Lemon Meringue Pie Without Cornstarch

Lemon meringue pie is one of those nostalgic summer desserts that (almost) everything loves. Tart and acidic, yet sweet and creamy, it combines classic flavors that people generally crave during the warmer months!

With this said, lemon meringue pie is also one of those desserts that not everyone dares to make because it can be quite difficult.

This lemon meringue pie without cornstarch recipe is so easy that anyone with basic cooking skills can make it. The two most important things that you need in order to make it are time and patience.

This lemon meringue pie is made up of three parts:

1. The Crust – We use a traditional pie crust made from scratch. You can also purchase a pre-made pie crust or make a Graham cracker crust with sugar and melted butter.
2. The Filling – This is prepared with a good amount of lemon juice (3/4 cup, but you can use up to 1 cup if you want it to be more tart).
3. The Meringue – A mixture of egg whites, sugar, and water. The meringue is also referred to as the “topping” throughout this recipe.

As you can imagine, there are hundreds of recipes and possible combinations to make a lemon meringue pie. This is why we decided to make a lemon meringue pit using only common household ingredients.

In our recipe, the only ingredient that may be a little more difficult to get is condensed milk. For the rest of the recipe, we will use ingredients that almost all of us have on hand.

Our lemon meringue pie without cornstarch recipe is prepared with the following ingredients:

• Wheat flour
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Butter
• Lemon zest – in case you don’t have one, here are our favorite Microplane zesters.
• Condensed milk
• Lemon juice
• Water

To make the first layer (the crust), many people use crushed Graham crackers, and that is where the first problem begins.

You don’t always have two packages of Graham crackers waiting in your cupboard, and for this, there is a very simple solution: Learn how to prepare a shortcrust pastry.

You can use the shortcrust pastry for any pie or tart that you want to make. You can even use the same pastry recipe, but omit the sugar in order to make savory meat pies.

To make the filling, many people use lemon, milk cream, and a thickener such as cornstarch or gelatine, but it’s not necessary!

You substitute the corn starch by using ¾ cup of lemon juice, condensed milk, and egg yolks. This is ideal because later you can use the same egg whites to make the topping or third layer of the lemon tart.

It is very important that, before squeezing the lemon juice, you grate the lemons. Be careful not to touch the white part (the pith) to avoid a bitter taste.

This lemon meringue pie is cooked, but it is served cold.

Join us to prepare this delicious cake!

How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie Without Cornstarch

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients

In a bowl, add the sifted flour together with the butter and mix with your fingers until you get a crumbled cookie-like texture.

Step 2: Make The Dough

Once you have the flour mixed with the butter, add the rest of the ingredients: the sugar, the egg, and the lemon zest. Knead until everything is mixed.

Roll the dough into a ball, then flatten it on the counter and use a rolling pin round it out.

Step 3: Bake The Pie Crust

Lightly coat the pan with butter and flour. Transfer the dough from your countertop to the pan, taking care not to break it.

Adjust the dough to the walls of the pan, gently squeezing the dough to fit tightly. Remove any excess dough creeping over the side of the pan.

Before baking the dough, make holes in the entire surface of the dough with a fork (this is to prevent it from puffing up and becoming misshapen while it bakes).

Bake the dough for fifteen minutes at 180 ° C / 320 ° F.

Step 4: Make The Filling

While the dough is baking, beat the egg yolks on high speed with an electric hand mixer until you get a foamy mixture. These bowls are safe for hand mixers.

Add the lemon juice and condensed milk. Beat for three more minutes.

Step 5: Fill The Empty Pie Crust With The Filling

When the pie crust timer goes off, remove it from the oven and pour the lemon mixture over it. Bake again for 10 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool at room temperature while preparing the meringue.

Step 6: Make The Meringue Topping

To make the meringue topping. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and stir well. Bring the pot to medium heat without stirring, until a syrup forms.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. While continuing to beat, very slowly and carefully add the hot syrup.

You can also use a whisk like one of these.

Beat the meringue until the container is cold (or at least room temperature. You just don’t want it to be warm).

Step 7: Decorate The Lemon Meringue Pie

The pie is ready to decorate! Place the meringue in a pastry bag and decorate the cake to your liking.

If you wish, you can broil the meringue topping in the oven for 1 minute to get a beautiful golden color (just make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn).

Add a little more lemon zest on top and refrigerate the entire pie for 6-8 hours before serving.

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