The beloved classic lemon meringue pie gets a low carb, grain-free makeover. The lemon filling is both tart and sweet, and the meringue is crisp on the outside, tender in the middle.
I sincerely love making over the classics to be low carb and gluten-free. The funny part is that many of these classic dishes and desserts are not things I would have bothered with back in my sugar and flour days. Some of them I simply wasn’t interested in and some of them were just a little too daunting. For others, I would have had to follow the recipe to the letter and goodness knows how I hate doing that. I can hardly make my own recipes the same way twice. But now the challenge of recreating the classics in a healthy format I can enjoy holds great appeal. Can I take an iconic dish, something that stands out in people’s minds as the food or dessert they remember from childhood, that their grandmother made every time they came over, and can I remake it without sugar or flour or grains? Can I make it more than simply palatable, more than a mere approximation of the classic they love so much? Can I not only make it, but make it really, REALLY good?
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Yep, I sure can. At least in this case, I believe I conquered that challenge and conquered it admirably. Now if only I could conquer crusty Italian or French bread. Then I would be the master of the low carb universe.
Lemon meringue is honestly not one that was very significant in my childhood. Ever the chocoholic, I would forego the citrus-based desserts in favour of something darker, creamier and denser. I know I had lemon meringue pie on a number of occasions, and it was even pretty good a few times. Other times, it was an overly-sweet, soggy mess. But such is the way with any classic dessert, there are good ones and there are awful ones.
Since I already have a low carb pastry recipe that I love, my challenge with this classic lay in both the filling and in the meringue. Lemon meringue fillings are made with plenty of cornstarch to help them set properly and we know that isn’t a gonna fly for low carb. And meringue without sugar can be tricky, as it can either be overly hard and crunchy, or it can lack structure and deflate during baking. I wanted the filling to be slightly gooey but not liquid, so I decided to tackle that in two ways. First, with xanthan gum to help thicken it a little, and secondly, with a little gelatin to help it set properly. I was more worried about the meringue, thinking it might disintegrate when I tried to spread it over the warm filling. But it held up nicely and even better, it baked to that perfect soft crispness. It was crisp on the very outside but sweet and tender on the inside, and I think it was the mix of both granulated and powdered sweetener that helped.
One word to the wise: be patient. Let it chill the full 3 hours. Don’t do as I did and cut in too soon or the un-set lemon filling starts oozing out everywhere. Patience is a virtue that I don’t have enough of!
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch OR 2 tbsp oat fiber for THM
- 1 tbsp granulated Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp butter chilled and cut into small pieces
- 2-4 tbsp ice water
- 1 cup plus 2 tbsp water divided
- 1 cup granulated Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tbsp grassfed gelatin (can use 1 envelope Knox gelatin)
- 4 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- Pinch salt
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup granulated Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
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Preheat oven to 325F.
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Combine almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, sweetener, xanthan gum and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.
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Sprinkle surface with butter pieces and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
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With processor running on low, add ice water, one tablespoon at time until dough begins to clump together.
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Place a large piece of parchment on work surface and dust liberally with additional almond flour. Turn out dough and pat into a circle. Sprinkle with more almond flour and cover with another large piece of parchment.
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Roll out carefully into an 11-inch circle. Remove top layer of parchment. Place a 9-inch pie pan upside down on crust and then carefully flip both over so crust is lying in the pie pan. Remove parchment. (Alternatively, you can skip rolling out the pastry and simply press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of the pan).
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You may get some cracking and tears. Simply use small pieces of pastry from the overhang to patch them up. Crimp the edges of the crust and prick all over with a fork.
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Bake crust 12 minutes, then remove and let cool.
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In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 cup of the water, sweetener, lemon zest and salt. Bring to just a boil, whisking frequently, until sweetener dissolves.
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In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Slowly add about 1/2 cup of the water to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Then gradually whisk the egg yolks back into the pan and lower the heat to low. Cook for 1 minute more, stirring continuously.
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Stir in lemon juice and butter and whisk until smooth. Sprinkle surface with xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine.
