Lemon Meringue Cookies are a crispy and delicious melt-in-your-mouth lemon cookie made with just five ingredients! This light and fresh lemony treat has less than 25 calories per cookie and is so easy to make!
If you love lemon cookies and meringues, you have to give these Lemon Meringue Cookies a try! They are sure to be one of your new favorite treats!
For more lemon cookies, be sure to try my Lemon Olive Oil Cookies or these Lemon Ricotta Cookies. If you love meringues, give these Italian Meringue Cookies a try!
Lemon Meringue Cookie Recipe
Lemon meringue cookies are light, crisp treats made by whipping egg whites with sugar, a touch of cream of tartar, and fresh lemon zest for a bright, citrusy flavor.
The mixture is beaten until stiff and glossy, then piped into small swirls and baked low and slow until dry and airy. These cookies have a melt-in-your-mouth texture with a refreshing lemony twist.
Naturally gluten-free and fat-free, they make a perfect light dessert or elegant addition to a cookie platter or any holiday get together.
You’ll love that these cookies are low in calories and are made with lemon zest and not lemon extract. They stay fresh for days and are great for any occasion.
So, if you love lemon desserts, be sure to give these Lemon Meringue cookies a try. You’re going to love them!
Recipe Ingredients
- Egg Whites: you’ll need four large egg whites for this recipe. Make sure your eggs are room temperature before using. Save the leftover egg yolks to make Italian Pastry Cream.
- Cream of Tartar: cream of tartar is a fine, white powder made from tartaric acid, often used in baking to stabilize egg whites and prevent sugar from crystallizing. If you don’t have it you can substitute one teaspoon of either fresh lemon juice or white vinegar.
- Salt: use kosher salt to balance the sweetness of these lemon meringue cookies.
- Sugar: regular granulated sugar works fine.
- Lemon: to keep the meringue from getting runny, I just use lemon zest and no lemon juice in this recipe. You can add in a bit of lemon extract if you’d like more lemon flavor. Or, add in vanilla extract for a vanilla flavor.
How to Make Lemon Meringue Cookies
Lemon Meringue Cookies bake low and slow and need an hour of baking and an hour of sitting before eating. So be sure to plan accordingly!
Step 1: make the meringue
Pour the egg whites into a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to whisk until frothy.
Add in the cream of tartar and salt, and continue mixing until the mixture forms soft peaks. Then, slowly pour in the sugar (a tablespoon or so at a time) and continue mixing with hand mixer until the sugar dissolves and the batter forms stiff peaks.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Lastly, mix in the lemon zest until just combined.
Step 2: pipe onto baking sheet
Carefully scoop the mixture into a pastry bag or piping bag fitted with a large star tip attachment. Pipe meringues on parchment paper lined baking sheets, leaving about one inch between each cookie.
(If you don’t have a pastry bag you can drop the meringue batter on the baking sheets with a tablespoon).
Step 3: bake low and slow
Bake the lemon meringue cookies for 60 minutes, then turn the oven off and let them sit in the oven (don’t open the door!) for about 1-2 hours.
You can serve immediately or store in an airtight container for later.
Tips for Making the Perfect Lemon Meringue Cookies
Here are five tips for making perfect lemon meringue cookies:
- Use room-temperature egg whites – They whip up faster and create more volume for light, airy cookies.
- Add cream of tartar or lemon juice – This helps stabilize the meringue and enhances the lemon flavor. If using lemon juice instead of cream of tartar, you’ll need one teaspoon.
- Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form – The meringue should hold its shape and have a smooth, shiny texture before baking.
- Fold in lemon zest or extract gently – Avoid deflating the meringue while adding your lemon flavoring.
- Bake low and slow (around 225 degrees) – This dries the cookies out without browning them, giving them that perfect crisp, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Then, let sit in oven to dry before removing.
How to Store Lemon Meringue Cookies
To store lemon meringue cookies, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature, away from moisture and humidity, which can make them sticky or chewy.
They’ll stay crisp for up to 1 week—just be sure not to refrigerate them, as that can soften their texture.
More Easy Cookie Recipes…
Lemon Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites (room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large lemons, zested (about a tablespoon of zest)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Pour the egg whites into a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to whisk until frothy.
- Add in the cream of tartar and salt, and continue mixing until the mixture forms soft peaks. Then, slowly pour in the sugar (a tablespoon or so at a time) and continue mixing until the sugar dissolves and the batter forms stiff peaks. Mix in the lemon zest.
- Carefully scoop the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a star attachment. Pipe meringues on to prepared baking sheets, leaving about one inch between each cookie. (If you don't have a pastry bag you can drop the meringue batter on the baking sheets with a tablespoon).
- Bake the lemon meringue cookies for 60 minutes, then turn the oven off and let them sit in the oven (don't open the door!) for about 1-2 hours. You can serve immediately or store in an airtight container for later.
Notes
- Use room-temperature egg whites – They whip up faster and create more volume for light, airy cookies.
- Add cream of tartar or lemon juice – This helps stabilize the meringue and enhances the lemon flavor. If using lemon juice instead of cream of tartar, you’ll need one teaspoon.
- Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form – The meringue should hold its shape and have a smooth, shiny texture before baking.
- Fold in lemon zest or extract gently – Avoid deflating the meringue while adding your lemon flavoring.
- Bake low and slow – This dries the cookies out without browning them, giving them that perfect crisp, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Then, let sit in oven to dry before removing.
