This is the perfect lemon meringue pie! With a delicious homemade pie crust, tart and smooth lemon filling, and a fluffy toasted meringue topping, it’s impossible to resist.
Let’s welcome a fresh new season with a fresh new pie—the pie I’ve been taunting you with for weeks!! The beautiful, the timeless, the Classic Lemon Meringue Pie.
My lemon meringue pie recipe has a billowy and toasty meringue topping, a balanced sweet/tart lemon filling, and an extra thick and flaky pie crust. I worked on this recipe for a long time, making at least a dozen meringue pies in the past few months. Both my kitchen and head were exploding lemons. Whenever we had friends or family stop by, I’d force lemon meringue pie on them. “PLEASE TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS” I begged while barely blinking.
How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie
Over the years and especially the past few months, I learned that lemon meringue pie can be a daunting process but it doesn’t have to be. Let me make this recipe easy for you by giving you a tested (and praised!!!) recipe, lots of helpful recipe notes, and a video so you can watch it come to life. Perhaps you’re looking for Easter dessert recipes? Celebrating a birthday? Or just want to enjoy a beautiful lemon-y pie? No matter your reason, I’ve got you 🙂
- Blind bake pie crust
- Prepare lemon meringue pie filling
- Whip meringue topping
- Spread meringue on top of filling
- Bake pie until toasty brown on top
Now that you have a general idea of the process, let’s learn why this lemon meringue pie recipe works and what mistakes to avoid.
Here’s Why This Recipe Works
There are 3 main roadblocks when making lemon meringue pie: a soggy pie crust, a watery lemon filling, and/or a weeping meringue. Let’s work through each.
- Let’s avoid a soggy pie crust: Start by reviewing how we blind bake pie crust. You want to partially blind bake the crust because it will continue to bake when you bake the assembled lemon meringue pie. Watch me blind bake the crust I use for this lemon meringue pie in my separate post on how to blind bake pie crust. Lots of tips and tricks there. And to get those pretty decorative edges, see my how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial.
- Let’s avoid a watery lemon filling: This is where I always had the most trouble. Lemon meringue pie filling is basically a thinner version of lemon curd. You’ll temper egg yolks. And before you run away screaming, watch me do this in the video below. Promise it’s not scary. While lemon meringue pie filling should be blissfully creamy, we also want it to be stable enough to slice somewhat neatly. (Think: a slightly firmer version of pudding, but not as firm as jello.) There was a lot of back and forth with the water vs lemon juice vs cornstarch vs sugar amounts. Follow my lemon meringue pie filling below. It’s not too tart, not too sweet, and has the silkiest, yet not-too-watery texture.
- Let’s avoid a weeping meringue: There are many different types of meringue topping, but let’s use a French meringue. Beat egg whites into soft peaks, add sugar, then beat into stiff peaks. Unless you want to waste a bunch of egg whites in failed meringue attempts, read these tips: Make sure you begin with just egg whites. Not even a drip of egg yolks. Make sure the bowl you’re using is completely wiped clean. No oil or water residue. Make sure you add cream of tartar. This will stabilize your meringue. Make sure you add the sugar *after* soft peaks are formed. If added before that, the egg whites could stretch too much which prevents a stiff peak altogether. (These tips apply for my chocolate swirled meringue cookies, too.) Make sure you spread the meringue topping so it touches the pie crust. This seals the lemon filling underneath and allows the crust to grip onto the meringue so the two do not separate. And, finally, don’t make lemon meringue pie on a humid day.
How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie Topping
The meringue toasts in the oven. A lot of recipes call for putting the whole pie under the broiler, but I prefer to bake it so that the egg whites have a chance to cook through. Also, see the end of step 6 in the recipe below. Make sure you spread the meringue topping on while the filling is still warm. The warm filling helps seal the two layers together, preventing separation.
- Did you know? (1) Room temperature egg whites whip faster than cold egg whites. And (2) room temperature egg whites whip into a greater volume than cold egg whites. So make sure your egg whites are at room temperature before starting the meringue.
- Time saving tip: You need 5 egg yolks for the lemon filling and 5 egg whites for the meringue topping. Separate the 5 eggs while they are cold. (Cold eggs separate easier! Remember NO egg yolks in the meringue, not even a smidge.) Leave the egg whites out on the counter. Blind bake the pie crust and prepare the lemon filling. By the time you’re ready to start the meringue, the egg whites will be room temperature.
Meringue can be tricky, but you’re a baker and you can absolutely handle this.
Craving something smaller? Here is my lemon bars recipe. Or, if you’re a lemon dessert lover, check out our top favorites in the The Lemon Dessert Collection.
