Lemon Meringue Pie
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With a graham cracker crust and sweetened condensed milk filling, this lemon meringue pie is foolproof and easy.
This lemon meringue pie recipe comes from Myra Santoro, the mom of one of my oldest and dearest friends. Originally from Snow Hill, North Carolina, Myra is a fabulous Southern cook with a huge heart. As a kid, I practically lived at her house and, with so many good smells coming from the kitchen, I was always trying to finagle a way to stay for dinner.
Unlike most lemon meringue pie recipes, which can be rife with issues — a soggy crust, a soupy filling, or a meringue that weeps — Myra’s recipe is foolproof. It’s delicious too: I once made it and left it on the counter with a note for my husband and kids to try it. I came home to find the pie butchered with forks and almost entirely gone; they had not even bothered to slice it!
What You’ll Need To Make Myra’s Lemon Meringue Pie
How To Make Lemon Meringue Pie
Step 1: Make the Crust
Start with the crust. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter.
Stir with a fork first, and then your hands until the mixture is well combined.
Using your fingers and the bottom of a clean drinking glass or measuring cup, press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a deep dish pie pan. The crust should be about 1/4-in thick. Bake for about 10 minutes, until just slightly browned. Let the crust sit on a wire rack while you prepared the rest of the pie, and lower the oven temperature to 325°F.
Step 2: Make the Filling
Combine the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
Whisk to combine and set aside.
Step 3: Make the Meringue
Bring about 1/2 inch of water to a simmer in a pot that’s large enough to hold the bowl of a stand mixer without letting it touch the water. Reduce the heat to low.
Put the egg whites and sugar in the bowl off the heat and whisk until frothy. Put the bowl over the pot and whisk gently but constantly until the whites are very warm to the touch, or about 115°F and the sugar is completely dissolved, 2 to 4 minutes. (Heating the egg whites and sugar before beating them helps stabilize the meringue so it doesn’t weep once cooked.)
Remove the bowl from the heat and transfer it to the stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar.
Beat over medium-high speed until the egg whites form thick, glossy medium-firm peaks, 3 to 5 minutes total.
When you lift the whisk out of the bowl, the whites should hold their shape but curl at their tips.
Step 4: Assemble the Pie
Pour the lemon filling into the baked crust.
Mound the meringue onto the wet lemon filling.
Using a soup spoon, gently spread the meringue over the entire surface of the filling, making sure to go all the way to the crust’s edge (it is essential that the edge of the meringue be anchored to the rim of the crust; otherwise it will shrink). Make decorative peaks and swirls in the meringue with the back of the spoon.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meringue is lightly browned.
Let the pie cool completely on a rack before serving, about 3 hours.
Photo by Our Salty Kitchen
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Easy Lemon Meringue Pie
With a graham cracker crust and sweetened condensed milk filling, this lemon meringue pie is foolproof and easy.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs, from about 12 whole crackers
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling
- 4 large egg yolks (reserve the whites for the meringue)
- 1 (14-oz) can Eagle sweetened condensed milk (see note)
- 1 teaspoon packed finely grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 3 lemons
For the Meringue
- 4 large egg whites
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter; stir with a fork first, and then your hands until the mixture is well combined. Using your fingers and the bottom of a clean drinking glass or measuring cup, press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 x 1.5-inch pie pan. The crust should be about ¼ inch thick.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until just slightly browned. Let the crust sit on a wire rack while you prepared the rest of the pie. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F.
For the Filling:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pour into the warm crust.
For the Meringue:
- Bring about ½ inch of water to a simmer in a pot that's large enough to hold the bowl of a stand mixer without letting it touch the water. Reduce the heat to low. Put the egg whites and sugar in the bowl off the heat and whisk until frothy. Put the bowl over the pot and whisk gently but constantly until the whites are very warm to the touch, or about 115°F (the temperature does not need to be exact; the mixture should feel hot, but not so hot that you can't leave your finger in there) and the sugar is completely dissolved, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and transfer it to the stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar. Beat over medium high speed until the egg whites form thick, glossy medium-firm peaks (they should hold their shape but curl at their tips), 3 to 5 minutes total.
