Mom’s Lemon Meringue Pie – Oh Sweet Basil

Learn how to make a classic lemon meringue pie just like Mom used to make! With a flaky crust, tart lemon filling, and fluffy meringue topping, this dessert is sure to become a family favorite. Plus, watch our step-by-step tutorial to ensure perfect results every time.

My mom was famous for her Lemon Meringue Pie growing up. In fact, she still is!  It was often requested for parties or sick visits. (Really, I remember people asking my mom to bring this pie instead of chicken noodle soup when they were sick!)  I often forget how good it is until I make it-then I just can’t stop eating it!

This recipe starts with a flakey homemade pie crust that is filled with smooth and creamy lemon filling and topped with toasted meringue. It is totally irresistible!

Our kids especially love the meringue. No matter how many times I make it with them and they watch the entire process they are convinced it’s marshmallow. I guess it is in a way, but it’s definitely meringue. I love that they are so adamant. “Dad, mom made Grandma’s pie with the marshmallows!” We are starting to not correct them at all as they are pretty darn sure that they are right and nothing is going to convince them otherwise.

Lemon was something I really struggled with as a kid. I just couldn’t stand that tart flavor at all unless it was a lemon head candy. Do those even still exist? Anyway, It’s interesting how our taste buds change as we grow up. A lot of the foods I didn’t like as a child aren’t ones that I just enjoy now but actually are my absolute favorite.

I have gobs of recipes with lemon like, Panko Crusted Chicken with Lemon Cream Sauce , Lemon Roasted Broccoli, Lemon Raspberry Bars, Lemon Curd, and Lemon Raspberry Donuts. I didn’t even get into the salads, cupcakes, etc!

What Ingredients Do You Need for Lemon Meringue Pie?

I’m going to break up the ingredients list into two sections – filling and meringue. The ingredients are simple, but when combined…look out! Perfectly tart filling with the slightly sweet meringue, pie heaven!

For the Filling

• Sugar
• Cornstarch
• Salt
• Water
• Lemon Zest
• Lemon Juice
• Egg Yolks
• Unsalted Butter

For the Meringue

• Large Egg Whites (room temperature)
• Salt
• Cream of Tarter
• Sugar

The measurements for each ingredients can be found in the recipe card below.

Should Egg Whites Be Room Temperature For Meringue?

PRO TIP: Separate the eggs while the eggs are cold. They separate much easier when they come straight out of the fridge.

Bring egg whites to room temperature to ensure volume when beating.

Warmer eggs whip faster than cold eggs.

Egg whites right out of the refrigerator will not whip well.

How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie

Be sure you have a pre-baked pie crust (Mom’s Magic Pie Crust or My Favorite Pie Crust) ready to add the filling to. Now I’m going to walk you through each step of making the filling and meringue for the best lemon meringue pie recipe ever!

For the Filling

1. Combine the cornstarch, salt and sugar in a large sauce pan, and then add the water stirring until smooth.
2. Cook over medium heat, constantly stirring, until it is thick and clear.
3. Remove it from the heat.
4. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
5. Put it back on the heat and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Take a small amount of the hot liquid and whisk it with the egg yolks in a small bowl. This tempers the eggs so that they don’t curdle when they are added to the rest of the mixture.
7. Add the tempered eggs back to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
8. Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter.
9. Meanwhile, be preparing the meringue.

For the Meringue and Assembly

1. Be sure the egg whites are at room temperature. Combine them with the salt and cream of tarter and whisk them on high speed in the bowl a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
2. Continue beating and gradually adding the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
3. Pour the lemon filling into a baked pie shell.
4. Spread the meringue on top of the cooled pie filling. Make sure to spread the meringue all the way to the crust and up a little on all sides. This helps seal the meringue so it doesn’t shrink. I start by making a donut with the meringue by spreading it first around the outer edges and then piling into the center.
5. Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to create peaks.
6. Bake the pie at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until the top is golden brown down in the valleys of the meringue.
7. Serve either at room temperature or chilled.

Watch How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie

How to Avoid a Soggy Pie Crust

The best ways to avoid a soggy pie crust are to blind bake with both a docking and weights method followed by an egg wash and further baking.

1. Use a glass pie plate which conducts heat the best out of all pie dishes. Next up? Ceramic is great as well.
2. Chill the dough in the pie plate after forming it and before baking.
3. Dock your crust by poking about 10 times on the crust bottom and sides with a fork.
4. Place aluminum foil or parchment paper in the crust and add weights equal to the lip of the pie or at least halfway up.
5. If you’re really struggling with a less than flaky crust, pop a cookie sheet in the oven to preheat and place the pie plate on that. The bottom heat will help to keep the crust flaky.
6. Start at 425 degrees F but if it’s browning too quickly be prepared to reduce the temperature to 375 after 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Egg wash! After the initial bake of the crust, after pulling out the weights and before it goes back in the oven to finish, simply brush the base of the crust lightly with an egg wash (1 egg white and a little water or 1 egg yolk and about 2 teaspoons heavy cream whisked together. Yolks brown more fyi) and then return the pie to the oven just to set the egg, 1-2 minutes.

Why is My Lemon Meringue Pie Watery? 

1. You have most likely overworked your lemon filling. The cornstarch is essential for a good bind in the filling but overworking it actually weakens the filling and allows more separation and weeping to occur. To avoid this, cook the filling twice- cornstarch is cooked with the sugar and lemon juice until thickened slightly, then the eggs are added and the whole filling is cooked again until very thick.
2. The second reason is that the filling is cooling so the steam is no longer present when you add the meringue. The filling should be piping hot, fresh from the saucepan, when you pour it into the shell and add the meringue. Hot filling brings steam which will travel up through the egg whites and cook the meringue from the bottom as well as in the oven. If the filling has cooled, the filling will heat up and the steam will get trapped between the filling and meringue, creating a watery layer that causes the top AND filling to separate.

What Makes Meringue Shrink?

1. High humidity and over baking meringue will cause meringue to shrink. Weather actually matters with meringue. Avoid making meringue on humid days. The sugar in the egg-white mixture takes on moisture from the air, making it soft difficult to get thick, stiff peaks. This can also cause meringues to weep.
2. Meringue should be sealed tightly against the pie crust to help keep the meringue from shrinking. To achieve this, place the meringue first in a donut around the pie crust, pushing it against the edges. Next, add more meringue to fill in the rest of the pie and then switch to a spoon which is smaller and will not pull at the meringue as much in order to make peaks.
3. Make sure that you only have egg whites and not a drop of yolk. Even a little yolk will ruin your meringue.
4. Make sure your bowl is completely clean, no oil, no water or condensation allowed.

Can Lemon Meringue Pie Be Made Ahead of Time?

Yes and no- it can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge, but it will begin weeping. For this reason we practically demand that a lemon meringue pie always be made the day of consumption.

How to Make a Lemon Meringue Pie Ahead of Time

1. Prepare and bake your pie crust ahead of time, covering in plastic wrap on the counter.
2. If you MUST make the filling ahead, store it in the fridge and then reheat very gently and pour into the pie crust and immediately top with meringue. We greatly encourage you to just make it the day you bake the pie but understand sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

How to Store Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie should be stored in the refrigerator and will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

You’re about to be the person that everyone is calling for their lemon meringue pie cravings! This pie is as good as pies come, and I am a self-proclaimed pie expert! It is sweet, tart, tangy, rich, decadent, and everything you’ll ever want in a lemon meringue pie recipe!

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