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.
PrintClassic 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.
This is a very tasty pie and relatively easy to make. This was my 1st time making lemon meringue pie from scratch. The only change I made was a Graham cracker crust. I doubled the recipe to make 2 pies. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.
Can’t stop making this pie ! It’s so light and refreshing. The video and specificity of instructions are really helpful for a new baker like me.
I made my very first homemade pie –crust and all–following Sally’s recipes/pics/videos!
My special request was lemon meringue [for one of my adult stepchildren’s Christmas dinner…and you know how extremely critical stepchildren can be 🙁 ]
This lemon meringue pie came out BEAUTIFULLY, and (especially since I had to give it away) I am going downstairs right now to make another!!
Thank you for your excellent, step-by-step pictures, directions, videos, etc.., Sally!
You have a number one fan here in Tulsa, Oklahoma! Thanks again!
Love the recipes
Hi Sally!
You are my go to baking guru, and everything I’ve ever made from your website is a huge hit (shout out to the vanilla bean cupcakes in particular).
However, every time I make this recipe, it’s a big flop and I would love your help to figure out what’s going on. I can make the pie crust and meringue perfectly and consistently thanks to your tips; none of the common troubleshooting tips apply. I even think I’m tempering the eggs correctly. The problem is with the flavor and odor of the lemon filling. I put my freshly-squeezed lemon juice, zest without pith, cornstarch etc into my saucepan, start cooking over what I think is medium heat on my gas stove. It smells lemony only briefly. Shortly into the process, I think usually before the mixture thickens and definitely before I add the egg yolks, the mixture takes on a very bitter, eggy, trash like odor. The taste is terrible. I have tried proceeding through the rest of the pie and it tastes terrible when finished too. What gives? I have tried a lot of google searches to no avail. My best guess is some sort of reaction is happening between the cornstarch and the lemon, as I do recall noticing intense bubbling and foaming up of the mixture once these ingredients combine for about 30 seconds. But no one else seems to have this problem… I checked and my cornstarch is not expired, can it perhaps go bad in some other way?
I’d love to hear your thoughts so I can finally impress my boyfriend’s father with his favorite dessert and stay true to my favorite baking guru!
Hi Ashley! I’ve never experienced or heard of this before, but I can definitely try to help. You may want to switch the pot in which you’re cooking the lemon filling. Metal pots can react with the acid in the lemon juice. The filling should taste like sweet/tart lemon, not bitter and eggy. Make sure your ingredients are all super fresh and bring them to room temperature before using, too. Purchase a new container or cornstarch as well. There shouldn’t be any bubbling action happening with the ingredients prior to adding the eggs– just normal melting down on the stove. I hope some of this helps.
Thanks for your reply! I do think I did well with only using fresh ingredients and bringing them all to room temperature. I will experiment with using different pots; the metal reacting with the lemon did not occur to me as a possibility. And I will DEFINITELY be investing in a new container of cornstarch! It’s helpful to know that you have never seen that bubbling reaction; I think we are narrowing down the culprit.
I will report back when I try again. Happy holidays!
Hi Sally,
I have made another one of your recipes before and I have to say this one was perfect. The crust wasn’t soggy, the lemon filling was set perfectly and the meringue wasn’t runny. The only issue I ran into was taste. I had read in other recipes to use fresh eggs because they made better more consistent meringue however my lemon meringue pie had a really gamey almost chicken-like flavor and it was pretty much ruined :(. Have you ever experienced something like this? Is there a particular type of chicken egg I should avoid?
Hi Katie! That’s odd. I’ve never had that experience with meringue before, but in this case, I’m going to suggest using the freshest eggs possible. Check the dates and use whatever is freshest.
Can you double the lemon filling, cooking two batches at once?
Definitely.
It was perfect
Hi Sally, I’ve been making pies for 50 years (and your crust is the same my mom and grandmother used except they added 1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar. I use vodka ).
I need help.
I’ve been asked to make 2 lemon Meringue pies that are extra tart “ when you think it’s too tart make it more tart”. It’s for her husband’s birthday
If I decrease the sugar by a 1/2 cup, increase the lemon juice by a 1/2 cup and decrease the water by the same amount I increased the lemon juice will that screw up the filling texture? And will it be tart enough?
