Lemon meringue pie is a classic bake, perfect for any lover of all things lemon! This easy recipe from Mary Berry, with step by step instructions is so simple even children and beginner bakers can do it.
Lemon meringue pie is a classic dessert everyone will love. With a sweet crumbly pastry, and delicious zingy lemon filling, all topped with a light fluffy meringue, there’s nothing to not love about it.
We love classic Mary Berry recipes, as they tend to be simple and unfussy and this Mary Berry lemon meringue pie is no exception. It’s so easy with simple step by step instructions making it perfect for both children and beginner bakers to try.
How can kids help to make Mary Berry’s lemon meringue pie?
There are lots of steps in this recipe which makes it a great one for getting kids involved. It’s not the easiest of recipes, but that’s not to say there aren’t things that children can do. There’s three distinct steps in the recipe – making the pastry, the lemon filling and the meringue topping – so your kids can always dip in and out and help with some parts but not all of it.
First of all, kids can help to make the sweet shortcrust pastry. If you’ve never done it before it’s simply a case of combining the butter and sugar with the flour. A food processor can make this step a bit quicker, but you can also do it by hand (we always do), which is great for kids as they get to get their hands all messy.
If you want you can skip this step however and buy some ready rolled shortcrust pastry, or even a ready made tart case.
The lemon filling is quite an easy job for kids to get involved in. There are a lots of eggs which need separating so your kids will get a lot of egg cracking practice (an important kitchen skill to learn). They can help to zest and squeeze all the lemons. Once you’ve done all that, it’s an easy job of combining it all together and pouring them into your cases.
Finally, your kids can help to make the meringue. As you’ve already separated the eggs, they can just help to whip them, then slowly add the sugar one tea spoon at a time. Once you’ve done that, it’s a really simple job of just dolloping the meringue on top of the lemon filling. Even very young children should be able to help with this step.
What pastry is used for a lemon meringue pie?
This lemon meringue pie uses a delicious crumbly shortcrust pastry. We’ve included the instructions on how to make your own shortcrust pastry below, but you could make life a bit easier for yourself and use shop bought pastry if you prefer.
What else can I use to blind bake the pastry case?
Baking beans are a purpose made little ceramic bean designed for blind baking pies and tarts. If you don’t have any baking beans you don’t need to go out and buy some especially. Instead you can use rice, lentils or anything else dry and heavy to weigh your pastry down as it bakes.
How long does a lemon meringue pie keep?
This lemon meringue pie will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. I don’t recommend freezing it. It can ‘weep’ a little and become a little wet under the meringue topping so although it’s still fine after a day or two, it’s best served on the day it’s made.
Why hasn’t my lemon filling set?
The lemon filling needs to be cooked twice – once on the hob to thicken it, and again in the oven. If you remove it from the heat before it is bubbling and has thickened, it won’t set once you put it in the oven.
What else can you make with lemons?
If you liked this lemon meringue pie, you might like some of our other lemon recipes. They’re a great way of using up more lemons if there are a few left over in your pack.
Lemon meringue cheesecake
Lemon sponge cake
Mary Berry’s lemon cupcakes
Lemon biscuits
Lemon blueberry loaf
Lemon curd muffins
Mary Berry’s iced lemon traybake
Lemon curd tarts
Lemon drizzle cupcakes
No bake lemon cheesecake
Lemon tartlets
Or why not try one of our other delicious desserts
No bake key lime pie
Baked chocolate ripple cheesecake
Summer berry pavlova
Biscoff cheesecake
Eton mess ice cream
Millionaire’s cheesecake
No bake mini chocolate tarts
Banoffee cheesecake
Strawberry cheesecake
Cornflake tart
Useful equipment
Digital scales
Measuring cups
Palette knife
Rolling pin
Lemon zester
Lemon juicer
23cm loose bottomed tin
Wire rack
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Ingredients
For the pastry
225g (1 ¼ cup) plain flour
175g (¾ cup) cold butter
45g (½ cup) icing sugar
1 egg
For the filling
6 lemons
65g (½ cup) cornflour
250g (1 ¼ cup) caster sugar
6 egg yolks
For the meringue topping
4 egg whites
225g (1 cup) caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
How to make lemon meringue pie
Prepare the tart tin
Grease the base and sides of a 23 loose bottomed flan tin.
Make the pastry
Rub the flour and butter together
Start by getting your kids to measure out the flour then add it to a large mixing bowl.
Measure out the butter then get your kids to cut it into small pieces (or grate it) and add it to the flour. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
Alternatively, if you have a food processor, you can add the butter and flour to it and blitz it together until it’s the right texture.
Add the sugar
Get your kids to measure the sugar out and mix it in.
Add the egg
Crack the egg into a small bowl, just in case any shell goes in. If it does simply fish it out with a larger piece of shell or a tea spoon – it will stick to that better than it will your finger.
Whisk the egg a little then add it to the butter/flour mixture. Start mixing it with a spoon/spatula or your food processor until the mixture starts to come together. You might need to add up to a tablespoon of cold water to help bind it into a ball.
Roll out the pastry
Tip the pastry on to a lightly floured work surface. If it’s crumbly knead it very briefly so that it comes together. As soon as it comes together stop working it as you don’t want to over mix it.
Get your kids to help you roll the pastry out until it is a large circle about 3mm thick. Make sure you turn it 90 degrees between rolls so that it rolls out evenly and doesn’t stick to your worktop. To stop the pastry from tearing when it’s bigger and thinner, roll it around your rolling pin before rotating it. That should support it and help stop it from tearing.
