This is truly the best lemon meringue pie ever! It’s packed with lemon flavor and so easy to make you’ll want to bake one every week!
So, there is lemon meringue pie and then there’s lemon meringue pie. And the one that deserves to be in italics is the one that is made in the classic South African way with a lemon condensed milk filling.
Since we are born and bred South Africans, we were brought up on good lemon meringue pie, and I just have to say, the ones made with a cornstarch, lemon juice, sugar combo for the filling just don’t match up!
I generally hate to criticize other recipes but once you’ve made a pie this way, you won’t want to go back. It’s also, dare I say it, WAY easier!
And if you love deliciously easy desserts, check out our Greek yogurt cheesecake which is just about the easiest cheesecake recipe in existence. Our cookies and cream ice cream is also amazingly easy with only 3-ingredients.
How To Make Lemon Meringue Pie
Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
The Crust:
- The crust is your classic crushed cookies and melted butter combo.
- Add golden oreos to your food processor and process into crumbles.
- Add in melted butter and process again until mixed in.
- Transfer to a pie dish and pat down with the back of a spoon, working it up the sides as well.
- Place into the fridge while you work on your filling.
The Lemon Filling:
- Add egg yolks only to the bowl of your stand mixer, start at slow speed and gradually increase speed until your yolks are pale in color.
- Add in lemon juice and mix in.
- Add sweetened condensed milk and beat it in until the mixture becomes gloopy.
- Spread this out over the top of your cookie crust and smooth down.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and prepare your meringue topping.
The Meringue Topping:
- Add egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of your stand mixer. Start at slow speed, increasing to medium speed until the mixture is foamy.
- Increase speed and let it whip until it’s white and creamy. Start pouring in your sugar slowly and let it continue to whip until it reaches a very thick, marshmallow like consistency and you have stiff peaks.
- Spread this out over the top of your lemon filling and spread it out to the edges of your pie dish. You can create swirls or peaks or whatever you like for decoration.
- Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes until the meringue is lightly browned on top.
- Allow to cool on the counter for 3-4 hours before serving. Store in the fridge thereafter.
Recipe Tips
Lemon Juice: I don’t worry about using fresh lemon juice here, store-bought works just fine. But of course you can use either/or.
Superfine Sugar: We use superfine sugar (also called caster sugar) for the meringue, but you can also use regular granulated sugar. The benefit of using the superfine sugar here is that it dissolves really quickly and easily into the meringue whereas granulated sugar takes longer. If you have granulated sugar on hand but would like to use superfine sugar, you can give it a few pulses in your food processor and create your own!
The Meringue: Basically, no matter how you spread the meringue topping on it will look good once browned on top. So you can make a pretty pattern or you can just spread it on messily, it looks great either way. Sometimes messy looks the best.
The Pie Dish: The pie dish should be 9-inches round and a few inches deep as this is quite a thick pie.
Storing and Freezing
This pie is best on the day it’s made, as beyond this, the meringue itself can start to pull away from the edges and separate. It’s still edible though, but this isn’t the best pie for storing. That being said, you can keep it in the fridge, covered, for up to a week. But just note that the meringue will not be at its best beyond day one.
It’s not at all freezer friendly, again, because of that meringue topping!
More Dessert Recipes
- No-Bake Chocolate Tart
- Greek Yogurt Cheesecake
- Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
- The Best Apple Crisp
- Banana Bread
- The Most Divine Chocolate Cake
Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 24 Golden Oreo Cookies Crushed
- 1/3 cup Butter Lightly Salted, Melted
For the Lemon Filling:
- 3 Large Egg Yolks
- 1/2 cup Lemon Juice
- 14 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
For the Meringue:
- 3 Large Egg Whites
- 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1/2 cup Superfine Sugar Caster Sugar
Instructions
The Crust:
- Add golden oreos to your food processor and process into crumbles.
- Add in the melted butter and process again until mixed in.
- Transfer to a 9-inch round pie dish and pat down firmly with the back of a spoon, working it up the sides as well. Place into the fridge while you work on your filling.
Lemon Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C)
- Add the egg yolks to the bowl of your stand mixer and starting at slow speed gradually increase speed until your yolks are pale in color.
- Add the lemon juice and mix in.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat it in until the mixture becomes gloopy.
- Spread this out over the top of your cookie crust and smooth down.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes and then remove from the oven and leave on the countertop while you prepare your meringue topping.
Meringue Topping:
- Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of your stand mixer. Start at slow speed, increasing to medium speed until the mixture is foamy.
- Increase speed to high and let it whip until it starts becoming white and creamy. Start pouring in your sugar slowly and let it continue to whip until it reaches a very thick, marshmallow like consistency and you have stiff peaks.
- Spread this out over the top of your lemon filling and spread it out to the edges of your pie dish. You can create swirls or peaks or whatever you like for decoration.
- Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes until the meringue is lightly browned on top.
- Allow to cool on the counter for 3-4 hours before serving. Store in the fridge thereafter.
Video
Notes
- I don’t worry about using fresh lemon juice here, store-bought works just fine. But of course you can use either/or.
- We used superfine sugar (also called caster sugar) for the meringue, but you can also use regular white granulated sugar. The benefit of using the superfine sugar here is that it dissolves really quickly and easily into the meringue whereas granulated sugar takes longer. If you have granulated sugar on hand but would like to use superfine sugar, you can give it a few pulses in your food processor and create your own.
- Basically, no matter how you spread your meringue topping on it will look good once browned on top. So you can make a pretty pattern or you can just spread it on messily, it looks great either way. Sometimes messy looks the best.
- This pie is best on the day it’s made, beyond this, the meringue itself can start to pull away from the edges and separate. It’s still edible though, but this isn’t the best pie for storing. That being said, you can keep it in the fridge, covered, for up to a week. But just note that the meringue will not be at its best beyond day one. It is not freezer friendly.
This is the lemon meringue of my dreams! It was so easy to make and the results were amazing! Everyone was raving about it. Thanks for this recipe!
Thanks Mandy!