This classic lemon meringue pie features a golden flaky crust, lusciously tart and blissfully creamy lemon filling, and exquisitely fluffy Italian meringue!
This is literally THE BEST Lemon Meringue Pie ever.
Alright, so I know that’s a bold claim to make, but I’m just going off of exactly what my fiancé told me. (He’s not at all biased either 😉)
And honestly, my guy would know since lemon meringue pie happens to be one of his favorite desserts. He used to request it for his birthday growing up, which means he’s definitely tested out his fair share of lemon meringue pies.
Why This is THE BEST Lemon Meringue Pie
Silky Smooth Lemon Filling: The lemon filling is creamy, smooth, and impeccably silky. It has the perfect balance of zesty tartness and lemony sweetness, which blends perfectly with the light-as-air meringue.
Made with Italian Meringue: Lemon meringue pie is traditionally topped with a French meringue, however ever since I discovered Italian meringue, I can NEVER go back to that foamy French stuff. (No offense to the French!). Italian Meringue is super creamy, exceptionally fluffy, and hands-down the best meringue in the world.
No Dreaded Weeping: One of the most common issues with lemon meringue pies is their tendency to weep. This happens as the pie cools, creating moisture which separates from the egg whites, pooling between the meringue and the lemon filling. Common culprits include spreading meringue on cold filling, undercooking the meringue, undissolved sugar, or humidity. Luckily, my recipe eliminates that problem, thanks to a few simple tips!
Tips For Making The Best Lemon Meringue Pie
Use Aluminum Foil When Blind Baking the Crust: To prevent the crust from puffing up while baking, it’s important to line it with aluminum foil and pie weights or dry beans. While some people use parchment paper, I’ve found that foil presses into the crevices of the crust much better, preventing the crust from shrinking in or bubbling in random spots.
Brush Crust with Egg White: Lemon meringue pies have the tendency to get soggy crusts due to the amount of moisture in the filling. To prevent this, all you have to do is brush some egg white evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the crust. I usually do this during the last 5 minutes of baking. The egg white creates a shiny, leak-proof barrier that results in a firm and crisp crust.
Use Freshly-Squeezed Lemon Juice: This is the star ingredient of the pie, making it more important than ever to use the REAL stuff. Freshly-squeezed lemon juice offers a brighter and more aromatic flavor than any bottled lemon juice is capable of. The bottled stuff often contains weird additives and imparts a harsher, artificial, and sometimes metallic taste, so I recommend not using it in this recipe.
Cook the Filling: Rather than baking the filling like most recipes call for, I prefer to cook the filling on the stove and let it set up in the refrigerator. I like the added insurance of knowing that my filling is nice and thick before pouring it into the crust. I also think that the cooking method provides a creamier texture that’s less gelatinous than baking the filling.
ALWAYS Strain the Filling: No matter how smooth your filling looks, it’s essential to strain it before pouring it into the crust. This eliminates any cooked bits of egg or random lumps that might’ve formed during the cooking process, ensuring a smooth and creamy texture. For best results, use a fine-mesh sieve and lightly stir the filling as it strains through the sieve. Try not to press on the lumpy bits as you don’t want those to incorporate back into the filling.
Use Room Temperature Egg Whites – As opposed to cold egg whites, room temperature egg whites whip up much quicker. It also yields a fluffier and more voluminous meringue. That’s because they hold air better than cold egg whites. However, it is easier to separate the yolks from the whites when they’re cold, so I recommend separating the eggs once you’ve taken them out of the refrigerator and leaving the whites on the counter while you work on the crust and the filling.
Toast with a Torch: While you can use a broiler to toast the meringue, I like the control of a kitchen torch. It allows you to hit every single angle of the meringue, and you’re less likely to burn the meringue as well. It might seem like an unnecessary tool to have in the kitchen, but you’ll be surprised by how handy it is and how often you’ll use it. Nowadays, you can get one for less than $10, and they last for several years. I’ve had my little torch for over 20 years now!
The Best Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1 egg white
Lemon Filling:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Italian Meringue:
- 4 large egg whites (room temperature is best)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- In a small bowl, combine the water and sour cream; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the flour, sugar and salt together. Scatter the shortening over the flour, then use a cheese grater to grate the butter on top. Using a fork or a pastry blender, cut the mixture together until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the sour cream mixture and use a stiff rubber spatula to stir and press the dough together until it forms one big mound. If dough is still too dry and doesn’t hold together, add another tablespoon of water.
- Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a 5-inch disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Once chilled, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle and fit into a greased 9-inch pie plate. Trim, fold, and crimp the edge of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15 minutes until chilled and firm.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. To blind-bake, I like to press a sheet of aluminum foil into the pie pan since it gets into the crevices better than parchment paper. I then pour pie weights (or dried beans or rice) on top of the foil. Place pie plate onto a baking sheet and bake until the edges of the crust are starting to brown, about 15-16 minutes.
- Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the aluminum foil (with the dried beans or rice) out of the pie. Return the pie crust to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove crust from oven, brush lightly with egg white, then return to the oven for 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow crust to cool completely.
Make the Filling:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together. Add the egg yolks, zest, and the lemon juice, whisking until combined. Pour in the water, and whisk until smooth.
- Cook mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until the filling has completely thickened and large bubbles begin to form on the surface, about 7-8 minutes.
- Once thickened, whisk in the butter until fully combined. Strain the filling through a fine mesh sieve, then pour it into the prepared pie crust and smooth out the top. Allow to cool to room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Make the Meringue:
- Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or large mixing bowl with a beater), and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Pour the sugar and water into a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat, without stirring, until it reaches 240ºF. This usually takes about 5-6 minutes from the time it begins to boil. Immediately pour the hot sugar syrup in a slow, steady stream into the whipped egg whites, with the mixer running on medium speed; try to avoid hitting the whisk attachment.
- Once all the sugar syrup has been added, add the cream of tartar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Continue beating the meringue on high speed for 7-9 minutes, or until it’s cooled to room temperature and glossy peaks form.
- Using a spatula, spread the meringue evenly on top of the chilled pie filling. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue, or place the pie under the broiler, watching closely so it does not burn.
- Store pie in the refrigerator until ready to serve.