Chicken Free Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Few desserts hit the way a towering, cloud-topped lemon meringue pie does — that balance of buttery, flaky crust, bright citrus curd, and pillowy toasted meringue is genuinely hard to beat. The filling gets its silky, sliceable texture from cornstarch and egg yolks tempered carefully into a fresh lemon base, so every bite is intensely tangy without being runny or cloying. The Italian meringue technique — pouring hot sugar syrup into whipped egg whites — creates a topping that's dramatically glossy, stable, and far more forgiving than a standard meringue, which means those gorgeous peaks actually hold their shape. Everything here is built from pantry staples, fresh lemons, butter, and eggs, so there's nothing to second-guess about what's in it. This is naturally free of any poultry, making it a completely worry-free choice for anyone navigating that restriction at a dinner party or holiday table. Toast the meringue with a kitchen torch for the best results, then let the pie chill until the filling sets up clean and firm — patience here is genuinely rewarded. It's the kind of showstopper that looks like it came from a bakery but comes together in your own kitchen with straightforward technique.
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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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