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In a small bowl, stir together the remaining two tablespoons of water and the gelatin. Let sit 2 minutes until gelled, then stir into hot lemon mixture, whisking until well combined. Cover and set aside while making the meringue.
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In a large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar and salt until frothy. With beaters going, slowly add sweeteners and vanilla extract and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
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Preheat oven to 300F.
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Pour warm filling into crust. Dollop with meringue and spread right to the edges so that the meringue meets the crust. Swirl the top with the back of a spoon.
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Bake 20 minutes or until meringue topping is golden and just barely firm to the touch. Remove and let pie cool 20 minutes, then refrigerate at least 3 hours to set.
Serves 10. Each serving has 7.22 g of carbs and 2.12 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 5.1 g.
Food energy: 218kcal
Total fat: 17.51g
Calories from fat: 157
Cholesterol: 98mg
Carbohydrate: 7.22g
Total dietary fiber: 2.12g
Protein: 6.45g
Sodium: 174mg
Kelly says
Do you think you could do this with a whipped cream topping instead of meringue? I’d love a low carb lemon ice-box pie for summer.
Carolyn says
Absolutely. In that case, I would bake the crust alone for much longer, probably for about 25 minutes. Then I would do the filling the same way and pour it in, but refrigerate right afterward for 3 hours. Then do whipped cream for the top.
edna weddell says
hi Carolyn………..in the meringue you mention that the last items to put in are the sweeteners and vanilla………….in the ingredients list vanilla is not listed………..I am assuming 1/4 or 1/2 tsp of vanilla would be the amount to put in…………looking forward to your reply………….thanks edna
Carolyn says
Sorry, looks like that got cut off. It’s 1/2 tsp and I’ve amended the recipe.
edna weddell says
a huge thank you Carolyn for finally making all my past loves my current loves once again……you did a great job on the butter tarts………and now my lemon meringue pie…………you most certainly our no sugar low carb angel…………..now I know you have lived in Canada so here is another original Canadian dessert you may want to experiment with………..nanimo bars…….lol……….you said you loved a challenge ……………….thank you for all you hard work ………..edna from Ontario canada
heather says
Carolyn did two recipes for Nanaimo Bars/Tart a while back. It will come up if you search her site
Briana Thomas (briana-thomas.com) says
As always, this looks scrumptious. Perfect for summer! I’ll be sharing a link this week.
peasmom says
Hi, your recipes really make me so happy that I can eat desserts that are low-carb. May I know that in the absence of xanthan gum, would it possible for the filling to hold together if I add more gelatin?
Carolyn says
Should be fine but will be a little more like jello and less like custard. I wouldn’t add more than another 1/2 tbsp of grassfed gelatin.
Hillary says
I just love you a little more today! Thank-you for this Lemon Meringue Pie recipe, esp THM style!!
I, too, am a Canadian ex-pat but I live in San Jose. I found your Butter Tarts recipe and Nanaimo Bars recipe. I grew up on Vancouver Island… Nanaimo was close to home! Thank-you for helping me continue to share my food loves with my children- but in a healthier way! My grandmother lived to be 101 years old and she made all her recipes with the classic ingredients. It was different in the past. She never ate box, packaged food, and sugar wasn’t so readily used.
Carolyn says
I have family that lives in Nanaimo too. 🙂
Dallas Fox says
What does THM mean?
Hillary says
THM= ‘Trim Healthy Mama’ is a balanced carb/fat/protein healthy eating lifestyle. Find us on FB!
Deborah says
oh my god. one of my favourite desserts ever, low-carbed. i was going to make chocolate mousse today but i may have to skip it and do this instead. oh, and by the way, i made your caramel cupcakes with milk chocolate frosting and took them away with us on our romantic getaway without the kids. i didn’t even taste them before we left. omg… heavenly!!!
