Lemon meringue pie bites have a crunchy meringue 'nest' filled with lemon curd. The perfect treat for a baby shower or birthday! Gluten-free & just 4 ingredients required!
Sigh. August is almost over.
I'm finally coming to grips with this fact, and am finally starting to look forward to autumn. I am going back to work near the end of September, and although life is going to get CA-RAY-ZY then, I think it will be good for me to spend some time with other adults. And it will be good for Kai to be around other kids.
Things I'm looking forward to in autumn: Kai's 1st birthday party, apples, soups, wearing leggings, butternut squash, changing leaves, warm drinks, not having to water my garden, and anything sage...so much to look forward to!
One thing has been bothering me, though, just this one thing and then I can finally move on from summer: there has been a serious lack of lemon meringue pie in my life this summer. I played around with key lime...um...LOTS, but no lemon meringue pie. It's just not right. Lemon meringue pie bites to the rescue!
Reasons you'll โก these lemon meringue pie bites
- you need just 4 ingredients to make them
- they are gluten-free and can be made dairy-free
- they are perfect for a party!
Of course I couldn't just be normal and make a lemon meringue pie...for one thing, I would probably have to consume the entire thing myself {Ben doesn't like sweets---whaaat!? I know!!}
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So I decided to get a little bit creative and make meringue nests, and fill them with lemon curd.
And these lemon meringue pie bites taste just like lemon meringue pie...without the crust, and in miniature form. Perfect!
So here's the deal: I preferred these in miniature, because the lemon curd: meringue ratio was perfect, and they were much easier to eat. I used a Wilton 21 tip to pipe the meringue nests. However, you can also make these larger {and prettier} using a 1M Wilton tip to pipe the meringues.
Also: the lemon curd. I couldn't find it in the store, anywhere...in fact I've never seen it in the store in Canada. So I used Ina Garten's recipe which worked beautifully {see below for my tips on this recipe}. If you can find store-bought lemon curd you are saving yourself about 40 minutes of work, although the homemade version is absolutely divine.
So these lemon meringue pie bites areย my last summer recipe for awhile. Autumn isn't officially until September 21, but Mother Nature doesn't seem to know that. It is really starting to feel chilly and brisk. And I'm finally OK with that!
What are you looking forward to this autumn?
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these lemon meringue pie bites. Itโs so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or onย Facebook.
Tips & equipment for perfect lemon meringue pie bites
- you will want a piping bag fitted with a number 21 tip
- use a stand mixer or electric hand mixer to mix up your meringue
- looking for more summery dessert recipes? Check out these Key Lime Greek Yogurt Cheesecakes, these Key Lime Pie Sandwich Cookies, or these Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Lemon Meringue Pie Bites
Ingredients
Meringue Nests
- 4 egg whites (from large eggs; at room temperature)
- ยฝ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Lemon Meringue Pie Bites
- 2 cups of lemon curd (see below for recipe recommendation)
Instructions
Meringue Nests
- Pre-heat oven to 300ยฐF. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or baking mats, set aside.
- In a clean, dry stand mixer bowl, beat eggs on high until they become frothy and form soft peaks {that slowly sink back into the bowl; takes around one minute}.
- Add the cream of tartar, then begin adding the sugar by the tablespoon, while continuing to beat on high. Go slowly; this part may take 5-10 minutes of continuous beating/adding sugar. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to get all sugar.
- When mixture has formed stiff peaks {see photo of stand whisk above if you are wondering what a stiff peak looks like}, fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton number 21 tip.
- Going slowly, pipe a 3-5 cm circle on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Without lifting the tip, do the second and third layers around the outside of the circle, forming a mini nest.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 300ยฐF, then reduce heat to 250ยฐF and bake for 10-20 more, until meringues are hard and *slightly* golden. Turn oven off, open oven door slightly, and allow to cool for one hour in the oven.
Lemon Meringue Pie Bites
- Spoon lemon curd into the 'nest' and serve immediately.
- Nests and lemon curd can be stored separately for several days.
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Tips:
- don't freak out when your curd looks...um...curdled. Keep heating/stirring it and it will become smooth
- Ina recommends to heat the curd over low, but mine never got to 170ยฐF on the low setting; I eventually raised the heat to medium and finally got my curd to temperature/thickened.
