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Lemon Meringue Pie

This Easy Mini Lemon Meringue Pie is a small batch recipe that has a sweet and tart lemon filling made from scratch topped with creamy lightly browned meringue in a homemade crust.

This cute little delicious dessert serves 2. Plan ahead as this pie needs to cool completely before serving.

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a graphic of Small Batch Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe for Two from scratch.
Small Lemon Meringue Pie for Two

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How to make Mini Lemon Meringue Pie

For the homemade Pie Crust

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.

Scatter the shortening over the flour mixture and use a fork to mash it in. The mixture will resemble coarse sand.

Add the chilled butter over the course flour mixture and use a fork to mash it in.

course flour, butter, sugar, salt, and vegetable shortening mixture.

Sprinkle the ice water over the dough half a tablespoon at a time.

Press the dough together. Stop adding ice water once the dough has come together.

ball of pie crust dough.

Flatten the dough and shape it into a disk. Wrap the dough disk tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 20 minutes.

pie crust dough wrapped in plastic wrap.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out the dough 1 inch larger than the pan and place it into a 6 inch pie pan.

Pinch the edges for a decorative look, if desired.

small batch pie crust dough with pinched edge in a pan.

Prick the pie shell with a fork, lightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven, and let cool while you mix the filling.

Lower the oven heat to 325 degrees F.

For the Lemon Filling from scratch

Whisk the egg yolk in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, add the 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup water, and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil on medium heat, whisking constantly. Let simmer for a minute or two until the mixture begins to thicken, and then remove from the heat and allow to cool for a couple minutes.

cornstarch, sugar, salt, and water cooking in a pan.

Take a small spoonful of the cornstarch mixture and whisk it into the beaten egg yolk to temper the yolk. Continue to whisk in spoonfuls of the cornstarch mixture until you’ve used about half of the cornstarch mixture.

egg yolk with cornstarch mixture tempered in.

Then add the egg yolk mixture back to the pot with the cornstarch. Return to a boil, on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter.

lemon pie filling from scratch cooking in a pan

Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie shell.

homemade lemon pie filling in baked pie crust.

For the homemade Meringue

In a regular bowl or stand mixer bowl, add egg white. Beat with a mixer until soft peaks form.

egg whites whisked to soft peaks.

Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form.

uncooked meringue in a bowl.

Pour the meringue on top of the pie filling. Spread it out to reach the crust on all sides.

Use a spatula or spoon and make peaks or swirls.

unbaked lemon meringue pie with meringue peaks.
Mini Lemon Meringue

Bake in the 325-degree F (160 C) oven, for about 20 minutes, or until the meringue peaks are a light brown and set.

baked lemon meringue pie cooling on a rack.

Cool completely on a wire rack before serving or the filling may not be set. Click for a wire cooling rack.

a piece of Small Batch Lemon Meringue Pie on a plate and a piece in a pie pan.
Easy Lemon Meringue Pie from Scratch

You may also enjoy

Small Batch Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

Small Lemon Meringue Pie

This Lemon Meringue Pie Small Batch recipe has a sweet and tart lemon filling topped with creamy lightly browned meringue in a homemade crust.
4.36 from 51 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Cool 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 2
Calories 583 kcal

Ingredients

For the Pie Crust:

  • cup flour
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 Tbsp shortening
  • 2 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
  • 1 Tbsp to 1 1/2 Tbsp ice water

For the Filling:

  • 1 egg yolk (egg white used in meringue)
  • 1 ½ Tbsp cornstarch
  • cup sugar
  • tsp salt
  • ¼ cup water
  • cup lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp butter

For the Meringue:

  • 1 egg white
  • cup sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
 

For the Pie Crust:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
  • Scatter the shortening over the flour mixture and use a fork to mash it in. The mixture will resemble coarse sand.
  • Add the chilled butter over the course flour mixture and use a fork to mash it in.
  • Sprinkle the ice water over the dough half tablespoon at a time.
  • Press the dough together. Stop adding ice water once the dough has come together.
  • Flatten the dough and shape it into a disk. Wrap the dough disk tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 20 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
  • Roll out the dough 1 inch larger than the pan and place it into a 6 inch pie pan. Click for a 6 inch pie pan.
  • Pinch the edges for a decorative look, if desired.
  • Prick the pie shell with fork, lightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden. Remove from oven, let cool while you mix the filling ingredients.
  • Lower the oven heat to 325 degrees F (160 C).

For the Filling:

  • Whisk the egg yolk in a medium bowl and set aside.
  • In a medium-sized saucepan, add the 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup water, and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil on medium heat, whisking constantly. Let simmer for a minute or two until the mixture begins to thicken, and then remove from the heat and allow to cool for a couple minutes.
  • Take a small spoonful of the cornstarch mixture and whisk it into the beaten egg yolk to temper the yolk. Continue to whisk in spoonfuls of the cornstarch mixture until you've used about half of the cornstarch mixture.
  • Then add the egg yolk mixture back to the pot with the cornstarch. Return to a boil, on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter.
  • Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie shell.

For the Meringue:

  • In a regular bowl or stand mixer bowl, add the egg white. Beat with mixer until soft peaks form.
  • Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form.
  • Pour the meringue on top of the pie filling. Spread it out to reach the crust on all sides.
  • Use a spatula or spoon and make peaks or swirls.
  • Bake in the 325 degree F (160 C) oven, about 20 minutes, or until the meringue peaks are a light brown and set.
  • Cool completely on a wire rack before serving or the filling may not be set. Click for a wire cooling rack.

Video

Notes

  • Plan ahead as this pie needs to cool completely before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 583kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 6gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 157mgSodium: 270mgPotassium: 82mgFiber: 1gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 830IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
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Hi and welcome. I’m Zona and I have a passion for recipes. I share recipes, tips, tricks, and resources to help you cook for two. Eat, drink, and enjoy!

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a graphic of Lemon Meringue Pie.
Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe
4.36 from 51 votes (51 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




Donna

Saturday 26th of October 2024

Is there a substitute for shortening. I don’t use shortening. I really like your site.

Zona House

Sunday 27th of October 2024

Hi Donna, instead of 1 tablespoon of shortening and 2 tablespoons of cold butter you can just use 3 tablespoons of cold butter. Thanks for your question.

sylvia

Sunday 21st of May 2023

I made a double amount of the curd to be sufficient for this pie.

Dal

Wednesday 30th of November 2022

Hi Zona! This is my first attempt at Lemon Meringue Pie and your recipe is the one I'm going with! I did wonder after the "Fill the pre-baked pie shell" step, do I then bake the pie before adding the meringue? Or does the whole pie bake in 20 min @ 325 in the "For the Meringue" section.

Thanks

Zona

Wednesday 30th of November 2022

Hi Dal, the whole pie bakes for 20 minutes at 325F. Enjoy :)

Kay

Friday 5th of March 2021

You fail to mention when and where to add the lemon juice. I assume it is in the cornstarch mixture?

Zona

Friday 5th of March 2021

Hi Kay, it's in there in the section "For the Filling" step 5. It reads "Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter." I hope that helps and thanks for your comment :)

Karin

Tuesday 13th of October 2020

You think Splenda would work? Hubby is diabetic. Lemon meringue pie is his favorite dessert

Zona

Tuesday 13th of October 2020

Hi Karin, according to Splenda's website SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated can be used almost anywhere you use sugar in cooking and baking. It even measures cup for cup just like sugar. So you should be able to use it for this pie following the measurements I have. Let me know how it works out for you :)