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.
LOVE this recipe! I’ve tried to make tarte au citron before and the filling came out watery, the meringue was difficult to pipe, and was weaping. This recipe solved all those issues, and was the best pie at our small Thanksgiving. I loved the tip about making sure the filling was warm to seal the layers. I might bake the crust a little bit longer next time, but am so thankful for this recipe and this source for baking! Thank you!
This is my first ever lemon meringue pie! Sally’s recipes are always delicious and her instructions are easy to follow. Thanks, Sally!
Hi when I use store bought crust do I still have to blind bake it?
Yes, we recommend it.
I’m not much of a baker. Tried this with mini graham cracker crusts as wanted something small and afraid to try too many new things all at once (crust, filling, meringue). Worked out perfect. Great for my 10 yo to help make and perfect size to eat.
This was my first meringue pie (2nd pie ever) and it turned out great. I thought the meringue was a little eggy tasting but over all the pie was awesome!
We put the pie in for 17 minute, and it was too brown. Wish we had done 12 minutes.
I never had luck with meringue before this! Recipe worked great and everyone loves this pie.
I am on my 4th pie this week, can’t get enough!
Best recipe!
Amazing recipe!!! It’s been lemon meringue week in my house, I tried 3 different recipes (all with their own different crusts) and this was by far the winner! The crust is my new go to dough for sure, the filling is tart and lemony (and with such a beautiful bright colour!), the meringue is fluffy and marshmallowy. Sally is my new baking guru, can’t wait to give more of her recipes a go!
Mine is in the oven at 325. I used frozen crust but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Super easy and so far -so good! I’m sure it will taste wonderful!
Would you make any adjustments to sugar or lemon juice quantities if you used Meyer lemons instead of traditional ones?
Hi Emily, We used regular lemons in this lemon meringue pie, but you could substitute with Meyer lemons with no other changes to the recipe. Enjoy!
The lemon meringue pie filling that I made from your recipe was watery. I followed directions explicitly. I would like any suggestions you may have to correct the problem. Thank you!
If I was to use the lemon filling for tarts would I have to bake it after taking it off the stove or could I just put it in the fridge and set it?
Hi Kailey! For stability, it’s best if this filling is baked (in tarts or a pie) before serving.
Sally:
Thanks for so much info. I made this with my daughter, the lemon part was a little cooled when we added the meringue to it. Our meringue browned within 5 minutes as well at the 350. We kept it in there longer and just watched it b/c I was worried the crust wouldn’t be baked. We just let it brown a bit more and the little tips got dark. Left it in the fridge overnight to be served in the am. The meringue did crack some and appeared to sink. Is that b/c we cooked the meringue longer or b/c the lemon wasn’t as warm?
Hi Beth! Thank you so much for trying this lemon meringue pie recipe. The cracking could be caused by over-baking the meringue. If you try the recipe again, I recommend lowering your oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) and baking for at least 30 minutes. Bake on a lower oven rack. A slower bake time and lower oven temperature should definitely help.
The lemon meringue pie recipe says to preheat oven to 400° to blind bake the crust. When I go to the blind bake instructions, it says 375°. Which is it?
Oh my goodness! A friend requested lemon meringue pie, and I’ve never been a fan. Since I’ve made so many of your recipes, I went ahead and went with yours. I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND! I LOVE LEMON MERINGUE PIE! Thank you so much! All I changed was piping the meringue and used alllll the lemon zest from the juiced lemons(so prob 2-3 tbsp)but it turned out beautifully! Thank you again ❤
I followed your recipe to a T! Filling wouldn’t gel up 🙁 I’m hoping it sets after baking then chilling.
Would it be possible to make this into smaller pies, instead of one big one? If so, any tips on how to make that work? I assume the only difference would just be the time it spends in the oven?
Hi Rachel, You can use this recipe for mini pies but I’m unsure of the exact bake time – it would depend on the size of the pies.
I tried your Lemon Meringue Pie recipe today. I’ve made other Lemon Meringue pies before but with limited success. Your tips for blind baking the crust were spot on. My crust has always puffed up and then disappeared in the past. This was amazing!! And the meringue?? It is so silky. I’m beyond thrilled with how the pie looks. I cannot wait to taste it tonight for dessert. Thank you SO much!
My wife is tired of me constantly smoking meats so she challenged me to a lemon meringue pie. I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I used this recipe and made the most amazing and delicious pie. I wish I could attach a picture, it’s big and beautiful!!
Best Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe out there. Amelia Bedelia herself couldn’t’ improve it.
Hi Sally – love your website and have made many of your recipes and they have all turned out delicious – love that you have very detailed instructions before the recipe. I made this lemon meringue pie for a friend so was not able to try it, but I did lick the spoon after making the lemon part and it was delicious. To give it a more lemony flavour, I added about a teaspoon of lemon extract. As mentioned by others, the meringue was very tanned after 25 minutes. I did leave it in the whole time and I did get the amber beading, but I am sure it will be just as delicious. Next time I will turn the temperature down a bit so it does not brown as much. Love your recipes and your website – thanks
Darn it! Did everything perfectly, quite a bit of work, and then burned the meringue because I forgot to turn the oven back down to 350. Maybe you could repeat that important step in the meringue part of the recipe.
Hi Sally & all – my mom & grandma say NO salt in the meringue. How come you put in salt? I’ve mostly found recipes online that do not add salt to meringue. Yours & a couple of others do add salt. Thanks, Holly.
Hi Holly! The salt adds a little flavor so the meringue doesn’t taste one dimensional (with all the sugar!).
Hi Sally
Can I leave the completed lemon meringue pie in the fridge longer than 4 hours before cutting and serving??
You can, yes, but keep in mind that lemon meringue pie tastes best the sooner it’s enjoyed. No matter how hard you try to prevent it, the meringue will wilt and separate over time.
Our “birthday” pie came out perfect! First time making lemon meringue pie. Thanks for your usual great clarity, Sally – you are the goto for baked goods recipes!
Sally: I just made this pie today and followed your directions to the letter. The results were outstanding. Thank you so much for the detailed instructions. I tried to make this pie a few weeks ago using a different recipe and it was a failure. Not this time. You made my day. Thanks again.
Hey Sally. I just made this but when I went to cook it in the oven after putting the meringue on top, it went brown within 5 minutes, so I took it out.. Not sure why it did that but is it okay that I’ve taken it out early? Thanks, Meg.
Hi Meg, Your meringue browned very quickly! If you decide to try the pie again, I would lower the oven rack as well as the oven temperature down 25 degrees F.
So much fun to make! I have one question. The entire surface of meringue was brown. Was the oven too hot at 350?
Hi Sally!
I was looking for lemon pie recipe and found your one. I’m really appreciate you. Since your recipe is just what I want to find!
My mother had been cooked lemon pie with Jell-O Lemon Cook & Serve Pudding & Pie Filling. We bought it in US markets before, but it’s not sell in Japan. I’m Japanese 🙂
To be honest, I was looking for Jell-O like taste. But the lovely one that make from your recipe is really greater than Jell-O. More sweet, soft and tasty.
I’m really happy now, I can make yummy lemon pie from now on!
Thanks again.