Print
Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
- Prep Time: 6 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours, 10 minutes
- Yield: one 9-inch pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is the perfect lemon meringue pie! With a delicious homemade pie crust, tart and smooth lemon filling, and a fluffy toasted meringue topping, it’s impossible to resist.
Ingredients
- Homemade Pie Crust*
- 5 large egg yolks (use the whites in the meringue below)
- 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) water
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (38g) cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
Meringue
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Pie crust: I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin making lemon meringue pie. I always make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and adjust your oven rack to the lowest position. Partially blind bake pie crust in a 9-inch pie dish. (Follow blind baking instructions through step 9. Be sure to crimp or flute the pie crust edges, too.) Tip: You can get started on the lemon meringue pie filling steps while your crust is blind baking. But making the filling is time sensitive because you will temper the egg yolks, so if multi-tasking isn’t your thing, just wait until your crust is done blind baking before beginning the filling.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).
- Watch the video below to see how I work through each of the following steps.
- Make the filling: Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside. Whisk the water, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. The mixture will be thin and cloudy, then eventually begin thickening and bubbling after about 6 minutes. Once thickened, give it a whisk and reduce heat to low.
- Temper the egg yolks: Very slowly stream a few large spoonfuls of warm lemon mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Then, also in a very slow stream, whisk the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan. Turn heat back up to medium. Cook until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter. Spread filling into the warm partially baked crust. Set aside as you prepare the meringue. (Don’t let the filling cool down too much as you want a warm filling when you top with the meringue in step 7. The warm filling helps seal the two layers together, preventing separation.)
- Make the meringue: With a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a 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 4 more minutes. Add the sugar and salt, then continue beating on high speed until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Spread meringue on top of filling. (I like to make decorative peaks with the back of a large spoon.) Make sure you spread the meringue all the way to the edges so that it touches the crust. This helps prevent the meringue from weeping.
- Bake pie on the lowest oven rack for 20-25 minutes. (If the meringue is browning too quickly, tent a piece of foil over it as best you can without the foil touching the meringue.) When pie is done, remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour before placing in the refrigerator to chill. Chill for 4 hours before slicing and serving.
- Cover any leftovers and store in the refrigerator. Lemon meringue pie tastes best on day 1 because it doesn’t keep very well. No matter how hard you try to prevent it, the meringue will wilt and separate over time. Best to enjoy right away.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: The pie crust can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can also blind bake the crust ahead of time, see how to blind bake pie crust for details. Lemon meringue pie is not the best pie to freeze. The filling and meringue’s texture are never quite the same.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | 9-inch Pie Dish | Rolling Pin | Pie Weights | Glass Mixing Bowls | Citrus Zester | Saucepan | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Pie Crust: My homemade pie crust recipe makes 2 pie crusts. If you use my “dough strip” method explained in my how to blind bake pie crust tutorial, you will need 1 and 1/2 pie crusts. Or you can skip that little trick and just use 1 pie crust.
- Prepare Ahead of Time: Prep all of your ingredients before you begin, including grating the lemon zest and separating the eggs. Don’t multitask unless you’re confident! The filling is time sensitive and you want to make sure everything is ready when you need to add it. Prep all of the meringue ingredients as well. You want them on hand, especially the sugar and salt, the very moment you need them. Don’t walk away from the bowl of egg whites as they whip. Meringue can beat into stiff peaks quite quickly.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I love this recipe! Any tips on bake time if I made mini pies? I was planning to make mini ones in a muffin tin 🙂
Hi Ali, We’re unsure of the exact bake time. You may need to make a few batches, depending on how many mini pies you’d like to make. Let us know if you give it a try!
Best lemon meringue pie EVER. I used to turn my nose up at lemon meringue pie, until I tried this pie. It is SO good! Not too bitter, not too sweet. The perfect flavor. Perfect amount of filling to meringue ratio. Everyone who has tried it says it is the best they’ve ever had. Easy to prepare as well. I highly recommend trying this!! You will not regret it.
I do not have any beans on hand but I have barley or rice. Would this work for prebaking the crust?
Hi Theresa, uncooked rice should work well for par baking pie crust! Make sure to use enough to weigh the crust down.
I made this pie and it was DELICIOUS! The whole family loved it. I followed the recipe and instructions almost to the letter. The only change I made was to use flour to thicken the lemon filling instead of cornstarch as that is all I had. My pie was beautiful coming out of the oven. The top of the merengue was a uniform golden brown. The lemon filling was the perfect consistency – it held together when cut, but was not too stiff. The only issue is that when I cut into the first slice, a veritable waterfall of clear, somewhat sweet liquid flowed out between the merengue and the filling. The merengue did not pull away and it stayed on the slice when cut, but internally it appears this liquid made it float on top of the filling. I would appreciate any ideas about what happened & how to prevent it.
