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Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon meringue pie with a smooth, sour lemon curd in a flaky pie crust is a classic American pie. In fact, it’s so beloved that it has practically pushed every other citrus meringue pie off the table. Ever heard of an orange meringue pie? Grapefruit meringue pie? Lime meringue pie? They exist, but none of them have ever rivaled the popularity of lemon meringue pie. Like many pies I’ll feature on this blog, lemon meringue pie is, in fact, more American than apple pie. Today, I’m sharing my go-to lemon meringue pie recipe so you can make this timeless dessert at home.
What is Lemon Meringue Pie?
Lemon meringue pie is one of those desserts that everyone seems to know. Unlike regional specialties such as possum pie (yes, that’s a real pie from Arkansas – and no, it doesn’t contain actual possums), lemon meringue pie is universal. Wherever you go in the US, it’s instantly recognizable.
Part of what makes lemon meringue pie so iconic is its consistency. While other pies can vary widely, like “sunshine pie” which can be a custard, ice cream, or even Jell-O pie depending on the recipe, lemon meringue pie is almost always the same: a buttery pastry crust filled with a tart lemon curd, and topped with a fluffy meringue.
Over the years, lemon meringue pie has gone by different names. In many 19th century cookbooks, pies that we’d call “lemon meringue pie” are listed as “lemon cream pie”.
The History of Lemon Meringue Pie
The history of lemon meringue pie is surprisingly well-documented thanks to a few talented women in culinary history. Lemon curd itself dates back to the Quakers in 18th-century England, who later brought the recipe to America. But in Victorian times, lemon curd was considered an expensive luxury! It requires several egg yolks and leaves the egg whites unused, a costly waste at the time.
Enter Mrs. Elizabeth Goodfellow of Philadelphia, widely credited as the inventor of lemon meringue pie. Mrs. Goodfellow, who was running America’s first cooking school, found a solution to this problem: she whipped the leftover egg whites into a meringue and used it to top her lemon pies. While she wasn’t the first to put meringue on a dessert, she is thought to be the first person to popularize topping pies with meringue. Today, meringue pies are an entire category of desserts unto themselves.
However, while Mrs. Goodfellow can be credited with the creation of lemon meringue pie, she was not the one that made the dessert famous. That credit goes to one of her students, Eliza Leslie. In 1847, Leslie published the first known lemon meringue pie recipe (then called “lemon cream pie”) in her cookbook The Lady’s Receipt-Book: A Useful Companion for Large or Small Families. After that, lemon meringue pie (or rather lemon cream pie at the time) began appearing in cookbooks nationwide, cementing its place as an American classic.
There is some debate among food historians about who truly invented the lemon meringue pie. Some sources point to Emile Campbell-Brown of England, while others point to a Victorian dessert called “chester pudding,” which was made of lemon curd in a shortbread crust topped with meringue. But the evidence just doesn’t line up: Campbell-Brown’s supposed creation dates back to 1875, decades after Eliza Leslie published her cookbook in 1847. And the first recipe for chester pudding that I can find is in The English cookery book, receipts collected by a committee of ladies, and ed. By J.H. Walsh published in 1859 – also after 1847.
With that timeline in mind, Elizabeth Goodfellow of Philadelphia remains the most well-documented and likely creator of the lemon meringue pie we know and love today. For anyone interested in a deeper dive of Mrs. Goodfellow and America’s first cooking school, there’s a wonderfully researched book written by Becky Diamond titled Mrs. Goodfellow: The Story of America’s First Cooking School.
How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie: Step-by-Step Instructions
Crust
A fully blind-baked, flaky all-butter pie crust is the classic choice for a meringue pie. That said, this homemade lemon curd recipe will set up nicely in just about any kind of pie crust. If you prefer, you can make lemon meringue pie with a crumb crust, like graham cracker crust, instead of a pastry crust.
Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe
This lemon meringue pie filling is a stovetop lemon curd that requires time to cool (usually about 3 hours) before topping with meringue.
Ingredients
- 1c lemon juice (236mL)
- 1c water (236mL)
- 1¼c sugar (250g)
- ¼t salt
- 1T lemon zest (6g)
- 6 egg yolks
- ⅓c cornstarch (40g)
- 3½T butter cut into cubes (50g)
1.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan (1.5qt is ideal), combine the lemon juice, water, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Place over low heat.
2.
While the mixture warms, whisk together your egg yolks and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Make sure the bowl is large enough to hold the yolks, cornstarch, and eventually the hot liquid from step 1.
