Lemon Meringue Tart

This Lemon Meringue Tart is tangy and sweet. Buttery crust filled with creamy lemon filling and topped with sweet meringue. Detailed step-by-step instructions and video provided to help you master this recipe. Plus instructions for making Lemon Meringue Tartlets.

Jump to:

• Photo instructions
• Make-ahead tip
• Storage
• Freezing instructions
• Mini Tartlets
• Recipe and Video

Photo instructions

Crust

The easiest way to make the crust is with a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can make it with a pastry cutter or two forks instead. Although I just walk you through the food processor method in depth, you find instructions on the pastry cutter and fork method in the recipe card. But look through the photos anyway to know how the crust should look like.

Combine flour, powdered sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse a few times until coarse meal forms like in the picture below. Use cold butter straight out of the fridge and cut it into a few cubes for the best results.

Then add egg yolk and pulse 2 times until combined.

Add 1 tbsp water at the time and pulse 1-2 times after every tablespoon. Stop pulsing when it starts to clump and looks like in the picture below.

When you press the crumbs between your fingers, it should hold together.

Transfer crust to a plastic foil and form into a 1 - 1.5 inches thick disc without kneading. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 4 days.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough disc into a 12-inch circle. Rotate and flip the crust regularly that it stays round.

Flip:

Rotate:

Roll:

That you know that the crust is big enough to cover the bottom and the sides of the baking pan, place the removable bottom of the baking pan in the center of the crust. I recommend baking the crust in a baking pan with a removable bottom. (Of course, you can bake it in a pie dish without a removable bottom as well.)

Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish and press the crust into the bottom and sides of the baking pan.

Trim off any excess crust with a sharp knife.

Peak a few times with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes.

Line chilled crust with parchment paper and push it lightly against the bottom and the sides of the crust. Make sure that the parchment paper covers the sides of your crust completely to prevent it from heavy browning.

Then heavy it down with baking beans (or beans or rice). Also, make sure that your baking beans push against the sides as well to prevent them from sinking down to the bottom. Bake for 35 minutes. Then remove from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.

Remove the paper and the baking beans and let cool completely.

Lemon filling

In a medium bowl whisk egg yolks and cornstarch to combine. Set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan bring water, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and lemon zest over medium-high heat to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring constantly. Then lower the temperature to medium-low.

Stir about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the egg yolks to slowly warm them.

Then pour warmed egg mixture slowly into the saucepan, whisking constantly.

Cook until filling is thick like pudding, for about 5-6 minutes. Whisk continuously. It needs to be cooked until it is thick enough that it plops from a spoon or the filling won't set in the crust.

If necessary, remove the pan a few seconds from the heat in-between you cook the filling that it doesn't get burned. Or lower the temperature if it is too high.

Remove from heat and stir in butter little by little until smooth and fully combined for about 1-2 minutes. Pour through a mesh strainer.

If you see that the filling is very liquid, then you undercooked the filling. The filling will most likely not set in this case. Here's what you can do. It's like an emergency backup plan for you.

Remove ¼ cup of filling and stir in 2 tsp of powdered gelatine. Whisk until no lumps remain. Then pour back into the filling and whisk until smooth and combined. The gelatine makes sure that the filling firms up once it is chilled for a few hours. It's not the preferred way for sure but better than ending up with a runny filling.

Then transfer to the crust and refrigerate the Lemon Tart for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Meringue

For the meringue, fill a saucepan 2 inches high with water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl (preferably glass) and set over the saucepan. The bowl should not touch the water.

Whisk continuously for 3-5 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Make sure the meringue doesn’t get too hot, or the egg whites will cook through, and the meringue won’t be stiff but lumpy. Remove from the saucepan in-between to cool down a bit, if necessary. But if you use a glass bowl and it doesn't touch the water, this won't be necessary.

The meringue should be warm to the touch.

Remove from heat and beat with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed until shiny, glossy, and stiff peaks form, for about 5-7 minutes.

As you can see in the photo below, the meringue is stiff enough to hold a stiff peak.

Transfer to a piping bag and pipe or spoon on top of the chilled Lemon Tart. The meringue may starts to weep a little bit after 2 days (not necessarily). But because the egg whites are warmed, you don’t need to be worried about salmonella.

Make-ahead tip

You can prepare the crust in advance for up to 4 days. You also can bake the crust in advance. After blind baking, let it cool to room temperature then transfer it to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Storage

Store the Lemon Meringue Tart or Tartlets in an airtight container in the fridge. After decorating with the meringue, it stays fresh up to 3 days.

Freezing instructions

Please make sure to freeze the tart just without the meringue.

Freeze the whole Lemon Tart: Chill the tart as described for about 8 hours. Then wrap the tart with the bottom of the baking pan in plastic foil twice. Then wrap in aluminum foil twice. Take care that it is completely sealed and no air is enclosed or can come in. Freeze up to 1 month.

Thaw in the fridge overnight. Therefore remove the foil and the plastic wrap and place the tart in an airtight container. Decorate with meringue before serving and eat within 2 days.

Freeze single slices: After chilling cut into slices (without meringue topping) and wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap twice. Place in freezer bags and squeeze out all the air. Freeze up to 1 month.

For thawing, unwrap the slices and place in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. Decorate before serving and eat within 2 days.

The meringue can't be frozen because the texture changes drastically during the freezing and thawing process. But not in a good way. Not at all.

Mini Tartlets

Make the recipe as described. The only thing that changes is that you have to transfer the crust to a muffin pan instead of a pie dish.

This recipe makes 12 Lemon Meringue Tartlets. If you want to go with a small batch version, simply cut the recipe in half and you're going to end up with just 6 tartlets.

Therefore cut the rolled pie crust (should be about 0.25 inches or 0,5 cm thick) with a 3-4 inches wide drink glass or cutter. Then slightly flatten the center of the crust pieces with your fingers that it's easier to fit them into the muffin pan.

Then press the crust into the bottom and the sides of the muffin pan and peak with a fork. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Then line the crust with parchment paper and heavy it down with baking beans.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Then remove the paper and the baking beans and let cool completely.

Prepare the filling as described and chill for at least 4 hours. Then make the meringue and pipe or spoon on top of the chilled tartlets. They stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Check out all my other recipes! I’m sure you will find more recipes which you like.

Recipe and Video