These tiny lemon meringue tarts are sure to put a smile on your face! Each mini-pie is a sweet, tart bite of zesty lemon goodness; adorable, delicious, and perfect for entertaining.
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Why You will Love this Recipe
If ever a dessert could be called cheery, this one is it! Tiny lemon meringue pies are so cute, and perfect for entertaining! With a tender, flakey crust and smooth, zesty citrus filling, these delicious two-bite treats disappear like lightning when you set them out at a party.
Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts:
- Use only the simplest of ingredients and kitchen staples.
- Are easy to make (especially if you use premade pie shells).
- Are perfect for brunches, baby showers, and holidays.
- Can be partially prepped in advance.
- Require no utensils to eat; just use your fingers.
Mr B's Advice for the Mustachioed: If you try to bite them in the middle, you're going to end up with meringue on your mustache. Just pop the whole thing in our mouth!
What Goes into this Recipe
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
★ Pastry dough: You will need enough pie dough for 1 double-crust 9" pie. You can use homemade or store-bought pastry dough. (Our Sweet Pie Dough recipe is perfect for this recipe.)
For quick, easy prep, you can also use frozen preformed mini pastry shells or mini phyllo shells.
★ Fresh lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon juice has a brighter, more delicate flavor, and is ultimately healthier for you, too.
Bottled lemon juice contains preservatives and additives, and has a stronger, more acrid flavor that can negatively affect the outcome of this recipe.
★ Fresh lemon zest: Never use dried lemon zest for this recipe.
TIP: Make it a habit to zest every piece of citrus that goes through your kitchen before juicing it. When sealed in a small, air-tight bag, citrus zest freezes very well, and will keep for up to three months in the freezer.
★ Egg whites: Always use fresh, room temperature egg whites when making meringue. Old egg whites tend to collapse too easily.
How to Make Tiny Lemon Meringue Pies
Mini Tart Shells
Preheat oven to 425°F | 220°C.
Prepare dough. If you are making homemade dough, let it chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Roll dough out in batches on a lightly floured surface. Dough should be no more than ⅛-inch thick. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or drinking glass rim to cut circles.
Using your fingers, the end of the rolling pin, or a piece of scrap dough, form the dough into the muffin tin. (This is, by far, the most tedious part of the entire process.) Form a little rim around the top of the muffin cup, as you would form a crimping edge on a regular-sized pie. Use a smaller cutter to trim and clean up the edges of each tart.
Put the tarts into the freezer for 10-15 minutes before proceeding.
Put the frozen mini tart shells into the preheated oven (425°F | 220°C) oven and immediately reduce heat to 375°F | 190°C.
Bake for 10-12 minutes and remove from oven. Tart shells should be very lightly browned.
Lemon Curd Filling
Combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt, and water in a heavy saucepan.
Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil mixture until it becomes thick and translucent, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice. Gradually whisk egg yolk mixture into hot sugar mixture. Return pan to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Remove the mixture from heat and whisk in lemon zest and butter.
The lemon filling should be very thick at this point. Allow filling to cool while you whip the meringue.
Meringue
Whisk together cornstarch and cold water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave on high for 1 minute, or until it thickens. (The mixture will be very thick.) Set aside to cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-low until soft peaks form, slowly increasing the speed to medium as you do.
Always start whipping egg whites on at a lower speed. If they are beaten too quickly at the beginning, the structure of the foam will not be as strong, and they won't beat up as high as they should.
Increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and gradually add the vanilla and cornstarch mixture. Add the sugar to the egg whites one tablespoon at a time, in a raining motion. Increase the speed to high and continue beating the egg whites until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
Do not overbeat. The meringue is ready to bake when it has the consistency of shaving cream and forms stiff peaks when you remove the whisk.
Fill & Bake Mini Tarts
Put filling in a pastry bag or resealable bag. Pipe filling into the prepared mini shells.
Put meringue into pastry bag or resealable bag. Pipe a dollop of meringue onto the top of each tartlet.
Preheat oven to 325°F | 165°C. Bake mini tarts for 10-15 minutes, until tips of the meringues begin to brown.
Cool on a rack and serve or refrigerate.
FAQs & Expert Tips
You can make the pastry shells and lemon curd up to a day in advance. The meringue should be made immediately before baking.
When the mini-pies have completely cooled, they should be refrigerated if they are not eaten within 2 hours.
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Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts
Equipment
- 1 mini muffin tin
- 1 3-inch biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, drinking glass rim
- 1 2½-inch biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, drinking glass rim
- 2 pastry bags or resealable plastic bags (cut tip to pipe)
Ingredients
Mini Pastry Shells
- 1 batch sweet pie dough enough for 1 double-crust 10" pie; homemade or store-bought
Lemon Filling
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 pinch salt
- ¾ cup cold water
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 whole egg yolks
Instructions
Mini Tart Shells
- Preheat oven to 425°F | 220°C.Prepare dough. If you are making homemade dough, let it chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Roll dough out in batches on a lightly floured surface. Dough should be no more than ⅛-inch thick. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or drinking glass rim to cut circles.
- Using your fingers, the end of the rolling pin, or a piece of scrap dough, form the dough into the muffin tin. Form a little rim around the top of the muffin cup, as you would form a crimping edge on a regular-sized pie. Use a smaller cutter to trim and clean up the edges of each tart.
- Put the tarts into the freezer for 10-15 minutes before proceeding.
- Put the frozen mini tart shells into the preheated oven (425°F | 220°C) oven and immediately reduce heat to 375°F | 190°C.Bake for 10-12 minutes and remove from oven. Tart shells should be very lightly browned.
Lemon Filling
- Combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, salt, and water in a heavy saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer the mixture until it becomes thick and translucent, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot sugar mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly.
- Return pan to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the mixture from heat and whisk in lemon zest and butter. The lemon filling should be very thick at this point. Allow it to cool while you whip the meringue.
Meringue
- Whisk together cornstarch and cold water in a small microwave-safe bowl.Cook in the microwave on high for 1 minute, or until it thickens. (The mixture will be very thick.) Set aside to cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-low until soft peaks form, slowly increasing the speed to medium as you do.Increase the mixer speed to medium-high, and gradually add the vanilla and the cornstarch mixture.
- Add the sugar to the egg whites one tablespoon at a time, in a raining motion. Increase the speed to high and continue beating the egg whites until the meringue forms stiff peaks. Do not overbeat. The meringue is ready to bake when it has the consistency of shaving cream and forms stiff peaks when you remove the whisk.
Mini Tarts
- Put filling in a pastry bag or resealable bag. Pipe filling into the prepared mini shells. Put meringue into pastry bag or resealable bag. Pipe a dollop of meringue onto the top of each tartlet.
- Preheat oven to 325°F | 165°C. Bake mini tarts for 10-15 minutes, until tips of the meringues begin to brown.
- Cool on a rack and serve or refrigerate.
Notes
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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Originally posted July 8, 2013. Post has been updated with new content, images, and recipe instructions to improve reader experience.
Kris says
These were so cute and fun! The whole family loved them. Will make again!
MacKenzie says
I love all things lemon and these tarts were amazing. This recipe turned out perfect.
Caroline says
So cute! There's something that bit special about mini desserts, and these look like such a tasty option.
Kim says
Love these! They taste amazing, like like the full sized lemon tarts, and the small bite sized servings are perfect for a party! They were perfect for a dinner party.
Nicolette says
I never need a full pie and am so glad I found this mini version. It's the perfect bite-sized treat! Do you know if I can freeze any leftovers? Or will that make the meringue an off texture?
Renée B. says
Unfortunately, meringue doesn't freeze well.