Or do you have a better solution? She wants a “make you pucker “ pie
Would you email me your response? Thank you so much. The double layer of dough around the crust edge is brilliant!
Hi Lorraine! The filling’s texture (and taste, of course) will change by altering the ingredients. But for an extra tart filling, I recommend slightly reducing the sugar and replacing that 1/3 cup of water with more lemon juice. I am unsure of these results without proper testing, but 1 cup water + 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup lemon juice may help achieve that flavor you’re looking for.
How far in advance can you make this and have it be good? Want to make it tomorrow but won’t eat it until 3 days later, will that work?
Hi Leslie, This pie is best to enjoy right away. No matter how hard you try to prevent it, the meringue will wilt and separate over time. You can prepare the pie crust ahead of time – see the recipe notes for instructions.
Hi Sally ,
I made this pie and followed the recipe to T and it came out amazing .thank you so much for the wonderful recipe and tips .
Made this today. X it by 11/2 because of pie pan I had! Turned out looking and tasting great!
Hi, Sally! My mom loves lemon meringue pie, so of course when I found your recipe, my search for the perfect recipe was over! I can always trust that your recipes will turn out just fabulous, and I haven’t had one fail me yet – and I’ve used a bunch of your recipes! I baked this yesterday for Thanksgiving, and it turned out so nice. The only little issue I had was that the meringue browned a little too quickly, prompting my mom and hubby to tell me it was done and that I should remove it, although it should have baked another 10 minutes. It was gorgeous when it came out of the oven, and I let it cool for an hour before refrigerating it. Granted, we did cut it after only 2 hours of chilling instead of the recommended 4, but I wonder why the meringue deflated just a bit and had what looked like little beads of moisture on top? Was that due to not baking it the full amount of time? It sliced up very nicely and tasted great, but I’d like to know what I might try next time, because this recipe is a keeper!
Hi Becky! I am so glad you tried and loved this lemon meringue pie recipe! Thank you! I’m going to guess that it was because the meringue wasn’t baked for the full time, which is an easy fix the next time you try it!
I wondered if you could help me. I just saw your recipe and the one I have used for years is very similar to yours. I have made the same lemon filling for years and it always turns out perfect, but the last few times I made it, it has turned out runny! I don’t know what I’m doing different! The one thing I did different today was- since I had only small eggs instead of large ones, I did one and a half times the usual amount of eggs. Also, when you cook the filling the second time after putting in the eggs, does it have to come to a boil? I cooked it for 2 minutes the second time but I don’t think it actually boiled again. It was nice and thick after I boiled it the first time. I’m very frustrated that I keep failing at it and I’m going to make it every day until I figure out what I’m doing wrong!!
Hi Larissa, I don’t know exactly what recipe you are using but for my recipe, after you temper the egg yolks you should cook until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface. See my video above as an example!
Hey Sally! I made this pie today for Thanksgiving. Thank you for the recipe! One question, how do you make sure your meringue doesn’t crack? When it went in the over it was fluffy and beautiful. When I pulled it out, there were gaping cracks and it deflated. Any helpful suggestions? I have tried many many many recipes for this pie and I’m hoping I’ve found the “one”. ;D
Hi, Sally.
I made this for my dad a couple of months ago and he said it reminded him of his own mom’s lemon meringue pie, which made me so happy. And that was with a store bought crust! I’ve just made your all-butter pie crust for a pie contest at my office later this week. It’s resting in the fridge, but I can’t wait to roll it out in a couple of days for my first-ever homemade pie crust! And even though it’s not a traditional Thanksgiving pie flavor, I’m going to make that lemon meringue pie again. I’ll let you know if I win! Thanks for all your great recipes – I love discovering something new and trying things I’ve never done before. You’re a great teacher and I appreciate all of your hard work. Best wishes! Michelle
Just made this for my husband’s birthday…turned out perfect. All of the tips, videos and pictures really helped. The only adjustments I made were using half butter and half shortening in the pie crust, and then using the “smash and fold” method before chilling the dough. I’ve discovered from previous pies that this gives the best buttery, flaky crust. Everything else I followed to the T, and am VERY pleased with the result. I would post a pic on Instagram but I don’t use the app… Sorry!! Thanks so much for the detailed effort with this recipe! I will recommend it to all who soon over this pie later today.
