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What keto lemon meringue pie has been missing! Smooth and ethereal meringue tops the perfect fresh, tangy, never watery lemon filling. All wrapped up in most perfect all-butter low carb crust.
Lemon lovers, if you’ve been here before, you know I’ve got your back. Like you, I adore all things lemon. But here’s the truth: I find most lemon meringue pies to be a huge disappointment.
Maybe you feel the same way. Usually, the lemon filling is too sweet and not lemony enough. Not to mention the unappetizing mess that is barely cooked French meringue.
My sugar-free, low carb, and keto-friendly recipe makes a true mile high and gorgeous lemon meringue pie that you can be proud to show off at a dinner party (or maybe just to your keto-skeptical spouse!).
And with just over 5g of carbs per serving you can feel great about enjoying a slice for dessert.
What makes the perfect keto lemon meringue pie
There are three important parts to a low carb lemon meringue pie and we’re improving on them all!
The Crust
I’ve waxed poetic about my beloved low carb all-butter coconut flour crust recipe before, like when I was making my perfect keto pumpkin pie. If you’ve never tried this recipe before, you’re in for a treat. Not only does it actually taste good, but it’s also sooo easy to work with.
That’s right, no crumbly, flavorless crust messes happening over here!
The Filling
For the absolute best flavor, we need a fresh, bold, and tangy filling to contrast the sweet meringue topping. You see, if the curd is too sweet the pie will be too cloying and the flavor will just be flat. For this low carb lemon meringue pie, we’re using my perfect sugar-free lemon curd.
The Meringue
This pie has a smooth and ethereal meringue that tops the curd filling like an absolute dream. No curdled looking, unappetizing meringue that begins breaking down before you even finish dinner! Now let’s talk a little more about meringue…
Making better keto meringue for Low Carb Lemon Meringue pie
Alright friends, it’s time to get real about meringue when it comes to lemon meringue pie.
I’ve read more harebrained strategies for avoiding weeping meringue on the internet than I ever thought possible. Everything from cornstarch to flat out not making pie on humid days.
As a former pastry chef, these recipes make me want to cry because they make baking sound so much more complicated than it needs to be.
Not only that…despite all the strategies, these recipes ALL produce the exact same fallen, broken, and generally unattractive meringue that also happens to taste a lot like styrofoam. Sorry, not sorry. It’s the truth.
Friends, we can do better and I’m going to show you how. Because it’s SO easy and you deserve the best lemon meringue pie possible.
Types of Meringue
There are three main types of meringue (of course we could get wayyy more complicated for my pastry nerds, but let’s keep it simple here). And if you’re worried about the carbs in meringue, don’t worry because we’ll be using allulose as the sweetener to make our meringue low carb.
French Meringue
French Meringue is made by whipping egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually adding sweetener/sugar and beating until stiff peaks form. Sweeteners and sugar inhibit egg white volume, so it’s important to let the whites build volume before adding them.
Cream of tartar or lemon juice may also be added in an effort to stabilize the foam as much as possible, but they can only do so much.
French meringue is at its best when baked into crunchy and airy meringue cookies and pavlovas. But unfortunately, it’s sometimes used as a lemon meringue pie topping, resulting in a weeping and unstable disappointment of a pie. It’s rarely baked at a long and low enough temperature to stabilize the foam and avoid this awful unappealing raw egg mess.
Swiss Meringue
Swiss Meringue is made by gently heating the whites and sweetener/sugar together over a double boiler until the sweetener/sugar dissolves (whisking the entire time). Then you transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip, whip, whip until totally cool.
Swiss meringue is slightly more stable than French meringue but since the sweetener or sugar is added at the very beginning, the egg whites in Swiss meringue can’t possibly build as much volume (remember from above that sweeteners and sugar inhibit egg white volume). So if you’re aiming for a keto lemon pie with meringue that’s both stable and mile-high, let’s move on to Italian meringue…
Italian Meringue
Italian Meringue is made by heating a sweetener/sugar syrup to 240° F and whipping the syrup into partially beaten egg whites. Then you crank up the mixer speed and whip until the meringue is cool and has formed stiff peaks. With this method, the syrup actually cooks the egg whites for you.
Italian meringue is the most stable of the three, so it’s an ideal choice for anything that will only be browned or partially cooked like meringue topping on pie. It’s also smooooth, velvety, and so much more appealing than barely cooked French meringue when used as lemon meringue pie topping. Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll be an Italian meringue convert!
