Skip to main content

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

These mini lemon meringue pies are perfect any time of year, but when spring has sprung it seems that lemon-flavored desserts are a must.  That's precisely what motivated me to buy a large bag of beautiful, plump lemons. 

Individual Lemon Meringue Tarts


Lemon Meringue Tart

The crust is crispy and flaky.  The filling is tart, yet sweet, and the meringue...oh, the meringue is light, fluffy, and heavenly. If you are a lemon lover you'll love these mini lemon pies. They are just the right size for you to satisfy your lemon craving with portion control. 

You might shy away from trying this recipe because you have an aversion to making pie crust.  Not to worry.  This crust couldn't be easier.  You will be amazed at just how simple it is to make this crust.  It uses oil instead of butter or shortening and the dough is pressed into your muffin cups.  So very easy.
Individual Lemon Tarts

The lemon filling is also a snap to make.  You just put all the ingredients together in a pan, bring it to a boil, cook for a minute, and you are done.

You will especially love that each of these is like a mini lemon meringue pie for one person.  I love individual desserts and these make such a pretty presentation.  Just think how these would look on your dessert table for holidays, baby showers, or bridal teas.

How to Make Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

Watch me make these pies in this video 


Mini lemon pies are made with simple ingredients.
Mini Lemon Meringue Pie Ingredients

The Easy Steps to Make Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, F.  To make the crust, mix the flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl.

Add the oil and water and stir the mixture together using a fork, until it starts to form a ball. You'll love how easily the dough comes together.

Pull the mixture together into a ball.  Cut the ball in half.  Then cut each half into thirds and then each third in half again. You'll have twelve pieces of dough, approximately all the same size. Roll each piece of dough into a ball. 

Dough to make mini lemon meringue pies.
Divide the Dough into Twelve Pieces
Press each ball of dough into the cups of a twelve-cup muffin tin.

You'll want each pie shell to be the same size. Press the crust flat against the bottom of each cup and up the sides to make the pie shells. 

Press Dough into Cups
Bake the tart cups on the center rack of your oven for 10-12  minutes, until lightly browned.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Lightly browned lemon meringue pie shells.
The Baked Tart Crusts

Make the filling while the crusts are baking.  Whisk together the filling ingredients in a pan. This citrus juicer will help you juice the lemons quickly and easily.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for one minute while continuing stirring. The filling will thicken.

Boil the Lemon Filling for Mini Lemon Pies
Cooking the Lemon Filling

Make the meringue.  Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until the egg whites thicken. You can substitute lemon juice for the cream of tartar if you don't have any on hand.

Add the sugar slowly and continue beating until the egg whites are shiny and form stiff peaks

Beat your meringue until it forms stiff peaks.
The Meringue with Stiff Peaks
Spoon the hot filling into the crusts.  Spoon the meringue over the filling making sure to seal the meringue to the edges of the crusts.

Return the tarts to the oven to bake for 10 minutes, until the meringue is lightly golden.

Lightly browned meringue on mini lemon pies.
Tarts Cooling in the Tin

Cool the tarts in the muffin tin.  They will be easy to remove from the tin once they have cooled.

Other Lemon Dessert Recipes You'll Want to Bake

Lemon Pudding Cakes are another individually portioned dessert cake that looks fancy but is so very easy to make.
Lemon Yogurt Cake made in a bundt cake pan is old-fashioned deliciousness.
Lemon-Lime Cupcakes will soon become your favorite spring cupcake.

Get more lemon recipes from my Lemon Recipes for Lemon Lovers Pinterest board.


Mini Lemon Pie Recipe

lemon tarts, lemon meringue tarts, mini lemon pies
dessert
American
Yield: 12
Author: Donna Urso
Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

You'll love these mini lemon meringue pies, perfect dessert bites in individual portions for your next gathering, a bridal shower dessert, or a delicious Easter dessert.
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Ingredients

