Name: Easy Homemade Lemon Meringue Pie Tarts
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 2-1/2 c. all purpose flour; 1 c. shortening or rendered lard or butter; 1 pinch of salt; 3/4-1 c. cold water; 1 boxed lemon pie filling mix; 2 additional eggs ((added to whatever is required on the boxed mix instructions))

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These miniature lemon meringue pie tarts are so simple to make and so lemony delicious! They make a beautiful, clean, easy dessert that is perfect for special occasions of all kinds. I’m pretty sure that if you make these little tarts an option at your next family gathering, they won’t last very long!

This is a great recipe to make as something simple that looks impressive. It’s really easy to throw together and is one of those delicious recipes that you might just have to make on repeat!

The best lemon pie filling

To keep this recipe extra easy and accessible, this recipe is made with a lemon pie filling mix for a classic lemon meringue pie. The exact same method can be followed with a homemade lemon pie filling as well!

At some point, I plan to share a recipe for smooth lemon curd filling and/or a lemon meringue pie (start to finish) on this blog, because truly— homemade is always my favorite! And I do have some great recipes.

That said, I’m going to have to save that for a rainy day or save it for the outcry of my readers to make it happen sooner, because… well. Time is short, and sometimes (no matter how much it pains me), I gotta depend on the boxed lemon pie filling mix to make lemon pies a reality.

How to make the best pastry

This recipe uses my easy pie pastry recipe to make the tart shells, which has its own whole post with lots of tips and tricks Here.

If you are looking for the nutshell version, here are my best tips:

Don’t overwork the dough, and
Keep it cold while you work with it!

It’s essential that you preserve those little pockets of fat throughout the dough (by not over-working it), in order to achieve the best flaky layers. Keeping the dough cold (by using cold water and then refrigerating the dough) is also a great way to help keep the fat from getting too worked into the dough.

No need for pie weights or anything fancy for this recipe, though – tart shells can be made in a muffin tin and tend to keep their shape and size perfectly well.

How to make miniature lemon meringue pie tarts

Here’s the breakdown on how these mini lemon meringue tarts are made! If you have a recipe for homemade lemon pie filling, you can go ahead and follow these steps using your own filling instead of this pie mix version.

Also, just saying – if you want my homemade recipe, leave me a comment to let me know! Nothing motivates me like a couple of good comments.

Homemade lemon pie filling is usually made with lemon juice (just regular lemons, nothing fancy), lemon zest, sugar, corn starch, and eggs. Eating a lemon tart made this with a homemade filling will have a slightly more tart flavor (a little less sweet) and bold yellow color (rather than the glassy lemon yellow that you get with a boxed mix.)

You will need:

Ingredients (see recipe card below)
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Pastry cutter
Rolling pin
4” biscuit cutter
Sharp knife
Cake crimper (or a fork)
Teaspoon or tablespoon
Small heavy bottomed saucepan
Whisk
Heat proof spatula
Electric mixer (for making the meringue)
Large piping bag
Large circle or star piping tip (optional)
Muffin tin (as your tart pan)

Ingredients

Here is what I used to make these lemon tarts that look like they came right out of a pastry case. I’ll give a few tips on each thing highlighted, but honestly – you kinda can’t go wrong with with this easy tart recipe!

Flour

For this recipe, I use just a basic all purpose white flour. My preference is unbleached white flour, but you can go ahead and use enriched flour if that’s what you have. I would not use whole wheat flour for this traditional pie crust recipe.

Fat

For this pastry, I like to use shortening or rendered lard best, but you can also use butter with great results. It feels odd to say that I prefer another fat – especially for pastry – over butter… but I’ll just be honest, with this pastry recipe, I find the softer fats to be a little easier to work with. So there you have it, my honest take! I love a good buttery crust, but for this recipe, my preference is to go with a softer baking fat.

Salt

Salt is necessary to give pastry that savory flavor that contrasts sweet fillings to beautifully. You don’t need much – just a little bit to make come out great!

Water

Water brings the pastry together. Use cold water, even ice water, for best results!

Lemon Pie Filling Mix

Most boxed pie fillings will call for boiling water, cold water, 2 large eggs, butter, and some additional sugar for the meringue topping.

Make sure you check your package instructions before you prepare this recipe to make sure you have all that you need!

Additional Eggs

I like to add 2 additional eggs to the boxed filling mix for 2 reasons: you get a thicker, richer filling with the extra egg yolks, and then you get more meringue with the additional egg whites. Check out the recipe directions for how to do this perfectly!

Instructions

Here’s the step by step on how to make these delicious mini lemon meringue tartlets.

Make the pastry

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the shortening until it resembles pea-sized chunks.
Using a fork, make a little well in the side of the pastry and pour in the water. Use the fork to blend the flour mixture and water together, until it comes together in a soft, shaggy dough (DO NOT OVER MIX). Start with the lesser amount of water, and then add more if needed to bring the dough together.
Cover with plastic and set the pastry in the fridge for about 20 minutes.

Roll and cut the tart shells

Once the pastry has been able to rest, take about 1/2 of the pastry and press it into a 6″ circle on a lightly floured work surface.
Dust your rolling pin with a bit of flour, and roll the pastry out till it’s about 1/8″ thick (turning the dough as you work with it to make sure it’s not sticking to the table; if you find it sticking, dust with a bit more flour and continue rolling.)
Using a 4″ biscuit cutter (or large round cookie cutter), cut out circles of pastry and lightly press each one into an ungreased muffin tin.
Lightly press the pastry circles into a muffin tin, and prick the dough through with a fork a few times per tart shell.

Bake the tart shells

Bake the pastry shells for about 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees F or until lightly golden around the edges. Set aside to cool.

Prepare the filling and meringue

Read the directions on your pie mix box. A boxed pie filling mix should call for 2 eggs, using the yolks in the filling and setting the whites aside for the meringue. Prepare your pie filling as per the package directions, but add an additional 2 egg yolks, and set the 4 egg whites aside to make the meringue.
Prepare the meringue as per the package directions, doubling the recipe to use your 4 egg whites (instead of 2). You can make your meringue in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, using the whisk attachment.
Spoon the meringue into a large piping bag or ziplock bag and snip off enough of the end/corner to make a 3/4″ cut. Pipe a cloud of meringue onto each pie to completely cover the lemon filling, making sure the meringue goes right to the edge of the pastry. Alternatively, you can fit a piping bag with a large round or star tip to make the dollops of meringue on top.

The final bake

Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. I like mine a little longer, for the toasted marshmallow look – but you can go a little lighter if you want to.
Cool on wire racks. Store in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

Making mini lemon pie tarts from this recipe

If you’re wanting to make mini tarts from this recipe, you can do so by using a mini muffin tin, a smaller round cutter (about 2-3″ should be fine), and obviously, smaller amounts of filling and meringue per tart. The baking times should be about the same.

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