Classic Lemon Meringue Pie

Sharing is caring!

This Classic Lemon Meringue Pie has layers of pie crust, a light lemon curd, and perfect meringue on top. Great for holidays, birthdays, or anytime you feel like baking a classic dessert.

I used to despise making this Classic Lemon Meringue Pie…but now that it is Mike’s birthday request, I have gotten better at it. Not only is it his favorite it is also my dad’s and father in law’s favorite dessert, so needless to say I have made it quite a few times in the last few years. NOW I can whip this bad boy up in about 25 minutes. (shhhh..don’t tell them that ☺)

I remember the 1st time attempting this Classic Lemon Meringue Pie pie when I was about 12 with my cousin for my dad- the meringue wouldn’t get fluffy. Fast forward to when Mike and I got married, we attempted it again..2 cartons of eggs later..same issue. Now I can do it without any issues! Very exciting stuff. So let me walk you through making this simple pie so you can have perfect results every time, too.

What you need for the Lemon Meringue Pie

• Pie Crust
• Lemons
• Sugar
• Flour
• Cornstarch
• Butter
• Eggs
• Salt

Watch the video for this lemon meringue pie below!

How to make this Lemon Meringue Pie from scratch

I used a store bought pie crust because we have been super busy lately, so that really saved some time. So bake the crust according to the directions, then while that is baking move on to the next steps.

For the Filling:

For the filling-combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt in a sauce pan. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and water to the pan.

Cook over medium heat until the mixture slowly starts to boil and thicken. Then stir in the butter until it melts. Temper the eggs yolks by adding a little of the hot mixture to the eggs in a separate bowl, than stir back into the hot mixture.

Let cook a little longer until thickened. Then pour mixture into baked crust.

How to make meringue

For the meringue- using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form (this takes a few minutes). Then slowly add sugar to taste. Pour meringue over the filling and seal the edges. Using a spoon, swirl to create texture. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes until the meringue tips are golden brown.

Some tips for whipping the meringue

• use a mixer instead of trying to whip it by hand.
• Make sure your bowl is clean.
• Make sure there isn’t any yolk in the egg whites.
• give it a few minutes before you give up. LOL

Can you freeze a lemon meringue pie?

Yes! With the right precautions and steps you can freeze a lemon meringue pie. Just in case you want to make two and freeze one for later…I get it! Just make sure you follow a few rules. Note: The consistency/texture may change a bit after freezing the pie.

Tips for Freezing a Lemon Meringue Pie

• Make sure to bake the pie in an aluminum pan or freezer proof dish.
• You will want to let the pie COOL COMPLETELY before freezing.
• You want to make sure the pie is wrapped and sealed. You could purchase some pie boxes and wrap those tightly.
• When ready to defrost, place the frozen pie in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
• If you are concerned about the meringue you could freeze the pie without the meringue and make a fresh batch before serving.

Make Sure to PIN IT!

Lemon Meringue Pie

This lemon pie is a classic and easy to make. All lemon lovers will enjoy this pie!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 9 servings

Equipment

• Mixer

Ingredients

  

• 1 pie crust
• 2 lemons zest & juice
• 1 cup sugar + 4 tbsp for meringue
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 eggs yolks & whites separated

Instructions

 

• Bake crust at 350 according to package.
• Zest and juice 2 lemons.
• Combine zest juice, sugar, cornstarch, flour, water and salt in saucepan.
• Cook over medium until slow boil and thickened.
• Stir in butter.
• In a separate bowl, gently beat egg yolks and add a couple tablespoons of the hot mixture to the eggs to temper it. Then add eggs back into the sauce pan.
• Cook a few more minutes until thickened.
• Pour into baked crust.
• In electric mixer, whip the eggs whites for a few minutes until foamy, then until stiff peaks form.
• Slowly add 4 tablespoons of sugar to the meringue.
• Pour the meringue over pie filling, sealing edges.
• Use a spoon to make swirls and and folds in the meringue.
• Bake a few minutes longer to brown meringue.

Video

Keyword lemon, lemon meringue pie, pie

Let me know how you like this Classic Lemon Meringue Pie and check out some of our favorite desserts like My Pumpkin Pecan Pan Parfait or Lemon Freeze Pie

PIN It!

**this post was updated with new photos 10/28/21