Deborah says
So I made this, and when I poured the lemon ‘custard’ into the pie shell it was still basically liquid. I didn’t know whether or not that was right, so I figured I’d just go ahead and cook it. I’ve waited the 3 hours and cut into the pie… and although the lemon custard is a bit gloopier than it was, it’s now basically a thick soup instead of a thin one. What did I do wrong? Was the custard maybe not cooked enough? I followed your instructions exactly… what should the custard look like before it is poured into the shell? (It tasted delicious nevertheless) Thanks
Deborah says
UPDATE: I just checked the pie again and the lemon custard has set! Maybe for some reason it needed more than 3 hours… this is now about 8 hours after I made it. No idea at what point it solidified, but yay!!
Carolyn says
Oh now I just saw this! So good to know, I still wonder if the gelatin didn’t set properly for some reason…
Carolyn says
It should be quite liquid, so I wonder what kind of gelatin you used?
Mellsa says
I’m at the stage of having a very liquids lemon filling in the oven and am quite nervous. Not like the Sherriffs I’ve used in the past at all. Crcrossing my fingers here…
Carolyn says
It should set as it chills.
Guinan says
HI! I’m Dutch, but I lived in Burlington, Ontario for 5 years as a kid, and ohhhhh….. those lo-ve-ly Lemon Merengue Pies!!! Thank you so much for this recipe! <3 X X X
Guinan says
PS… I can’t buy Swerve Sweetner in Holland. Which should I use instead, erythritol, xylitol or stevia? Or a mixture of 2 of them? I can never remember which one turns grainy.
Carolyn says
I would use erythritol wherever you can. It’s the closest to Swerve.
Dianne says
Hi there, my all time favourite dessert, love that you have made it low carb. Do you have a particular brand of gelatin that you like or use? Here in Canada it is difficult to get some ingredients, but if I have a name many shops will try to get a product if I give them a brand name…thanks for your wonderful recipes.
Carolyn says
I use the Great Lakes grassfed gelatin in the Orange can. But you can use Knox gelatin instead, if that’s all you can get.
Heather says
I get ingredients in Canada online from Low Carb Canada, Amazon.ca or from vitacost.com. I also get the really fine almond flour in a large 25 pound box directly from jkgourmet.com. Hope that helps! The gelatin from this recipe can be found on Amazon.
Mary says
To make this Keto and nut free, I’m going to make the crust out of a meringue shell and fill with the lemon filling and top with whip cream. Can’t wait. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Sounds great!
Patrice says
Carolyn,
Is there any sub for the arrowroot or oat fiber for those diabetics who do not do starch or oats?
Thanx,
Carolyn says
You could try more coconut flour (1 tbsp) but I think it’s going to make your crust very tough.
Mary Ann says
I added flax seed meal instead of oat fibre in the crust because I’m diabetic. Worked well!
Ron Dans says
I’m always excited to get your new recipes. My wife and I try to stay low-carb for medical reasons, even tending to pure ketogenic at times. This recipe looks wonderful, but I’m concerned with the large amount (1/12 cups) of Swerve. I know all about it’s “neutrality” when it comes to carb effects in the body, but I still have my doubts about using so much in any one dish (aside from the cost, which is $12/lb on Amazon). I’ll probably try making it with 1/2 the amount. Any other ides would be appreciated.
Anne o says
Completely yummy! Made this pie for a dinner party on Saturday night. Success with the full sugar crowd too. One piece was left over that I had for breakfast. My meringue was a bit gritty / crunchy with the sugar but yummy none the less. Thanks Carolyn for another winner. Making your double Choc zucchini bread today!
Deborah says
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve been using the crust from this pie, minus the tbsp of swerve, as a base for quiches, and it comes out fantastic!
Deborah
Rosie says
Good idea, I will try that thanks or sharing!
Azrael says
Would it be a problem tob7se the grassfed gelatin in the green can. I have better luck with it.
Carolyn says
I am not sure it will gel enough to solidify the lemon portion.
Carrie says
I made this recipe for the first time last night. My dad always has a lemon meringue pie for his birthday (which was on Friday). So I thought I’d try this in honor of him. I can’t remember the last time I had lemon meringue pie and didn’t really see one on my low carb horizon. This was UNBELIEVABLE!!! Can you take a guess on what I had for breakfast today? (I’m ashamed to admit that I had THREE slices last night!)
Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
Melasdesign says
Wonderful recipe. A big treat as my first low carb pie with a crust. Clear instructions took the guesswork out of crust-making (and the rest). Got the difficult AOK from my husband and am completely happy myself.
Estelle says
From the flaky crust to the perfect meringue that surprisingly for the first time ever that I made a lemon meringue pie, did not slide all over the place, in taste and appearance it is a perfect pie 🙂 big thank you for making me look and feel like a good cook, thumbs up from kids and hubby too!
Carolyn says
Wow, what a lovely comment. Thanks!
Bob Smith says
Hi. I tried the recipe, but it had a few problems.
The filling took upwards of 6~7 hours to actually gel (@ 31F), and it made the crust soggy (as it was poured into the crust in a liquid state, then baked another 20+ minutes). That was a bummer, as it was suppose to be for my mom’s birthday :(shoulda made it the night before). I didn’t have oat fiber, and I couldn’t bring myself to use the arrowroot powder as it has more carbs than wheat flour. So I went with someone’s suggestion here, and used flax meal instead.
Given, I was using a larger pie pan (an 11″ stoneware pie pan), so I had also increased the recipe by 50%. Between the stoneware pan probably staying hot longer, and the extra 50% filling, it explains the extended time it took to gel. The filling looked more like a banana cream pie filling, instead of what a lemon pie usually looks like (not very firm at all). I seen a regular sugar & starch version of one the very next day to compare it with.
The meringue part tasted okay, even a bit too sugary, but it had a hard shell on the outer surface because the erythritol tends to re-crystallize when there is no fat present in the recipe (and egg whites won’t whip into a meringue if there is even a drop of oil in the bowl). I’m thinking I might try using something like liquid sucralose instead if I ever make another meringue. Or just go with a whipped cream topping instead….
I used erythritol + stevia (1C to 1/3tsp ratio) instead of swerve, but I usually don’t have a problem doing that substitution for most recipes. I used some LC corp’s confectioner sweetener in the meringue, very similar to swerve powdered sweetener in ingredients.
I’m thinking that maybe one might use a combination of konjac flour and maybe a little xantham instead of gelatin for thickening the filling? I’m thinking along these lines as that is a more direct analog to how traditional lemon pie filling is made, where as gelatin is not, has a different texture, and takes longer to solidify. That would also give an immediate thickening to the filling (less soggy pie crust, faster/better gelling).
Any opinions on this idea? Has anyone tried it, or something like it? Would you need to put a pinch (or more) of pickling lime in it to get the konjac flour to gel properly?
Otherwise the pie tastes pretty good, so it ain’t going to waste ;-).
Rosie says
This IS the best GF LC pie crust I have ever tasted!! Usually almond flour pie crust ends up more like a graham cracker crust you would use for cheese cake. I can’t wait to try this again with a blueberry filling.
I made this for Easter dinner and it was a huge hit! No one noticed it was gluten free and sugar free! Usually my family eats my “healthy” desserts to be polite, this time they asked for seconds!
Carolyn says
Thanks! I actually have a video coming out with this crust soon!
Christy says
Ooooooh my!! I couldn’t wait and made this (unfortunately) on a humid day 🙁 while my egg whites never really fluffed up- the custard was AMAZING! I made mine using lime zest and key lime juice… can’t wait for a less humid day to try a lemon version!! Thank you for your brilliance!!!
Sande Edwards says
This was really good the first day but the next day the erythritol had crystallized and the pie was way too sweet. I have seen other recipes online that use teaspoons of sweetener as apposed to the cup and a half in this one. If I remake this I think I will a LOT less.
The crust is amazing though!
