This recipe for low carb and Keto lemon meringue pie is a real treat. And each slice has just 3g net carbs.
Today we're going to make a low carb lemon meringue pie, so I thought it would be fitting to talk about Beyonce's Lemonade album first.
Here's my absolute favorite scene from Lemonade, the part where she walks around hitting stuff with a baseball bat. (video below) It feels cathartic just watching it.
But let's get to that Lemon Meringue Pie, shall we?
This is a low carb take on a decadent classic pie. It's a bit fussy to make because of the whipped meringue topping, but it's worth it for the final result. I based this recipe on a lovely lemon meringue pie from All Day I Dream About Food. Her pies are always the best.
This pie is a light and lemony dessert with only 3g net carb per slice. It's the perfect dessert to bring to a Spring or Summer party. It will fit right in with all the regular sugary desserts. It's that good.
Ok, now it's time for me to watch some more Lemonade. To Queen Bae, long may she reign!
📋 Recipe
Keto Lemon Meringue Pie
This recipe for low carb lemon meringue pie is a real treat.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
crust:
- 1 ¾ cups super fine almond flour*
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- ¼ cup vanilla or plain whey protein
- 1 large egg
filling
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatine
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup Allulose
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks, beaten
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
meringue
- 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup Allulose
Instructions
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2. Mix the almond flour and whey protein powder together in a medium-sized bowl. Add the egg and melted butter and mix well.
Step 3. Press the dough into the bottom and up the side of a glass or ceramic pie pan. Poke holes in the crust with a fork to let out steam.
Step 4. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Open the oven door to cool the oven down. Set the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
Step 5. Mix the unflavored gelatine together with 2 tablespoons water and set it aside to soften.
Step 6. Combine the remaining 1 cup water, sweetener, lemon zest, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil and the sweetener is fully dissolved.
Step 7. Add the egg yolks to a small bowl and whisk them lightly. Slowly add ½ cup of the cooked mixture into the yolk, whisking constantly to temper. Add the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook for 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
Step 8. Stir in lemon juice and butter and mix until smooth. Sprinkle surface with xanthan gum and whisk to combine.
Step 9. Stir the softened gelatine into the filling mixture, whisking until well combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 10. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until foamy. Slowly add meringue sweetener and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Step 11. Pour the lemon filling into the pie pan.
Step 12. Carefully dollop the meringue topping on top of the filling. Cover the whole surface, all the way to the edges of the crust. Swirl the meringue topping with the spoon.
Step 13. Bake for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F or until meringue topping is golden and just barely firm to the touch. Let pie cool 20 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
Notes
*If you take this pie to a party, make sure to clearly mark that it contains nuts. Most people don’t expect a pie to use almond flour, so people with nut allergies might inadvertently eat it.
Nutrition
- Calories: 185
- Fat: 14
- Carbohydrates: 5
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 10
Keywords: Low Carb Lemon Meringue Pie, Keto Lemon Meringue Pie, Sugar-Free Lemon Meringue Pie
Jacqui says
Do I have to use the protein powder? Can I substitute this with coconut flour?
EmilyKrill says
Yes, you can make a low carb crust with coconut flour instead. Follow the same instructions, but use 1 3/4 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup coconut flour, 2 beaten eggs and 1/4 cup melted butter.
Crystal says
Can u please make this so I can save to my time line or pinterest! Thank you
EmilyKrill says
The images should all be pin-able, but here's a link to the Pinterest pin. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/130815564163474675/ Thanks for asking!
EmilyKrill says
Glad you like the pie. Gauging sweetness with lemons is tricky since there is variation among different types of lemon. You really need a good amount of sweetener to balance out the sourness from the lemon juice and zest. I've tried using less sweetener for the filling, but it was just too sour for me. But it's an easy thing to test out. Just start out using half of the sweetener, and follow all the steps of the filling. At the end, taste it and add more sweetener if you think it needs it.
Trina says
I made two of these pies at the same time for a family get together. We ate one and kept the second in the fridge for later. When we took the second pie out 3 days later to eat, the lemon had crystallized. At first I thought it was slightly frozen, but that was not the case. It still tasted great, but the texture was off. Has anyone else experienced this?
★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Yea, I'm afraid that that is the Swerve. It has a tendency to crystalize.
Trina says
Do you think if you used another sweetener, it would not do this?
EmilyKrill says
Honestly, I can't stand the taste of the other sugar-free sweeteners, so I've never tested them out for a meringue pie. Sorry that I don't have a better answer than that!
Linda says
Holy smokes, this recipe rocks! Thank you!
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Yay! So glad you liked it.
JS says
Any tips as to why the filling wouldn’t have set after 4+ hours in the fridge?
EmilyKrill says
Oh no! I'm sorry that the filling didn't set for you. You are the first person who has had this problem. I'm not sure why it happened. The combination of gelatin and xanthan gum should have gelled in the fridge. I'm sorry I don't have a good answer for you.
Holly says
This pie is fabulous!
★★★★★
EmilyKrill says
Thank you! It's a favorite at my house.
Beth Burgoon says
Swerve has 5g carbohydrate per teaspoon. This recipe calls for 84 tsp of swerve=420g÷12=35g per slice just in sweetener, am I mistaken? Carb content accuracy is critical for my insulin regime management
★
EmilyKrill says
Swerve does have 5g carbohydrate per teaspoon, but that is all sugar alcohol, so it has zero net carbs. Sugar alcohols can't be digested and turned into glucose, so they have no effect on blood sugar. I am a Type 1 Diabetic and I have been using Swerve for the last 3 years. I never take insulin to cover it and my blood sugar never goes high afterwards.
So I am very glad that you left this comment, so you have a chance to learn about how Swerve works before you calculate your insulin. If you had eaten a piece of this pie, and calculated your insulin based on 35g carbs, then your blood sugar would have gone dangerously low.
Here's more info on Swerve from the dLife Diabetes blog. https://dlife.com/qa/sugar-substitute-swerve-safe-use-for-diabetics/
Beth Burgoon says
Thanks so much for your response!
EmilyKrill says
Sure thing!
Lee says
Can you use coconut flour
Emily says
You can't substitute coconut flour for almond flour 1 to 1. They both behave differently in terms of the liquid that they absorb. I haven't experimented with coconut flour crusts so I don't know what the proper ratio would be.
But here's a coconut flour crust that the Sugar Free Londoner makes: https://sugarfreelondoner.com/strawberry-mascarpone-tart/ I haven't made it but she's always a good resource.