Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

December 12, 2019March 8, 2023

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Here are step by step instructions for grandma’s lemon meringue pie. This recipe is a lemon pie without cornstarch, instead it uses regular flour as a thickener.

Grandma’s Lemon Meringue Pie is a simple, old-fashioned recipe that features fresh lemon juice. The flavor is the perfect balance between sweet and tart, and the rustic appearance makes it a favorite among amateur bakers. Learn the tips and techniques to making a perfect lemon meringue pie here.

Grandma’s Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

From the very first holiday that I attended with my husband (then boyfriend), I can remember my mother-in-law baking a real lemon pie. It’s no secret that she loves lemon.

This past Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law showed my daughter and me how to bake this easy lemon pie. She also told us the story of the pie which was the best part in my opinion. I am glad that I will be able to re-tell the story to my kids and grandkids for years to come.

Grandma’s Lemon Meringue Pie is actually named for my mother-in-law’s grandma.She was the original lemon fanatic, and she passed that gene along.This pie has the perfect amount of lemon flavor, a balance of sweet and tart.

See Also

60 Vintage-Inspired Thanksgiving RecipesOur 50 Best Pie Recipes56 Vintage Recipes from the '30s Worth Trying Today62 Quick & Cozy Winter Recipes

Easy Lemon Pie, We Promise

In all honesty, I’ve never been a lemon lover. My family is known for our love of anything chocolate (think Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake), but there’s something about this fresh lemon pie. It’s delicious. Not too tart, yet not too sweet. And, the homemade meringue is absolute perfection.

This might be the easiest lemon pie ever. You do not have to follow a bunch of rules. The recipe is straight-forward and simple.You don’t have to wait until perfect weather to make this.Grandma’s Lemon Pie comes out amazing every time.

You make the real lemon filling on the stove top in a matter of minutes using flour and egg yolks as thickeners. The lemon base is truly a lemon pudding. Try skipping the crust and meringue and just eating the pudding.

Pour the delicious pudding mixture into a homemade or store-bought pie crust, and top with a simple meringue that even YOU can make.

If lemon pudding isn’t your thing, try our classic vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding or even this peanut butter pudding pie! We also love this Butterscotch Sour Cream Pie.

Ingredients

• White Sugar
• All Purpose Flour
• Eggs (separated)
• Fresh Lemon Juice
• Hot Water
• Salt
• Pre-Cooked Pie Shell

How to Make Real Lemon Pie with a Meringue

Step By Step Instructions

1. To make lemon filling, add sugar, flour, egg yolks, lemon juice, hot water and salt to a medium saucepan.
2. Heat over medium heat until it thickens into a pudding; stirring constantly.
3. Pour into a pie crust that has been pre-baked.
4. For the meringue, whip egg whites and sugar to form stiff peaks.
5. Spread over the lemon filling.
6. Bake in preheated oven until the meringue is golden brown.

For the full recipe for fresh lemon pie, scroll to the bottom of this post.

Recipe FAQs

• Grandma’s Lemon Pie uses fresh lemons. This gives a more authentic lemon flavor. Buy 3 lemons just to be safe to get the right amount of lemon juice.
• The trick to great lemon flavor is to get the lemon pulp in with the lemon juice. Avoid the seeds!
• Use hot water from the faucet.
• You can use a homemade pie crust or a store bought; just be sure to pre-bake it. For the store bought, this typically means pricking with a fork and baking at 400 degrees F for 11 to 14 minutes.
• We use a 9-inch deep dish frozen pie crust. If you want to make your own pie crust, try The Country Cook’s version (she even tells you how to pre-bake it).
• While making the lemon filling, be sure to stir constantly to prevent it from burning.
• The real lemon filling will go from watery to thick in the blink of an eye right about the time the mixture comes to a boil.
• When separating the egg yolks from the whites, be sure not to get any yolks in the white part. This will mess up the meringue.
• If you want a bigger meringue for this fresh lemon pie, add more whites.
• Once you’ve browned the meringue, let it cool on a rack away from the stove top. The heat from the oven or stove top could cause the meringue to weep.
• Another way to prevent weeping of the meringue is to make sure you spread the meringue all the way to the crust all the way around the pie.
• Use the back of a spoon or a offset spatula to make decorative peaks and valleys in the meringue.

Quiche Recipes to Try

Have an extra pie crust?

Try some of our other favorite pie recipes: Grandma’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, Grandma’s Strawberry Pie, Old-fashioned Pecan Pie and Impossible Pumpkin Pie.

Or try one of our favorite quiche recipes:

Cheeseburger Quiche

Make Ahead Ham and Cheese Quiche

Zucchini Quiche

Salmon Quiche

Have leftover pie crust scraps? Make these cute Leftover Pie Crust Pinwheel cookies.