3.
Increase the heat on the saucepan to medium and bring the mixture to a boil.
4.
Once boiling, temper the yolks: slowly stream the hot liquid into the yolk mixture while whisking vigorously. (This prevents scrambled eggs in your lemon curd!)
Pro Tip: Place a damp kitchen towel under your bowl to prevent it from sliding or spinning as you whisk.
5.
Return the tempered mixture to the saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching. The mixture will begin to thicken. As soon as it begins to boil, whisk vigorously for 60 seconds, then remove from heat.
6.
Strain the lemon curd through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps or bits of cooked egg.
7.
Whisk in the butter until fully melted and smooth.
8.
Pour into the baked pie shell. For a smooth surface, gently jiggle the pie as you pour.
9.
Chill for about 3 hours, until set.
Meringue Pie Topping Recipe
No lemon meringue pie recipe is complete without its signature fluffy meringue top. You can use 3-4 of the egg whites left over from the filling. Three whites will cover the pie, while four will give you extra volume to decorate with. For a deep dive into the science and history behind meringue along with a detailed guide on how to make meringue, see my post on meringue.
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- ¾ cup sugar (150g)
- ¼t cream of tartar (optional)
Note: Adding ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar helps stabilize the meringue even further. Swiss meringue is already quite stable on its own, so this ingredient is optional and you can still achieve excellent results without it.
1.
Set up a double boiler by filling a pot with 1 to 2 inches of water and placing a heatproof bowl on top. The bowl should be slightly larger than the pot, with its bottom hovering just above the water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat.
2.
In the heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and optional cream of tartar. Keep the bowl over the double boiler and whisk gently until the mixture reaches 160°F (71°C), using a candy thermometer to check the temperature.
3.
Immediately transfer the mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
4.
Spread the meringue evenly over the chilled grapefruit curd, making sure to seal the edges where the meringue meets the crust.
5.
Toast the meringue:
a.
Torch Method (recommended): Use a kitchen torch to brown the peaks of the meringue quickly and evenly.
b.
Broiler Method: Place the pie under the broiler, watching carefully, until the meringue begins to turn a golden brown (3-5 minutes).
c.
Baking Method: Bake the pie at 350°F for 10–15 minutes, until the meringue begins to brown.
Why Should You Use Lemon Zest in Homemade Lemon Curd
The zest is where the essential oils of citrus live and gives citrus fruits their distinctive aromas. Juice adds tartness, but the zest adds in that “lemon” flavor that makes this lemon meringue pie recipe really shine. To get the full flavor from the zest, it needs to be heated, which is why I add the zest in early and strain it out at the end.
Tempering Eggs: Making Foolproof Curds, Puddings, and Pastry Creams
Tempering eggs is one of the most important techniques in custard-style desserts like curds, puddings, and pastry creams. These recipes all rely on gentle, even cooking to turn eggs into a smooth, thickened filling instead of a lumpy, overcooked one. Tempering is the step that keeps everything silky and stable, preventing your mixture from turning into grapefruit scrambled eggs along the way (unless that’s your thing – no judgment). For a full breakdown on the science and methods for tempering eggs, see this post here.
What is Meringue?
Meringue is simply egg whites whipped with sugar. When egg whites are whipped long enough, they form a stable foam that can be piped, spread, or folded into desserts to add lightness, such as mousse and chiffon pies.
Although egg whites can be whipped into a foam on their own, without sugar they will not develop meringue’s characteristic glossy appearance, and the foam will be far less stable. When piped and baked on its own, meringue is a dessert in its own right. It is also the primary component of the cookie shells used to make macarons.
To learn about the different types of meringue, how to keep meringue stable, troubleshooting meringue, the history of meringue, or how to top pies with meringue, see my guide to meringue topping for pies here.
Other Meringue Pie Recipes
Meringue pies are quite a large and popular category of pies. Lemon meringue pie is probably the most recognizable of all meringue pies, but there are many other delicious meringue pies worth trying.
- Grapefruit Meringue Pie: Like lemon meringue pie, but with a homemade grapefruit curd filling. This unusual pie has a more floral flavor than lemon meringue pie.
- Chocolate Meringue Pie: An old-fashioned pie and the predecessor of a modern chocolate cream pie. Back before home refrigeration became commonplace and cream was still expensive, cream pies were typically topped with a toasted meringue.
