Magic Lemon Pie is a buttery graham cracker crust filled with lemon custard filling and topped with a fluffy meringue. After baking, the pie is cooled to room temperature before chilling completely in the refrigerator. This gives the pie time for all the flavors to ‘magically’ develop into a perfectly refreshing lemon-flavored dessert. I also have a classic Lemon Meringue Pie you may want to bake, too!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Crust: When mixing the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter, ensure each crumb is coated in the butter. This helps keep it together! A vanilla wafer or shortbread crust would also be delicious!
Graham Cracker Crumbs
Pre-Crushed vs Crushing Yourself
The quality of store-bought graham cracker crumbs has changed in the last few years and they seem to be less flavorful and have a different texture. When possible, I recommend the full sheets of honey-flavored graham crackers and crushing them yourself or utilizing a food processor.
Eggs: You will need three room-temperature eggs for this recipe. Separate the yolks from the whites. The yolks will be used in the custard filling; the egg whites will be whipped into meringue.
Sweetened Condensed Milk: Look for a can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) for the custard. It helps give the filling a creamy texture and the sweetness helps balance out the tartness from the lemon. In fact, this pie recipe was used to help sell the Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk years ago!
Lemons: For this pie, you need about 2-3 large lemons for all the lemon flavor. First, zest the lemon for 2 teaspoons of zest. Then, squeeze the lemons for 1/2 cup of lemon juice. In a pinch, you could use bottled juice.
Meringue: The separated egg whites will be used for the meringue. They will be whipped with cream of tartar and granulated sugar.
Cream of Tartar: Cream of tartar is a powdery acid, not a cream. Find it in the baking aisle, near the spices, in your local grocery store. It is added to the meringue to help stabilize it, increase the volume, and improve the texture. You can still make the meringue without cream of tartar, using just egg whites and sugar. But, it has a better chance of ‘weeping’.
How To Prevent Weeping In Meringue
To prevent the meringue from weeping (looking wet or syrupy), follow these tips:
- Use a clean bowl and utensils.
- Let the eggs come to room temperature before separating.
- Gradually add the sugar.
- Whip the egg whites just until they form stiff peaks. Stiff peaks are sharp peaks that can stand on their own even after the beater has been removed. Do not under or overwhip.
- When spreading the meringue over the filling, make sure it completely seals the edges of the custard. Any gaps can allow moisture to escape and cause weeping.
Can I Make Magic Lemon Pie Without Meringue?
Yes, you can make magic lemon pie without meringue. Simply leave it off! Be aware that the filling layer is pretty thin without the meringue topping, so it should be done baking after the initial baking time. But, check to see that the pie is mostly firm around the edges with a slight jiggle in the middle. Then, let it cool and chill. If preferred, you could top the pie with whipped topping instead of the meringue.
How To Store Magic Lemon Pie
To store magic lemon pie, first, let it cool. Then, loosely cover the pie before storing it in the refrigerator. Add toothpicks to the cheesecake to keep the plastic or foil from touching and messing up the meringue. It will last up to 2-3 days. I do not recommend freezing this pie because of the meringue.
Magic Lemon Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups (126 g) graham cracker crumbs, about 10-12 crushed graham cracker sheets
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) unsalted butter, melted
Pie
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup (122 g) lemon juice freshly squeezed (about 2 large lemons)
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
Crust
- To a small bowl, add graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Make sure to get every crumb coated with butter. Evenly press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 8-inch pie pan.
Pie
- Separate the eggs. Place the yolks into a medium bowl and the whites in a large bowl.
- To the bowl with egg yolks, add sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until just set with a slight jiggle in the middle.
- Remove the pie from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F.
- To the bowl of egg whites, add cream of tartar. Use a hand mixer to beat until foamy.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add granulated sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Stiff peaks are sharp peaks that can stand on their own even after the beater has been removed.
- Carefully spread the meringue mixture over the hot pie, ensuring it reaches the edges of the crust to seal it.
- Return the pie to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown.
- Let the pie cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator to completely chill before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
This is like a super easy lemon meringue pie. It was tart and delicious and perfect for spring!
Elizabeth
This wasn't too bad! I am not a huge fan of lemon meringue pie, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this pie. The texture was creamy with just a hint of lemon. And, you can't go wrong with a graham cracker crust!
Rachael
Beautiful lemon custard in this quick pie. Such a wonderful dessert for spring and summer!
Bella
Such a light and bright-tasting pie! Each bite is smooth, creamy, and tart!
Annabelle
This is a wonderful and simple dessert! If you're a lemon fan, this would be perfect for you!
Selena
My family is a huge fan of lemon meringue pie and I was so happy to find a recipe that is satisfying for them and super easy to make. This will go in the regular rotation for celebrations.
Great Pie. Easy too
Must make this when I have a luncheon for my friends, sounds delicious. I live by myself so would not make it unless company was coming. I love lemon meringue pie. Thank you. ❤️