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My childhood favorite Lemon Meringue Pie recipe has a delicious fresh lemon flavor with the perfect fluffy meringue topping.
Do you love pie recipes? Try this No-Bake Cheesecake, Banana Cream Pie, Key Lime Pie, or Chess Pie!
I should be sick of Lemon Meringue Pie.
I should be sick of Lemon Meringue Pie.It was one of your family's favorites when I was young and our home turned into a mini hunger games whenever mom made it. You literally had to get a piece and hide it or you'd be out of luck. It's one of my brother's all time favorite desserts, he he would even request it as his birthday “cake”. The tart, creamy pie filling mixed with a billowing meringue is just irresistible! And to make it a real star it needs our easy homemade pie crust! .
I have two other favorite Lemons pies you cant miss: Lemon Chiffon Pie, and Lemon Cream Pie.
How to make Lemon Meringue Pie:
Make Meringue: In a small saucepan, whisk together cornstarch and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickens. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, stir together cream of tartar and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with electric mixers until frothy. With the mixer running, add sugar mixture a spoonful at a time, until fully incorporated. Continue beating until soft peaks. Add thickened cornstarch mixture, beating in a spoonful at a time. Mix until stiff peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
Heat Mixture: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
Temper Eggs: In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks. Add a spoonful of the hot sugar mixture into bowl of beaten egg yolks and whisk. (This tempers the eggs slowly so the eggs don't scramble when added).
Finish Lemon Filling: Whisk the egg yolk mixture back into saucepan and bring to a low boil, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pie shell.
Bake: Spread meringue over hot lemon filling, spreading all the way to the edge, making sure there are no gaps between the pie crust and the meringue, so it doesn't shrink away while baking. Use the back of your spoon to create decorative peaks in the meringue. Bake for 10 minutes or until the meringue is lightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving. This pie is best served the same day.
Tips for the Perfect Lemon Meringue Pie:
A Hot Pie: First, and most importantly, the pie filling should be hot when you spoon the meringue on top. The hot filling will help bake the meringue, instead of just stopping at the surface and “weeping”, causing your meringue to slide off when the pie is sliced. It also helps to avoid baking on super humid days.
Cornstarch and Cream of Tartar: My last tip for a fool-proof meringue is using a little bit of cornstarch and cream of tarter in the meringue to give it a stronger structure when baking.
My Favorite Lemon Recipes:
- Lemon Bars
- Lemon Cake
- Lemon Poppyseed Bread
- Lemon Mousse
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Homemade Lemonade
- Lemon Chicken Pasta
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Lemon Meringue Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pre-baked pie crust
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large egg yolks , separated
Meringue:
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large egg whites , room temperature (fresh eggs work best)
Instructions
- Grab 4 eggs and separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and set aside.
Meringue:
- In a small saucepan, whisk together cornstarch and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together cream of tartar and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with electric mixers until frothy.
- With the mixers running, add the sugar mixture, a spoonful at a time, until fully incorporated. Continue beating until soft peaks. Add the thickened cornstarch mixture while beating, a spoonful at a time. Mix until stiff peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lemon Filling:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
- Beat the egg yolks with a fork. Add a spoonful of the hot saucepan mixture into the egg yolk mixture and whisk together to temper the eggs (gradually warm them). Repeat, with a few more spoonfuls. Whisk the egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture in the pot.
- Bring to a gently boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat.
Assemble:
- Pour hot lemon filling into baked pie shell. Immediately add meringue on top, covering every surface, spreading it around all the way to the edge of the pie so there are not gaps between the pie crust and meringue. Use the back of your spoon to create decorative peaks in the meringue.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the meringue is lightly browned.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. This pie is best served the same day.
- Store leftover lemon meringue pie covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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*I originally shared this recipe March 2015. Updated February 2019 and November 2024.
Recipe originally adapted from All Recipes
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was excellent. The texture and taste was very good. Lots of compliments.
This lemon meringue pie recipe is amazing. I made one last week to take to a birthday party and it was gone in a flash. I am making 2 more today. I have never made meringue this way before but its the only way I will make it from now on.
5 stars!!!!
Try making Italian meringue instead. It is extremely stable and does not “deflate” like the french meringue does, and it doesn’t require any further cooking as the 240F sugar syrup is enough to kill most pathogens in the eggs (some people debate the safety but the USDA states that beaten egg whites mixed with hot sugar syrup is safe). So it doesn’t need to go in the oven unless you want to brown it a bit or if you would rather cook it a tad more. Little or no oven time means the meringue will be much less likely to shrink, collapse, or weep. It also has a more glossy appearance and a smoother texture. I think it’s easier to make and requires less beating.
Great tip for the meringue best meringue I ever did
This is the best lemon meringue pie ever have requests for this pie!
This is the best lemon meringue pie! My husband requests lemon meringue pie for his birthday each year and I was always too intimidated to make it. I found this recipe last year and he couldn’t stop raving about it. It is better than the best bakery in town (and that’s saying a lot). I have now made the recipe 3 times and it comes out perfectly every time. I’ve used a hand held mixer and a kitchen aid stand mixer and both worked great. We have a dairy allergy in the family so I make it with diary free butter and make a double batch every time. I am always very careful to follow the recipe exactly (other than the butter) and each time I am amazed. Sheer perfection. Makes a very tricky recipe extremely easy and amazed family and friends. Thank you!
Hello!I started baking last year and enjoy doing it. I particularly like baking from scratch. In wanted to do a lemon meringue and talked with a friend of mine who baked for years and she told me that she has found that making it from the the box is just as hood. Well in looked at the box and compared it to your recipe and decided to try it from scratch. It was great the first time!I have since made it many times ton share with others. Even my friend who said use the box asked me for the recipe. Thanks for taking b the time to post it!
I have made this lemon meringue pie five maybe six times in the last year and a half. It is definitely my go-to lemon meringue. matter of fact it’s the only lemon meringue pie I have ever made. Best , highest, fluffiest meringue ever. My mom was a home ec teacher, and makes very good meringue but I have now taught her how to make meringue. Thank you for the wonderful recipe
This the best lemon meringue pie I have ever tried and the directions are perfect! Best part is the meringue! This is my husband’s favorite dessert and I make it for him on special occasions. Thank you for sharing!
The only change I made was 1/8 C additional sugar in pie filling. The filling was excellent. This was a new to me method of making meringue but it is amazing, tall and beautiful!
I had never made a lemon pie even though it is my favorite until I tried this recipe. I was a little intimidated about how the meringue would turn out, and had heard so many stories about the pie being runny. My grandma used to make it for me all the time when i was a kid. I’ve have made this recipe twice now, and it has turned out fabulous both times. It is as good as my grandmother used to make, and the meringue topping is beautiful.
I’ve been a baker for over 50 years! The meringue DID NOT work. Never tried adding that cornstarch mixture but did so anyway! It NEVER got to stiff peaks! SUCH A WASTE OF TIME!
I made two of these pies yesterday…..the meringue was the highest and best I have ever made! Got rave reviews from friends and my husband!! If someone’s didn’t turn out, they must not have followed the recipe explicitly.
I made two of these pies yesterday…..the meringue was the highest and best I have ever made! Got rave reviews from friends and my husband!! If someone’s didn’t turn out, they must not have followed the recipe explicitly.
I used a Kitchen Aid counter top stand mixer and had no problem with the meringue. I followed as the directions were given.