Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie
This vegan lemon meringue pie is made with a tangy-sweet homemade lemon pie filling and topped with a gorgeous vegan meringue. If you’re looking for the best lemon pie, this recipe is perfect.
I have long been a fan of the lemon pie, so when my opportunity came to create a vegan version, I jumped on it! Combining my love of baking with my admiration for the lemon pie was a natural fit.
What Makes This Recipe Shine?
- Using aquafaba to make vegan meringue creates fluffy meringue that you can pile high on your pie
- Adding a pinch of ground turmeric is a great natural way to add bright yellow color to your vegan lemon curd
- Using a flaky vegan pie crust creates the perfect foundation for this delicious pie, giving each bite a contrast between buttery crust and sweet lemon filling
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:
- Pie crust — You can make this Vegan Pie Crust, or get creative and use a Vegan Graham Cracker Crust.
- Aquafaba — This is liquid from a can of chickpeas. See more on this below.
- Cream of tartar
- Sugar — You’ll need both powdered sugar for the meringue and granulated sugar for the filling.
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon juice — You can use fresh-squeezed lemon juice or bottled.
- Plant-based milk — I used almond milk, but you can use soy milk or any favorite plant-based milk, whether plain or vanilla.
- Cornstarch — You can substitute arrowroot powder.
- Lemon extract — I find this near the spices in the baking aisle of most major grocery stores.
- Coconut oil — Use refined or unrefined (refined has a more neutral flavor)
- Ground turmeric — We’re using a bit of ground turmeric for color. Or you can add a little yellow food coloring if you’d to get an extra pop of yellow color.
What is Aquafaba?
Aquafaba is the name given to the liquid in a can of chickpeas. It can be applied to other canned legumes, but chickpeas are the beans of choice when it comes to aquafaba. Because of its starch-to-protein content, aquafaba traps air as it’s whipped, causing it to create a foam. This is perfect for creating vegan meringues. I get the best results from regular canned chickpeas (not the low-sodium variety).
How to Make Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie
If you knew how easy it was to make the best lemon meringue pie, you’d be making them for every dessert. Why? Because this pie looks so gorgeous. There’s nothing like that beautiful meringue on top.
And, besides, most everyone I know loves lemon pies.
- Make the pie crust.
- Make the vegan meringue.
- Make simple lemon curd by stirring lemon juice, sugar, milk, and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat
- Bring it to a low boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Once the mixture thickens, remove from heat, stir in the extract, coconut oil, and turmeric.
- Spoon the hot lemon curd over the prepared crust.
- Top with meringue while the custard is still hot.
- Use a spoon to push meringue to the edges of the crust and create wispy dollops of meringue.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the meringue has golden edges.
- Remove from the oven and cool for about an hour.
- Refrigerate for one to two hours before serving.
Here are more detailed step-by-step instructions:
Step One: Make the Homemade Vegan Pie Crust
You can make the pie crust the same day or even up to 4 days before. Here’s how to do it:
- Prepare the vegan pie dough, cover, and refrigerate for up to 30 minutes
- Roll it out to about 1/8″ thickness and place in a 9″ pie pan.
- Crimp the edges of the pie and use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust several times (referred to as docking) to allow the crust to release steam as it based so it doesn’t puff up.
- Bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Step Two: Prepare the Vegan Meringue
If you haven’t made vegan meringue yet, you’re in for a treat.
I love this post from America’s Test Kitchen about using aquafaba for meringues and other baked goods.
Follow my instructions for making vegan meringue. It takes several minutes of whipping, but it’s well worth it! When the meringue is done, set it aside while you make the lemon curd.
- Shake an unopened can of chickpeas.
- Pour the liquid from the can of chickpeas into a mixing bowl, along with the cream of tartar.
- Mix for a minute or two until it becomes frothy.
- As you’re mixing, add the powdered sugar a little at a time.
- Continue to mix at medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
- Then add the vanilla and mix to incorporate it.
As with any meringue recipe for pie, be sure to spread the meringue over hot custard, and be sure it touches the crust around the whole pie. This prevents the meringue from weeping or pulling away from the pie crust.
Step Three, Option 1: Tofu Lemon Curd
To prepare the lemon pie filling recipe with tofu, follow these steps:
- In a saucepan over medium heat stir together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt.
- Add the water, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract, and agar agar (if using).
- Stir occasionally, to make sure the custard doesn’t burn.
- Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until you have a thick mixture in the pan.
- Remove from heat and stir in vegan butter, lemon zest, and food coloring (if using).
- Pulse tofu in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Add the lemon mixture from the saucepan and pulse it all together until smooth.
