This delicious recipe has been generously shared by one of our Lovefoodies supporters, Cathy Kopp.
Lemon Meringue Pie always looks so beautiful, and you would think by looking at it, it would be hard to make, when in fact it's very easy! Here, Cathy shows us how she makes her pie, and as you can see, it really does look wonderful. You can make your own pastry crust or use a ready baked one, the choice is yours!
Thanks Cathy for showing us one of your favourite family recipes.
Recipe by Cathy Kopp
Prep Time: 15 minutes plus extra for cool time
Cook Time: 15 - 20 minutes
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Yield: 6 slices
Ingredients
1 Pie shell, baked
For the Filling:
1 & ½ cups sugar
6 Tablespoons corn starch
pinch salt
1 & ⅓ cups cold water
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
6 egg yolks, whisked in a small bowl
½ cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
For the Meringue:
6 egg whites, room temp
pinch cream of tartar
pinch salt
¾ cup sugar
***** For a lighter version follow this:
For the Filling
Instead of 1-½ c. sugar , use 1 c. Splenda and ½ c. sugar
For the Meringue
Instead of ¾ c. sugar use ½ c. Splenda and ¼ c. sugar
Instructions:
First, prepare the filling:
1. Combine sugar, corn starch, salt and water in a non-reactive saucepan.
2. Whisk until all lumps are gone.
3. Place over medium heat, whisking constantly until it boils.
4. Remove from heat and add butter or margarine.
5. Temper the egg mixture with the sugar mixture and add all to the saucepan.
6. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil for 2 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and zest.
8. Set aside, and move straight on to preparing the meringue. (you need to do this before the filling cools down.)
Prepare the meringue:
1. Using the whisk attachment of your mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on low speed until combined.
2. Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form.
3. Whisk in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Putting it all together:
1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Add filling to pie shell.
3. Top with meringue, making sure to spread it to the edges of the crust, forming a seal.
4. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until meringue is golden with darker peaks.
5. Let cool at least 2 hours.
6. Refrigerate leftovers.
Cathy's Hints:
Be scrupulous about not letting any fat get into the egg whites.
Egg whites produce more volume at room temp.
Don't put the filling in the crust until the meringue is ready or the crust gets soggy.
Filling must be hot for the meringue to stick well.
The longer you can wait to eat it, the better it sets up. (I know it's difficult to wait, but trust me.)
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Lovefoodies also made Cathy's lemon Meringue Pie!

- 1 Pie shell baked
- For the Filling:
- 1 cups & ½ sugar
- 6 Tablespoons corn starch
- pinch salt
- 1 cups & ⅓ cold water
- 2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
- 6 in egg yolks whisked a small bowl
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 6 egg whites room temp
- pinch cream of tartar
- pinch salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- c Instead of 1-½ . sugar use 1 c. Splenda and ½ c. sugar
- c Instead of ¾ . sugar use ½ c. Splenda and ¼ c. sugar
-
Combine sugar, corn starch, salt and water in a non-reactive saucepan.
-
Whisk until all lumps are gone.
-
Place over medium heat, whisking constantly until it boils.
-
Remove from heat and add butter or margarine.
-
Temper the egg mixture with the sugar mixture and add all to the saucepan.
-
Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil for 2 minutes.
-
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and zest.
-
Set aside, and move straight on to preparing the meringue. (you need to do this before the filling cools down.)
-
Using the whisk attachment of your mixer, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on low speed until combined.
-
Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form. Whisk in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.
-
Preheat oven to 375F
-
Add filling to pie shell. Top with meringue, making sure to spread it to the edges of the crust, forming a seal.
-
Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until meringue is golden with darker peaks.
-
Let cool at least 2 hours.
-
Refrigerate leftovers.
Cathy
says:Yum, Mary! It’s been ages since I made this. Thanks for the reminder!
Lovefoodies
says:It’s THE BEST Lemon Meringue Pie I ever tried Cathy!!!
Elizabeth Hauswirth
says:Lemon Meringue Pie is my all time favorite! This recipe sounds great, the only different thing I would do is add vanilla to the meringue. I know it does weep but it gives the meringue great flavor.
lovefoodies
says:Hi Elizabeth, adding vanilla sounds lovely! When I made this a few weeks back, one of my worries was that it would weep, but Cathy assured me it wouldn’t, and she was right! So unless you do something different to the recipe, you should have success. I don’t think the vanilla will make a different to the structure. You could of course use vanilla powder which will help stiffen the egg whites, but I say give it a go, I can fully recommend this recipe!!
Happy baking!
Francene Kaufman
says:This recipe reminds me of watching my Mom, Aunts making theirs like this, the old fashion way, the best way. Thank you for it. I will definitely make mine this way for Christmas, if not before.
lovefoodies
says:It’s a great recipe, I agree Francene. I am planning of making this next week, and at Christmas, (I can’t wait!!) Please enjoy and hope it brings back many fond memories when it’s time to eat it with your family too.