Seeds Free Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Few desserts hit the way a properly made lemon meringue pie does — that sharp, silky citrus filling, the buttery homemade crust, and a cloud of toasted meringue that somehow makes the whole thing feel celebratory. The bright filling is built from fresh lemon juice and zest, thickened with cornstarch and egg yolks, so every bite delivers a clean, punchy flavor without anything muddying it. The Italian meringue technique — pouring hot sugar syrup into whipped egg whites — gives you a topping that's genuinely stable and glossy, with those gorgeous caramelized peaks that a kitchen torch or broiler brings to life. Every component here is naturally free of seeds, from the flaky all-butter crust to the lemon curd filling, so there's no need to swap anything out or second-guess a single ingredient. Spreading the meringue all the way to the crust edge is one of those small moves that makes a big difference, sealing in the filling and keeping everything picture-perfect when you slice. This is the kind of pie that earns serious compliments at the table, and once you've made it from scratch, you'll understand why it's a classic.
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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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