paleo lemon meringue pie

Our paleo LEMON MERINGUE PIE has been years in the making. As I was sharing a bit about it on IG the other day, I literally got choked up. Another offering here that my mom (we miss her) would have absolutely loved. It was her favorite and the meringue was always piled so high!

We always had homemade pie crusts, but the filling was either the canned or boxed variety. Yep, DeVona used Jello brand lemon pudding for our pies. I never thought anything about it at the time. So when it came to remaking this recipe, I still wanted that “jello” texture of my childhood. That is why you see some gelatin in this recipe. The egg yolks alone make a great texture, but gosh it sure is awesome to see this filling slice like I remember.

The meringue was also a hurdle to get over. My mom’s method was not typical. She literally whipped up egg whites with sugar and plopped in on the cold pie. You know what happened the next day? The meringue slid right off since it was technically never “cooked” so it was like a fluffy cloud that seeped liquid and eventually disintegrated. To be fair, this pie didn’t last more than a day!

The Italian meringue approach I use in this paleo lemon meringue pie recipe has splendid results. If you want to use your favorite method, by all means you do you. After many, many attempts over the years at getting the meringue just right though, I feel like this one is awesome!

Keep in mind that the color of the lemon filling will vary depending on the color of your egg yolks. The deeper the color of the yolks, the more vibrant the filling will be. Regardless of the color, the taste is AMAZING! No artificial flavors here, so the true vibrant lemon comes through.

We like to fill the pie the day before we want to enjoy it so that all we have to do is make the meringue the day of. Here for any time saving hacks we can offer!

You will need one prebaked pie crust using our PIE CRUST RECIPE or our PIE CRUST MIX. Bake one up, let it cool completely and you’re all set! We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we are enjoying adding another favorite to our ever growing list!

Our favorite ingredients used in this recipe!

• OUR PIE CRUST MIX!
• Further Food Gelatin
• Fourth & Heart Ghee

a few of our favorite PIES on the blog:

• Mom’s Pecan Pie
• Cherry Vanilla Pie
• Butterscotch Pie
• Peach Crumble Pie

paleo lemon meringue pie

Recipe by MichelleCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: moderate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 prebaked pie crust, cooled

• filling

• 1 tsp gelatin

• 1 tbsp water

• 1¼ cup fresh lemon juice

• 1 cup maple sugar

• ½ cup ghee

• 10 egg yolks

• ½ tsp salt

• meringue

• 3 egg whites

• ¾ cup maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla

• ¼ tsp cream of tartar

Directions

• Add gelatin and water to a small bowl, stir to combine and let set for 5 minutes to soften. Prepare a large glass bowl with a fine mesh strainer over it, set aside.
• In a 5 qt saucepan, add lemon juice, maple sugar, ghee, egg yolks and salt. Whisk well to combine. Over medium low heat, stir constantly until mixture begins to thicken. Add softened gelatin and continue to stir with a rubber spatula, scraping sides and bottom. Continue until the gelatin is fully combined and the mixture is thickened. You want to see some fat bubbles in the middle. Remove from heat.
• Strain into the large glass bowl and cool slightly, about 30 minutes in the fridge. Then pour into the prepared pie crust and place a sheet of plastic wrap right on top of the filling to avoid a skin. Carefully place it in the refrigerator to set up. 4-6 hours or overnight for best results.
• When ready to serve, make meringue by combining egg whites, maple syrup, vanilla and cream of tartar in a heat safe bowl. Place that bowl over a pan with about 2” of simmering water in it. It’s important that the bowl NOT touch the water. Use a hand mixer on the low speed, mix until the temperature reaches 150° – this could take up to 20 minutes, so be patient, as it makes a huge difference in the final results of the meringue.
• Once it reaches 150°, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix beginning at a low speed then slowly increasing to medium high over about 45 seconds. Continue mixing until stiff glossy peaks form. Remove plastic from pie and dollop meringue on top. Use a small spatula to push the meringue towards the edge of the pie, keeping a mound in the middle. If desired, use a kitchen torch to toast the top.
• To slice, sometimes it’s easier to “perforate” the meringue on the top with a small knife, then use a thin large blade to make one cut through the meringue down into the crust. We like to wipe off the blade between each “cut” so that you have a cleaner piece of pie.
• Best enjoyed within a couple days, store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.