Classic Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

Name: Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Prep time: 6 h
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 7 h 10 min
Yield: 1 9-inch pie
Ingredients: Homemade Pie Crust*; 5 large egg yolks (use the whites in the meringue below); 1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) water; 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar; 1/3 cup (38g) cornstarch; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup (120ml) fresh lemon juice; 1 Tablespoon lemon zest; 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; 5 large egg whites; 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar; 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar; 1/8 teaspoon salt

Ingredients

Homemade Pie Crust*
5 large egg yolks (use the whites in the meringue below)
1 and 1/3 cups (320ml) water
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (38g) cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (120ml) fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
5 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

	PREP TIME 6h	COOK TIME 1h10m	TOTAL TIME 7h10m
YIELD 1 9-inch pie

Instructions

Pie crust: I like to make sure my pie dough is prepared before I begin making lemon meringue pie. I always make pie dough the night before because it needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before rolling out and blind baking (next step).
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Partially blind bake your pie crust. (Follow blind baking instructions through step 9.) Tip: You can get started on the lemon meringue pie filling steps while your crust is blind baking. But making the filling is time sensitive because you will temper the egg yolks, so if multi-tasking isn't your thing, just wait until your crust is done blind baking before beginning the filling.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).
Watch the video above to see how I work through each of the following steps.
Make the filling: Whisk the egg yolks together in a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set aside. Whisk the water, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. The mixture will be thin and cloudy, then eventually begin thickening and bubbling after about 6 minutes. Once thickened, give it a whisk and reduce heat to low.
Temper the egg yolks: Very slowly stream a few large spoonfuls of warm lemon mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Then, also in a very slow stream, whisk the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan. Turn heat back up to medium. Cook until the mixture is thick and big bubbles begin bursting at the surface. See my video above as an example. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the butter. Spread filling into the warm partially baked crust. Set aside as you prepare the meringue. (Don't let the filling cool down too much as you want a warm filling when you top with the meringue in step 7. The warm filling helps seal the two layers together, preventing separation.)
Make the meringue: With a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together on high speed until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and salt, then continue beating on high speed until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2 more minutes. Spread meringue on top of filling. (I like to make decorative peaks with the back of a large spoon. See video above.) Make sure you spread the meringue all the way to the edges so that it touches the crust. This helps prevent the meringue from weeping.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the meringue is browned on top. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour before placing in the refrigerator to chill. Chill for 4 hours before slicing and serving.
Cover any leftovers and store in the refrigerator. Lemon meringue pie tastes best on day 1 because it doesn't keep very well. No matter how hard you try to prevent it, the meringue will wilt and separate over time. Best to enjoy right away.