Hi Liz! Did you happen to bake this pie on a humid day? A humid day will almost always result in a weepy meringue. Be sure to read the section in the above post called “Let’s avoid a weeping meringue” for our best tips. Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try!
Made this Easter Sunday as a last-minute decision, and it turned out perfectly! Only made two changes: used my standard pie-crust recipe because I’d already prepared the dough for a different pie, and after cooking the lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch for the filling, I strained the filling to remove the zest, because certain family members can’t abide texture! This was the first lemon meringue I’ve made since 1985, and it was a hit!
Amazing recipe and pie! I’m 68 and have attempted many lemon meringue pies over the years, with awful results. Wanted to make a successful one for Easter this year, like my dear Mom always did! Finally I have succeeded, thanks to you! And the crust! So delicious and flaky. Your tip about adding strips to the crust is great. Only 1 piece left today, the day after Easter! Thanks Sally!
Made this today for Easter. Beautiful and I can’t wait to cut and enjoy. I’m waiting patiently. Do we have to wait four hours?
I put it in the fridge
This will be on our Easter dinner table! It’s so beautiful. Hoping the inside will be set and as good as it looks. Thank you for this recipe.
Lauri
I have this in the oven as we speak and my meringue was browning too quickly so I tented the foil on top and it stuck to and ruined the look of the meringue. Not the end of the world but something to be very careful of if you are going to do that. 🙁
Hi Kady! When tenting next time, be very careful not to allow the foil to touch the meringue. You want to loosely tent the foil over the meringue. Hope it’s still a hit!
I just finished making this pie for our Easter dinner dessert. It was very simple to follow. I did use a store bought pie crust to save time. I will report back on how the family likes it! I wish I could attach a photo, it’s beautiful!
Hi! Can I make the pie the day before and the meringue day of?
Or does that not work?
Thank you!!!!
Hi Ashley! We don’t recommend making the pie ahead of time because you want the filling to still be warm when you add the meringue to properly seal together. You can make and blind bake the crust ahead of time, though – see recipe notes!
Making this pie for Easter
Can I use a pre made pie crust ?
Absolutely! You will still want to partially bake it first.
Absolutely love this recipe, follow the directions and you’ve got an awesome pie. I’m making it for the third time for Easter dessert. Thank you Sally
Hi Sally,
I made this pie a while back and it was amazing! A friend of mine has requested one for her birthday but is hoping for a graham cracker crust instead. Any tips on how to make that work? Thanks!
Hi Jenna, the pie won’t be as sturdy (slicing will be a little tough!) but you can absolutely try a graham cracker crust instead. I recommend this graham cracker crust recipe. Bake it at 350°F (177°C) for about 15 minutes before adding the filling.
Sally, I love your recipes and don’t doubt that this one will be great, but how is the meringue not grainy if the egg whites and sugar are not cooked before beating?
Hi Julie! If beaten and baked long enough, those granules dissolve. Let me know if you try this!
Nice recipe! would you anticipate any issues using limes instead of lemons? thank you!
Hi David, We suggest following this key lime pie recipe instead! It’s *almost* the exact same recipe – with macadamia nuts in the crust instead of almonds. Feel free to use either crust!
Quite tart. I zested the lemons by hand and used a juicer for the lemon juices. I made a second pie with limes. It was even more tart. I even added a extra sugar. Not sure what I would change next time.
I can’t wait to bite into this delicious looking pie! I keep looking in the oven to watch it, it looks amazing! I already tasted the filling, it tastes amazing! Thank you for this recipe, super simple & great easy to follow directions! Will be so good with our lunch company today, Beet Borscht & Lemon Meringue Pie! Yummmmmmm
This recipe does not fail. It is excellent from crust to meringue exactly as written. Sally, I don’t know if you read your reviews, but I have something to tell you. I’ve been a devotee of Martha Stewart since high school, twenty years ago. I’m a passionate baker. And now I find myself searching for and favoring your recipes, and spreading the word to other bakers. I made this pie for my grandma’s birthday today. I don’t like lemon meringue (no cream? no spice? no chocolate?) but it’s her favorite. So I picked my lemons this morning and gave it a whirl. It was damn delicious. I ate three pieces. It’s all gone! And you’ve converted me to your pie crust as well. Grandma just texted me to say it’s her favorite ever. You go, Sally. Kick ass.