Scott says
Interesting – I had the opposite experience. I baked it at 10 pm and had a piece for breakfast and concluded that the custard was good but the meringue was off. That night at dinner, however, the pie was delicious and my son said that this is the only low-carb desert I ever should make! The erythritol in the meringue had crystallized and was a bit gritty but the flavor was excellent! Even my wife liked it and she generally won’t eat any of my low-carb deserts except a fruit tart I make with xylitol. I didn’t have any granulated Swerve so I used only powdered Swerve at a 1:1 ratio which was probably not enough initially but great after it sweetened up like yours did. The amount of real sugar in a “normal” meringue recipe I saw is 6 TBS so next time I may try using 3 TBS of Truvia Baking Blend, which, if I did my math correctly, would add 1.5g sugar per serving (assuming 12 servings) which is acceptable for me.
Diana says
Once again I used this beautiful crust for a pie, (although I haven’t done the lemon meringue yet). This time I made a chayote “apple” filling, spread that in the bottom of a deep pie dish and covered with this crust. Painted with egg wash and cinnamon “sugar” and baked for 30 minutes. All my guests went back for seconds of this pie, as opposed to the real apple pie with traditional crust I also made. Now I’ve got to try it with your great-sounding lemon filling and meringue! Thank you for the wonderful recipes!
Diana says
BTW, did you ever make a video for this particular crust? It is so spectacular and easy to make, I’d love to encourage others to try it.
Stephen says
Just wondering if i can omit the xathum gum in both the crust and curd? Its not available in my small town and i would have to wait a week to get it by post.
Also is it possible to use splenda instead of swerve? Again its something I would have to mail order.
Helen says
Made this for the first time today and it was amazing! And it has to be the best low carb, gf pastry case recipe ever! Thank you.
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Bethanie Nice says
My first low carb pie! It is fabulous! Thank you!
Carolyn says
So glad you like it!
Ciana says
Carolyn, this recipe is fantastic, especially the crust. We made this for Easter dinner, and my whole family agreed it tasted just like the “real thing.” The only complaint was that since we have been eating a low-glycemic diet for quite a while, we have noticed our preferences have changed. We agreed that we would prefer the filling to be half as sweet. If I only add a half-cup of Swerve would I need to change anything else in order to make sure the filling sets properly?
Carolyn says
I think it should be fine!
Ashley says
Hi! thanks so much for this recipe. When i had it the morning after i made it, it was amazing. But by the second day, it started to become very strange. It seemed like there was lumps of sugar everywhere and was not appetizing. Am I doing something wrong?! Thanks!
Carolyn says
Nothing you are doing wrong, it’s the nature of erythritol sometimes that it re-crystallizes. Sometime it doesn’t, though. The more you heat it, the more it does it, so make sure you are not over-heating the filling as you cook it.
Lu Vickery says
Thank you for this recipe. I am also grateful for the comment section, as I rely on comments from those that have tried these recipes before, to look for tips for when I make it. I thought that the filling was not too sweet, just right and perfectly lemony and the meringue came out perfectly as well. The crust was tasty, but not crisp. Even tho I kept it in the oven 5 min longer than suggested, next time I would bake it longer. It seemed “undone”, not soggy, but pretty close to soggy, or I might use another almond flour crust recipe that I have. I was so very worried when I took the completed pie out of the oven. The filling, when I poured it into the crust, before baking, was so very runny, I thought I had not cooked it enuff on the stovetop, and when it came out of the oven, it was still runny. As a matter of fact, it was so runny, I spilled some on the floor and countertop getting it from the oven to the counter. But after 4 hours in the fridge, Viola! it set up beautifully. So be careful when removing it from the oven, and do not worry, it will set up nicely. Again, thanks for the recipe, and thanks to those that share their experiences.