Use your rolling pin to help pick up your pastry and transfer it to your prepared tin. Press the pastry into the tin being careful not to rip it. If you have a little excess pastry roll that into a ball and use that to press the pastry down.
Cover the tart base in cling film and pop it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Blind bake the pastry base
Preheat your oven to 180C / 170C Fan / 350F
Trim the excess pastry leaving a little sticking out over the top then line the pastry base with baking paper and fill it with baking beans. If you scrunch the baking paper into a ball before putting into your base it will fit into the edges more easily.
Bake the pastry base for 15 minutes, then take it out of the oven and carefully remove the baking beans and baking paper.
Pop the base back in the oven and bake it for a further 5 minutes. The base should look golden and dry.
Reduce the oven temperature to 170C / 160C Fan / 340F
Make the lemon filling
You can do this step while your pastry base is in the oven.
Get your kids to help zest and juice the lemons.
To get the most out of your lemons, pop them in the microwave if you have one for 10 seconds or so, then roll it around on your worktop. This should get them to release more juice.
Cut each lemon in half then get your kids to help squeeze them. Once they’re done, give them one final squeeze to make sure they’ve got all the juice out.
Add the cornflour the the lemon juice and zest and stir it so it forms a paste.
Measure out 450ml of water and add it to a small pan. Bring it to the boil then add the lemon paste. Keep boiling the mixture, stirring it until it thickens and reduces in volume. Remove the pan from the heat.
Separate the eggs
We find the easiest way to separate the egg whites from the yolks is to crack the egg and split it in half then tip the egg yolk between each half of the egg shell letting the egg whites fall into a bowl below. Keep doing this until you’ve separated the whites and yolk completely.
Add the 6 egg yolks to a bowl and collect four of the egg whites in another bowl. Set those egg whites aside to use later in the meringue. Add the other two egg whites to a different bowl or freeze them and you can use in something else.
Get your kids to measure out the sugar and add it to the egg yolks.
Stir them together then add them to your pan with the lemon mixture. Whisk the lemon and egg/sugar together. Pop it back on the heat and stir it until it is bubbling and has thickened. Set it aside for a few minutes to cool.
Get your kids to help pour it into the pastry base.
Make the meringue topping
Whisk the egg whites
Pop the egg whites you separated earlier into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your free-standing mixer.
Using a hand held whisk or the whisk attachment of your mixer, whisk the egg whites until they form hard peaks.
If you’re not sure what ‘hard peaks’ are, you need the egg whites to be thick and cloud like. They should hold firm if you remove the whisk from them and if you were to tip the bowl upside down they should stay inside.
Add the sugar and cornflour
Get your kids to measure the sugar out into a small bowl. Keep your mixer running and add the sugar to the eggs one teaspoonful at time until it is all added. If your children have a steady hand, this is a great job to keep them occupied for a while. Just make sure they don’t add it too quickly – you need to wait until the first teaspoon of sugar looks like it has dissolved in fully before adding the next teaspoon.
Finally add the cornflour and give it one last whisk to mix it in.
Bake the lemon meringue pie
Spoon the meringue topping on top of the lemon filling. Make sure it is covering the lemon fully.
Bake the lemon meringue pie in the oven for around 15 minutes until the lemon filling is completely set and the meringue topping has turned lightly golden. It might have a very slight wobble to it in the middle, but should firm up as it cools.
Remove the pie from the oven and leave to cool before serving.
Lemon meringue pie
Lemon meringue pie is a classic bake, perfect for any lover of all things lemon! This easy recipe from Mary Berry, with step by step instructions is so simple even children and beginner bakers can do it.
Equipment
Digital scales
Measuring cups
Palette knife
Rolling pin
Lemon zester
Lemon juicer
23cm loose bottomed tin
Wire rack
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 225 g 1 ¼ cup plain flour
- 175 g ¾ cup cold butter
- 45 g ½ cup icing sugar
- 1 egg
For the filling
- 6 lemons
- 65 g ½ cup cornflour
- 250 g 1 ¼ cup caster sugar
- 6 egg yolks
For the meringue topping
- 4 egg whites
- 225 g 1 cup caster sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour
Instructions
Roll out the pastry
- Tip the pastry on to a lightly floured work surface. If it’s crumbly knead it very briefly so that it comes together. As soon as it comes together stop working it as you don’t want to over mix it.Roll the pastry out until it is a large circle about 3mm thick. Make sure you turn it 90 degrees between rolls so that it rolls out evenly and doesn’t stick to your worktop.
- Use your rolling pin to help pick up your pastry and transfer it to your prepared tin. Press the pastry into the tin being careful not to rip it. If you have a little excess pastry roll that into a ball and use that to press the pastry down.Cover the tart base in cling film and pop it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
Blind bake the pastry base
Make the lemon filling
- Zest and juice the lemons.Add the cornflour the the lemon juice and zest and stir it so it forms a paste.
Measure out 450ml of water and add it to a small pan. Bring it to the boil then add the lemon paste. Keep boiling the mixture, stirring it until it thickens and reduces in volume. Remove the pan from the heat.
Make the meringue topping
Bake the lemon meringue pie
Spoon the meringue topping on top of the lemon filling. Make sure it is covering the lemon layer fully.
Bake the lemon meringue pie in the oven for around 15 minutes until the lemon filling is completely set and the meringue topping has turned lightly golden.
Remove the pie from the oven and leave to cool before serving.
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