Looking for a Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe like the one Grandma used to make? Well do I have a recipe for you! We made this a few weeks ago and man oh man was it ever delicious. Like an old school diner quality type of pie.
All we needed was a waitress named Flo with a beehive hairdo serving it to us and it would have been perfect. 😉
While there are a lot of steps to make a lemon meringue pie, trust me, it’s worth the effort.
We loved this pie, and I think you will too.
~Mavis
What is Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe and How it is Made
Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup shorting {I use Crisco}
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
- pinch of sea salt
Filling
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 and 1/3 cups water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice {we used Meyer lemons}
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Meringue
- 5 large egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
For the pie crust
Combine pie crust ingredients together, roll into a ball, use the palm of your hand to flatten crust to about 1 inch. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Roll out 1 crust and line a pie plate with it and then chill the pie crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line your cold pie shell with parchment paper or aluminum foil so that the foil extends over the edges and fill the pie crust two-thirds of the way with pie weights or dry beans.
Bake for 15 minutes. Then remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Poke the bottom of the crust a few times with the tines of a fork to prevent the bottom of the crust from bubbling up.
Put the pie crust back in the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes {or until the crust is lightly browned}. Remove from oven and set aside.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
For the filling
Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl and set aside.
In a medium saucepan whisk the water, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice together over medium heat. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Let it simmer for a minute or two until the mixture begins to thicken.
Once the cornstarch mixture has thickened, slowly begin whisking it into beaten egg yolks you set aside earlier about a tablespoonful at a time to temper the yolks. Continue to whisk in the cornstarch mixture a little at a time until you’ve used about half of the cornstarch mixture.
After you have about half of the cornstarch mixture in the eggs, whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the pot with the cornstarch. Return to a boil over medium heat and stir constantly. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture is nice and thick.
Remove from heat and stir in the butter.
Pour filling immediately into a pre-baked 9″ pie shell and set aside.
For the Meringue
Using a stand mixture with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium speed for 1 minute, then increase to high speed until soft peaks form {about 2-3 minutes}.
Add the sugar and salt, then continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form {about 1-2 minutes}.
Spread the meringue over the lemon filling making sure to spread the meringue all the way to the edges so that it touches the crust.
Bake the pie for 18 – 20 minutes at 325 degrees, or until the meringue is golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I could not let this pie stand for two hours!
Shari Harniss says
This is my mom’s favorite pie. I’m gonna give this a try. I enjoy the lemon part but the meringue always smells like a wet dog to me. I know, weird!
KC says
Have you tried adding a touch of vanilla to the meringue? (I don’t like plain meringue, either, although I’ve never thought of wet dogs…)
GrannyB says
It’s the texture that turns my stomach. I like making meringue, just not eating it. I give it to my husband or leave part of the pie with no meringue on it.
Nothing better than warm lemon pie with no meringue. My absolute favorite!!
Carolina Cooper says
Just curious, Mavis—do you still have your very own Meyer lemon tree?
Mavis Butterfield says
NO, we left all our plants behind at our last place. I might get another one though this winter. We’ll see.
Molly Jo says
this was the first pie I made myself in a school home ec class. I LOVE lemon pie and have not made one in years, might be time to do just that!
Tammy says
I just had surgery so I’m not in the kitchen for (quite) a while, but I will be trying this recipe!
There’s nothing sadder than taking a slice of lemon meringue pie and one bite in realizing it is from a box mix. It’s SO worth the effort to make it from scratch!
Linda says
I’ve been making lemon meringue pies for 48 years and I keep trying new recipes a few times a year tying to find the perfect lemon meringue recipe. I’ve been making about 3 pies a month during the pandemic trying to tweak all the family favorite pies during this down time and just couldn’t get the lemon meringue pie we wanted. Made it this afternoon and it’s perfect. Beautifully balanced lemony goodness. It’s now our new family favorite – thank you Mavis!
Sheila says
I have tried for years to make meringue but haven’t been successful. I will try one more time with this recipe. If it doesn’t work I’ll be making naked lemon pie, again.
Beverly says
Lemon meringue pie is one of my most favorite pies. My brother, used to call meringue soap suds when we were kids. I will definitely be trying this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Irene J says
I can’t wait to make this pie sounds so good thank you
Curtis Carter says
My mom used evaporated milk and flour instead of water and cornstarch. I remember the constant stirring until it thickened. As kids we would almost fight to get the pot the filling came out of. Nothing like scratch lemon pie! Not a fan of meringue, I like a double crust or whipped cream.