Description
This Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie features a crisp homemade vegan pie crust filled with a tangy, smooth lemon curd made from fresh lemon juice and plant-based milk, topped with a delicate vegan Italian meringue. Perfectly baked and chilled, it’s a refreshing dairy-free dessert ideal for gatherings and dessert lovers seeking a vegan alternative.
Ingredients
Scale
Pie Crust
- 1 batch vegan pie crust (makes extra dough – see note 1)
Lemon Filling
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest (see note 2)
- 250 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (see note 2)
- 300 ml soy milk (or almond milk or oat milk)
- 300 g granulated sugar
- 50 g cornstarch (cornflour)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (optional, see note 3)
- 100 g vegan butter, cold and cubed (see note 4)
Meringue Topping
- 1 batch vegan Italian meringue (made from aquafaba)
Instructions
- Preparation: Prepare the vegan pie crust dough up to 2 days in advance and chill it until ready to use. Also, reduce aquafaba for the vegan Italian meringue topping and refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat and Prepare Tin: Lightly grease a 9-inch pie tin with oil or vegan butter and dust with flour, knocking off excess. Optionally, add a parchment round to the base. Preheat the oven to 190°C fan (374°F) or 210°C conventional (410°F), and preheat an aluminum tray or baking sheet inside.
- Roll Out Pie Crust: Roll chilled dough to ⅛-inch thickness, slightly larger than the pie tin. Carefully lay the dough over the tin and ease it into place, trim edges, and press down with a fork. Pierce holes in the base with a fork to prevent bubbling.
- Blind Bake Crust: Cut parchment paper circle slightly larger than pie tin, scrunch and place on dough. Fill with pie weights or dried beans/rice/lentils. Bake for 20 minutes to par-bake.
- Finish Baking Crust: Remove weights and parchment carefully, then bake another 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely to room temperature but keep crust in the tin.
- Prepare Lemon Filling: In a high-speed blender, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, soy milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and optional turmeric and blend until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring continuously until thickened and coats the back of a spatula. Remove from heat.
- Combine Butter and Lemon Curd: Place cold cubed vegan butter in a large bowl and pour warm lemon curd over it. Whisk vigorously until smooth and silky.
- Cool Filling: Let filling cool for 20-30 minutes, whisking every 5 minutes to prevent skin formation. Pour cooled filling into the chilled crust and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight to set.
- Prepare Topping: Make the vegan Italian meringue topping using the chilled aquafaba. Spoon the meringue over the set lemon filling.
- Finish and Serve: Use a culinary blow torch to lightly brown the vegan meringue topping before serving.
- Storage: Store the pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The meringue topping stays fresh for 2-3 days refrigerated. You may prepare the filled pie in advance and add meringue topping on the serving day for best texture.
Notes
- You can make the pie crust dough ahead of time and keep it chilled or frozen until needed.
- Use fresh lemons for best flavor and zest amount; if zesting more than one lemon, use the combined zest for a stronger lemon flavor.
- Turmeric is optional and used primarily to enhance color without affecting flavor.
- Make sure vegan butter is cold and cubed to help blend smoothly into the warm lemon curd.
- The vegan Italian meringue is made from aquafaba (the liquid from cooked chickpeas), which is reduced and whipped to create a fluffy meringue suitable for torching.