Used frozen pie crusts but followed all other directions including blind bake. Doubled the filling as I had a deeper dish pie tin and it turned out perfectly! Just like my grandma used to make and my first one ever! Thanks for never failing me on a recipe thus far!
Recipe was super easy! I did forget the butter and didn’t use lemon zest because I didn’t have any and wasn’t going to the store. My whole family thought it was too tart. Could that be because I forgot the butter? I didn’t think it was all that tart. I really liked it.
How thick of a filling does this recipe create?
Hi K! We haven’t measured it, but the photos above should give you a good idea of the filling thickness.
Can I make the pie a day ahead of time
Hi Cathleen, Lemon meringue pie tastes best on day 1 because it doesn’t keep very well. No matter how hard you try to prevent it, the meringue will wilt and separate over time. Best to enjoy right away.
I just finished this pie for submission in the baking challenge. It is beautiful and delicious! The filling is a lovely balance of lemon and sweet, neither one is overdone. I have baked lemon meringue before, and other meringue pies but never have I baked the pie after adding the meringue topping. I love how it turned out. I will always bake the meringue from now on. I highly recommend this recipe. It is not difficult and can be completed somewhat quickly. Oh, it is delicious too!
Hi Sally,
This recipe looks amazing. Do you think it would work if I made it into multiple smaller pies? Like using a muffin tray say?
Thankyou!!
Hi Cassandra, you can use this recipe for mini pies but we’re unsure of the exact bake time. You may need to make a few batches, depending on how many mini pies you’d like to make. Let us know if you give it a try!
I made this for the February 2022 challenge instead of the chocolate pop-tarts because lemon meringue is one of my partner’s favourites. This pie was incredible! I’ve never made lemon meringue pie before and the video and instructions were perfect. It was a huge hit!
I was amazing! Came out so perfect! Thank you!!! I’m such a big fan of your work and you’ve truly makes me a better baker! This was the first pie I ever made about 10 years ago and it was such a runny sweaty fail that I was traumatized by it and never did it again until now. Directions were perfect and I have my lemon meringue confidence back again. I was thinking the lemon was so good and firm, would it be a good filling for a lemon cake?
Hi Jennifer! I’m so glad to read how much you loved this pie. I think this filling would be great for a cake– though I haven’t tested it to be certain. Let me know if you do!
This pie was delicious! It was my first time making meringue and I was a little nervous, but I followed the instructions and it turned out perfectly!
Hi Sally,
I would like to make this dairy free. What can I sub the butter with in the curd?
Thanks
Hi Emma, We have never tested this recipe with dairy free alternatives so we are unsure of the results. Let us know if you give anything a try!
I’d like to make this recipe, but the person I’m making it for wants a whipped cream topping instead of meringue. If making this alteration obviously the pie must be fully cooked and cooled by the time the cream goes on. How would you recommend I go about this? Should I completely blind bake the crust, put the filling in, skip baking it all together and just cool it… or do I still need to bake the filling in the crust sans meringue? Thank you!
Hi Maggie, The filling still needs to bake in step 8 and we recommend at least 20 minutes for it. Simply leave off the meringue topping and add whipped cream before serving. Hope it’s a hit!
I forgot the butter and it was still great- maybe a little less rich but definitely still a win!
The recipe doesn’t say when to add the butter. It’s in the list but not the instructions. I added it lastly and hope it turns out as it’s Bali g now
Hi Agnes, see the middle of step 6 “Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter.” Hope you love it!
Is there any reason I cannot double the pie crust recipe and the lemon filling and meringue recipes?
Hi Jan! The homemade pie crust recipe makes 2 pie crusts so that should help. But this is a rather finicky recipe and we recommend making the rest of each pie one pie at a time.
Update from Joy in Oregon, I waited until today to cut my lemon meringue pie and it is not soup. It looks and tastes Great, Thank you Sally for the great recipe.
Joy
Awesome pie! Thank you, wish I could a a picture! It’s sky high meringue today!
Hi Linda, we’re thrilled you enjoyed this pie! Feel free to send us a photo at sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com — we’d love to see it!
I followed the recipe every detail, the filling was nice and thick and like all my lemon meringue pies, when I take the pie out of the oven after toasting the meringue, it is soup. I am done making lemon meringue pies, I made sure the meringue even covered the crust. Thank you Sally
I had given up on making lemon meringue pie. Finally after trying this recipe along with the great tips my lemon pie was delicious with great consistency. No watery layers on the crust or meringue. Love it❤️