Carrageenan Free Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Few desserts hit the way a proper lemon meringue pie does — that sharp, silky citrus filling against a buttery, flaky crust, all crowned with a cloud of toasted meringue. The filling here gets its gorgeous, glossy set from cornstarch and egg yolks alone, with fresh lemon juice and zest doing all the heavy lifting on flavor. That matters because many store-bought lemon curds and pie fillings sneak in stabilizers and thickeners that can be hard to track down on a label — here, every ingredient is straightforward and easy to verify. The Italian meringue technique — pouring hot sugar syrup into whipped egg whites — produces a topping that is dramatically more stable and luscious than a standard meringue, with those tall, torch-kissed peaks that look genuinely impressive. Spreading the meringue all the way to the crust edge is a small but crucial step that keeps everything sealed and prevents that classic shrinkage gap. The result is a showstopper dessert built entirely from pantry staples and fresh lemons, with no hidden additives to second-guess.
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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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