Tree Nut Free Classic Lemon Meringue Pie
Few desserts hit the way a proper lemon meringue pie does — that bright, custardy filling, the buttery homemade crust, and a cloud of toasted meringue that practically begs to be sliced into. The filling gets its gorgeous, jammy texture from fresh lemon juice and zest combined with egg yolks and cornstarch, so every bite is intensely citrusy without being cloying. The Italian meringue technique — pouring hot sugar syrup into whipped egg whites — gives you a topping that's stable, glossy, and dramatically tall, with none of the weeping you sometimes get from a simpler meringue. Because every component is made from scratch using straightforward pantry staples, there's no need to scan labels for hidden tree nut oils or worry about shared-facility cross-contact. The blind-baked crust comes together with just flour, butter, sugar, salt, and ice water, so it's genuinely flaky and golden without any almond flour or nut-based shortcuts. Finishing with a kitchen torch gives those signature caramelized peaks that make this pie look like it came straight out of a bakery window. It takes a little patience, but the result is a showstopper that's completely worth the effort.
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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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