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A lemon meringue pie with golden-brown swirled meringue topping on a light surface, surrounded by lemons, green leaves, and a decorative plate with gold forks.
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5 from 1 vote

Lemon Meringue Tart

🍋💛 Homemade lemon meringue tart with rich lemon flavor is absolutely divine! The crust is buttery and flaky, the lemon curd filling perfectly tart yet sweet. And the homemade meringue that tastes as beautiful as it looks! This show-stopping dessert will turn heads at any special celebration or event!
Make sure to read the recipe thoroughly before beginning so you know where you're going with things and know what's next. Read the Tips in the blog post and Instructions section below, and heed them. Don't make ingredients substitutions. Finally, having the right tools for the job makes this dessert a lot easier!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time25 minutes
Chill Time4 hours
Course: Dessert, Pies & Cheesecake
Cuisine: Dessert, Pie
Keyword: lemon meringue tart, lemon tart with meringue
Servings: 8
Calories: 539cal

Equipment

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour (192g)
  • 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, COLD and cubed (138g)
  • ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar (40g)
  • pinch salt
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1-2 tablespoons cold water (start with 1 tablespoon and add more as needed)

Lemon Filling

  • 4 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks (SAVE the 2 extra egg whites for the meringue; place them in a small bowl in the fridge)
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar (240g)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ¾ cup fresh lemon juice, from about 5-6 lemons (192ml)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed at room temperature (113g)

Meringue

  • 2 large egg whites, at room temperature (saved from the Filling above), take out of fridge and allow them to come to room temperature (66g)
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup water (3.5 ounces)
  • ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)