- Mound the meringue onto the wet lemon filling. Using a soup spoon, gently spread the meringue over the entire surface of the filling, making sure to go all the way to the crust’s edge (it is essential that the edge of the meringue be anchored to the rim of the crust; otherwise it will shrink). Make decorative peaks and swirls in the meringue with the back of the spoon.
- (Be sure you've reduced the oven temperature to 325°F.) Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meringue is lightly browned. Let the pie cool completely on a rack before serving, about 3 hours.
- Lemon meringue pie is best eaten the day it’s made, but leftovers will keep, loosely tented with aluminum foil and refrigerated, for 2 days. Just keep in mind that meringue gets quite sticky in the fridge. Do not freeze.
- Note: Several readers have had issues with the filling being too runny. I believe this is likely caused by using less common brands of sweetened condensed milk, such as Meadow Gold or Weis. Please use Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk for reliable results.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 309
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Sugar: 39 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Sodium: 138 mg
- Cholesterol: 100 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn! I made this yesterday, and it was delicious! My question—after baking for 20 minutes, the meringue browned beautifully but when I temped the filling, it was only about 125 degrees. Is this safe for egg yolks, or did I do something wrong? Thanks so much for your consistently great recipes!
Hi Sarah, I don’t think you did anything wrong. It should be fully cooked in the time indicated — is it possible your thermometer is a bit off?
Made this for guests who are all super picky and life long lovers of the traditional lemon meringue pie. HUGE HIT! Everyone loved it and said they liked it better than the “traditional” version. I used a store bought shortbread crust. And added an extra egg white (b/c everyone loves meringue). Everything else was done as recipe directed and it turned out perfectly. The tip about how to prepare the meringue is a godsend and the ultimate of tips/lessons in technique. Neither I nor my guests could believe how high, fluffy and perfect the meringue turned out. Again, raves, raves, raves!!! Thanks for another winner and one for my permanent rotation, Jenn!
I loved meeting you in Chicago, Diane! ❤️
Could I make this pie two days before serving?
Hi Kim, Lemon meringue pie is best eaten the day it’s made, but leftovers will keep, loosely tented with aluminum foil and refrigerated, for 2 days. Just keep in mind that meringue gets quite sticky in the fridge.
I made this the other night. I used a store-bought flour crust (I’m not a fan of graham cracker crusts).
I thought this was delicious and easy to make. My only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is it was a tad too sweet for me. I would add more lemon juice next time and reduce the sugar in the meringue by half, at least, since the lemon pudding part is so sweet.
Very tasty and foolproof recipe though!
Thank you again Jenn! Great directions, excellent recipe. I was never a baker, however, you have made this fun for me.
Just wanted to share with you I made your Lemon Merginue Pie this past weekend. Everybody loved it and its was so easy. Love Love all your recipes.
I made this last weekend and it was a huge hit. So delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe 😋
Hi Jenn
Just ordered your new book off Amazon can’t wait till Friday when it arrives!😁 I am wanting to make your lemon meringue pie for an upcoming dinner do you think a shortbread crust would be good with it or would it be too rich? Thanks for all the amazing recipes! Cindy
Hi Cindy, Thank you so much for ordering my book – I hope you enjoy it! I think a shortbread crust would be delicious here. The meringue makes the pie really light, so it can handle it. 🙂
Thank you! My book is coming today I can’t wait to make the chocolate cake recipe from it!
The pie turned out so great and our kids loved it too! It was gone by next day and tasted really good after being in the fridge over night also !
I love lemon meringue pie but am not a pie maker. This is one that is easier to make than others I have attempted. Thank you for sharing a recipe I will be using from now on.