Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie

a piece of lemon meringue pie on a plate, with lemon slices and a fork.

5 from 21 votes

You will love this gorgeous homemade lemon meringue pie, made from scratch. With a crisp and buttery shortcrust pastry base, a smooth and creamy lemon filling and clouds of fluffy Italian meringue, it is sweet, zingy and impossible to resist!

Prep Time1

Cook Time45

Resting Time3

Total Time4 45

Course: baking, Dessert

Cuisine: Australian

Servings:

Calories: 392kcal

Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

For the pastry

250 grams plain flour approx. 2 cups, measured and levelled.
125 grams butter chilled, chopped into cubes. Keep it in the fridge until ready for use.
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 pinch salt
2 large egg yolks 35 grams, chilled.
1-2 tablespoons chilled milk use only if needed.

Lemon Filling

6 large egg yolks lightly beaten
1 cup caster sugar 215 grams
1 ½ cups milk whole, full cream milk. 375ml.
⅓ cornflour 50 grams. Use an extra 1 tablespoon of cornflour if you want an extra thick filling.
80 grams butter unsalted, chopped into cubes
⅔ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed. Approx. 4-5 lemons
1-2 tablespoons lemon zest or more for extra lemon zing
1 pinch salt

For the meringue

1 cup caster sugar 215 grams.
¾ cup water 185 ml.
4 egg whites room temperature.
½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

For the pastry

Place the flour and chilled butter in a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. If using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Try to keep the mixture cold, even if you need to return it to the fridge in between steps.
Add the sugar, salt and egg yolks and stir with a knife. Squish the mixture together with your hands, into a rough ball. If the mixture is too dry or crumbly add a little of the milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until everything comes together. But try to avoid this for a more tender pastry.
Cover the dough with cling wrap and place into the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Remove the pastry from the fridge and let it sit for a few minutes (if you try to roll it straight from the fridge, the pastry will crumble). Roll the pastry flat between 2 pieces of baking paper until about 5mm in thickness.
Add the pastry to a 23 cm tart tin with a removable bottom and place it back into the fridge for about 30 minutes, or until firm.
Pre-heat your oven to 180 °C/356 F.
Once the pastry is firm, trim the edges and press a fork over the bottom of the pastry to prevent bubbling.
Line the top of the pastry with a piece of baking paper and cover with baking beads (or uncooked rice or dried beans). Bake for 15-20 minutes. Then, remove the baking paper and beads and bake for a further 5-10 minutes, until lightly golden.
Remove the pie crust from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature.

For the lemon filling.

Place the egg yolks into a cup or small jug and beat lightly with a fork.
Place the caster sugar and 1 cup of the milk into a medium saucepan and whisk over low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
In a small jug, mix the cornflour with the remaining (½ cup) milk and stir until smooth and lump free. Whisk the cornflour slurry into the milk and sugar mixture.
While continuing to whisk over low heat, add the butter, lemon juice and zest and whisk until combined and the butter has melted.
Cook the mixture over low heat, continually whisking, for around 3-4 minutes, or until it thickens to a thick, custard-like consistency. Remove from the heat.
Stirring continually and adding 1 tablespoon at a time, add 3-5 tablespoons of the hot lemon mixture to the beaten egg yolks. This helps to introduce the heat the the egg yolks slowly, without scrambling.
Return the pan to low heat and, continually whisking, add the egg yolk mixture into the lemon mixture. Heat only until the mixture starts to gently bubble and turn the heat off.
Once thickened, immediately pour the lemon filling into the cooled pastry case.

For the meringue

Combine the caster sugar and water in a small pan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for around 10-15 minutes, until the syrup reaches 115 C/239 F (if you don't have a thermometer, the syrup should be at "soft ball stage", where if you drop a bit of it into cold water, it will form a soft ball.
In a clean, dry bowl of an electric stand mixer, start beating the egg whites at low-medium speed until soft peaks form (around 5 minutes).
Meanwhile, bring the sugar syrup to 121 C/250 F. (Again, if you don't have a candy thermometer, the syrup should now be at 'hard ball stage', where a little syrup added to cold water will form a hardened ball.
With the mixer motor running on medium speed, gradually pour a thin, continuous ribbon of sugar syrup into the meringue. Once the sugar syrup is incorporated, turn the speed to medium-high and add the cream of tartar. Beat for a further 5 minutes, until the meringue is thick and glossy.

