Pucker up—things are about to get sweet! It’s everything you love about this classic dessert: a creamy lemon filling that’s perfectly sweet and tart, bursting with fresh lemon flavor. We use a mix of cream and milk in the filling to get that silky texture just right—no weepy pie filling here! Paired with the golden-brown meringue topping, it creates a perfect blend of textures for a melt-in-your-mouth experience you won’t forget!
If you love lemon, you’ll also love our lemon cake, lemon filled doughnuts, and our lemon poppyseed muffins.
Why Our Recipe
- The perfect creamy lemon filling that’s sweet and tart and full of lemon flavor.
- A cloud-like layer of fluffy meringue that’s baked to golden brown perfection.
Freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest bring all the vibrant lemon flavor this dessert needs. It’s refreshingly bright without being too sour, and it smells amazing too! The meringue light, fluffy, and bakes up to golden-brown perfection. With a touch of cream of tartar to keep it nice and stable, the meringue reaches those dreamy peaks without fuss.
Ingredient Notes
- Prepared Pie Crust: You can use homemade pie crust, store-bought pastry crust, or a no-bake graham crust. Just ensure the crust is cooked and ready for filling.
- Lemon Zest: It’s best to zest the lemon before juicing it.
- Lemon Juice: Fresh is best but if you prefer, you can use bottled lemon juice.
- Egg Yolks: This helps give the filling a velvety texture. Set aside your egg whites as you’ll need them in the meringue.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is best to balance out the sourness of the lemon and gives the best structure to the filling.
- Cornstarch: This thickens the filling.
- Heavy Cream: It is often called heavy whipping cream. Either will work fine in this recipe.
Crust Options
When making this pie, you’ll want to use a prepared pie crust, meaning it’s fully baked and ready to go. You can go with a homemade pastry pie crust or a no-bake graham cracker crust. We believe a traditional pastry crust is ideal, as the graham cracker option can be a bit too sweet. Store-bought crusts are also a convenient choice—just be sure to bake and cool the crust before adding your filling.
Tempering Egg Yolks
Tempering egg yolks is a crucial step in preparing the lemon filling. After all, no one wants curdled chunks of eggs in their pie, right? The good news is, it’s easier than you might think.
Start by having your eggs ready before you begin making the lemon filling. Once the filling starts to simmer, pour a small amount (about 1/2 cup) into your bowl of eggs and whisk quickly. Then, quickly pour the whisked egg mixture back into the pan with the lemon filling, stirring constantly so the eggs don’t cook too fast and curdle.
Storage Instructions
Refrigerate leftovers by tenting the pie plate with aluminum foil to keep from squishing the meringue, or cover with plastic wrap. Meringue is best enjoyed within 24 hours.
