This lemon meringue pie is easy, tart and delicious! The recipe can be be completely made from scratch, AND I've included a few shortcuts if you are looking for convenience!
This may sound a little obvious, but I absolutely adore lemons. They are such a versatile fruit and can be both incredibly medicinal as well as the ultimate flavor boost to enhance otherwise B O R I N G recipes.
what are the health benefits of lemons?
We live a semi-crunchy holistic-ish lifestyle, and the foods we eat play a big role! Here are a few cool ways that lemons may help help support our bodies!
lemons are:
- Lemons are packed full of vitamin C. Just one lemon provides 51% of the recommended daily intake. Research shows that veggies and fruits high in vitamin C reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
- The extracts in lemons and other citrus fruits may promote weight loss and metabolism support.
- Just ½ cup of lemon juice a day may increase urine pH and volume, thus resulting in an unfavorable environment for kidney stones. Yes, that's right, citric acid has been shown to prevent kidney stones!
- Because lemons are high in citric acid and vitamin C, they may be protective against anemia by ensuring that you absorb as much iron as possible from your diet.
- Limonene and Naringenin, which are both compounds found in lemons, have been studied and show promising results in having anti-cancer effects.
- Eating the pulp of the lemon helps to improve digestive health and is high in fiber.
is lemon meringue pie healthy?
Um, probably not. However, I have always considered baking to be incredibly therapeutic... so maybe we can sneak this into the categories of mental health or self care? I'm just throwing it out there.
A few quick tips before you begin
First, set your eggs out thirty minutes before you are ready to start baking. Room temperature eggs are going to help keep your lemon pudding from curdling. If you are in a hurry, simply place your eggs in a cup of warm water for five minutes.
I also take a moment to chop my butter for the pie crust into small pieces and pop it into the freezer. When I make pie crusts, I cheat and use my blender. If you have a vitamix or food processer, I encourage you to try mixing your pie crust in it. My grandma would be appalled, but it is the secret to my pie crusts being lighter. Shhh. Let's keep this just between us.
Meringues can be fussy, so I always make sure that my mixing bowl and whisk are spotlessly clean before I start mixing. If there is even a tiny bit of egg yoke in the egg whites or possibly some residual butter in the bowl, the meringue will be weepy or flat.
Ready to bake? Let's do it!
Easy Lemon Meringue Pie
Equipment
- stand mixer & whisk attachment
- measuring cups & spoons
- saucepan
- whisk
- pie pan, I prefer glass or ceramic
Ingredients
- 1 recipe for simple pie crust or pre-made pie crust
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ C sugar
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon corns starch
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1-2 tablespoon lemon zest
- ⅓ C lemon juice
- 1 ½ C water
- 1 recipe for meringue or boxed lemon pudding mix
Simple Pie Crust
- 1 ¼ C all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ C butter, chopped and chilled in freezer
- 4-5 tablespoon cold water
Basic Meringue
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 6 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Make the pie crust (or prep store bought crust)
- In a vitamix or food processor (or traditional bowl and pastry cutter), combine flour and salt. Add in butter and pulse until the mixture looks like crumbly pea-sized pieces. Begin adding the cold water one tablespoon at a time. Form the pastry into a ball and roll into a 12 inch circle. Place the pastry into a pie pan and crimp the edges as desired, make sure to have the crust overlap the top rim of the pan to prevent the crust from sliding down during baking. Poke the crust several times with a fork to allow air to escape and bake at 450° for eight minutes. If you are using a store bought crust, poke the crust and bake as directed for a pre-baked pie crust.
Make the filling (from scratch or boxed lemon pudding)
- Separate the yolks from the whites. Set aside yokes for filling and whites for meringue.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. For filling, in a medium saucepan combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and a dash of salt. Gradually stir in water. Cook while continuously stirring over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbles are forming and popping. Reduce heat and stir and cook for two more minutes. Remove from heat. Temper egg yolks by first beating with a fork and then slowly adding spoonfuls of hot mixture into the eggs while stirring. Return to a gentle low boil and cook while stirring for an additional two minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter and lemon peel. Gently stir in lemon juice.
- Keep the filling warm and make the meringue.
Make the Meringue
- Allow the egg whites to stand to room temperature. In a spotlessly clean stand mixer, combine egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar. Beat on medium speed for about a minute or until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add sugar while constantly whisking. Beat on a high speed for about four minutes, until the mixture forms glossy peaks that stand when formed and then gently fold over . Rub a small amount between your fingers and you shouldn't feel the sugar granules.
- Pour the warm filling into the baked pie crust. Immediately spread the meringue over the pie filling, sealing the edges of the pastry with meringue. This will prevent shrinking. Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for one hour, then chill uncovered in the refrigerator for three hours.
Are you ready to make your own lemon meringue pie? If you do, please share it with me on instagram @ninnescah_made so I can drool over it! If you are feeling inspired and want to try another sweet dessert, check out my sweet cream cookies. The recipe is from my great grandma and is always delicious!
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