Meyer Lemon Meringue Slab Pie has a premade pie crust, a smooth perfectly tart lemon filling, and is finished off with light billowy meringue! This easy-to-follow recipe includes helpful tips on how to get the best meringue!
Kick this dessert up a notch and garnish each slice of slab pie with a sweet, chewy Candied Lemon Slice!
These Lemon Meringue Pie Bars have a flaky pie crust bottom that’s filled with a lemon custard filling that’s just the right amount of tart! Its airy 3-ingredient meringue topping balances the overall slab pie out wonderfully with its sweetness!
Wondering what makes this Lemon Meringue Slab Pie different than a regular Lemon Meringue Pie? The answer lies in the number of servings this vibrant dessert yields. When I say this dessert will feed a crowd, I mean a very large crowd!
This recipe will easily serve two dozen slices of tart, sweet, lemony pie at any large gatherings that are coming up on your social calendar! Think company picnics, extended family get-togethers, or even whip this up for a bake sale!
Ingredient Notes
This Lemon Meringue Slab Pie Recipe pairs a handful of lemon-based ingredients with common pantry ingredients. To make this slab pie you’ll prepare a crust, filling, and meringue.
For the crust, two refrigerated pie crusts that have come to room temperature cover the bottom and sides of a jelly roll pan. Melted salted butter is then brushed over the crust and granulated sugar gets sprinkled on the sides.
To make the tart lemony filling you’ll need egg yolks, granulated sugar, cornstarch, all-purpose flour, Meyer lemon zest, sea salt, whole milk, Meyer lemon juice, and salted butter. These ingredients are mixed in at specific times throughout the process so it’s important to have them all measured out and ready to go!
Lastly is that sweet meringue topping that’s made with only 3 ingredients! To make it, large egg whites, Meyer Lemon juice, and granulated sugar are used.
How To Make Lemon Meringue Slab Pie
Coat the jelly roll pan with cooking spray. The roll the pie crusts out on a lightly floured surface, slightly overlapping.
Line the pan with the pie crusts, pressing the two together and crimping the edges to form a wall.
Prick the pie crust, brush it with melted butter, and sprinkle granulated sugar on the edges of the crust.
Bake the crust until its golden brown.
Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in a large mixing bowl and the egg whites in a separate large bowl. Beat the egg whites with lemon juice until the mixture becomes foamy.
Add in the granulated white sugar slowly. Then beat it until the mixture becomes glossy with stiff peaks.
Whisk together granulated white sugar, cornstarch, flour, lemon zest, and sea salt in a saucepan. Next, add in the whole milk and lemon juice, again whisking the mixture.
Boil this mixture on the stovetop. Once boiling add in salted butter and stir together until it’s fully melted and incorporated.
Remove some of the lemon mixture and whisk it into the egg yolks.
Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan, whisking continuously.
Bring the mixture to a boil again. After it’s thickened pour it into the middle of the baked crust, gently spreading it out using a spatula.
Scoop the meringue on top of the hot lemon filling. Making sure the entire lemon filling is covered.
Bake the Slab Pie until the meringue is golden brown. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool at room temperature.
Chill in the refrigerator before cutting, serving, and enjoying!
Tips For Making Meringue For Pie
Meringue can be intimidating but there are a few tips that will help you feel like a pro in no time!
- Separate the eggs while they are still cold. You need to make sure that the egg whites do not have any yolk in them at all and the eggs separate best while cold.
- Also make sure that the bowl you use is dry, if there is any water in your egg whites they will not beat up well.
- Bring the egg whites to room temperature before beating them. They don’t beat as well when they are cold. However, this recipe works really well if you separate the eggs first and then work on the crust. Once the crust is in the oven the eggs will likely be at room temperature and you can continue with the recipe.
- When beating the egg whites, be sure that they are frothy and starting to thicken before you add the sugar. If you add it too soon the eggs may not beat up correctly.
- After you’ve added the sugar be sure to continue beating the eggs until the meringue will hold stiff peaks. It usually takes at least 10 minutes to beat the eggs to that point. When you remove the attachment from the egg whites, they will stand up straight. If they droop, the mixture has not been beaten enough yet.
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Store
Loosely cover the slab pie with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. Enjoy within 3 to 5 days!
Can I Make A Homemade Pie Crust To Use In This Recipe?
You definitely can! I just like reaching for the store-bought premade pie crust to save on time.
How Can I Darken The Color Of The Meringue Without Overcooking The Bars?
You can get a kitchen torch to create darker spots on the meringue! Amazon has some really great ones that are fairly inexpensive.
How Come My Meringue Just Won’t Whip Up?
Be sure you’re using grease-free bowls and utensils while you work with the meringue. I’d recommend starting over using a clean, dry glass bowl if possible.
You may even want to try chilling the bowl and attachments as well.
A slice of this Lemon Meringue Slab Pie is sure to cure that lemony sweet tooth you’ve found yourself having lately! Here are more great lemon-flavored desserts that you can turn to the next time the craving finds you!
- Easy Lemon Basil Shortbread Cookies – Sweet, flaky cookies that are made with 6 ingreidnets then topped with a lemon icing!
- Sansa’s Lemon Cakes – Zesty, delicious cakes that seperate into two different textured layers when baking, preps in just 20 minutes!
- Easy Lemon Bars – A sweet shortbread crust thats covered in a tart lemon custard, enough bars to serve a crowd!
