start mixing the meringue at high speed and gradually add the cornstarch and water mixture until the meringue has formed stiff, glossy peaks. Put the meringue to the side.
- Pie Filling: Use a whisk to mix the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water in a small or medium saucepan over medium heat. Let the mixture start to boil and remove it from heat once it starts to get thick and a little bit translucent.
- Add two tablespoons of the cornstarch and sugar mixture to the beaten egg yolks in a small heat-proof bowl, and whisk to temper the egg yolks. Pour the egg yolks into the saucepan and whisk it all together. The mixture should be yellow, thick, and smooth. Remove the saucepan from heat and pour in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and butter. Stir everything together then put it back on medium heat briefly until it starts to boil again. Remove from heat and pour the filling into the baked pie crust.
- While the filling is still very hot, spoon the meringue over the top of the pie, spreading it to the edge of the crust. Use the back of a spoon to make swirls in the meringue, then bake the pie for 15-20 minutes or until the meringue turns golden brown on top.
- Set the pie on a cooling rack to rest for about 2 hours before slicing.