Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
These bite-sized mini lemon meringue pies are a charming and adorable dessert for a springtime or Mother’s Day tea party! You can use homemade or store-bought lemon curd. Visit the Afternoon Tea homepage here.
Hi y’all! Spring is here, Mother’s Day is around the corner, and it’s a great time to make bright, fresh, fruity desserts. Especially ones with lemon.
Recently I made some Meyer lemon curd and boy, that stuff is freakin’ delicious. I could eat it by itself and die happy.
But you may want something to do for Mother’s Day or another springtime gathering that’s a little more elegant and fun than handing your mom a jar of lemon curd and a spoon.
Enter: these mini lemon meringue pies.
Seriously, is there anything cuter?
The best part about these bite-sized desserts is you can make most of this in advance. You can cut and bake the mini pie shells and make the lemon curd days ahead. Then the day of all you have to do is spoon in the curd, whip up and pipe the meringue, and pop them in the oven for FOUR MINUTES.
Seriously, that’s it. Because the curd is already cooked and thickened, so all you really have to do is toast the meringue.
They were good the next day too!
Just to warn you, these things are addictive. I made a dozen of these and Mike downed them like popcorn until half of them were gone.
I personally am not a huge pie person – if I make a pie I’ll eat a slice and then forget about it. A slice of pie is too much of a commitment for me. You have to take out the pie, get a knife and a plate and a fork…
But these? I could eat a half-dozen of these bite-sized lemon meringue pies, easily!
If you want to change things up a bit, I think these would also be good with a little fruit on top instead of the meringue – maybe a raspberry or blueberry. How cute would that be?
These would be great as a dessert for any springtime get-together or afternoon tea!
Hungry for more? Check out this collection of even more delicious uses for lemon curd!
This recipe makes about two dozen mini lemon meringue pies, but here’s my idea – if you’re hosting an afternoon tea and you’re trying to get some extra variety without having extra work, do this:
- Make these mini pie shells (makes about two dozen).
- Make a double batch of my small-batch lemon curd.
- Use half the curd and half the pie shells to make a dozen of these mini lemon meringue pies.
- Use the other half of the lemon curd on some orange cardamom scones or your scones of choice.
- Use the other half of the pie shells to make some jam and brie tartlets, mini quiches, or another type of mini pie.
Voila! You get double duty out of both the lemon curd and the pie shells. I guarantee it’ll be a hit!
To make two dozen bite-sized lemon meringue pies, make the full recipe as written below.
Like these mini lemon meringue pies? Try these recipes too!
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Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
Ingredients
For the pie shells
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp ice water
For the pies
- 1/2 cup lemon curd homemade or storebought
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup white sugar
Instructions
For the pie shells
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut the butter into the flour using your fingertips, a fork, or a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles wet sand with a few pea-sized pieces. You can also put flour and butter in a food processor and pulse until it’s the right consistency.
- Add the egg yolk and the water all at once, then stir to combine to form a stiff dough. If the mixture doesn’t hold together, add more water 1 tsp at a time until dough does not crumble. Knead gently.
- Roll dough out thinly on a lightly floured surface and use a 2-inch fluted cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as you can (should make about two dozen).
- At this point, you can make these now or save the pastry for later, placing a small piece of parchment paper or wax paper in between each dough circle. Wrap the stack in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze. If you are using the dough at a later time, soften until pliable before proceeding to the next step.
- Press each circle into a mini muffin tin, making sure there's a bit of a lip around all edges to hold in your fillings. Chill for 30 minutes before baking.
- Fill each tartlet shell with a small ball of aluminum foil. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, removing foil halfway through to allow to brown. You can store the pre-cooked pie shells unrefrigerated in a sealed plastic bag for a day or two before filling, if desired.
For the pies
- Set the oven to broil.
- Fill each pie shell with about 1 tsp lemon curd.
- In a medium glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Add sugar 1 tbsp at a time and continue to beat until peaks are stiff.
- Spoon meringue into a piping bag with a decorative tip and pipe onto pies, if desired, or simply spoon meringue on top of mini pies and swirl with the back of a spoon to make a nicely textured surface.
- Broil in the oven for about 4 minutes or until meringue is golden brown on top.
These were yummy! Just watch them in the broiler – I did mine on high, and they were smoking after a minute and a half! I’d advise broiling on low and watching them veeeeery closely.
Watching closely is definitely a must when broiling! Glad you enjoyed the pies!
Will cool whip work instead of the meringue. .? Want to make a big batch for a
Tea in 2 weeks
Sure, you can use cool whip instead of meringue. Just don’t broil them at the end. They won’t be lemon meringue pies but they’ll still be delicious!
Hi, looking forward to trying this. Once made how long do they last (if my husband doesn’t get to them)? Thanks
I’d say probably up to about a week in the fridge. The crust might start to get a little softer as it sits with the lemon curd though, so you might experience a change in consistency. I’ve had them a couple days after making them and they were still surprisingly good quality after sitting in the fridge!
My mini muffin pan is not non-stick. Do I need to grease and flour each cup or do the pie shells release easily? I made your lemon curd and it is delish!
I have never had a problem with the pie shells releasing but I am not sure whether my muffin tin is nonstick or not! When in doubt, I would say to grease your muffin tin (I don’t think flouring is necessary here). If you have any cooking spray I’d just use that, or just moisten a paper towel with some vegetable oil and swipe it around each cup to lightly grease them. So glad you like the lemon curd!! Can’t you just eat it with a spoon?
Yup, my daughter ate some of the curd on a scone then said she wanted to eat the curd in the jar with a spoon. Thank you for a delicious easy recipe.
Loved them! Made them with salted Carmel as well with meringue they were awesome!!!
That sounds delicious! I’d take one of each, yum!! Glad you liked them!