This vegan lemon meringue pie is sure to impress your guests. With a crisp buttery shortcrust pastry, tart fresh lemon curd filling, and the most perfect Italian meringue topping. All while being completely dairy-free and eggless.
Preparation (up to 2 days in advance): Prepare the pie crust dough and chill until ready to use. Reduce the aquafaba for the meringue topping and refrigerate until ready to use.
Preparation (Day of or day ahead of serving): Lightly grease a 9-inch pie tin with oil or vegan butter, dust it with flour, and then knock off any excess flour so it is lightly coated. You can also add a round of parchment to the base.Preheat your oven to 190°C (374°F).
Pie Crust: Using a rolling pin, roll out the chilled dough to ⅛-inch in thickness so that it is an inch or so larger than the circumference of the tart tin. Use the rolling pin to carefully lift the pastry over the tin and use your fingers to gently ease the pastry into the side of the tin. Use a knife or pastry scissors to cut around the edges, then gently press the edges down with a fork. Pierce several holes into the base of the pastry using a fork.
Take a sheet of parchment paper and cut it into a circle slightly larger than the pie tin. Scrunch up the parchment, and place it on top of the dough. Fill the base with pie weights (you can also use dried beans, rice, or lentils). Par-bake it for 20 minutes.
Carefully remove the baking beads and parchment and continue to bake the crust for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely to room temperature, but do not remove the crust from the tin.
Lemon filling: Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, soy milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and turmeric if using, to a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for around 5 minutes, whilst stirring continuously. The mixture is ready when it is thick and coats the back of your spatula. Remove from the heat.
Add the cold cubed butter to a large mixing bowl and pour the warm lemon curd on top. Whisk until fully combined and the mixture is smooth and silky.
Let the filling cool for around 20-30 minutes, and whisk it every 5 minutes or so to prevent a skin from forming on the surface. Then pour the curd into the cooled pastry shell and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set (preferably overnight).
Topping: Prepare the meringue topping and spoon it over the set lemon pie. Torch the topping before serving using a blow torch.
Storage: Place in an airtight container in the fridge. For best results, the meringue topping will hold in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. As another option, you can prepare the filled pie a few days in advance and top with the meringue on the day of serving.
Notes
Pie Crust - The pie will use about ¾ of the pie crust recipe, you can make a full batch and freeze the remaining crust for other recipes or adjust the quantity to make less.
Lemons - I used zest of 3 small lemons and juice from 7 small lemons (organic and unwaxed). Roll the lemons on the countertop, zest, and then juice the lemons. When zesting, remove only the top, bright yellow layer — the white pith is quite bitter.
Ground Turmeric - This is optional but I recommend adding a pinch for a vibrant yellow hue. Don't worry - you won't taste it!
Vegan Butter - Use vegan block-style butter, not spreadable margarine from a tub.