Fluffy Lemon Meringue Pie

Categories: Desserts Recipes Sweet Treats

Impress everyone at your table with this recipe for a fluffy Lemon Meringue Pie, made with aquafaba and free of eggs and dairy.

Although lemon curd is normally made with butter and eggs, olive oil works very well here to replace the fat of the butter, and the curd is thickened with cornstarch instead of egg yolks. We challenge you to feed this to your omnivore friends and have them tell the difference.

Top Tips:

You can make individual lemon meringue tarts by following the same process, substituting a 12 cup muffin pan for the pie plate.

The pie crust and lemon filling can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge, but the meringue should be made shortly before serving.

Thick and containing chunks of coconut meat, pure creamed coconut can be found in your grocery store near the canned coconut milks or where beverage mixes are shelved. It comes in a sealed plastic pouch, often inside a cardboard box. The Grace brand is often the easiest to find.

Make sure to use sugar that has not been filtered through bone char, because it’s not plant based.

Skill level: High

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Servings: Makes: 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients

For the crust

1 cup (100g)

All-Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp

Salt

60ml (1/4 cup)

Vegetable Oil

2 tbsp

Cold Water

For the lemon curd

75ml (1/3 cup)

Water

75ml (1/3 cup)

Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk

1 tbsp

Cornstarch

6 tbsp

Granulated Sugar

pinch

Salt

Grated Zest Of A Lemon

6 tbsp

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

60ml (1/4 cup)

Olive Oil

For the meringue

75ml (1/3 cup)

Aquafaba

75ml (1/3 cup)

Granulated Sugar

1/4 tsp

Cream of Tartar

Method

Crust: In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add vegetable oil and stir well. Add water and stir to combine. If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit more water until it sticks together and forms a cohesive ball. The mixture should not be very sticky on the outside.

Roll mixture into a ball and place it in the center of a large sheet baking paper. Place another sheet of paper overtop. Using a rolling pin, roll out to desired thickness (and so that crust is big enough to fit your pie plate with a little left over). Remove top layer of paper and flip upside down into pie plate. Trim.

Bake pastry crust in middle of preheated oven until lightly golden brown and a bit crispy around the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make the lemon curd: In a small bowl, combine water, non-dairy milk and cornstarch. Whisk well to combine. Pour into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring well with a whisk, until it starts to bubble, about 5 minutes.

Add sugar, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. Continue to cook, whisking, until it thickens and bubbles, about 4 to 5 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when it coats the back of a spoon and you can run your finger through it without it running back together. Transfer to a separate bowl, cover and let cool in the fridge.

Meringue: In mixer bowl, combine aquafaba, sugar and cream of tartar. Set mixer speed to low and beat for 2 minutes. Turn speed up to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Set to highest speed and beat mixture until fluffy and peaks form, about 4 to 6 minutes. It will have a similar texture to marshmallow fluff.

Spread lemon curd in an even layer in pie shell. Top with meringue. With torch at full blast, holding it 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) from surface, toast top of meringue until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Fluffy Lemon Meringue Pie

Impress everyone at your table with this recipe for a fluffy Lemon Meringue Pie, made with aquafaba and free of eggs and dairy.

Although lemon curd is normally made with butter and eggs, olive oil works very well here to replace the fat of the butter, and the curd is thickened with cornstarch instead of egg yolks. We challenge you to feed this to your omnivore friends and have them tell the difference.