I am sucker or anything lemon.
I am a sucker for anything lemon meringue.
I am sucker for all desserts served in single serving portions, like a mason jar.
I learned a long time ago that I could make some of my favorite desserts in mason jars to make them easier to serve and easier to travel with.
This includes and is not limited to pies! Especially vegan lemon meringue pie.
All you need is a solid lemon curd recipe (and we have that for sure) some vegan pie dough, and super simple vegan meringue (again, we got you covered.)
I know everyone doesn’t feel like making pie dough from scratch, so I have suggested for this recipe you buy pre-made. There are several vegan pre-made vegan pie doughs available. It is easiest to pie the box of 2 rolled pie crust, but if you can not find that, you can buy a vegan frozen pie in the pan, let it thaw and roll it out. (I have done this in a pinch.) You can also get adventurous and make your own from scratch. I have not included a recipe for dough here, but there a lot of good ones out there that are pretty simple to make, if you have the time and willingness.
For this curd we use corn starch to achieve the thickness we want. You can use tapioca but I urge against it just because it will yield a stretchy curd that I am not a huge fan of in this application. In some recipes I prefer the stretchiness of the curd for keeping it put (pop tarts, donuts) but for this recipe we want a silky, creamy, thick curd that is more palatable since its the main attraction!
As for the meringue, we use our delicious sweet aquafaba whip, all toasted up. It is just as good if you don’t toast it, but I love a toasty brown meringue on my pie. It is just up to you and your preference.
If you have never made aquafaba meringue before, don’t be intimidated! Its actually really easy and really, really, really, tasty! It works very well in place of whip cream in recipes, or toasts up beautifully to mimic meringue, or even a marshmallow fluff!
So if you are looking for a solid lemon meringue pie recipe that is a little different and definitely fun, then try making these vegan mason jar lemon meringue pies! They are adorable and delicious and just what summer called for!
*You will need six, 6 oz mason jars for this recipe
INGREDIENTS:
THE CURD:
2 cups coconut cream, divided ( heavy coconut cream in the can, shaken well)
4 tablespoons coconut oil
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
pinch of salt
Optional: 2-4 teaspoons lemon zest for extra lemon flavor
1/4 teaspoon turmeric for color
REMAINING INDREDIENTS:
1 package rolled vegan store bought pie crust, or homemade
1 batch Sweet Aquafaba Meringue
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a medium sauce pan, whisk together 1 cup coconut cream and remaining curd ingredients over medium/low heat until the mixture thickens (about 5 minutes.) The curd will continue to thicken as it cools.
Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup coconut cream.
Allow curd to cool.
Preheat oven ot 350 regress
Roll out pie crust on a floured surface, and cut circles in dough that are roughly the size of your jar lid. We used a small glass to do thiS. They will shrink up when you bake them a little bit, so its ok if the cutter is a tiny bit bigger than the lid, but try to get it about the same size. You will need 3 circles per jar. Place the dough circles onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, add another layer of parchment on top. Place another baking sheet on top of parchment, so it is sitting on top of the pie dough circles. This is going to help the crust to not puff up, but stay flat and crisp which for this recipe is what we want. Pop the trays in your preheated oven on the middle rack for about 20-25 minutes (or they are brown and crisp.) When the crusts are done, remove from oven and allow to cool.
While the crust is baking, prepare the sweet aquafaba whip according to instructions.
Begin building your vegan lemon meringue pies by first placing one circle of pie crust in the bottom of the jar. Fill half full with curd, then place another circle of pie crust, curd, then one more crust. Top with a big scoop of sweet aquafaba whip meringue.
You can server the meringue as is or use a kitchen torch or brown the tops. (originally I suggested toasting them in the oven as baking in mason jars seems to be a common practice. However most brands are not tempered glass, and advise against baking in them. That said, I don’t want to suggest you do something that is going to cause glass to shatter in your oven, regardless if it is commonly done or not)
We like to serve these right aways as aqufaba meringue will begin to weep over time, plus the freshly toasted meringue is most delicious when still warm. These do however hold up pretty well in the fridge for a day or so. If you are taking these to an event or get together, I suggest torching the tops right before you serve them.
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