Homemade lemon meringue pie topped with billowy clouds of light, fluffy meringue that's lightly toasted. It's made with fresh lemons for the best sweet, citrus flavor.
Prep Time 25 minutesminutes
Cook Time 50 minutesminutes
Chill Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Total Time 2 hourshours45 minutesminutes
Servings 10
Ingredients
For the crust
1 ½cups(195g)all-purpose flour
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
¼teaspoonsalt
5tablespoonsunsalted butter, cold & cut into pieces
4tablespoonsvegetable shortening, cold & cut into pieces
5tablespoonsice water
For the filling
1 ½cups(300g)granulated sugar
5tablespoons(50g)cornstarch
¼teaspoonsalt
1 ½cups(360g)cold water
5egg yolks
½cup(120ml)fresh lemon juice
1tablespoonlemon zest
1tablespoonunsalted butter
For the meringue
1tablespoon(10g)cornstarch
¼cup(60ml)water
5egg whites, room temperature
½cup(100g)granulated sugar
½teaspoonvanilla extract
Instructions
Make the pie crust
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir with a whisk until well mixed.
Using a pastry cutter or two knives cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture just until lentil sized crumbs form. A few larger bits are perfectly okay.
Drizzle just enough ice water over the flour to moisten it. Toss the mixture together with a fork to combine. You will know you have enough liquid when you can squeeze the mixture and it holds together.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gently knead until the dough comes together. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
When ready to use, roll the dough into a circle that's about 4-inches larger than the diameter of your pie pan. Gently place it in the pie pan without stretching it.
Trim the edge so there's a 1-inch overhang over the sides of the pie pan. Fold the excess dough under so it sits up on the rim of the pan and flute as desired. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, adjust the oven rack to the lower-third position and preheat to 400°F.
Remove the crust from the refrigerator and line the shell with parchment paper. Make sure the parchment paper is large enough that it's easy to pick up by the ends once it's time to remove the pie weights.
Fill the lined shell with pie weights, uncooked rice, or dried beans. You won't be able to cook the rice and beans later but they can be saved and reused for future pies. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed in the shell and some are pressed up the sides.
Bake the crust for 15 minutes, until it starts to turn lightly golden. Carefully remove the pie weights and return the crust to the oven to continue baking for another 15 minutes, until golden brown and matte looking instead of shiny. If the edges of the crust begin to brown too much, cover with an aluminum ring or pie shield.
Set on a wire rack to cool completely before adding the filling.
Make the filling
In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and water. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until the mixture becomes thick and almost clear, about 3-5 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour about 1/2 cup of the filling into a small bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks to temper them then return the mixture back into the pot and whisk to combine. Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly until thick and smooth.
Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Remove the filling from the heat and stir in the butter until melted.
Fill the pie crust with the lemon filling.
Make the meringue
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Combine the cornstarch and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture becomes thick and almost clear, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a handheld electric mixer, whip the eggs whites at medium-high speed until foamy. Slowly add the sugar while continuing to mix until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the cornstarch mixture and continue to mix until the meringue is stiff and glossy, not dry or sponge-looking. Gently mix in the vanilla extract.
Mound the meringue over the filling, creating decorative patterns with the spatula. Be sure to spread the meringue to the edge of the crust so that all of the filling is covered.
Bake for 5-8 minutes, until the meringue is browned.
Set on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Lemon meringue pie is best enjoyed the day it is made. The filling and meringue texture won't the be same after day one.
Notes
Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice will offer the best flavor.
Lemon zest: Avoid the pith, the white part under the yellow skin, when zesting. It can cause the filling to taste bitter.
Meringue: The meringue can be made without the cornstarch gel but I don't recommend it. The gel helps to prevent the meringue from weeping and shrinking.