- Spread the lemon pie filling into a prepared pie crust (more on pie crusts below).
Note: You can add agar agar flakes to the above mixture for a thicker curd. You can find agar flakes at most health food stores and online.
Step Three, Option 2: Tofu-Free Lemon Curd
A traditional lemon pie has a more translucent lemon curd. After some experimentation, I came up with a simple vegan lemon curd without tofu.
So, if you want to make the lemon pie filling with the simple lemon curd, follow these steps:
- Stir together the lemon juice, sugar, milk, and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a low boil while stirring.
- Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- The mixture should get fairly thick.
- If you get lumps in your curd, simply pulse it in a food processor or use an immersion blender.
- Once the mixture thickens, remove from heat, stir in the lemon extract, coconut oil, and turmeric.
- Spoon out the lemon curd over the prepared crust.
I used some of the same ingredients for homemade lemon pie filling as I did for my Vegan Lemon Bars because it provides a nice, firm custard when you slice it.
Step Four: Assemble and Bake the Pie
I like to set the oven rack a little lower than normal in the oven to prevent the meringue from browning too quickly.
- Spoon the hot lemon custard into the prepared pie crust.
- Top with meringue while the custard is still hot.
- Starting from the outside and working your way, spoon the meringue up to the edges of the crust (to create a seal) and create wispy dollops of meringue across the top of the pie.
- Use your spoon to create peaks in the meringue. These peaks will turn a nice golden color when baked.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the meringue has golden edges.
- Remove from the oven and cool for about an hour.
- Refrigerate for one to two hours before serving.
Reader Reviews
★★★★★
Amy
I loved making this and am still in awe of how magical it was! This is so much easier than I thought it would be to make. I can’t believe how similar to non-vegan meringue this is, an added perk is there is no gross smell to it that you get with egg whites.
Vegan Meringue Tips
Making aquafaba meringue can be tricky because there are a variety of things that can impact the outcome, including the consistency of your aquafaba. Here are some tips I’ve found to be helpful:
- Adding Sugar. Sometimes an aquafaba meringue will deflate if the sugar is added all at the same time rather than adding a little bit at a time. By the way, adding less sugar can also cause the meringue to deflate. That’s because the quantity of sugar helps with the texture of the meringue.
- Aquafaba consistency. Some cans of chickpeas have thicker liquid than others. Some may be the consistency of water whereas others are much thicker. I find the thicker liquid usually works best. If the consistency of your chickpea liquid is thinner, try cooking it in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Then simmer until it reduces by about half. Let that cool completely and move on to the next step in making the meringue.
- Salt. I use regular chickpeas rather than the no-salt variety. I find the low-salt variety does not create the best meringue.
- Expired Cream of Tartar. This product is important because it stabilizes the meringue. If your cream of tartar is old, it may not be providing that stabilizing effect. To tell if your cream of tartar is good, stir 1/2 teaspoon into a cup of warm water. Then add a pinch of baking soda. It should bubble and create foam. If it doesn’t, your cream of tartar has expired.
- Xanthan Gum. If none of these tips work, this one will. Add a bit (1/2 teaspoon) of Xanthan gum to the meringue as you’re whipping it. I usually add this in at the same time as the cream of tartar. Why? Xanthan Gum is used in a lot of products to help make them shelf-stable and it’s that stabilization effect that works wonders with vegan meringue. You can find it at health food stores (it’s even in the health food section of my local grocery store) or online at places like Amazon.
Homemade Vegan Pie Crusts
I’ve created the best Vegan Pie Crust recipe ever! This crust recipe makes two pie crusts so feel free to freeze half of the dough. Or you can cut the crust recipe in half to make only one pie crust. Either way, it’s is a delicious and flaky pie crust that will work perfectly for this lemon pie recipe.
Here are my favorite vegan pie crust recipes, any of which would work for this vegan lemon meringue pie:
Store-Bought Vegan Pie Crusts
Vegan pie crusts are now more readily available for purchase. The following are vegan pie crusts you can buy at the store:
- Marie Callendar’s Pastry Pie Shells
- Mrs. Smith’s Deep Dish Pie Crust
- Whole Foods Wholly Wholesome Gluten-Free Pie Shells
Always check labels because sometimes these companies will change their ingredients.
More Delicious Lemon Recipes
If you love this vegan lemon meringue pie, here are even more delicious vegan lemon desserts to try:
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Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie
Ingredients
Egg-free Meringue
- ¾ cup aquafaba (brine from a can of regular salted chickpeas)
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Xanthan gum (optional but recommended for stabilizing the meringue).
