A drool-worthy vegan lemon meringue pie featuring a sky high meringue atop a creamy lemon curd layer.
My mother makes a mean lemon meringue pie. It was tart and sweet and oh so delicious. Her meringue was sky high, never fell or weeped, and it had pretty wisps of gold amidst fluffy white clouds. My mom baked some pretty amazing treats, and her lemon meringue pie was epic. We didn’t get it often but when we did, we enjoyed that golden slice of heaven.
Since my childhood, I have attempted to make lemon meringue pie a handful of times, in an effort to capture those childhood memories that sometimes leave me with little cravings for a nostalgic treat. I’ve learned over the past few decades that my mom is a gifted baker and with practice, I am learning to become one, too. It’s the whole ‘practice makes perfect’ concept. Despite this old adage, I haven’t purchased eggs since adopting a plant-based lifestyle so it seemed that lemon meringue pie was just an unattainable treat. After all, eggs are the essential ingredient in both the lemon curd and in the meringue – it’s what meringue is made out of, well that and sugar. Have you tried to make angel food cake or meringue without eggs? Yeah, I didn’t think so….
And then Pinterest happened. I learned about this weird and magical substance known as aquafaba – the liquid that results after cooking chickpeas. Seriously, I can’t make this up. And I have no idea who came up with the name aquafaba; but when you figure out how to use the stuff properly, it becomes the stuff food dreams are made of. I’m sure you have seen the gorgeous vegan macarons, meringue, and divinity on Pinterest. I scoffed at the absurdity of attempting meringue since I have tried and failed making other things with the stuff (like simple French toast that turned into a very soggy wet bread, which is the opposite of French toast or angel food cake that wasn’t angelic at all). Needless to say, aquafaba just didn’t work for me. I tried it, and it was a bust.
And then I got that crazy nostalgic craving again. For whatever reason, I just wanted lemon meringue pie. Maybe it was the three gigantic lemons that I found at the grocery store this past Saturday. Or perhaps it’s not being able to go to a restaurant. We don’t go often, but we splurge on dessert when we do. And I’ve said this before, I love dessert. Almost as much as bread. Anyway, I got it into my head that I was going to successfully create meringue with aquafaba and I wanted something amazing that rivaled my mom’s lemon meringue pie. I can’t explain it, but I somehow couldn’t give up on that aquafaba stuff.
My first attempt didn’t result in meringue. I poured it down the sink. It didn’t look or behave like meringue. And it certainly wasn’t pretty. It resembled a bowl of beer – not that I’ve ever seen anyone drink beer from a bowl. But that is precisely what it looked like. It did not look like meringue. But I couldn’t give up. In fact, I become pretty persistent (stubborn but with laser beam focus) when things are not going the way they’re supposed to go. I mean, Pinterest showed me very pretty pictures of meringue…. And don’t you believe everything you see on Pinterest? Thought so.
So, I tried again, and do you see what happened? I conjured meringue! And since I learned something, I will share the absolutely fantastic trick that makes it work like magic. Well, that and patience. Just you wait. And let me tell you, when that meringue actually appears in your mixing bowl, it’s like some culinary pixie dust was poured over your mixer. There’s nothing like it – to create something incredible like this glorious meringue from bean water…. seriously. And that really is exactly what happened.
Check out my pretty whipped bean water on a luxurious lemon curd!
So, there you have it. Vegan lemon meringue pie does exist. It really is possible. I mean, look how beautiful this pie turned out. I wish you could taste these photos. It tastes like lemon meringue pie should taste. And by now, you know that I love texture. This pie has the correct airy and light meringue on top and the lemon curd is creamy and yet firm enough to stay in place – but not too firm that it gelatinizes and breaks or becomes rubbery. I think that’s an important rule: Dessert (or any food) should not be rubbery. The lemon curd or meringue doesn’t melt and isn’t watery either. It doesn’t leak all over the bottom of the pie dish to make a sticky soggy mess – I’ve experienced this phenomenon before and it is completely demoralizing. So that’s another important rule: Dessert (or any food) should not be watery. Oh, and let’s not forget the most important rule of all: Dessert should always taste as good as it looks. And doesn’t this lemon meringue pie look dreamy? The best part is that it really does taste good, too.