Instructions

  • Make the Crust with Food Processor: To a large canister of a food processor, add the flour, confectioners' sugar, salt, and pulse briefly to combine.
    See step 5 if you don't have a food processor and are making the crust by hand.
  • Add the COLD cubed butter and pulse until it resembles coarse crumbs.
    Tip - Cold butter = flakier crust.
    A food processor bowl filled with flour and cubes of butter, ready to be mixed, sits on a beige countertop.
  • Add the egg yolk and cold water (start with 1 tbsp, add more if needed), pulsing until the dough just comes together.
    A food processor bowl contains flour, butter, and a cracked egg on top, ready to be mixed for dough preparation.
  • When the dough has just come together, stop pulsing and take care not to overmix.
    A food processor containing a ball of yellow dough sits on a light-colored countertop.
  • Remove dough from canister, shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plasticwrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    A round disc of dough wrapped in plastic wrap sits on a lightly floured wooden surface.
  • Make the Crust by Hand: Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl, add the butter, use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in. Stop when the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits of butter still visible. Add the egg yolk and mix lightly. Add cold water (1 tbsp at a time), gently stirring or kneading with your hand just until the dough comes together. Shape into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Roll the Dough: Preheat oven to 375F. Spray or grease well a 9-inch tart pan; set aside.
  • On a clean and lightly floured countertop, use a rolling pin to roll out the chilled dough to about 10-11 inches.
    A large, round sheet of rolled-out dough rests on a lightly floured wooden surface.
  • Transfer the dough to the tart pan, press it into the bottom and up the sides.
    Unbaked, empty pie crust evenly pressed into a fluted tart pan on a light marble surface.
  • Blind Bake the Crust: Trim the excess crust from the edges with a paring knife, and prick the base with a fork about 6 times. Then place a sheet of parchment paper over the top.
  • Fill the crust with pie weights or dried beans.
    A tart pan filled with unbaked pie crust, lined with parchment paper, and topped with ceramic baking weights on a beige surface.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the weights and parchment paper.
  • Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
    A baked, empty tart crust in a fluted tart pan rests on a light-colored, speckled surface.
  • Let the crust cool completely, at least 30-60 minutes.
  • Make the Lemon Filling: To a medium, high-sided saucepan, add the 4 eggs, 2 egg yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and and whisk to combine and set the heat to medium-low.
    Tip - You need to SAVE the 2 extra egg whites because you'll them in the meringue, below.
    A saucepan containing several cracked raw eggs with intact yolks and whites, placed on a light-colored countertop.
  • In a small bowl, add the cornstarch, cold water, and stir to combine. Add this (it's called a slurry) to the saucepan.
    A whisk rests in a clear mixing bowl containing a pale, creamy liquid on a light marbled countertop.
  • Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it thickens - about 8–10 minutes.
    Tip - It should be the consistency of a well-set pudding, so quite thick, and not runny. Although it will set up and firm up more as it cools in the fridge for 2+ hours.
    A saucepan filled with smooth yellow custard, with a white spatula resting inside, on a light-colored countertop.
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the cubed butter, and whisk in the butter until smooth and fully melted.
    A saucepan filled with a yellow mixture and topped with chunks of butter being stirred with a white spatula on a beige countertop.
  • Strain: Optional but recommended, strain the lemon curd mixture through a fine sieve to remove any cooked egg bits for an ultra-silky finish.
    A mesh strainer containing yellow liquid and a white spatula, placed on a light countertop.
  • Fill: Pour the lemon filling into the cooled tart crust, lightly smooth with a spatula.
  • Chill: Gently and carefully place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the filling to prevent it from forming a skin. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until fully set.
    A round lemon tart with a smooth, glossy yellow filling and a golden brown crust on a light speckled surface.
  • Meringue: To the spotlessly clean bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl hand mixer, add the room temperature saved egg whites (that you saved from making the filling), cream of tartar, and salt. Mix using whisk attachment at medium to medium-high speed until soft peaks form; set aside.
    Tips - Without an extremely clean and dry bowl this will be a much harder task; if there's any trace of egg yolks it will be an impossible task. Egg whites won't whip up in the presence of yolk. Be careful. Cold egg whites won't whip either so make sure they're at room temperature.
    A close-up of a spoonful of lemon meringue pie showing a layer of lemon filling and fluffy meringue, with lemon slices and a pie in the background.
  • Clip your candy thermometer to the side of a high-sided small saucepan, add the water and granulated sugar. If yours doesn't clip, that's fine but make sure you have it handy.
  • Bring to a rolling boil and cook without stirring until the temperature reaches 240°F.
    Tip - The reason you don't want to stir is because you can disturb the sugar molecules from doing their thing (too complicated to explain), but the result in real terms is a grainy or granular meringue with a very undesirable texture.
  • Remove the scalding hot sugar syrup from the stove taking caution and with the mixer running at medium-low speed, gradually pour the hot liquid into the mixer bowl. Allow it to beat at a couple minutes at this speed before increasing it.
    Tips - Aim for the side of the bowl where the egg whites touch the edge to reduce splatter and chances for burning yourself; wearing a pair of kitchen gloves or hot mitts is a good idea.
    A metal saucepan filled with a clear liquid is placed on a light beige, speckled surface.
  • Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until the egg whites are shiny and form stiff peaks.
    A hand holds a stand mixer beater coated with stiff, glossy whipped cream above a white mixing bowl on a light, speckled countertop.
  • Add Meringue to Tart: Use a rubber spatula to place the meringue onthe chilled tart filling.
    A lemon meringue pie with toasted swirls of meringue on top, seen from above on a light-colored surface.
  • Torching, optional: If desired, use a kitchen torch to brown areas of the meringue for appearance. I do NOT recommend using your oven broiler because it's imprecise and the chances of burning your meringue in less than 1 minute (thus ruining the entire dessert!) are high and simply not worth it.
    If you don't want to torch the meringue or don't have a kitchen torch, simply omit.
    A lemon meringue tart with toasted meringue topping sits on a white cake stand, with sliced lemons and green leaves beside it.
  • Chill: Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Slice and serve chilled.
    A slice of lemon meringue pie on a white plate with a gold fork, with the rest of the pie and lemons in the background.

Notes

Make-Ahead: Dessert will keep well in the fridge for up to 2-3 days prior to an event so you can feel free to make it in entirety ahead of time.
Storage: Dessert will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve chilled.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 539cal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 170mg | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 896IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg
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