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Lemon Cream Pie with Meringue

A fully baked crust, a bright lemon cream filling and a cloud of toasted meringue. Pile the meringue onto the warm filling and seal it to the crust edge so it does not weep.

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Lemon Cream Pie with Meringue

What it's made of

CrustBlind-Baked Pie Crust FillingLemon Cream Pie Filling TopClassic Meringue
Makes 8 servings Active 1 hr 52 minChill or rest 4 hr 0 minParts 3
Contains milk, wheat, egg (check labels)

Each part is a full recipe as written; the Dessert Builder scales them to fit this pie and merges the shopping list. Open it with the button above to adjust servings or swap any part.

Ingredients

Blind-Baked Pie CrustCrust · makes 8 slices

  • 1.25 cupsall-purpose flour (160.0 g)
  • 1.0 tbspgranulated sugar (12.0 g)
  • 0.5 tspfine sea salt (3.0 g)
  • 0.5 cupcold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (113.0 g)
  • 4.0 tbspice water, as needed (60.0 ml)
  • 1.0 tsppure vanilla extract (5.0 ml)

Lemon Cream Pie FillingFilling · makes 8 servings

  • 2.0 cupswhole milk (480.0 ml)
  • 1.0 cupheavy cream (240.0 ml)
  • 0.333 cupfresh lemon juice, fresh (80.0 ml)
  • 1.0 tbsplemon zest, finely grated
  • 2.0 tspVanillaGoods pure vanilla extract (10.0 ml)
  • 5.0 large egg yolks (90.0 g)
  • 0.667 cupgranulated sugar (133.0 g)
  • 0.333 cupcornstarch (43.0 g)
  • 0.25 tspfine sea salt
  • 2.0 tbspunsalted butter, cut into pieces (28.0 g)
  • 1.0 fully baked 9-inch pie crust, cooled

Classic MeringueTop · makes 8 servings

  • 4.0 large egg whites, at room temperature (132.0 g)
  • 0.75 cupgranulated sugar (150.0 g)
  • 0.25 tspcream of tartar (1.2 ml)
  • 1.0 tspVanillaGoods pure vanilla extract (5.0 ml)

Method

1. Blind-Baked Pie Crustfull recipe

  1. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a wide bowl. Add the cold fat and cut it in with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of peas, with some smaller flakes.
  2. Stir the vanilla into the ice water. Sprinkle most of it over the flour and toss with a fork until the dough holds together when squeezed; add the rest a teaspoon at a time only if it stays dry.
  3. Press the dough into a disk, wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour so the flour hydrates and the fat firms.
  4. Roll on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle, turning it a quarter turn after every pass. Fit it into a 9-inch pie plate without stretching, fold the overhang under and crimp the edge.
  5. Chill the shaped crust 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line the crust with parchment and fill it to the rim with pie weights or dried beans.
  6. Bake 20 minutes, lift out the parchment and weights, prick the bottom with a fork and bake 8 to 10 minutes more until the bottom is dry and lightly golden. Cool completely before filling.

2. Lemon Cream Pie Fillingfull recipe

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and cream with the lemon zest over medium heat until steaming, about 5 minutes.
  2. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt until smooth.
  3. Slowly whisk about half of the hot milk mixture into the yolks, then whisk everything back into the saucepan.
  4. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the filling is very thick and bubbles steadily. Keep whisking for 1 minute more so it sets firmly and reaches at least 160°F.
  5. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve if you see any lumps.
  6. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top.
  7. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until cold and firm enough to slice, at least 4 hours or overnight.

3. Classic Meringuefull recipe

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Have the pie filling hot, or freshly made, in its baked crust.
  2. Whisk the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 160°F, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer to a mixer and whip on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and the bowl feels cool, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla.
  4. Spread over the filling, sealing it to the crust all the way around so it doesn't shrink, and swirl into peaks.
  5. Bake until the peaks are golden, 10 to 12 minutes, or brown with a kitchen torch. Cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate.

4. Put it together

  1. Make the Blind-Baked Pie Crust and chill it in the pie plate while you make the filling.
  2. Make the Lemon Cream Pie Filling.
  3. Fill the crust, add the Classic Meringue, and bake as the filling directs; cover the crust edge with foil if it browns too fast.
  4. Cool on a rack until set, at least 3 hours for fruit pies and overnight in the fridge for cream pies.