Pie crust (optional) ** see note 2 and photos at the end for a lemon meringue parfait (lemon meringue without the crust)
- Prepared pie crust in pie pan
- Bake prepared pie crust according to recipe/instructions.
- Remove from oven and set aside.
Meringue
- 3/4 cup aquafaba
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- ½ cup powdered* sugar
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ½ tsp vanilla
- Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a stand mixer bowl, combine aquafaba and cream of tartar. Mix on medium until frothy.
- While mixing, add 1 Tablespoon of powdered sugar until each is fully incorporated. * This is the SECRET to SUCCESS right here. Add the powdered sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time. *
- Continue mixing on medium speed until peaks form, about 5 minutes.
- Add xanthan gum and vanilla slowly and mix 3-5 minutes more, until stiff peaks form.
Lemon Curd
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 ¼ cup almond milk
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1/8 tsp turmeric (optional)
- 1 tsp agar agar powder
- 2 Tbsp vegan margarine
- Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add lemon juice, almond milk, lemon zest, and turmeric. Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in agar agar powder and stir constantly until thick and velvety smooth and yellow.
- Remove from heat and stir in margarine.
- Pour hot lemon curd into prepared/cooked pie crust.
- Gently pour meringue on top of the lemon curd.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on top.
- Remove from oven and cool completely.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.
Notes
- Drain the aquafaba from canned or home-cooked chickpeas or northern beans.
- For a medium speed on a stand mixer, I used #6 setting on a kitchen aid.
- Note 1* You really need to use powdered sugar. I tried it with regular granular sugar and it did not work for me at all. I know other people may have had success but not me.
- Note 2** If you prefer not to use a crust, that’s awesome! You can make these incredible lemon meringue parfaits. Simply pour your lemon curd into an 8 oz ramekin or baking dish and top with meringue. Then bake as directed for about 25 minutes or until meringue is a light golden brown.
My lemon meringue pie was adapted from a great post by Namely Marly and can be found here. She offers two different lemon filling options, one made with tofu and one solely with cornstarch. I modified the meringue mixture to increase the cream of tartar; for the filling, I increased the lemon juice and decreased the almond milk, added agar agar powder and decreased the cornstarch, added lemon zest instead of using lemon extract, and used 2 tablespoons vegan margarine instead of 1 tablespoon coconut oil. I’m so excited with the results. If only my crust turned out better, this pie would be epic, just like Mom’s. There’s always next time…
Please let me know if you tried this pie. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
To print or save this recipe, please click on the link below.
Lemon Meringue Pie
Equipment
- stand mixer
- oven
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 favorite homemade or purchased vegan pie crust optional
Meringue
- ¾ cup aquafaba
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ½ tsp vanilla
Lemon Curd
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 1 ¼ cup almond milk
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- â…› tsp turmeric optional
- 1 tsp agar agar powder
- 2 Tbsp vegan margarine
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Bake prepared pie crust according to recipe/instructions. Remove from oven and set aside.
Meringue
- Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a stand mixer bowl, combine aquafaba and cream of tartar. Mix on medium until frothy.
- While mixing, add 1 Tablespoon of powdered sugar until each is fully incorporated. * * SECRET to SUCCESS * right here. Add the powdered sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time.
- Continue mixing on medium speed until peaks form, about 5 minutes.
- Add xanthan gum and vanilla slowly and mix 3-5 minutes more, until stiff peaks form.
Lemon Curd
- Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add lemon juice, almond milk, lemon zest, and turmeric. Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in agar agar powder and stir constantly until thick and velvety smooth and yellow.
- Remove from heat and stir in margarine.
- Pour hot lemon curd into prepared/cooked pie crust.
- Gently pour meringue on top of the lemon curd.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on top.
- Remove from oven and cool completely.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.
I will have to give this a try and see how it compares to my lemon meringue pie that I have been making for years and see what the critics say (my husband and children).