The best lemon meringue pie features exceptionally tangy lemon custard filling topped with toasted sweet meringue, cradled in a golden, buttery crust.
After a week of spring-like 50 degree temperatures, winter snow showers have returned en force here Up North. I really shouldn’t complain because after living in Michigan for most of my life, I know better than to think that the snow will give it up in late February/early March. Oh no! I can pretty much count on many the errant snow shower through the month of April. All I can do is be thankful for a brief respite from the cold, and enjoy the few days of almost-warm sunshine that we’ve been given.
Right about now, my Southern Friends are scoffing at the idea of 50 degrees ever being classified as warm. Well, when the average winter temperatures hover at around 13 degrees, a few days in the 50’s feels downright tropical! A 50 degree February day means that we’re playing outside in nothing but jeans and a hoodie. My boys are likely complaining about being sweaty because I made them wear warm clothes.
Why is it that 50 degrees after a cold winter feels warm, and yet 50 degrees after a hot summer feels frigid? Consider it one of life’s great mysteries.
Last week’s brief warm up in the weather had me day dreaming of summery pies. That’s when I realized that with all of the pie recipes that I’ve shared here, I’ve yet to share my second most favorite pie in the entire world–lemon meringue! No pie on the planet has yet to usurp the reigning top spot held by my My Favorite Cherry Pie, but a really good lemon meringue pie is a very close second. As far as pies are concerned, a fat slice of lemon meringue pie isn’t that shabby of a consolation prize.
Imagine my surprise to discover that one of my BFF–whom shall remain nameless but her name rhymes with “spamy” and she currently resides in the Tar Heel State–insists that she doesn’t care for lemon meringue pie. I’ll be honest and say that such a bold statement has been cause for me to question our friendship a time or two. I mean, come on! What’s not to love about the tangy, silky lemon custard filling topped with toasty, fluffy meringue? Still-to-remain-nameless-BFF further explained that it’s not necessarily the taste of lemon meringue pie, but the fact that that the crust is always soggy, texture of meringue is too spongy, and the filling is barely lemony at all.
Well obviously, my BFF has never had a good lemon meringue pie! I get it–I’m a tad particular about this particular variety of pie, myself. When lemon meringue pie is bad, it’s so very bad. I’ve made my fair share of mediocre pies leading up to this one, so you can trust me when I say that this is The Best Lemon Meringue Pie recipe that I’ve ever made. After considerable trial and error, I discovered easy solutions for a soggy crust, the slipping, overly aerated meringue, and the bland flavor issues that can plague lemon meringue pies. When done well, lemon meringue pie is truly glorious!
Lemon Meringue Pie should have a firm, buttery crust that is anything but soggy, a extra tangy lemon filling that is creamy yet withstands being sliced, and be topped with sweet pillowy meringue that is so creamy that it practically melts on the tongue. The Best Lemon Meringue Pie is at once crisp, buttery, tangy, creamy, sweet, pillowy, and delectable. You can bet that I’ll be serving up big slices of this pie the next time BFF stops by for a visit. She won’t be able to help but love it as much as I do!
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 8
The best lemon meringue pie features exceptionally tangy lemon custard filling topped with toasted sweet meringue, cradled in a golden, buttery crust.
2 hr, 30 Prep Time
25 minCook Time
2 hr, 55 Total Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- For the Pastry Shell:
- 1 half recipe No Excuses Pie Dough , or a favorite 9-inch pie shell
- One egg white
- 1 tsp. water
- Aluminum foil
- 2 to 3 C. dried beans (about 2 lbs.) or ceramic pie weights
- For the Custard Filling:
- 1 1/3 C. granulated sugar
- 1/4 C. cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 2 C. water
- 1/2 C. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. lemon extract, optional
- 1 Tbs. finely zested lemon peel (yellow part only, not the white pith)
- 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- For the Meringue:
- 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 C. granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp. clear vanilla extract
Instructions
- Roll out the pie dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Fold and crimp edges as desired. Dock the pastry well with the tip of a paring knife. Freeze the pastry lined pie plate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the lined pie plate from the freezer. Layer a double thickness of aluminum foil over the frozen pie dough, and fill it with 2 C. of dried beans, or other pie weights. Bake the pie dough for 15 minutes.
- During initial baking, whip 1 egg white with a teaspoon of cold water. After 15 minutes of baking, reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees F. Remove the foil and pie weights from the pie plate. Lightly brush the egg white wash over the interior of the pie dough—this will keep the crust from becoming soggy from the custard filling. Continue baking the pie shell at the lower temperature for another 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden and cooked through. Set the pie shell on a wire rack to cool.
- While the pie shell is baking, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large saucepan to combine. Stir in the water, lemon juice, lemon extract (if using), and lemon zest. Whisk the egg yolks into the mixture until well incorporated.
- Set the pan over medium heat, stirring slowly and continuously, until the filling mixture comes to a gentle boil; about 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring until filling thickens to the point at which the whisk cleans the bottom of the pan for 2 to 3 seconds before the custard fills in the space; about 2 minutes. Remove the filling from the heat. Whisk in the chilled butter cubes until the butter is fully melted and incorporated.
- Pour the hot custard filling into the warm pie shell, leveling with a spoon. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a “skin” from forming; set the filled pie aside while preparing the meringue.
- To prepare the meringue, pulse the granulated sugar in a blender or food processor until “superfine” and powdery. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. With the mixer still running, gradually add the superfine sugar a little at a time, beating until the egg whites become thick and glossy in appearance. Briefly stir in the vanilla extract.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the pie. Spoon the meringue on the filling in a tall mound on top of the lemon filling. Gently smooth the meringue over the filling, keeping a dome-like mound in the center, while spreading to the very edge of the crust to seal the edge of pie.
- Turn the oven on to broil. Place the pie on the center rack in the oven. Broil the meringue, turning the pie frequently, until the meringue appears dry and golden brown all over. Alternately, toasting the meringue may be accomplished with a kitchen torch rather than in the oven.
- Serve warm from the oven or at room temperature. For firm slices of pie, allow the pie to come to room temperature before tenting with aluminum foil and refrigerating for 2 to 3 hours to chill through.
Notes
Unlike some lemon meringue pie recipes, this recipe calls for assembling the pie while the lemon filling is still hot. The reason being that mounding the meringue over the hot filling better adheres the meringue to the pie by beginning to cook it from the underside. Doing so also minimizes the chance of the meringue slipping off the pie when served.
Pulsing the granulated sugar to a powder before adding to the whipped egg whites helps to minimize the amount of little brown bubbles of melted sugar from “weeping” to the top of the meringue as it cools.
The meringue will brown quickly under the broiler, so it is important to be attentive to the pie while in the oven. Walking away from the oven while the pie is under the broiler is not advised.
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