Option #1: Tofu Lemon Curd
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 tablespoon agar agar flakes (optional)
- 1 to 2 drops organic yellow food coloring (optional, see notes)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 cup silken tofu or one small package
Option #2: Simple Vegan Lemon Curd
- ¾ cup lemon juice
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup plant-based milk (I used almond milk)
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Prepare the pie crust as directed in the link above and roll it out to about 1/8" thickness and place in a 9" pie pan. Crimp the edges of the pie and use a fork to prick the bottom of the crust several times. Bake the crust for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
For the Meringue
- Shake an unopened can of regular chickpeas vigorously for a few seconds. Then strain the liquid from the can of chickpeas in a mixing bowl, along with the cream of tartar. Use a handheld or stand mixer on medium speed and mix for 1 to 2 minutes until it becomes frothy.
- As you're mixing, add the powdered sugar a little at a time. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to mix at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Then add the vanilla and mix to incorporate it.
Option #1: Tofu Lemon Pie Filling
- In a saucepan combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine.
- Turn the heat to medium-high and add the water, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon extract, and agar agar (if using). Stir occasionally, to make sure the custard doesn't burn. Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until you have a thick mixture in the pan. Remove from heat and add the tablespoon of vegan butter and food coloring (if using). Stir to combine. Set aside.
- Place the tofu in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the lemon mixture from the saucepan and pulse it all together until a smooth consistency is reached. Return the curd to the saucepan keep it over low heat while you prepare the meringue.
Option #2: Simple Lemon Curd
- If you're making your lemon filling with the simple lemon curd method, in a saucepan combine the lemon juice, sugar, milk, and cornstarch. Stir to combine the cornstarch. Place over medium heat. Stir constantly to dissolve the sugar and to prevent lumps as the mixture thickens.
- Bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring regularly. The mixture should get fairly thick (see post photo). If you get lumps, simply pulse the curd in a food processor or use an immersion blender.
- Once the mixture thickens, remove from heat, add the lemon extract, coconut oil, and turmeric. Stir to combine. Spoon out the lemon curd over the prepared crust.
Assemble and Bake the Pie
- Spoon the hot lemon custard into the prepared pie crust. Top with meringue while the custard is still hot. Use a spoon to push meringue up to the edges of the crust (to create a seal) and create wispy dollops of meringue across the top of the pie.
- Place pie in the heated oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the meringue has golden edges.
- Remove from the oven and cool for about an hour. Refrigerate for one to two hours before serving.
Recommended Equipment
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Notes
Vegan Meringue
These are my favorite notes for making sure your vegan meringue bakes into a fluffy mountain of delicious on your pie:- Adding Sugar. Sometimes an aquafaba meringue will deflate if the sugar is added all at the same time rather than adding a little bit at a time. By the way, adding less sugar can also cause the meringue to deflate. That’s because the quantity of sugar helps with the texture of the meringue.
- Aquafaba consistency. Some cans of chickpeas have thicker liquid than others. Some may be the consistency of water whereas others are much thicker. I find the thicker liquid usually works best. If the consistency of your chickpea liquid is thinner, try cooking it in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Then simmer until it reduces by about half. Let that cool completely and move on to the next step in making the meringue.
- Salt. I use regular chickpeas rather than the no-salt variety. I find the low-salt variety does not create the best meringue.
- Expired Cream of Tartar. This product is important because it stabilizes the meringue. If your cream of tartar is old, it may not be providing that stabilizing effect. To tell if your cream of tartar is good, stir 1/2 teaspoon into a cup of warm water. Then add a pinch of baking soda. It should bubble and create foam. If it doesn’t, your cream of tartar has expired.
- Xanthan Gum. If none of these tips work, this one will. Add a bit (1/2 teaspoon) of Xanthan gum to the meringue as you’re whipping it. I usually add this in at the same time as the cream of tartar. Why? Xanthan Gum is used in a lot of products to help make them shelf-stable and it’s that stabilization effect that works wonders with vegan meringue. You can find it at health food stores (it’s even in the health food section of my local grocery store) or online at places like Amazon.
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.
