An easy lemon meringue pie comes together fastest if you use a simple pre‑baked crust, a stovetop lemon filling, and a no‑fail cornstarch‑stabilized meringue, so you get bright lemon flavor without runny filling or weepy topping.

Quick Scoop

  • Use a ready-made or very simple homemade crust to save time. Blind‑bake it so it stays crisp under the filling.
  • Cook the lemon layer like a thick pudding with sugar, water, cornstarch, egg yolks, lemon juice and zest, plus a little butter for richness.
  • Whip egg whites with sugar, cream of tartar and a small cornstarch gel so the meringue stays fluffy and does not weep.

Ingredients snapshot

For one 9‑inch “easy” lemon meringue pie, many modern recipes use:

  • 1 pre‑baked 9‑inch pie crust (store‑bought or simple homemade).
  • Lemon filling
    • About 1–1.5 cups sugar.
    • 1/3–1/2 cup cornstarch (sometimes a bit of flour too).
    • 1.5 cups water.
    • 4 egg yolks.
    • 1/4–1/2 cup fresh lemon juice.
    • Lemon zest from 1–2 lemons.
    • 2–3 tablespoons butter.
  • Meringue
    • 4 egg whites.
    • Sugar (about 1/3–2/3 cup).
    • Cream of tartar and a pinch of salt.
    • A few spoonfuls of thickened cornstarch-and-water mixture to stabilize.

Step‑by‑step (simplified)

  1. Crust
    • Pre‑bake the pie shell until lightly golden, then let it cool.
  1. Lemon filling
    • Whisk sugar, cornstarch (and flour if used) and salt in a saucepan, then stir in water, lemon juice and zest.
 * Cook over medium heat, stirring, until it boils and thickens to a pudding‑like texture, then take off the heat and stir in butter.

 * Temper egg yolks with some hot mixture, whisk them back into the pan, and cook briefly again until glossy and thick.

 * Pour the hot filling into the baked crust.
  1. Meringue
    • In a small pan, cook a little cornstarch with water until clear and thick; keep warm.
 * Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until frothy, then gradually add sugar until stiff and glossy.

 * Beat in the warm cornstarch mixture a spoonful at a time to stabilize the meringue.
  1. Top and bake
    • While filling is still hot, spread meringue over it, making sure it seals all the way to the crust edge.
 * Swirl peaks on top and bake until the meringue is nicely golden.

 * Let cool to room temperature, then chill several hours so the filling fully sets before slicing.

Easy success tips

  • Keep the filling thick (similar to warm pudding) before pouring into the crust to avoid runny slices.
  • Always put meringue on hot filling and bake right away to minimize weeping.
  • Use fresh lemon juice and zest for brighter flavor than bottled juice.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.