Hazelnut Free Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Few desserts hit quite like a lemon meringue pie — that contrast of buttery, flaky crust, silky-tart filling, and billowy toasted meringue is genuinely hard to beat. The bright lemon filling here is built from fresh juice and zest, cornstarch, and egg yolks, so every component is straightforward and easy to verify as tree-nut-free. For anyone navigating hazelnut allergies, store-bought pastries and bakery desserts can be a real minefield, since hazelnuts show up in everything from chocolate spreads to fancy pastry creams — making a homemade version like this one a genuinely smart move. The Italian meringue technique — pouring hot sugar syrup into whipped egg whites — gives you a thick, glossy, stable topping that holds its dramatic peaks beautifully when torched. Tempering the egg yolks before adding them to the hot lemon base keeps the filling smooth and lump-free, and straining it into the crust guarantees a perfectly silky texture. The result is a showstopper that looks like it came from a serious pastry kitchen but is completely achievable at home with standard pantry ingredients.
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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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