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A homemade slice of lemon meringue pie with golden toasted meringue, bright yellow lemon curd, and flaky crust, served on a white plate with a mint garnish and fresh lemons in the background.

lemon Meringue Pie

5 from 1 vote
This professional-grade Lemon Meringue Pie has been perfected over decades through restaurant experience, teaching pastry techniques, and family traditions. With silky lemon curd and a towering, stable meringue.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Pre-baked pie crust - Blind-baked until golden
  • 1 ¼ cups Granulated sugar - Divided
  • ¼ cup Cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt - Fine
  • 1 ½ cups Water - Cold
  • ½ cup Lemon juice - Freshly squeezed
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon zest - Fresh
  • 4 Egg yolks - Room temperature
  • 2 tablespoon Unsalted butter - Cut into small pieces
  • 4 Egg whites - Room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon Cream of tartar - For meringue stabilization
  • 1 teaspoon Cornstarch - Optional – grandma’s meringue trick
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract - Split between filling and meringue

Equipment

  • Stand mixer (With whisk attachment)
  • Saucepan (Heavy-bottomed)
  • Digital thermometer (Optional, for precise meringue temp)
  • Fine-mesh strainer (For silky custard)
  • Pie pan (9-inch)
  • Offset spatula (For smoothing meringue)

Method
 

  1. Whisk egg yolks with sugar, heat lemon mixture, temper yolks, strain filling.
    Whisking lemon pie filling in a glass bowl with a wooden-handled whisk on a light countertop.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  3. Pour filling into crust, cover, and let cool to coffee-warm temperature.
    A homemade lemon pie in a crimped crust filled with glossy yellow custard, set in a foil pie pan on a marble surface.
  4. Beat egg whites, add sugar gradually, fold in cornstarch and vanilla.
    Whipped meringue with stiff glossy peaks in a glass bowl on a marble counter, attached to a stand mixer whisk.
  5. Spread meringue on filling, seal edges, and create decorative peaks.
    Homemade lemon meringue pie with golden toasted peaks, cooling on a wire rack over marble.
  6. Bake pie until meringue is golden; cool and refrigerate before serving.

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes