Betty Crocker’s Lemon Meringue Pie

Betty Crocker

Please tell me I am not alone in this. While preparing to write about Betty Crocker’s Lemon Meringue Pie recipe, I found out that Betty Crocker wasn’t a real person! How could I not know this, but I didn’t. Somehow I feel a little violated!

Cook Book

The Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book from the 1950s was my mother’s standby and I’ve used it many, many times too. And Betty never existed. I guess I never had a reason to Google her before. It’s a very interesting story. “She” answered the customer’s questions and ended the answers with a signature. She even had a radio show! In 1945 Fortune magazine named her the second most popular woman in America. Second only to Eleanor Roosevelt.

Well enough about Betty, I guess I’ll keep her cookbook anyway)))

Lemon Meringue Pie

This recipe is a “key” recipe in Betty’s cookbook. This means you can take the key recipe and make different versions of it. For example, orange meringue pie, strawberry, lime, or pineapple. Just by making a few simple substitutions.

Reduce the Sugar with Swerve

We can all use less sugar, but we do like our desserts don’t we))) Now if you are opposed to using sugar substitutes, you don’t have to. I chose to use Swerve Granular Sugar Substitute in the filling for the lemon meringue pie, and Swerve Confectioners Sugar Substitute in the meringue since my husband is diabetic. But I’ve made this recipe with real sugar too and it’s delicious)))

Pie Crust

You can make your pie crust if you wish. I opted for a frozen one. Go ahead and bake it before you start on your filling so it will have time to cool.

How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie

Step 1

Bake the pie crust whether frozen or homemade and set aside to cool. Just follow the directions on the package if using a frozen crust. I do have a little tip to keep a pie crust from puffing up in the center. Now I have also used to fork to make holes in the crust but sometimes it would still puff up in places.

Step 2 – Filling

Filling for lemon meringue pie is simple. Just place the sugar or Swerve sugar substitute, whichever you prefer, in a medium saucepan along with the cornstarch and whisk together. Add the water and whisk well.

Cook over medium heat until it thickens and comes to a boil. Boil for one minute and remove from heat.

The mixture will turn from pure white to a more transparent or translucent look and it will be thick.

Add a couple of spoonfuls of the mixture to the egg yolks to temper them. If you just dump the egg yolks into the hot sugar mixture, it will cook some of the egg yolk and you’ll have strands of cooked egg. You don’t want that. Temper the egg yolks and then add them to the mixture.

Once the egg yolks are added, gently boil the mixture for another minute and remove from heat.

Add the butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

I used the zest from one lemon. It yielded about two tablespoons so I used it all. Also, the lemon yielded about 3 tablespoons of juice, and the recipe called for four. So I filled in with a tablespoon of bottled juice. I have made this recipe with just bottled juice too and it works well.

Stir well until the butter has fully melted. Pour into the baked pie shell.

Step 3 – The Meringue

Use an electric mixer and beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar a little at a time. Add a little flavoring if you desire. I did not. Sometimes I do use a little of vanilla.

I used Swerve Confectioners sugar substitute only because I used up all my granular sugar substitute in the filling.

Spread the meringue over the lemon pie filling, smoothing all the way to the edge of the pie crust. Place the pie in the oven to bake until the meringue is a delicate brown.

Use a moderately hot oven, at about 400° for 8 to 10 minutes. But watch it closely, it may not take that long. I probably browned my meringue at a bit lower temp like 375°

Cool the pie a bit and then place it in the refrigerator to chill completely.