- Canadian Flapper Pie: A nearly forgotten Canadian recipe from the early 1900s, flapper pie is a simple vanilla custard filling set inside a graham cracker crust and topped with a toasted meringue.
- Irish Apple Amber: A traditional Irish pie filled with a smooth, applesauce-style custard filling and topped with a toasted meringue.
- Fruit Pies with Meringue Toppings: Most baked fruit pies can actually be made as a meringue-topped pie. Instead of finishing the pie with a top crust or a crumb topping, the baked fruit filling gets topped with a fluffy, toasted meringue. It’s a classic and old-fashioned way to finish a fruit pie that fell out of fashion but is absolutely worth reviving.
Additionally, there are many other pies where it is popular to top the pie with a toasted meringue topping although they aren’t necessarily always topped with meringue. These pies include:
- Pumpkin Pie: Pumpkin pie is one of the most well known and popular pies in the US. There are many variations with all sorts of toppings: praline, crumble, pie crust cutouts, whipped cream, and, yes, toasted meringue.
- Key Lime Pie: Key lime pie is customarily topped with either whipped cream or a toasted meringue.
- Sweet Potato Pie: Just like pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie can also be topped with a number of different toppings including whipped cream, toasted marshmallow fluff, and toasted meringue.
How to Store Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon meringue pie needs to be chilled for at least 3 hours before serving to give the lemon curd time to fully set. Fruit curds are best served cold, so plan to keep the pie in the refrigerator right up until you’re ready to slice it.
Although the lemon curd will last for many days, the meringue topping doesn’t keep very well even though we do our best to stabilize it. If you need to make this lemon meringue pie in advance, wait to top the pie with meringue until the day that you serve the pie. The lemon curd and pie crust will last for up to five days in the refrigerator, but the meringue topping will begin to weep after even just one day. To store the untopped lemon meringue pie, wrap the pie in plastic wrap and store in your refrigerator.
We’d love to see your lemon meringue pie creations! If you give this recipe a try, tag @doggone_baking on social media so we can share in the baking fun.
Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients
Crust
Lemon Curd
- 1 cup Lemon Juice (236mL)
- 1 cup Water (236mL)
- 1.25 cup Granulated Sugar (250g)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest (6g)
- 6 Egg Yolks
- 1/3 cup Cornstarch (40g)
- 3.5 tbsp Unsalted Butter (cubed) (50g)
Meringue Topping
- 3-4 Egg Whites
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar (150g)
Instructions
Prepare Your Pie Crust
- Before beginning to make this pie, prepare a fully-baked pie shell. Instructions can be found here.
Make the Lemon Curd
- In a 1.5qt saucepan, combine the lemon juice, water, sugar, salt, and lemon zest.
- Whisk together egg yolks and cornstarch in a mixing bowl large enough to fit the liquid from step 1.
- Bring the lemon juice mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- As soon as your lemon juice mixture reaches a boil, slowly pour the mixture into the egg yolks while whisking vigorously.
- Once the yolks and liquid are fully incorporated, return the mixture to the saucepan on medium-low heat.
- Whisk slowly and continuously, scraping the bottom of the saucepan, until it comes to a boil.
- Once the mixture begins to bubble, whisk vigorously for 1 minute before removing from heat.
- Whisk the cubed butter into the lemon curd until it is fully melted and incorporated.
- Strain the lemon curd through a fine-mesh strainer into a mixing bowl to strain out any chunks.
- Pour the lemon curd filling into your fully baked pie crust and refrigerate until set. (~3 hours)
Make the meringue topping
- On a double boiler using a candy thermometer, whisk the egg whites and granulated sugar together until the mixture reaches 145-160℉.
- Transfer to a stand mixer and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Assemble the lemon meringue pie
- Remove your pie from the refrigerator.
- Spread the meringue over the pie.
- Using a kitchen torch, brown the meringue until it is a golden brown. Alternatively, bake the pie at 350℉ or put the pie under a broiler until the meringue becomes a golden brown color.
- Serve and enjoy!
About Me
In 2016, I left my office job and became a professional baker. These days I spend my days testing recipes and baking pies while my two dogs snooze happily nearby.
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5 responses to “Classic Lemon Meringue Pie”
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Loved the recipe, and the pictures and tips were very helpful! -
One of my favorite desserts! And your recipe was SO delicious!!! -
This lemon meringue pie was amazing! Just the right balance of sweet and tangy. -
this lemon meringue pie is the best dessert! -
Classic lemon meringue pie — tangy lemon filling with fluffy, golden meringue topping!
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