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With a buttery graham cracker crust, bright lemon filling, and billowy toasted meringue, this lemon meringue pie has all the appeal of the classic. It’s easier to make, though, with no pastry dough to roll out or lemon filling to cook on the stovetop.
This lemon meringue pie recipe comes from my best friend’s mom, Myra Santoro. Originally from Snow Hill, North Carolina, Myra is a fabulous Southern cook. 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.
Myra’s lemon meringue pie has a buttery graham cracker crust and an easy filling made with sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and fresh lemon juice. It’s simple and delicious. 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 it butchered with forks and almost entirely gone; they hadn’t even bothered to slice it!
“Phenomenal. Easiest lemon meringue I’ve ever made and the taste was fantastic.”
What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Meringue Pie
- Graham Crackers, Sugar & Butter: Make the simple press-in crust—no rolling or pie dough required. You can use store-bought graham cracker crumbs or crush whole crackers yourself.
- Eggs: The yolks go into the lemon filling and the whites are used for the meringue, so you’ll use all four eggs. Separate them while they’re cold, when it’s easier to keep the yolks from breaking.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Gives the filling its creamy texture and helps it set. I recommend Eagle Brand here; I’ve found that some other brands can result in a runnier filling. Be sure you’re buying sweetened condensed milk, not evaporated milk.
- Fresh Lemons: You’ll use both the zest and juice, so zest the lemon before squeezing it. Freshly squeezed juice is important here; bottled lemon juice won’t give the filling the same bright flavor.
- Cream of Tartar: Stabilizes the egg whites so the meringue holds its shape and is less prone to collapsing.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Lemon Meringue Pie
Make the graham cracker crust: Mix the crust ingredients until the crumbs are evenly moistened; the mixture should resemble wet sand and hold together when squeezed. Press it firmly and evenly into the pan, then bake until just lightly browned and fragrant.
Make the lemon filling: Whisk the filling ingredients until completely smooth. As the lemon juice is incorporated, you’ll notice the mixture begin to thicken.
Make the meringue: Gently whisk the egg whites and sugar over simmering water until the mixture is very warm and the sugar is completely dissolved. Rub a little between your fingers—it should feel smooth, not gritty. Dissolving the sugar completely helps create a stable meringue that’s less prone to weeping.
Add the cream of tartar and whip until the meringue is thick and glossy with medium-firm peaks; when you lift the whisk, the peaks should hold their shape but curl at the tips.
Assemble and bake: Pour the lemon filling into the warm crust, then mound the meringue on top. Spread it all the way to the crust, making sure the meringue touches the edge all the way around—this anchors it and helps prevent shrinking.
Make decorative swirls and peaks with the back of a spoon, then bake until lightly golden, with the peaks a shade darker. Let the pie cool completely before slicing so the filling has time to set.
For another refreshing pie with a sweet-tart flavor, try my key lime pie, which combines fresh lime, sweetened condensed milk, and a graham cracker crust.
More Lemon Desserts You’ll Love
Lemon Meringue Pie (Easy)
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs, from about 12 whole crackers
- ⅓ cup 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 sweetened condensed milk (preferably Eagle brand)
- 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 (190°C) 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 deep-dish (9 x 1.5-in/23 x 4-cm) pie pan. The crust should be about ¼ in (6 mm) thick.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until just slightly browned. Let the crust sit on a wire rack while you prepare the rest of the pie. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (165°C).
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 in (13 mm) 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 fitted 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 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/165°C.) 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.
Nutrition Information
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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Can you make the crust ahead for the lemon meringue pie?
Sure, Jeanne, that should be fine.
Thank you
What an easy and delicious recipe!
Thank you for sharing and making me very popular in my house with this new addition to our Sunday night dessert menu. I was a bit nervous about it being too lemony but I found the recipe added the perfect zing you expect from a lemon meringue. Yes, it is sweet but it would be weird if it wasn’t. Next time I *might* cut the sugar from the base by a little, not entirely. LOVED IT!
I want to make your lemon meringue pie for Mother’s Day but am in SW Florida, where it is very humid at the moment. I’m asking because I made your Pavlova up north and loved it, as did my guests. But, when I tried to make it again in Florida, the meringue just crumbled. I salvaged and the meringue was delicious in a trifle. So, now I’m back in humid SW Florida-will this be a problem or any thoughts about the meringue for this pie???? Thanks
Hi Susan, It’s hard to say for sure if you’ll have a problem with the meringue. I guess it really depends on how humid it is there now. If you’re concerned about it, you could skip the meringue and just top the pie with sweetened whipped cream. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Best meringue technique I’ve ever tried.
Tasty pie but not very lemony. More of a creamy take on lemon meringue. Nice texture but lacking in lemon flavour. I even added more zest than called for.
Could I make this is individual tarte pans about 6 inches each? Any thoughts on how I’d adjust the baking time? Thanks
Sure, I think that would work. Not sure about timing though so I’d just keep a close eye on them. Please LMK how they turn out!
I used a biscuit base and it came out beautiful and yummy.
This pie was so easy and so delicious. My husband and I both wanted more of the lemon filling. Might try doubling the filling the next time. Comment to the reviewers that stated their filling did not set and Chef Jenn’s response to use Eagle Brand: I read this AFTER I had already poured the filling into the crust. Since I used my store brand (Publix), I fully expected to have a runny mess when I cut into the pie. Nope! The filling was perfect and cut beautifully.
This lemon meringue pie recipe is the best. The ingredients are not complicated, but when combined with my taste buds, my brain yells, YUM! Do I feel guilty thinking that it would be a good idea to make it every week, no! But do I? Well, that what the chocolate biscotti recipe is for…after all fruit (lemons) are a food group and so is chocolate! Does it end there? Of course not. Try the Shepherd’s Pie recipe…or the spaghetti pie, or the pesto pizza (best crust ever).
Thank you Jen for keeping my family well fed, your recipes are ah-mazing.
Snow is forecasted this weekend…I’m trying your beef jerky and hot toddies while watching the snow fall.
I have made this pie many times because it is my husband’s favorite. It is great and it is not intimidating. all of the measurements are perfect, I also learned how to make the meringue that is absolutely perfect!!! My sister-in-law is always asking how I get it so perfect and keeping telling her about your recipes, and believe me I have done quite a few and I have never been disappointed! You offer so many great recipes both Ameican and International and that is great because it allows your followers to explore new and exciting things in their kitchen and doing these troubling times I feel we all need your great recipes. I tell everyone you are a marvelous chef and when I grow up I want to be just like you. (LOL).
First of all this pie is so easy to make, and delicious. I also have made tons of meringue and did not do the warming step. Just let the egg whites get to room temperature. The whole pie turned out great and very light. My only negative is this pie tastes like key lime pie not lemon meringue, I think because the filling is exact like key lime with the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and only difference is using lemon juice. So for this reason I was a little disappointed. I was really looking for that lemon meringue flavor and consistency.