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Mini Lemon Meringue Pies give you everything you love about the classic dessert, bright tangy lemon curd and a cloud of toasted meringue, shrunk down into crisp phyllo shells you can pop in one bite. They look fancy enough for a tea party or shower, but the store bought phyllo cups mean there is no crust to roll or chill. My girls love helping pipe the meringue on a slow weekend afternoon. If you adore lemon treats, our layered lemon blueberry trifle is another easy favorite.
Make the lemon curd ahead, fill and top when you are ready, and you have an elegant dessert in minutes.
Mini Lemon Meringue Pies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 25 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 30 mini pies
- ⚡ Calories: 28kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Bright, tangy lemon curd under sweet, fluffy toasted meringue in a crisp phyllo shell
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, no crust to make thanks to store bought phyllo cups
Quick Answer
Whisk egg yolks with sugar, then cook lemon juice, zest, water, flour, and cornstarch into a thick lemon curd, tempering in the yolks and finishing with butter. Whip the egg whites with sugar and cream of tartar into stiff peaks. Spoon the curd into mini phyllo shells, top with meringue, and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until the meringue is golden, or toast it with a kitchen torch.
Jump to:
- Mini Lemon Meringue Pies Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Mini Lemon Meringue Pies FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Dessert Recipes
- Easy Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Store bought phyllo shells save you. Crisp mini phyllo cups skip all the crust rolling and chilling, so these come together in a fraction of the time of a full pie.
- A quick stovetop lemon curd. Cornstarch and flour thicken the curd fast and keep it sliceable inside the little shells without weeping.
- Tempering keeps the yolks smooth. Whisking some of the hot lemon mixture into the yolks before adding them back prevents scrambling for a silky curd.
- Cream of tartar stabilizes the meringue. It helps the whipped egg whites hold their stiff, glossy peaks so the topping stays tall and fluffy.
- Perfectly portioned and portable. Each pie is a tidy two bite treat, which makes them ideal for parties, showers, and dessert trays.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They deliver all the classic lemon meringue flavor without making a single pie crust.
- The bright lemon curd and fluffy meringue come together in just 25 minutes.
- They are as party ready as our lemon lime angel food cupcakes.
Key Ingredients
A handful of simple ingredients and store bought phyllo shells make these mini lemon meringue pies a breeze.
- Mini phyllo shells: The crisp, ready made cups that hold the filling and skip all the crust work.
- Fresh lemon juice and zest: The heart of the curd, bringing that bright, tangy citrus flavor.
- Eggs: The yolks thicken the lemon curd while the whites whip into the fluffy meringue topping.
- Cornstarch and flour: The duo that thickens the curd quickly so it sets up smooth inside the shells.
- Cream of tartar: Stabilizes the meringue so it holds tall, glossy, stiff peaks.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These mini pies are easy to switch up.
- Swap the lemon for lime, key lime, or even orange juice and zest for a different citrus twist.
- Skip the meringue and top the curd with a dollop of whipped cream and a berry instead.
- Add a thin layer of raspberry jam under the curd for a lemon raspberry version.
- Make a big batch of the lemon curd to layer into a lemon trifle or spread on scones.
How to Make Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Separate the eggs. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with three quarters cup of the sugar until smooth, and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, stir together the flour and cornstarch, then whisk in the water, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Off the heat, whisk about half a cup of the hot lemon mixture into the yolks, then add it all back to the pot with the butter. Whisk over heat until smooth and thick, then set aside.
- Whip the egg whites, remaining sugar, and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until they form stiff, glossy peaks, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Spoon the lemon filling into the mini phyllo shells and place them on a baking sheet.
- Pipe or spoon the meringue on top and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden, or toast with a kitchen torch. Cool, then serve or chill before serving.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use fresh lemon juice and real zest for the brightest flavor, since bottled juice tastes flat in the curd.
- Temper the yolks slowly, whisking constantly as you add the hot mixture, so they stay silky and do not scramble.
- Whip to stiff peaks for meringue that holds its shape and browns into pretty, glossy swirls.
- Fill the shells just before baking so the phyllo cups stay crisp instead of going soggy.
- Watch the meringue closely in the oven, as it goes from golden to too dark in under a minute.
- A kitchen torch gives you the most control for that bakery style toasted meringue if you have one.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These mini lemon meringue pies are made for sharing. Arrange them on a pretty platter for a baby or bridal shower, an afternoon tea, or an Easter or Mother’s Day dessert table, where their golden swirled tops always get oohs and aahs.
