Lemon meringue pie is a deliciously sweet dessert that is the perfect way to round off a hearty family meal. And given the unique texture of the meringues, itās important that you store it properly, so your pie doesnāt spoil. With that in mind, can you freeze lemon meringue pie?
Lemon meringue pie can be frozen for up to 3 months. While some people decide to freeze the meringue and the base separately, itās not absolutely necessary and doesnāt really affect its taste or texture.
Do Does Lemon Meringue Pie freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Lemon Meringue Pie? No
Looking for a full list of Thanksgiving foods you can freeze? Here it is!
How to Freeze Lemon Meringue Pie
Letās start with a caveat ā if youāre making a lemon meringue pie specifically for the freezer, itās helpful to freeze the base and meringue separately. However, itās not necessary to deconstruct a pie that is already made just to freeze it.
Supposing you have some baked lemon meringue pie leftover, you just need to make sure itās wrapped tightly and protected from freezer burn. Although there might be a slight change in the texture of the meringue, it shouldnāt be too discernible.
Here are the exact steps you need to follow to freeze lemon meringue pie the right way:
- Cool
If your lemon meringue is fresh out of the oven, you need to allow it sufficient time to cool before you freeze it. If youāre too quick to freeze it and you put a warm pie in the freezer, the result will be a disappointing soggy bottom! - Portion
Unless youāre freezing a whole pie to be served at a later date, slice your lemon meringue pie into portions at this stage. This makes life easier when you come to defrost it and means you can take out each slice whenever you like. - Wrap
Choose a suitably sized container to place your slices of lemon meringue pie inside. You will need to make sure itās deep enough so the meringue doesnāt spoil in the freezer.
We recommend wrapping each slice in tin foil to offer an extra layer of protection against freezer burn. - Label, seal and freeze
Once youāve packaged your lemon meringue pie, write todayās date as well as its use-by date on the top before placing it in the freezer. Remember, you can freeze lemon meringue pie for around three months.
3 Tips for Freezing Lemon Meringue Pie
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing lemon meringue pie to have the best results:
Allow Pie Sufficient Cooling Time Before Freezing
We canāt stress this enough ā donāt put a warm pie in the freezer! The base will go soggy, and your pie will be practically inedible. Itās helpful to remove your lemon meringue pie from the dish that you cooked it in to speed up the cooling process.
Store Leftovers in the Fridge
Lemon meringue pie will keep for 4-5 days after youāve baked it, providing itās stored correctly. You will need to wrap it in cling film and place it in the fridge to preserve it, but it should taste great when consumed within five days of baking.
Wrap Thoroughly
The biggest threat to the quality of your lemon meringue pie is freezer burn. If you leave any of your pie exposed, it will ruin its taste and texture when itās in the freezer. As such, make sure your pie is tightly wrapped and placed in an appropriate container before placing it in the freezer.
How Long Can You Freeze Lemon Meringue Pie?
You can freeze lemon meringue pie for around three months. We wouldnāt recommend freezing it for any longer than this, as it will begin to lose some of its delicious taste.
As mentioned above, lemon meringue pie also refrigerates really well, so you can cover your leftovers and keep them in the fridge for up to five days before eating them.
How Do You Defrost Lemon Meringue Pie?
When youāre ready to enjoy your frozen lemon meringue pie, you will need to defrost it in the fridge before you eat it. Simply remove it from the freezer and transfer it straight to the fridge.
You should avoid defrosting lemon meringue pie at room temperature, and you should never thaw it in the microwave, as doing so would affect the texture of the meringue.
Can You Refreeze Lemon Meringue Pie?
No, you should only ever freeze lemon meringue pie once. Refreezing lemon meringue pie could soften the base and ruin the texture of the meringues, which, needless to say, is something that weāre sure you want to avoid!
If youāre worried about wasting your pie, slice it up into portions before you freeze it, so you can easily remove whatever you need at any given time.
Does Lemon Meringue Pie Freeze Well?
On the whole, lemon meringue pie freezes well. While you might notice a slight difference in the texture of your meringue, it shouldnāt be enough to ruin the dessert.
Just make sure your pie is tightly wrapped and consumed within three months, and you shouldnāt have any issues when you come to freeze it.
FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing lemon meringue pie or lemon-based desserts in general, then these may help:
Lemon tart can be frozen in much the same way. You do need to make sure it is complete airtight to prevent any major textural changes. You don’t want soggy pastry or lumpy curd.
Meringue comes in 3 core types: French, Swiss and Italian. They each have their own textures. The good news is that all 3 can be frozen with varying success. Learn more about freezing meringues by checking out our guide here.
