Easy Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie

Quick, easy and super satisfying. Not to mention that this lemon meringue pie recipe is gluten free! Oh, and I will show you how to make really simple lemon curd with sweetened condensed milk.

This is not a cheats recipe, but it’s much easier to make than most lemon meringue pies because it’s not made with pastry. Instead, it’s made with a gluten free biscuit base.

And it also involves a lemon curd that is literally made in seconds. So it’s kind of like a lemon meringue pie for beginners but tastes just as good.

How to make simple lemon curd

I tried making my lemon curd with sweetened condensed milk, and it worked out beautifully! I found that the condensed milk helped prevent the curd from cracking and drying up, so it was nice and smooth when it came out of the oven.

The other key to making the curd nice and smooth was not baking it at a super high temperature, I went low and slow on this one so that the egg content wouldn’t overcook.

And as you can see, to make this curd, all you have to do is beat lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk together in a bowl.

The Gluten Free Crust

So the only thing that stops an original lemon meringue pie recipe from being gluten free is the base. Since it’s usually made with sweet pastry.

However, with this recipe, I made the crust with gluten free biscuits. And I find that the plain digestive biscuits, whether they’re gluten free or not, give you the best results. Just make sure you have plenty of biscuits to ensure you have enough cookie crumbs to coat the whole surface of the cake tin.

And don’t add to much melted butter. You don’t need much.

As you can see, it’s definitely helpful to use a food processor to crush the biscuits.

However, if you don’t have a food processor, you can just wrap your biscuits firmly in a tea towel and the bash them with a rolling pin or a small pan.

After you bash the biscuits, you just add your butter and blend/mix it through the biscuit crumbs.

After that, add them to your lined and greased cake tin.

Finally, make sure you push the crumbs down firmly. Otherwise, it will just be flimsy and break apart. I like to use the bottom of a flat glass to do this.

You’re Using a Cake Tin?

Yes, I find that a cookie crumb base for any dish, whether that be lemon meringue pie, baked cheesecake, banofee pie you name it. You’re better off using a removable cake tin. Just make sure you grease it well.

I like to have a sheet of baking paper over the base by clamping the cake tin in while the baking paper is layered over the bottom.

My pie goes watery!!

It’s the meringue! A meringue that isn’t very stable will weep and shrink, I have never prevented a meringue from weeping completely, however, there are some things you can do help minimize it.

• Adding cornflour and cream of tartar helps stabilise the meringue.
• Another helpful tip is to put the meringue on top of the baked curd while it’s still hot. This quickly gives the meringue a kick start of heat at the bottom before putting the meringue in the oven. If your curd has cooled down by the time you’ve made the meringue, just put it back in the oven for another 20-30 seconds.

Making mini pies

If you have mini removable cake tins, you can make some mini lemon meringue pies. Just a different way of serving them.

Check out this link if you’re on the hunt for mini cake tins: 4 set mini removable cake tins

Thank you so much for reading through my post, if you would like to stay updated for my new recipes and have them sent to you through E-mail, feel free to subscribe to my blog. You’ll also get a free recipe E-book.

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I also have a fantastic recipe for a Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie too if you’re interested.

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Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie

This lemon meringue pie recipe is gluten free, so simple and super satisfying. Made with an amazing biscuit base and the easiest lemon curd you'll ever prepare!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Unsure

Keyword Gluten free lemon meringue pie, lemon meringue pie biscuit base, lemon meringue pie condensed milk

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

cooling and chilling 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 495 kcal

Author Nicolas

Ingredients

Biscuit Base:

• cooking spray
• 300 g of plain gluten free digestive biscuits
• 75 g of butter melted

Lemon Curd:

• 400 g of sweetened condensed milk (1 14oz tin)
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup of lemon juice
• the zest from 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 110 g of icing sugar (confectioners sugar)

Instructions

1. Pre-het your oven to 170 degrees C (340 degrees F).

The Biscuit Base:

1. Spray the inside of your removable cake tin with cooking spray.

2. Separate the surface of the cake tin, place a sheet of baking paper over that surface, then clamp the cake tin back together. Spray the baking paper with cooking spray and set aside.

3. Put your biscuits in a food processor, then blitz to a fine crumb.

4. Add your melted butter and blitz again until all the crumbs are well coated.

5. Add your buttery biscuit crumbs to the greased and lined cake tin, then firmly push the crumbs down.

6. Chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

The Lemon Curd:

1. Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, eggs yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a large bowl until well combined.

2. Pour over the chilled biscuit base, then bake in the oven for 5 minutes.

The Meringue:

1. Beat the egg whites in a large, clean, dry bowl until it they reach soft peaks.

2. Slowly add the icing sugar bit by bit as you continuously beat it through.

3. Once all of the icing sugar is added, and you have a nice glossy meringue. Add your cornflour and your creme of tartar, and beat through one last time.

4. Pour the meringue over the hot lemon curd, put the pie back in the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

5. Let the tart cool for about 20-30 minutes, leave in the fridge to cool completely, then serve.

Recipe Notes

• Don't bake this pie at a really high temperature, low heat is the key.
• Don't be shy on the biscuits either.
• Don't add too much melted butter to the biscuits.
• When you add your biscuit crumbs to the cake tin, make sure you press them down firmly, so that they stay nice and stable.
• Don't overbeat your meringue, once the sugar, cornflour and crème of tartar are mixed through, and the meringue is nice and glossy, it's done.
• Get the curd nice and hot before you put the meringue on top.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie

Amount Per Serving

Calories 495 Calories from Fat 184

% Daily Value*

Fat 20.4g31%

Saturated Fat 10.2g64%

Cholesterol 142mg47%

Sodium 280mg12%

Potassium 243mg7%

Carbohydrates 70.2g23%

Fiber 0.4g2%

Sugar 48.3g54%

Protein 8.6g17%

Calcium 150mg15%

Iron 0.4mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.