Quite enjoyed the thoroughness of recipe – I’m surprised you don’t specifically mention blending the cornstarch into the sugar before adding to the liquid to make the mixing easier. I still had a good deal of water weep out of the custard, but I also only let it cool for about 20 minutes before we started eating it. The sweet/tart balance is JUST right. And I strained the lemon zest out before mixing in the egg yolks because I like my custard perfectly smooth. Now the challenge is to eat it in moderation instead of binging.
This was the best recipe I’ve read with all of the tips. I’ve been trying new recipes and you had all of the answers here that I needed. I appreciate the effort thank you. It will save me time.
My first time making anything this complicated, first time making meringue as well!
It came out really well, even though my baby daughter decided to wake up from her nap right when I was tempering the yolks.
I made it for my partner’s birthday and he says he definitely wants this in our basic dessert repertoire, so I’m very satisfied.
I used brown sugar for the filling and caster sugar for the meringue (cream of tartar isn’t sold in supermarkets in my country so I didn’t have any), and the zest from a whole lemon, which was about triple what the recipe said but we love all things lemon. Other than that I followed the directions exactly and they were super clear and easy to understand. Will definitely make this again.
Thank you 🙂
The best lemon meringue pie, ever. Followed the instructions, was not that hard. Great recipe and tips. Thank you.
The crust is a star and not too hard, the meringue turned out lovely. My 9 yo and I worked through this recipe together and the whole family enjoyed. Thanks!!
oh my goodness ! Looove this recipe! Will make again for sure !
I am 12 yrs old and always ready to bake a challenge. I’ve made this recipe twice and both times worked well. Fantastic dessert
This will forever be my go-to Sally. The only change I made was backing off by 1/3 on sugar for the filling; the play between the sweet meringue and more tart filling adding a complexity that satisfies our clan. Thank you for this beautifully presented, easily understood and thoroughly explained (the pastry pre-bake so useful for newbies) recipe.
Hi Sally,
My meringue didn’t bake as expected! It came out all brown and started collapsing a bit when cooling. What did I do wrong?
Thanks in advance. 🙂
Hi Kasia– it sounds like the meringue burned on top and didn’t bake evenly in the center. I recommend lowering the oven rack and oven temperature next time.
How do you make lemon zest? And if it’s grated peel, how does it not give the pie filling a gritty feeling? Any advice? Thanks! This looks like an amazing recipe I want to try!
Hi Doreen! Use a zester. The zest is so fine and dissolves a bit when cooked.
I saw in other comments that you recommend serving the pie on day 1. I have been asked to make a lemon meringue pie for a birthday lunch on saturday, but I have to make the pie friday morning, so I dont have a choice, the pie cant be served on day 1 🙁
Im worried to make it- how bad will the delay make the pie? how long does it take for the meringues to separate? A little wilting in ok if unavoidable, but I dont want to serve a separated pie….
Is it possible for you to prepare and blind bake the pie crust on Friday and have the rest of the ingredients prepped to finish it on Saturday? If so see recipe note #4 for those exact instructions! If you absolutely must make the whole pie on Friday then you can certainly try it!
Made your recipe tonight. The Lemon Curd was easy to make and came out very thick and creamy. I have never been a great Lemon Meringue baker as I have always compared mine to the memory of my Mom’s, but this one is about as close as I think I could get to hers. Also, the tip on using room temperature egg whites really made a difference. I will definitely be doing that in the future. Thanks!
we grew up in Arizona and went out to the backyard and picked a lemon off our tree. I never knee what zesting was until I moved away. does make a difference! my grandmothers lemon meringue always had little drops of what looked like honey on it, I have never seen it since do you have any idea what it was? and now for the important stuff. I have never made a really good pie until today. it was wonderful!! thank you so much for getting me over the hump. now do not be disappointed but I use a graham cracker crust. I enjoy the texture.
I’m thrilled that you found pie success with this recipe – and I enjoy it with a graham cracker crust on occasion also! The little amber color drops on the top of a meringue can be caused by condensation.
took a while to whisk by hand since the electric one broke but it was total worth it love the golden brown meringue and i look forward in baking a few more things with sally’s recipes thank you sally for your wonderful website
Oh no – I’m sorry that your mixer broke! I’m so glad you were able to still make it work and that you enjoyed it!