Print Recipe Save Recipe
4 from 45 votes
Heavenly Keto Lemon Meringue Pie
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time40 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Keto
Servings: 12 Slices
Calories: 201.1kcal
Author: Courtney @ Bake It Keto
Ingredients
- 1 Batch My Keto Coconut Flour Pie Dough Recipe
For The Lemon Filling
- 1 Cup Allulose
- Lemon Zest (from 4 lemons)
- 3/4 Cup Lemon Juice
- 4 Large Eggs (whole)
- 2 Large Egg Yolks (use the whites in the meringue)
- 1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick)
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
For The Meringue Topping
- 1 1/2 Cups Allulose
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 4 Large Egg Whites (room temperature)
- 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Pinch Salt
Instructions
Make my Coconut Flour Pie Crust. Follow the pie crust directions to prepare the crust for a no-bake filling (blind bake for a total of 20 minutes, or until the bottom center is done). Set the prepared crust aside while you make the filling and topping.
To Make The Lemon Filling
Prepare a mesh strainer by setting it over a medium heatproof bowl. Set the strainer and bowl aside near your stove.
Fill a medium saucepan with 3-4 inches of water and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
While the water is heating, combine the allulose, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large, heatproof bowl and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and egg yolks and immediately whisk to combine.
Place the bowl with the lemon mixture over the simmering water to form a double boiler. Whisk the lemon mixture constantly. The allulose will dissolve and then the mixture will begin to thicken as the eggs cook. The lemon mixture is done cooking when it's reached 160° F. You'll know it's ready when it's reached the consistency of sour cream or full fat yogurt.
Turn off the burner and remove the bowl from the double boiler, being careful not to burn yourself on the escaping steam. Immediately strain the hot lemon mixture through the prepared mesh strainer and into the bowl that you previously prepared next to your stove. Tap the strainer firmly and use a rubber spatula to help the curd through without damaging your strainer.
Add the butter, vanilla, and salt to the strained lemon mixture while it's still hot. Whisk the mixture occasionally, until the butter has melted completely and is fully incorporated.
Pour the finished lemon filling into the prepared pie crust and then set aside while you make the meringue topping.
To Make The Meringue Topping
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and let it run on low speed.
Add the allulose and water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Turn the mixer up and whip the egg whites until soft peaks form, while you wait for the allulose syrup to reach 240° F (soft ball stage). If you want to use a candy thermometer, I recommend this Taylor thermometer on Amazon.
When the allulose syrup comes up to 240° F, remove the pan from the heat. Run the mixer at medium speed and pour the syrup into the bowl of the mixer, avoiding the whip by pouring closer to the side. When all of the syrup is in the bowl of the mixer, turn the mixer up to high speed and whip the meringue mixture until it's extremely thick, glossy, and completely cool.
Scoop the meringue topping onto the prepared lemon filling/crust. Spread the meringue out from crust to crust so that it completely covers the lemon filling. Now is the time to use an offset spatula, spoon, or regular spatula to create swoops and dollops in your meringue. These are the nooks and crannies that will look amazing when we brown the meringue!
Bake the meringue-topped pie for at 350° F 15-20 minutes, or until the meringue has reached your preferred level of toasty, golden brown. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see! Tag @BakeItKeto or #bakeitketo!
Nutrition Facts
Heavenly Keto Lemon Meringue Pie
Amount Per Serving (1 Slice)
Calories 201.1Calories from Fat 158
% Daily Value*
Fat 17.6g27%
Carbohydrates 5.2g2%
Fiber 2.3g10%
Sugar 1.2g1%
Protein 5.3g11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition facts have been calculated using Cronometer, with the carbs from all erythritol and allulose sweeteners subtracted because I do not personally have to bolus insulin for Swerve, erythritol, or allulose as a Type 1 (autoimmune) Diabetic. All Bake It Keto recipes have been tried and used successfully, but results may vary from person to person. All information provided regarding nutrition on the Website is intended to be used for informational purposes only. I am not a nutritionist. Consult your medical professional before using any recipe if you have concerns about how you may individually react to the use of any particular recipe or ingredient. By voluntarily creating and using any recipe provided here, you assume the risk of any potential injury that may result. Please see my full disclosures at https://www.bakeitketo.com/disclosures-privacy-policy/.
More Keto Lemon Recipes To Try
Keto Lemon Bars
Keto Lemon Curd Tart
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