Dough for the Crust
Lemon Filling
For the Meringue

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, F. To make the crust, mix the flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl.
  2. Add the oil and water and stir the mixture together using a fork, until it starts to form a ball.
  3. Pull the mixture together into a ball. Cut the ball in half. Then cut each half into thirds and then each third in half again.
  4. You'll have twelve pieces of dough, approximately all the same size. Press one piece of dough into the cup of a twelve-cup muffin tin. Press the crust flat against the bottom of each cup and up the sides.
  5. Bake the pie crusts on the center rack of your oven for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned.
  6. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
  7. Make the filling while the crusts are baking. Whisk together the filling ingredients in a pan.
  8. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for one minute while continuing stirring.
  9. Make the meringue. Beat the eggs whites in a medium bowl until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until the egg whites thicken.
  10. Add the sugar slowly and continue beating until the egg whites are shiny and form stiff peaks
  11. Spoon the hot filling into the crusts. Spoon the meringue over the filling making sure to seal the meringue to the edges of the crusts.
  12. Return the tarts to the oven to bake for 10 minutes, until the meringue is lightly golden.
  13. Cool the tarts in the muffin tin. They will be easy to remove from the tin once they have cooled.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

230.62

Fat (grams)

10.14 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.71 g

Carbs (grams)

32.15 g

Fiber (grams)

0.66 g

Net carbs

31.49 g

Sugar (grams)

13.88 g

Protein (grams)

3.23 g

Sodium (milligrams)

60.13 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

32.4 mg

Nutritional information is approximate.

Thank you for sharing this post on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Yummly.

Enjoy!

Comments

More Popular Posts

How to Make a Perfect Bacon and Eggs Breakfast

In my opinion, the best breakfast consists of two perfectly fried eggs, crispy bacon, and toast made with hearty bread. This bacon and eggs recipe delivers. Bacon and eggs or eggs and bacon? No matter, it is definitely the breakfast you want on those lazy mornings when you have time to relax around the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee or two. The Best Bacon and Eggs Breakfast (This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.  When you make a purchase using these links you help support this blog.) How to Cook Bacon and Eggs My technique was learned from my mom, by watching her make our family's breakfast over and over again, year after year.  This is a basted egg recipe which means the eggs are cooked in bacon grease. Cooking eggs in bacon fat is easy and takes just a little practice to perfect. All you really need for a great bacon and eggs breakfast is a good nonstick skillet and a good toaster . If you want to make your own bread fo

Crunchy, Spicy Gingersnap Cookies

Crunchy, spicy, and yummy are all words used to describe a good gingersnap cookie.   While my hands-down, favorite cookie is a gooey chocolate chip cookie I occasionally crave a spicy ginger snaps cookie or  this molasses cookie .  This old-fashioned gingersnap cookie is a winner.  It's easy to make and will be a favorite in your recipe rotation. Traditional Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe ( This post contains affiliate links.  I will be compensated when you make a purchase with these links.) Gingersnaps Cookies In the U.S., gingersnaps are usually drop cookies with lots of cracks on the surface.  That's exactly how I like them.  Those found in other countries may be thinner and sliced.  The Lebkuchen, a traditional German cookie, and the pepparkakor, from Sweden, are often cut into festive shapes.  My gingersnaps are round. Reasons You'll Love These Gingersnap Cookies These gingersnaps are tasty cookies at any time of the year.   Their spiciness is perfect as a holid

Grandma's Soft and Chewy Date-Filled Cookies

One of the things I can count on as the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons arrive each year is a feeling of nostalgia. The traditional foods we serve at our family's holiday tables can sure bring out all the feels. Now that it is officially cookie season, we should kick it off with an old-fashioned homemade date-filled cookie recipe. This is a soft, tender cookie with dates that is a special, nostalgic, family recipe.   An Old-Fashioned Date Cookies Recipe This old-fashioned, date-filled cookie was my dad's favorite cookie from his childhood. My dad was born in 1932 so this recipe has been around for quite a while. 

The Best Asian Dipping Sauce You'll Ever Taste

If you're looking for a versatile, easy-to-make Asian dipping sauce perfect for sushi and dumplings, then you've come to the right place. This recipe for the best Asian dipping sauce is perfect for any time you want a  kick of delicious Asian flavor. An Asian Dipping Sauce for Sushi and Dumplings Try this if you are looking for a dipping sauce that is a little more flavorful than you typically get with your takeout order. You'll love it with dumplings, too!

