Artificial Food Coloring Free Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Bright, tangy, and crowned with a cloud of glossy toasted meringue, this lemon meringue pie is the kind of showstopper that earns serious applause at any table. Every component is built from scratch — a buttery hand-crimped crust, a silky lemon curd made with fresh juice and zest, and a billowy Italian meringue — so you know exactly what went into it. That matters more than it might seem, because store-bought versions and boxed mixes are notorious for sneaking in synthetic dyes to boost that sunny yellow color or to deepen the golden sheen on the topping. Here, the vivid lemon hue comes entirely from real egg yolks and fresh citrus, and the meringue gets its gorgeous caramelized peaks from a kitchen torch or broiler, not a drop of artificial color. The Italian meringue technique — pouring hot sugar syrup into whipped egg whites — gives you a stable, marshmallow-like topping that holds its swirls beautifully without any additives. It takes a little patience between the blind-baked crust, the tempered filling, and the final chill, but every step is straightforward and the result is a pie that looks and tastes completely extraordinary.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
For the crust
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
- 3–4 tbsp ice water
For the lemon filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3–4 lemons)
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 5 large egg yolks
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
For the Italian meringue
- 4 large pasteurized egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
- 1
Make the crust: Whisk together the flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the chilled butter cubes and work them in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Drizzle in 3 tbsp ice water and stir with a fork until the dough just comes together; add the fourth tablespoon only if the dough is still crumbly. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, press into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- 2
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Drape it over the rolling pin and transfer it to a 9-inch pie dish, pressing it gently into the bottom and sides. Trim the overhang to about 1 inch, fold it under, and crimp the edge. Prick the bottom all over with a fork, line with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
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