- Lemon Butter Cake – Dense, delicious pound cake that’s covered in a sweet buttery glaze!
- Lemon Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream – Homemade cupcakes that are topped with fresh strawberry buttercream frosting!
Let’s Connect!
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review. I love hearing from you!
Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there, where you can join our recipe challenges!
This recipe was originally published in March 2014 and was updated in January 2022 with fresh photos, tips, and recipe adjustments.
Lemon Meringue Slab Pie
Equipment
- 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan
- Stand mixer: You can use a hand mixer if necessary.
- saucepan
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing tools
- Measuring tools
Ingredients
- 2 9-inch refrigerated pie crusts room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter melted
- 1 Tablespoon granulated white sugar
For the Meringue:
- 6 large egg whites the yolks will be used in the lemon filling
- ½ teaspoon Meyer lemon juice
- ½ cup granulated sugar
For the Filling:
- 6 large egg yolks you will use the whites in the meringue
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons Meyer lemon zest about 2 lemons
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2¼ cups whole milk
- ½ cup Meyer lemon juice about 4 lemons
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and spray a 10x15x1-inch jelly roll with cooking spray.
- Roll out the pie crusts until they are about ⅛ of an inch thick. You should be able to lay them on the cookie sheet and they will reach a little over ½ way with extra laying over the edges. The middle of the crusts will overlap like a ven diagram. You will have what looks like a big oval.
- Use your fingers to press the middle crusts together and then roll the edges together and crimp them together to form a little wall.
- Use a fork to prick the pie crust every 2 inches so that the crust doesn’t shrink when baked.
- Brush the 1 Tablespoon of melted butter all over the crust and then sprinkle the edges with 1 Tablespoon of granulated white sugar.
- Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes until it is golden brown. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350°F.
- While the crust is baking, separate the large eggs, placing the yolks in a medium-sized mixing bowl and the egg whites in a large, dry metal bowl.
- Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and ½ teaspoon lemon juice together on medium speed until foamy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Slowly add in the ½ cup granulated white sugar, beating on medium speed, until the sugar is incorporated. Continue to beat until the mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes.
- While the eggs are beating, whisk together the 1½ cups granulated white sugar, cornstarch, flour, lemon zest, and sea salt in a medium-sized saucepan.
- Add in the whole milk and lemon juice and whisk until combined.
- Cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Add in 3 Tablespoons of salted butter and whisk until the butter is melted and incorporated into the mixture.
- Remove ½ cup of the lemon mixture and gradually whisk it into the egg yolks.
- Once completely incorporated, begin to pour the yolk mixture back into the lemon mixture, a little at a time, whisking continuously.
- Return the mixture to boiling, whisking continually, and heat until the mixture is thickened. This should only take a few minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the middle of the baked crust and gently spread it out to the edges with an offset spatula.
- Scoop the meringue on top of the hot lemon filling. Start by scooping spoonfuls onto the edges of the filling and then place the rest, by spoonfuls, all over the middle. Use a spoon to gently spread the meringue to the edges of the crust to seal the pie and then all over the rest of the top of the pie until it is completely covered.
- Bake at 350°F for 11 to 13 minutes until the meringue is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow the pie to cool for an hour at room temperature (do not remove from the jelly roll pan).
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving
Notes
- How To Store: This pie should be stored in the refrigerator and will keep well for 3 to 5 days. I recommend covering it only loosely with plastic wrap. A tight covering is likely to smash the meringue and is really not necessary for this pie.
- How do I make sure my meringue turns out well? Meringue can be intimidating but there are a few tips that will help you feel like a pro in no time!
- Separate the eggs while they are still cold. You need to make sure that the egg whites do not have any yolk in them at all and the eggs separate best while cold.
- Also make sure that the bowl you use is dry, if there is any water in your egg whites they will not beat up well.
- Bring the egg whites to room temperature before beating them. They don’t beat as well when they are cold. However, this recipe works really well if you separate the eggs first and then work on the crust. Once the crust is in the oven the eggs will likely be at room temperature and you can continue with the recipe.
- When beating the egg whites, be sure that they are frothy and starting to thicken before you add the sugar. If you add it too soon the eggs may not beat up correctly.
- After you’ve added the sugar be sure to continue beating the eggs until the meringue will hold stiff peaks. It usually takes at least 10 minutes to beat the eggs to that point. When you remove the attachment from the egg whites, they will stand up straight. If they droop, the mixture has not been beaten enough yet.
- I highly recommend prepping everything before starting any cooking so that you can simply pour in the correct ingredients at the correct time.
- It is important to be whisking the ingredients while they are cooking on the stove.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Susan says
I made this yesterday for my husband to take to work. It was a hit! Definitely a keeper!
sylvia says
Would loved to see photo of the pie in the sheet pan.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Sylvia, there’s one in the post.
ANNE says
I WANT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE,BUT YOU DIDN’T TELL WHAT SIZE PAN
Rebecca says
Hi Anne, the recipe indicates a large baking sheet, such as a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet, usually about 12 x 18 inches. Hope this helps.
Jbeare says
I would love to try this but the background margin is so large I can’t actually see the recipe..
fickrj5@gmail.com says
What do you mean by the background margin? I’m able to see a full recipe on my screen, maybe try clicking the print button and it might be easier to read. Sometimes it takes a second for the column to pop out to the full width.