We recently updated the photos on this post. Here is one of the old photos:
This was an excellent recipe and I loved the variety of options. I did end up trying out the lemon curd with the tofu… the only thing is that when I took the pie out of the oven it was still very jiggly. (The Meringue was set and nicely browned but jiggled as it sat over the lemon curd) I put it back in the oven another 6 min or so but still wasn’t totally set. I let it cool off and just placed it in the fridge so I’m hoping that it sets to a much firmer texture. I’m not quite sure if that’s normal to be so jiggly out of the oven so I’m just back tracking because I did make a few substitutions… while making the lemon curd over the stove it all seemed to be thickened, gooey, and glossy- I did however use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch, I added a bit more lemon zest and lemon juice as the flavor wasn’t as intense as I like, and I used an organic culinary essential lemon oil instead of lemon extract (added at the end though after the tofu was added), and lastly the silken tofu I used wasn’t quite one cup but I figured it would balance out liquid wise since I added a little extra lemon juice. Everything tasted delicious and looked beautiful before and after the oven, just concerned about it being so jiggly… any thoughts?
I’m patiently waiting for the 2 hour fridge chill to see if it sets up… I’m sure regardless it will be delicious as a lemon meringue “pudding” or pie! Lol
Hi Michele, I’m so glad you liked the flavor! You sound like me in the kitchen throwing in all the substitutions! I think the combination of less silken tofu and increased lemon juice could cause the pie filling to not set firm. But as you noted, it should taste great!
Can I use lemon juice and zest instead of lemon extract for the simple lemon curd? Thank you for your time.
Hi Krista. You can substitute lemon zest for the lemon extract.
Hi there! Is it okay if I do the simple lemon curd option instead of the tofu one or is there one that you prefer?
Hi Johane. I actually prefer the simple lemon curd. It’s easy to make and I love the bright color it produces. That said, the tofu one is quite good as well. I just wanted to provide options because some people prefer using tofu. I hope this is helpful!
Can I make the aquafaba at home?
Hi Jenny. Yes, I make aquafaba at home all the time!
Can we freeze this pie and if so for how long ?
Hi Christine. Unfortunately, this is not a pie I recommend for freezing. The meringue, especially does not freeze well. However, you could make the pie without the meringue, freeze it (for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container and/or bags), and then thaw it and serve with vegan whipped cream. Also, I would place this in the deepest part of the freezer, away from the freezer door where it can be exposed to different temperatures and start to build up condensation.
Hi just wondering if the tofu is necessary? I think the filing looks and tastes good without adding the tofu. I sure if it was necessary for some part of the baking process?
Hi Kristi! The recipe provides two options for vegan lemon curd. The second one is made without tofu. Hope you enjoy it!
Hello! If you blow torch the meringue do you need to put it in the oven? Thanks a lot 🙂
Hi Pauline. I personally recommend baking the meringue because it helps dry it out. Without that step, the meringue may wilt and deflate quickly. However, if you prefer the torch, be sure to store the pie in an airtight container. Then freeze it. Then remove it the day of serving. This should help preserve the fluffy meringue. Storing it in the fridge without baking (only torching) will probably result in a flat meringue. Sugar absorbs moisture from the air naturally so adding the sweet meringue over the wet lemon base, is problematic. Baked meringues hold up better because the baking process dehydrates that moisture. I hope this makes sense!
Hi Marly, I was wondering if there’s a way to sub agave for the sugar in both the meringue and the lemon curd? Also, what is the difference between the two lemon curd options? Do they taste different or is the texture different? Just trying to figure out which option to choose. Thank you.
Hi Gretchen. I have not used agave nectar to make the aquafaba meringue before, so I did some research. I haven’t found anyone trying to make this type of meringue with a syrup sweetener. Most use finely ground sugar. It doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but I find myself feeling skeptical about it. An Italian meringue uses heated syrup, but I don’t think that would work with chickpea liquid. I think a vegan meringue needs the structure provided by sugar, but that said, if you wanted to give it a try, I would just consider adding minimal agave to it. Maybe add a tablespoon at a time? Regarding the lemon filling, I think you could use agave there for sure. I would use a little less sugar – a little more than half is what I recommend. OK. About the two different types of lemon filling. The tofu filling is what I made first – many years ago. It was delicious and I loved it! However, I love the translucent look of the cornstarch version. It looks more like a traditional lemon pie. I think both taste great, but I lean toward the cornstarch version because the texture is more traditional. Maybe someday I’ll delete the tofu version, but I like having it there for now for people who come back for that version and for people who have those ingredients on hand. I hope this is helpful!
I loved making this and am still in awe of how magical it was! This is so much easier than I thought it would be to make. I can’t believe how similar to non-vegan meringue this is, an added perk is there is no gross smell to it that you get with egg whites.
Hi Amy! I’m so glad you liked this lemon pie! I agree with you that it’s wonderful to have a vegan meringue option and it’s much better than the egg variety! 🙂
Can I use vegan butter instead of coconut oil?
Hi Jenn! I haven’t tried using vegan butter with this, but I think it should work.