October 11, 2023
Review RecipeMini Lemon Meringue Pies
Table of Contents
These mini lemon meringue pies are so cute, your family will delight in the fresh and citrusy treats. Buttery pie crust, filled with tangy lemon curd filling and topped with fluffy meringue, all in a tiny, tart-sized package.
Mini Lemon Meringue Pies Ingredients
With a flaky pie crust, they feature vibrant lemon curd bursting with tanginess.
Crowned with sweet, airy meringue made from egg whites, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar, these pies offer a balance of zesty, refreshing citrus notes.
You’ll need:
For The Pie Crust:
- 2 premade pie crusts (store-bought or try our homemade pie crust recipe)
For The Lemon Curd:
- 2 (10-ounce) jars of lemon curd
For The Meringue:
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
Substitutions And Additions
LEMON CURD: If you want to make your own homemade lemon curd for these lemon tarts, you can use that in place of store-bought.
How To Make This Mini Lemon Meringue Pies Recipe
Let’s walk through making these mini pies with our step-by-step instructions below.
For The Pie Crust
STEP ONE: Remove the pie crusts from the refrigerator and let them sit on the counter for 15 minutes.
STEP TWO: Gently roll out one pie crust onto your work surface.
Using a round cookie cutter that is a bit larger than the mini muffin tin circles, cut the pie crust into as many circles as you can.
Carefully place the cutouts into the mini muffin tin. Push down in the middle of the cutouts with your fingers and shape the crust to the shape of the pan.
Prick the bottoms of the tart shells with a fork to let steam escape while baking.
STEP THREE: Place in the oven and bake per package directions or until lightly golden brown.
Once done baking, remove from the oven and place the mini bites on a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP FOUR: Repeat steps to bake the second batch.
For The Lemon Curd
STEP ONE: Once the mini pie crusts are cooled, fill each tart shell to the top with store-bought lemon curd. Set aside.
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
Spooning the lemon curd into a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and piping it into the shells makes it much easier than trying to spoon the filling in.
For The Meringue Topping
STEP ONE: In the medium bowl of a stand mixer, add the room-temperature egg whites.
Use the whisk attachment to beat egg whites on medium-high speed until they become frothy and soft peaks form. This takes around one minute.
PRO TIP:
It is very important that your egg whites are at room temperature. They whip faster than cold egg whites and they also whip to a greater volume than cold egg whites.
STEP TWO: While the mixer is still running, add the cream of tartar, then begin adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time while continuing to beat on high.
Don’t skip the cream of tartar step, as cream of tartar helps to stabilize the meringue, making it bigger and fluffier.
Go slowly when adding the sugar; this part may take five to ten minutes of continuous beating/adding sugar.
Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get all the sugar incorporated.
PRO TIP:
Stiff peaks stand up when the beaters are lifted.
STEP THREE: When stiff peaks form in the mixture, stop the stand mixer. Over-mixing will cause your meringue to fall.
STEP FOUR: Add meringue to a piping bag with a tip ¾ of the way full. Pipe meringue on the top of each lemon curd bite.
STEP FIVE: Preheat the oven broiler too high. Place the mini-muffin pan under the broiler until the meringue is evenly toasted, about two minutes. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
PRO TIP:
If you have a kitchen torch, you could also use that to brown the meringue instead of under the broiler.
How To Serve
This sweet finger food is a lovely addition to any dessert table, whether for a special occasion or just because.
Serve the little tarts with a scoop of no-churn vanilla ice cream for something extra fancy and a whipped hot chocolate to wash it down.
MORE DESSERT RECIPES
A fun party option is to serve these alongside other bite-size appetizers, like our mini cheeseball bites and s’mores bites.
Add these along with our cute little mini blueberry cheesecake and pineapple upside down mini cakes to a tray of tiny desserts.
Storing This Mini Lemon Meringue Tart Recipe
We have a few handy tips for storing these adorable individual pies to enjoy later.
IN THE FRIDGE: Keep your lemon meringue mini pies in an airtight container for up to three days.
IN THE FREEZER: These little pies will also freeze for up to three months.
I remember my mom making lemon meringue pie when I was little and always being in awe of the cloud of perfect meringue on top that was browned just right. These adorable mini lemon meringue pies will definitely be a winner for your family too.
Frequently Asked Questions
These lemon meringue tarts can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months.
This easy lemon meringue pie recipe can also be used to make a full-size pie if you would like.
Leftover egg yolks can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for two to four days. Use them in scrambled eggs or an omelet so they don’t go to waste.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Lemon Lava Cookies
- Lemon Lush
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Mini Chicken Pot Pies
- Cherry Pie Bars
- Mini Pecan Cheesecake Bites
- Mini Rhubarb and Strawberry Pies
- Meringue Cookies
- Stabilized Whip Cream
- Lemon Fluff
- S’mores Hand Pie
- Dole Whip
- Lemon Cream Cheese Pie
- Disney Churro Bites
- Brownie Bites
- Mini Pumpkin Pies
- Caramel Apple Crisp Bites
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Ritz Churro Bites
- Mini Key Lime Pies
- Lemon Lasagna
- Energy Bites
Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2 pre-made pie crusts, store-bought or try our homemade pie crust recipe
Lemon Curd
- 20 ounces lemon curd, (two 10-ounce jars)
Meringue
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Remove the pie crusts from the refrigerator and let sit on the counter for 15 minutes.
- Gently roll out 1 pie crust. Using a round cookie cutter that is a bit larger than the mini muffin tin circles, cut the pie crust into as many circles as you can. Carefully place the cutouts into the mini muffin tin. Push down in the middle of the cutouts with your fingers and shape the crust to the shape of the pan.
- Place in the oven and bake per package directions, or until lightly golden brown. Once done baking, remove from the oven and place the mini bites on a wire rack to completely cool.
- Repeat steps to bake the second batch.
Lemon Curd
- Once the mini pie crusts are cooled fill each crust to the top with store bought lemon curd. Set aside.
Meringue
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add room-temperature egg whites. Use the whisk attachment to beat on medium-high until they become frothy and soft peaks form. This takes around one minute.
- While the mixer is still running add the cream of tartar, then begin adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time, while continuing to beat on high. Go slowly when adding the sugar; this part may take 5 to 10 minutes of continuous beating/adding sugar. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get all sugar incorporated.
- When the mixture has formed stiff peaks stop the stand mixture. Over-mixing will cause your meringue to fall.
- Add meringue to a piping back with a tip ¾ of the way full. Pipe the meringue on the top of each lemon curd bite.
- Preheat the oven broiler too high. Place the mini-muffin pan under the broiler until the meringue is evenly toasted, about 2 minutes. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
Notes
- This recipe can also be made as one large 9-inch pie instead of as tarts.
- Spooning the lemon curd into a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and piping it into the shells makes it much easier than trying to spoon the filling in.
- It is very important that your egg whites are at room temperature. They whip faster than cold egg whites and they also whip to a greater volume than cold egg whites.
- Cream of tartar helps to stabilize the meringue making it bigger and fluffier.
- Stiff peaks stand up when the beaters are lifted.
- If you have a kitchen torch, you could also use that to brown the meringue instead of under the broiler.
Comments
Gloria says
Such a fantastic little treat!
Andrew Titelman says
Delicious! Perfect dessert for dinner parties