A simple low carb lemon custard pie with meringue that’s dairy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free. It’s perfect for a special treat any time there’s a craving for something a little sweet.
Although I’ve been staying away from sweets, I was looking for a new recipe to share for Easter. And, I’ve been thinking about doing a keto friendly lemon meringue pie for a while.
So, I modified the filling in my coconut key lime pie recipe slightly to make it dairy-free as the filling. Then, I added a low carb pie crust and a meringue topping.
What I came up with is a low carb lemon custard pie with meringue that’s truly delightful! My favorite part is the lemon filling so next time I’m just going to make a batch of that.
I also love the taste of the Lakanto lemon monk fruit drops that I used in the recipe. The concentrated liquid sweetener has a clean sweet lemon flavor without any aftertaste like other low carb sweeteners.
Of course, you can use any sweetener you have on hand. But, I do recommend the concentrated kinds because they don’t have any sugar alcohols or fiber sweeteners which tend to bloat and cause gas.
The lemon flavoring of the monk fruit drops really enhances the lemon taste. So, if you decided to use a plain sweetener instead, definitely add in some lemon extract or lemon rind.
You can also use lemon stevia drops in the filling, but you may need to add slightly more. I find the monk fruit drops to be more concentrated and I prefer using it over stevia.
For the pie crust, I used my coconut flour based recipe. But, a low carb graham cracker style crust works well too like the one in this low carb cheesecake.
Or, you can use an almond flour pie crust. Personally, I like to use coconut flour because it’s less inflammatory. And, the carbs in coconut flour vs. carbs in almond flour aren’t much different.
The weather is finally starting to warm up here in Southern New England. This low carb lemon custard pie with meringue is a great way to celebrate the start of spring.
In fact, I’m already starting a list of recipe ideas I’d like to share this summer. That way, I can focus on fall and holiday recipes when summer is here.
Most blogs plan recipes out months in advance. But, since I’ve been juggling working a full-time engineering job while doing this blog, I haven’t been able to do that.
However, I’m finally taking the plunge into full-time blogging in a couple days. So, I’m hoping to have the time to work on additional blog projects very soon.
Because I’ve tried to stay away from sweets, I haven’t been posting too many dessert recipes lately. But, I know that many just starting out need keto friendly treats to help them break away from sugar.
That’s why you’ll see more sweet recipes like this low carb lemon custard pie with meringue being posted. I still recommend reserving them only for occasional treats, though.
The problem with eating sweet foods is that they can impact the hunger hormones ghrelin and leptin. This makes a person overeat after eating things that are sweet. And it’s a big reason why people can’t stick to a diet.
It’s a big issue for me when I indulge in keto desserts. I find myself binge eating afterwords because I have a false sense of hunger being triggered. And, I end up putting on excess weight.
That’s why I did so well when I went a month on a strict AIP elimination diet where I completely eliminated any sweet foods. Even though I ate every time I was hungry, I was able to shed six pounds in only a few weeks.
It’s tough to stay away from amazing sweets when you are developing dessert recipes. But, I’m going to try and have a little more self control and start giving them away.
So, I’m going to look for some places that I can start donating food too. I’ll have more time to do that while I’m doing blog work full-time.
And, I’d like to spend less time working. One thing that’s going to help is that I’ll no longer be spending a day in the car commuting. That alone will save me five hours a week!
I ended up taking this delicious low carb lemon custard pie with meringue to a family birthday party. That way, I didn’t end up eating the whole pie myself.
One of the things I’ve been wanting to do is write a cookbook. However, I’ll be surrounded by amazing food for months while developing more recipes. So, I’ll need to keep my eating under control.
I’m sure I can find others to help me out and finish off the food. My family usually eats everything but the dessert recipes. That’s another reason why I cut back on them.
Low Carb Lemon Custard Pie with Meringue Recipe
Low Carb Lemon Custard Pie with Meringue
Ingredients
- 1 coconut flour pie crust unbaked
- 1 cup coconut milk canned
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon monk fruit drops or 1/2 cup sweetener plus 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 3 large eggs separated
- 1 teaspoon glucomannan powder or 2-3 teaspoons of xanthan or guar gum
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup low carb sweetener
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Instructions
- Bake pie crust at 400°F for 10 minutes. Set aside.
- In medium mixing bowl, blend coconut milk, lemon juice, lemon monk fruit, 3 egg yolks, and glucomannon with electric mixer.
- Spread filling into baked pie crust. Shield edges with foil or a pie shield.
- In a clean mixing bowl with clean beater, whip the 3 egg whites with the vanilla extract and cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the low carb granular sweetener a little at a time on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form.
- Spread over lemon filling and make several peaks with the back of a spoon.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Cool on rack before refrigerating.
Nutrition
Additional Info
- Net Carbs 6g
- % Carbs: 14.8%
- % Protein: 7.4%
- % Fat: 77.8%
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Cathy | CathonKeto says
April 9, 2018 at 5:13 pmCongratulations on going full time! If you ever need WP help my fulltime job is WPBarista! 🙂
Blogging & working is crazy! Youll be so glad to do one!
Good luck!
Cathy
Lisa says
April 10, 2018 at 8:41 amThanks Cathy! I’ll take a look as I’m always needing WP help from time to time.
Jessa says
April 5, 2018 at 5:06 pmOooh! This looks great! I haven’t tried using monk fruit as a sweetener yet. So far anything but stevia really irritates my stomach. I’m looking forward to making this!
Lisa says
April 5, 2018 at 6:00 pmI love the taste of monk fruit better than stevia, but blending them both together tastes the best.