Nutmeg Free Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Bright, tangy, and crowned with billowy toasted meringue, this lemon pie is the kind of showstopper that earns serious applause at any table. The filling is built entirely from fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, egg yolks, cornstarch, and butter — nothing more, nothing less — so the flavor is clean and intensely citrusy without any warm spice muddying the picture. That matters more than you might think, because nutmeg has a sneaky way of showing up in custard-style desserts and spiced pastry recipes, and this one sidesteps that entirely by design. The Italian meringue technique — pouring hot sugar syrup into whipped egg whites — gives you a topping that is stable, glossy, and genuinely gorgeous, whether you finish it with a kitchen torch or a quick run under the broiler. The buttery blind-baked crust provides a flaky, golden base that holds up beautifully against the silky filling. Every component is straightforward pantry and produce-aisle stuff, so there are no label-reading headaches or ingredient substitutions required. This is the kind of pie that looks like it came from a bakery window but comes together in your own kitchen with total confidence.
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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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