How to Doctor Up Store-Bought Potato Salad

Here's a potato salad time-saver for you just in time for summer cookouts. You'll love how you can transform grocery store potato salad so easily no matter whether you are hosting a BBQ or bringing a side dish for a summer barbecue. There's no judgment here. We don't always have the time to make a potato salad from scratch. Sometimes it is just easier to stop by your local grocery store to pick up a container of store-made potato salad. It's good. It's predictable.  It will do.  All it needs is a little doctoring. How to Make Store-Bought Potato Salad Better When you need a quick potato salad, and have no time to make one from scratch, that ordinary store-bought potato salad you have in your refrigerator can go from blah to amazing in just a few minutes with just a few ingredients. Yes, you can improve store-bought potato salad. How to Doctor Up Potato Salad to have a little more flavor? You're going to a potluck picnic or you are having

Traditional New England Whoopie Pies

Are you looking for the best whoopie pie recipe?  Whoopie pies are a quintessential New England dessert and a memorable treat from my childhood.   My mom would make them for us every once in a while.  Oh, what a treat to come home from school to a platter of chocolate whoopie pies!  Yum! Today I'm sharing my recipe for the best-ever whoopie pies. The Best Whoopie Pies Recipe without Marshmallow Fluff Whoopie Pies Whoopie pies are soft round cookie-like cakes with a smooth cream filling sandwiched in the center. Debate rages about the whoopie pie's origin.  Some say these goodies originated in New England, others say they originated with the Amish.   There is also debate about what ingredients should be in the filling.  Many recipes include fillings made with Marshmallow Fluff or buttercream but neither is  traditional, in my opinion.  The whoopie pie of my childhood is a traditional Maine whoopie pie recipe, made with a cooked flour and milk mixture added to suga

How to Trap and Get Rid of Fruit Flies

Fruit flies can be a huge annoyance at certain times of the year. What can you do to kill fruit flies? We've all been there wondering how to get rid of fruit flies.  Fruit flies in the kitchen.  Fruit flies in the bathroom.  Fruit flies buzzing around everywhere in your home.   It's a frustrating problem that happens to everyone at one time or another.  If you are a fresh fruit and produce lover you certainly know what I mean. How to Kill Fruit Flies with Two Ingredients Those pesky little buggers can often be brought into your home on the vegetables and fruit you buy. You don't have to tolerate the annoyance.  This homemade fruit fly trap is one I have been using for many years and it works every time. 

Easy Chicken Parmesan-A Make Ahead Freezer Dinner

Chicken Parmesan is a favorite dinner in the Just One Donna house because it is a delicious dish that can satisfy your cravings for Italian food. It's also easy to make at home with simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry.  But what if you don't have time to cook on a busy weeknight? Don't worry, you can make Chicken Parmesan ahead of time and freeze it for later. I like to prepare Chicken Parmesan to have on hand in my freezer for those busy weeknights when we might be tempted to head to a restaurant instead of eating at home.  How to Make Freezer Chicken Parmesan for Busy Nights This post contains affiliate links.  I receive a small compensation when you shop using these links Easy Freezer Chicken Parmesan for Dinner Chicken Parmesan, also known as Chicken Pa

Can You Make Better Bacon in Water?

What is the best way to cook crisp, tender bacon? Today, let's investigate a new method for cooking bacon on the stove that I'm seeing suggested as a technique that will change your life.  It's frying your bacon in a pan with a small amount of water.  Is cooking bacon with a bit of water in the pan a better way to make bacon? How to Cook Bacon in Water This is a simple, relatively fast way to make perfectly cooked bacon every time. Whether you are looking to impress your guests with a decadent breakfast or just want to enjoy a delicious bacon treat, this technique is the perfect solution.

Forgotten Pork Chops-A Skillet Dinner

When I first made this pork chop skillet dinner several years ago I knew it was a winner but never predicted how wildly successful it would be with my readers. Perhaps it is the comfort food combination of pork chops with savory rice.  Or maybe it is the easy one-pan preparation.  Whatever it is, you're sure to love this updated, one-pan, comforting Forgotten Pork Chops dinner.  Pork Chops and Rice with Cream of Mushroom Soup (This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  When you purchase through these links I receive a small compensation.)  So you might wonder why I updated the recipe. Like most recipes that are part of my menu rotation, a tweak here or there is customary. I encourage you to do the same.  A tweak here to there will make the recipe your own.