To assemble

Top the warm lemon pie with the finished meringue and shape some peaks with a metal spoon. Use a hand-held blow torch to toast the meringue top to a golden-brown colour. Alternatively, place the pie in an oven at least 20cm away from a hot grill/broiler and heat until the meringue is browned, but not burnt. Keep a close eye on the meringue, as this process can happen quickly.
Refrigerate the pie for at least 2-3 hours, for the lemon filling to fully set before slicing.

Notes

While Italian meringue is a little more time-consuming than regular meringue, it is still super easy to make and worth the extra effort. The sugar syrup cooks the egg whites, preventing the need for further cooking. And it also helps to stabilise the meringue and prevent weeping.
If you are short on time, make the pie crust and add the lemon filling the night before and store it in the fridge overnight. Then, top it with fresh meringue the following day when ready to serve.
For perfectly fluffy meringue, make sure you use clean, dry equipment and make sure there are no traces of egg yolk in the egg whites. Any residual egg yolk (even the tiniest drop!) or oils on your equipment can interfere with the egg whites and prevent them from forming perfectly stiff peaks. Separate the eggs one at a time and transfer each egg white to the clean mixer bowl to prevent contamination if a yolk breaks.
Use room temperature eggs. Room temperature egg whites whip more easily and hold more air than cold eggs. Separate your eggs, cover and allow them to reach room temperature before beating. To speed up the process, add whole eggs to a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
Use cold ingredients for the shortcrust pastry. Chilling the butter will help the crust to maintain its structure as it bakes. Cut it into cubes and keep it in the fridge or freezer until required. Keeping the butter cold means that it will melt when it enters the oven, rather than before. This creates super tender, flaky pastry.
Don’t skip the chilling times. Keeping everything cold is imperative to making flaky pastry. Use cold eggs yolks and butter and keep everything in the fridge until ready for use. The pastry is rested in the fridge between each stage to keep it cold and stop it from shrinking back in the oven.
The lemon filling should reach a thick, custard-like consistency before adding it to the pastry. When ready, the mixture will coat the back of a spoon and leave a line if you run your finger through it. It will continue to set in the fridge as it cools. After assembling the pie, allow the filling to cool completely for at least 2-3 hours in the fridge before cutting the pie.
Stop the meringue from shrinking back by spreading the meringue right up to (and touching) the pie crust. This way, the meringue holds onto the crust and won’t fall back.
For a stronger lemon flavour, add a little more lemon juice. Just be sure to reduce the amount of milk used in the filling to compensate.
Prefer mini lemon meringue pies? Easy! Follow the recipe card below, but cut and shape the rolled dough into cupcake trays, instead of one large pie tin. Reduce the blind baking time and then fill the mini tart cases with the lemon filling before adding the meringue.
For lemon meringue pie with biscuit base; don’t have time to make the pie crust? Use a store-bought pie case, or substitute the homemade pastry for an easy, no-bake biscuit base like this one here.
Use a tin with a removeable bottom for easiest removal of the finished pie. A flan/tart tin or springform tin will work best.
Blind bake the pastry crust before adding the lemon filling. The pastry needs to be cooked before the fillings are added.
Make ahead; the elements of this pie can be easily made ahead, ready to assemble later. The pie crust can be baked and filled with the lemon filling and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before adding the meringue (although it is best eaten in the first 1-2 days). When you are ready to serve, add the meringue topping, torch and slice!
Storage; Once the pie has cooled, place it into the fridge to set before serving. While the pie is best eaten within 1-2 days of being made, if you do have leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freezing; Both the baked pie crust and the lemon filling can be frozen for up to 3 months. I recommend making and adding fresh meringue on the day you want to serve it. To freeze, allow the pie to cool completely and add to an airtight container (or carefully wrap) and lay it flat in the freezer. To thaw, leave it in the fridge overnight. Top with freshly made meringue, torch, slice and serve!
Please note that the nutrition information is based on the pie being divided into 12 slices, with one slice being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the pie.
This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.

Nutrition