Serve them slightly chilled with a pot of tea or coffee, or alongside our lemon blueberry coffee cake for a citrus loving spread.
They round out a dessert tray beautifully next to our lemon raspberry cake balls and a slice of tiramisu pie.
Mini Lemon Meringue Pies FAQs
Yes. The lemon curd can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored covered in the fridge. For the best texture, fill the phyllo shells and add the meringue close to serving so the cups stay crisp. Assembled pies are best enjoyed the same day.
Look in the freezer section of most grocery stores near the pie crusts and frozen desserts. They come in boxes of 15 and just need to be thawed. You can also use mini graham or pastry tart shells if you prefer.
Absolutely. Once the shells are filled and topped with meringue, you can toast the meringue with a kitchen torch instead of baking. It gives you beautiful golden peaks and keeps the phyllo extra crisp.
Weeping usually happens when the meringue is underbeaten or the sugar is not fully dissolved. Beat to stiff, glossy peaks and add the sugar gradually. Topping warm filling and sealing the meringue to the edges also helps prevent shrinking.
Store them loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The phyllo will soften over time, so they are best the day they are made, but they still taste delicious chilled.
You can use this same lemon curd and meringue in a single pre baked pie crust for a full size lemon meringue pie. Bake until the meringue is golden, then cool completely and chill before slicing.
Tried these easy mini lemon meringue pies? I would love to hear how they turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below and tell me if you baked or torched your meringue!
Easy Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs room temerpature, divided
- 1 2up granulated sugar divided
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup water
- 5 tablespoons lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 3 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 30 mini phyllo shells
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*F.
- Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs.3 large eggs
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar until smooth, and set aside.1 2up granulated sugar
- In a small saucepan, stir together the flour and cornstarch.2 tablespoons all purpose flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Whisk in the water, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.1 cup water, 5 tablespoons lemon juice, 3 tablespoons lemon zest
- Take off the heat. While whisking constantly, pour about 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Once it is combined, add the mixture back to the pot.
- Place the pot back on the stove and add the butter, whisking until smooth and the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.1 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Prepare the homemade meringue by whipping the egg whites, remaining sugar, and cream of tartar with an electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment) until they form stiff peaks, 3-4 minutes.1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Spoon lemon filling into the phyllo cups and place them on a baking sheet.30 mini phyllo shells
- Pipe or spoon meringue topping on top and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the meringue becomes golden brown. (Alternatively, you could brown the meringue with a kitchen torch.)
- Remove from oven and let cool, serve immediately or place the little pies in the fridge to chill before serving.
Video
Notes
- This makes a large batch, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed.
- The lemon zest for an extra lemony pop of flavor, but you can skip it if you don’t like zest.
- I do not suggest freezing.
- Make sure to make these the day that you are serving and eating them, the phyllo cups will get soggy on the bottom.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
Follow @ThisSillyGirlsKitchen on Instagram and @danadevolk on Pinterest for more!
I just tried this recipe but the meringue came out leathery and tough, so strange. The filling was delicious though!
These look so beautiful! Lemon meringue pie is my husband’s favorite. I’ll have to make these for him! Pinning to Pinterest!
Dana,
thank you for sharing these yummy treats at my party…they will be featured on Monday.
Blessings,
Linda
So delicious and so pretty! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
These look delicious. And what a great size perfect to go with coffee or afternoon tea. I am stopping by from the Whatever goes Wednesday party. I shared your recipe on Pinterest so others can try it as well.
/Charlotte – My Green Nook
These sounds DELISH! Lemon meringue is a definite favorite! Thanks for linking up to Snickerdoodle Sunday- hope to see you again this Saturday at 5:00 ET with your latest makes!
Sarah (Sadie Seasongoods)
These look so delicious and I would love them for an afternoon treat. I’ve been drinking American Breakfast during my afternoon slump and it really does help pick me up! #client
These not only look gorgeous but soooo yummy! I could just do with eating one of them right now. Oh well will have to pin it for a later date 😉
Over from Nifty thrifty Sunday
These look so yummy and beautiful at the same time. My husband loves lemon meringue pie so he will love these.
Thanks,
Bev
These mini-meringue pies are adorable. There are too many treats I enjoy with tea to list. Tea is a staple here and I can’t imagine not having a cup in the evening. Visiting from SITS. Have a great weekend!