Coffee with the Chicken Ladies

Spring is almost here, so we’re sharing our recipe for a beautiful Lemon Meringue Pie! It would be perfect for Easter Brunch or anytime you want to impress your family and friends with a dessert that looks as good as it tastes. And it’s very easy to make!

This Lemon Meringue Pie is absolutely delicious and uses 4 of those fresh eggs that your hens are happily giving you everyday. You’ll use the egg yolks in the filling and the egg whites for the meringue. As always, we include our substitutes for making this pie gluten and dairy free. You can listen to us talk through the recipe on episode 170 of the podcast.

If you enjoy making this pie, you may also like our recipes for Whole Egg Lemon Curd and Meringue Pavlova Shells.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Just in time for spring! This pie is delicious and looks a lot harder to make than it is. We’re skipping the pastry crust and using an easy graham cracker and coconut press-in crust. As always, we include options to make this pie gluten and dairy free.

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Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

Crust

• 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• ¾ cup shredded coconut
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ¼ cup 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 4 large egg yolks reserve the whites for the meringue
• 1 14-oz can of sweetened condensed milk, minus 4 tablespoons, or 1 can of dairy free sweetened condensed coconut or oat milk
• 1 teaspoon packed finely grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice squeezed from about 3 lemons

Meringue

• 4 large egg whites
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Equipment

• Large Skillet or Crepe Pan

Method

 

Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter; stir with a fork first, and then your hands until the mixture is well combined. Using your fingers or the bottom of a small glass, press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a deep dish pie pan.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes, until just starting to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F.

Filling

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pour into the warm crust.

Meringue

1. Put the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat over medium high speed until the egg whites hold soft peaks. Continue beating, gradually adding the sugar, until the egg whites form thick, glossy mostly firm peaks.
2. Transfer the meringue onto the top of the lemon filling. Using a small spatula, spread it out and give it some nice decorative swirls. Make sure the meringue touches the sides of the pie all the way around. Double check this – without creating a seal the meringue can shrink and make your pie not so pretty looking.
3. Make sure your oven is at 325F. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the meringue is lightly browned on top. Let the pie cool completely on a rack before serving. If you prefer cool pie, chill it for a few hours or overnight. Enjoy!