In separate bowl, whisk sugar, arrowroot powder, and remaining 1/2 cup cold whey until it forms a smooth paste
Add paste mixture into the hot whey, stirring constantly until it thickens
In another small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and combine with butter, salt, and lemon juice
Temper by pouring a small amount of the hot mixture into egg yolk mixture and stirring, to ensure you don’t end up with bits of scrambled eggs
Add tempered mixture back into saucepan, cook entire concoction an additional two minutes, stirring constantly
Pour filling into prebaked pie shell
Set aside and prepare meringue
Prepare Meringue:
Use electric mixer to beat egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla extract in a bowl until entire mixture is foamy, but not yet starting to thicken
Begin to add sugar, one tablespoon at a time
Beat thoroughly after each addition
Dissolve sugar completely to prevent “weeping” droplets from forming on your meringue
Once all sugar is added, continue to beat mixture at medium-high speed until it forms stiff, sharp peaks when you lift mixer from bowl
Place large spoonfuls of meringue around the edges of pie and use back of spoon to gently “seal” it to crust to help keep it from shrinking
Once you have a ring of meringue around the outside, dump remaining meringue in a mound in center and smooth out evenly
Use back of spoon to make little spikes like you see in my photos
Carefully place pie in preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees 12-15 minutes
Allow to cool on counter before serving
Reviews
Heather M on 2022-04-11 (5 stars): My daughter and I made this and it is fabulous- I’m pretty sure I could down the whole pie alone.
Sometime lemon meringue can be pretty tart and almost too sweet at the same time- weird but true.
This pie was neither, it had just the right balance of everything. Maybe it was the magical whey ?.
This is a winner and going on the dessert rotation at my house!
tara e fonteyn on 2017-10-25 (2 stars): I also made it last night, only change was adding some lemon zest to the filling for extra zing. But the pie looked beautiful but completely watery in the inside.
tara e fonteyn on 2017-10-25 (5 stars): Changed my review, after cooking and waiting til pie was cool, it "was" runny. I covered the meringue, cooked it for additional half hour and it turned out perfect. My stove is new, so not sure why, but thank you, it was yummy
Nate on 2025-12-23 (5 stars): That's what I used mine for!
I love lemon jelly-filled donuts but have never found one that quite reminds me of home where I live.
I whipped up this dish and (unapologetically!) used it to dip fresh donuts from the corner bakery.
I am at peace :)
Note: I thought I'd used an airtight container in the fridge but after about two weeks some liquid started to separate and the smell seemed very slightly "off" so I had to toss some of the leftover. Some websites say it can last up to a month with proper storage.
Phoebe on 2017-03-26 (5 stars): This is a great recipe. I like my lemon desserts to be more tart than most, so I adjusted the amounts of some ingredients as follows:
1 1/4 cups whey
1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
Because I reduced the amount of sugar, I used 4 TBS cornstarch so the filling would set nicely.
It turned out great. I may try only 2/3 cup sugar next time as it was still a bit sweet for my taste.
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Mary McDonald Miller on 2017-05-18 (5 stars): I went ahead and made this pie with the acid whey I had left over from making ricotta, and it came out perfect! Thanks so much for the recipe and the great instructions.
Adele C Aiken on 2017-07-09 (5 stars): Love this pie. I've made it 4 xs in the last 3 weeks!! Have you ever tried any other pies or desserts using the whey. I was wondering about using it in a chocolate meringue pie? Thanks for sharing I have so much whey and hate to toss it out. I suspect the active culture dies when you heat it
Eve Biamonte on 2018-03-09 (5 stars): Thank you for this recipe! I just made this pie this evening. It is sooooo good. I am so happy to have another use for my whey after making yogurt. I used clear Gel instead of cornstarch just because I had it on hand and it worked beautifully! I really appreciate all the information you provide. I love reading your blogs. Thank you for sharing your life and advice.
Rosanne Robinson on 2019-01-15 (5 stars): Oh my! This is so good!
I used your exact proportions...
Only my method was like regular lemon puddings.
Mix sugar and cornstarch and salt in pan. Add the whey and mix well with whisk...be sure to get all dry powder mixed.
Then turn on heat medium. Let cook until it starts to bubble.
Break up egg Yolks... gradually add about 1/2 c hot mixture. Then mix the egg into the pan...let come to boil 2 minutes stirring well...remove from heat and add butter and lemon juice. Mix wellto incorporate.
Sooooo goood! Finally something to make with whey other than bread!