Pomegranate Lemon Meringue Pie

I am deliriously excited about this recipe. I love it SO much! It’s been a heavy lemon year on buttermilk (the lemon bars, the lemon curd stuffed cookies, the cheesecake, the perfect curd…) and I almost (and still might!) made a classic lemon meringue pie to have on the site but, well, POMEGRANATE.

And it’s truly amazing what happens to this classic pie when you add some freshly juiced pomegranate arils: there’s a berry hint to the filling, aromatic and lovely in the way pomegranate only can be; the meringue, smooth and creamy thanks to the Italian method, also tastes of pomegranate. It’s just the best pie guys. 

Recipe Ingredients 

Lemons: Fresh! Organic too is best or wash them really well so we can get the best of the zest. Juice them after zesting. 

Pomegranate: You might be tempted to buy a jug of pomegranate juice and you can, I prefer to make my own pomegranate juice by blending the arils and sieving out the seeds. 

Eggs: Large eggs, best if at room temperature for the filling and the meringue. With the leftover egg yolks, here’s some ideas: cookies, this pie, ice cream. It’s VERY important that the meringue egg whites have no yellows at all (not even a spot). 

Starch: I use tapioca which has less of a powdery finish than cornstarch but you can also use cornstarch if that’s what you have. 

Sugar: Fine granulated. Don’t reduce it or it will affect the texture and structure of the filling and meringue. 

Butter: It’s fine if it’s not, but if you remember, pull it out so it’s at room temperature. You can just slice it and place it in a bowl before beginning the filling process. 

How to make pomegranate lemon meringue pie 

Roll out the dough for the pie crust, place it in the pie pan and let chill.

Then wrap in foil, fill with pie weights and par-bake the pie.

For more instructions on pie dough, see this page.

The Filling

While the pie crust is baking, make the filling.

Start by zesting the lemons into the sugar and rubbing the zest into the sugar. Then, juice the zested lemons.

If you are using fresh pomegranate (and I recommend you do!) blend the arils then press the puree though a fine mesh sieve to squeeze out the juice.

Combine the juices (pomegranate and lemon) and the lemon sugar in a pot. Whisk.

Separately beat the eggs together.

While whisking the juices in the pot, pour in the eggs then whisk everything together until smooth.

Set the pot over medium low heat.

Cook, whisking and stirring frequently until the curd reaches 170 F. It will be thick and coat the back of a spoon.

Slice the cold butter and set it in a bowl with a sieve over it.

Pour the cooked curd through the seive, pressing to get out all the liquid.

Stir with the butter until it melts and is smooth. Set aside to cool.

When the pie crust is ready, whisk the starch into the filling until there are no bits. Then pour it into the pie crust.

Set the pie in the oven at 350 F and bake until the pie has a matte top and for it to only jiggle just a bit in the center. This can take up to 20 minutes in the oven. Try not to overbake it. 

Let it cool completely before making the meringue, a few hours in the fridge or overnight.

Make the Meringue

Combine the sugar and pomegranate juice in a pot. Stir then set over medium high heat.

Set the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until frothy (all the whites should be frothy, not just the top).

Keep an eye on the temperature of the syrup, it should reach 245 F.

While the mixer is on slowly pour in the hot syrup then whip to stiff peaks. This can take 10-15 minutes, add the vanilla and salt when you’re close to stiff peaks.

Dollop the meringue on the cooled pie and smooth it over.

Use a kitchen torch to toast the top of the meringue.

Pomegranate Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe

Pomegranate Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie but add the berry, floral taste of pomegranate.

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Chill Time: 1 day d

Yields: 1 pie serves 8-10

5 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

• Pie Crust

Pomegranate Lemon Curd Filling

• 5 large eggs
• 120g or ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 120g or ½ cup fresh pomegranate juice
• 200g or 1 cup sugar
• Zest of 3 lemons
• 85g or 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
• 1 tablespoon tapioca starch

Pomegranate Meringue

• 120g or ½ cup pomegranate juice
• 200g or 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• pinch fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

Method

Blind bake the pie crust

• Roll out the pie dough to about 11” diameter (to fit in a 9” round pie pan) and press into the bottom of the pan. Trim excess crust, leaving a 1” border. Fold the border over itself and crimp (see my homemade pie crust video for visuals). Freeze for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F and cover the pie with foil (so that it will form a sling). Add in your pie weights (I use dried beans) all the way to the rim of the pie. Bake for 30 minutes.

While the pie crust is baking, make the filling

• Slice the butter and place into a bowl. Set a sieve on top.
• Whisk together the zest, juices, eggs and sugar in a pot until well mixed. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently to avoid overcooking on the bottom, until the mix coats the back of a rubber spatula or reaches 170F.
• Pour the mixture through the sieve over the butter. Press the mix through so only the zest and bits of egg remain in the sieve. Stir the filling with the butter until the butter has melted. Stir in the starch.
• Once the crust has baked for 30 minutes, lower the temperature to 350 F. Remove weights and foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the center only jiggles in the center and looks firm on the sides.
• Remove and let cool. Chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Make the meringue

• Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Set the sugar and pomegranate juice in a pot and stir. Turn the heat to medium low and cook until a thermometer registers 250 F. This will take about 10-12 minutes. When it’s getting close, begin whipping the egg whites on low until just frothy. Once it reaches 250 F, pour into a heatsafe jar.
• With the whisk on, carefully pour in the hot liquid onto the egg whites. Turn the speed to medium and whip until tripled in size and the whisk holds stiff peaks, it should take about 10 minutes or so. Add the vanilla and salt when it’s getting close to stiff peaks.
• Dollop the meringue onto the cooled pie and use the back of a spoon to spread it into an even layer. Use a kitchen torch to toast the top of the meringue. Set in the fridge to chill until serving.

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