Demi says
Dear Caroline,
I’m from the netherlands And I really, REALLY want to make this recipe. But I can’t figure out the exact ingredients because everything is in “cups” and we don’t have that here.. we only have grams. Maybe you can translate the recipe in grams for me if it’s not to much work? I just can’t really figure out how cups work to translate (like a cup of water is different to a cup of flour?) I would like to make the merengue pie and share it with our dutch low carb facebookgroup (500.000 members already..) I hope to hear from you! Regards, Demi
Carolyn says
Hi Demi…It is actually a lot of work to translate it all for my recipes. However, here’s what I can tell you. There are lots of translating sites for basic ingredients like butter, water, etc. Water is easy because it should be in ml. Anything liquid would be equivalent to water. Eggs are eggs, of course, although they do vary in size
For more unusual low carb ingredients like almond flour and coconut flour, I measured them for my cookbook so that there is more standardization. 1 cup almond flour = about 100g. 1 cup of coconut flour is 110g. I don’t know what sweetener your are planning on using but Swerve, which I use, measure like sugar. So just like sugar, 1 tablespoon is 15g.
For your further information… 1 cup is equal to 16 tablespoons. 1 tablespoon is 3 teaspoons.
Hope that helps!
Demi says
Thank you for the reply! I found more info on internet about the measurements. We don’t have swerve here but we do have “sukrin” and thats also 1:1 so that will work. Still haven’t made the pie but I will soon.
Anita says
Made this yesterday, holy YUM!!! I used Meyer lemons so the lemon curd wasn’t as tart, but still super yummy! Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!
Bonny says
In your meringue, you use both powdered & granulated sweetner. Why both? In my “old days”, I used bakers granulated sugar which is a fine granulated instead of grocery shelf sugar.
Luv luv your recipes. Thanks for all your hard work.
Carolyn says
Bonny, you nailed it. That’s exactly why…a combo of the granular and powdered is more consistent with the fine granular sugar (or Caster Sugar, as they say in the UK). It seems to give it the best consistency, whipping in the air bubbles but not making it gritty.
Bonny says
I don’t buy powdered sweetener (I use splenda). I just toss it into my food processor & buzz away to make powdered. I would be worried that standard granular sweetener wouldn’t dissolve as well as my old bakers fine sugar. But, I get your point, consistency. It just hit me, I bet I can make fine granulated/nearly powdered in my processor! Doh!
Thanks for the terrific reciepes.
Lurene passaro says
Just made this pie! It’s seems like it’s going to be yummy! The delicious lemon filling has not thickened and it’s very cool,now!
How can imthicken the filling?
Carolyn says
Did you chill it for the required amount of time?
Ness says
OMG, I am NOT a fan of lemon meringue in the least but needed something different for Easter that would somewhat please everyone and THIS pie was AMAZING!!! I am awful at pie crust, this was so simple and came together on it’s own (thank the heavens!). The rest of it went so smooth! I made it the night before, and I read all the comments so I was prepared for it to look scary when it was “finished” from the oven. Only ONE slice was left after dinner that consisted of people from 7-80 years old, from Keto to pretty much vegan. All LOVED it!! I seriously can’t say enough about this pie, and this was a very picky hard to please crowd. THANK YOU!!
Jessa says
Makes a tasty lemon meringue soup!
Not sure why it didn’t set— I put in TWO geletain packs as it was exceptionally liquid-y upon pouring into the crust. Gave it five hours in the fridge and it was a sad, runny mess.
At least it tasted okay!
Carolyn says
If you put in regular gelatin and you didn’t let it bloom first, that might be the issue.
James says
I made this today and boy was it good. I too experienced a gritty meringue wondering if the mixing was too short. Pressing in the crust worked best as it stuck to the parchment paper and wouldn’t let go. Thank you for these gifts to the world of low carb.
Lorna says
This pie looks delicious. I am wanting to make one that is dairy free, do you think I could substitute the butter for coconut oil?
Thank you for your inspirational work, it’s people like you who make a ketogenic lifestyle a lot more enjoyable AND acceptable to our friends and families
Carolyn says
I think so but because I haven’t tried it, I can’t say for sure. I know it will be fine in the crust.
Melissa says
Can tapioca flour/starch be used to sub for arrowroot starch?
Carolyn says
Sure.
Zach says
Is there anything I can use in place of Coconut Flour? For someone allergic to coconut?
Carolyn says
Use this pie crust instead. No coconut flour, easier and fewer carbs! https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/easy-low-carb-press-in-pie-crust/