Video
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Yvonne Aggers says
I love making meringue cookies for gluten-free friends and family so these were a lovely change and so fun to make! I might try making them green at Easter and a little bigger and filling them with jelly beans for the grandkids!
Sharron says
Can these be made vegan with chickpea Aquafaba?
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Sharron, that's a great question! We have not tested a vegan version of this recipe, but you might find this vegan meringue recipe with aquafaba helpful. I hope this helps!
jessica says
am i able to make these ahead of time and then put the lemon curd in the middle right before serving?
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Jessica, that's right - we recommend making the meringue nest and lemon curd filling ahead of time, then filling them right before you serve them. Otherwise they will get soggy. I hope that helps!
lil says
Gluten and dairy free!! great for my nephews! thanks
.
Denise Bustard says
I hope you and your nephew enjoy!
Paige says
This is such a fun and great recipe! A question: I have followed your directions to the letter and have an oven thermometer to check the heat (since I know my oven runs hot). The meringues are setting and holding their shape, and I am cooking on the longer time recommended at the lower temp until they are slightly golden. But they remain fairly soft in the middle after cooling for an hour in the oven and a little sticky to the touch. Would you recommend baking them longer at the lower temp before turning off the oven? And if so, by how long? They taste delicious regardless!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Paige! They should not be sticky. It does sound like they would benefit from a longer bake time, but it's hard for me to say how long. The other thing is I do recall if I made them a bit larger they took longer to bake through.
Wendy Boyes says
I cook my meringues for 90 min at 225 and a further 40 min with the oven turned off. Meringues are firm and stay beautiful white๐
Manirea says
Hi!! Iโm super excited for these!
Just baked the meringue but the bottoms came out more of a darker golden brown. Not as light as I thought they would be. Is that right?
Denise says
Hi Manirea! It may be that your oven runs a little hot. Do you have an oven thermometer?
Pattie Davis says
I made these yesterday and they turned out fine. Tried to night and I forgot the cream of tarter until last and I have been trying for over an hour to get the "peak". Do I need to start over or can they be saved?
Denise says
Hi Pattie! I'm sorry to hear it's giving you troubles today. I would say if you've been at it for an hour you might have to start over ๐
Lindsay says
Do you bake both sheets of merengues at the same time or one at a time? Canโt wait to try!
Denise says
Hi Lindsay! Yes, that's what I did. You can rotate the pans halfway if your oven cooks unevenly. I hope you enjoy!
Lisa Edwina says
i made your recipe. i made it and enjoy with my familyand friends.thanks for useful post.
Veronica says
I have no problem against gluten but I have to say this sweet was divine without it and this is an excellent sweet for people with gluten allergies.
Denise says
Haha! I'm so glad you enjoyed. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review ๐
Nicole says
Delightful! We only used 3/4 cup sugar in the meringue and 1 cup in the lemon curd and it was still plenty sweet. Definitely will be making again. ๐
Denise says
Nice! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Nicole! Glad you enjoyed ๐
Becky C says
Just pulled these out of the oven and I am in love! I used a regular hand beater and despite my worries about not achieving a perfect stiff peak, it worked out pretty well! I also went with the poor man's plastic baggie piping bag so the result was a bit rustic but the flavour and texture makes up for it completely.
I made a grapefruit and blood orange curd instead of lemon and the final product is amazing.
So excited to make these for my lactose intolerant mum who is tired of the same old desserts! Thanks for this recipe!
Denise says
So happy to hear this, and wow, that curd sounds amazing!
Colleen says
Have you looked in the jam section for the lemon curd? Usually on the top shelf.
Denise says
I have found it in the jam section since writing this post! Thanks, Colleen!
Bella Hardy says
Definitely I will prep lemon meringue pie bites on the weekend for my family. Thanks for sharing Denise
Denise says
I hope you enjoy! <3
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky says
Gorgeous pictures. I made these lemon meringue pie bites for the super bowl party and it was a crowd favorite. I'm also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thanks for sharing, Denise!
Denise says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing ๐
Denise says
Hi Shelley! You could try using a large freezer bag and snip the corner? Would that help?