"Dudley was eating his fourth slice of pie. Aunt Petunia was sipping coffee with her little finger sticking out. Harry really wanted to disappear into his bedroom, but he met Uncle Vernon's angry little eyes and knew he would have to sit it out." – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Petunia Dursley's Lemon Meringue Pie
Prior to Marge's ballooning aerial departure in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Aunt Petunia served a fancy meal finished with a Lemon Meringue Pie. Though it's not clear if Harry was able to grab a slice in between the four that Dudley devoured, it was likely that the pie itself was impressive. Aunt Petunia was an awful shrew, but she seemed to be a confident cook, regularly hosting fancy business dinners for her husband Vernon's business associates.
If you'd like to recreate your own version of Aunt Petunia's fancy goodbye dinner for Marge, check out this recipe for Petunia Dursley's Fancy Roasted Salmon with Feta and Herbs.
A gluten-free and keto update
I imagine that Petunia Dursley's Lemon Meringue Pie wasn't remotely gluten-free or keto, but I've made some adjustments that allow it to be deliciously so in my world. The base of the lemon filling is very similar to my Paleo Lemon Curd, but I've doubled it and added just a bit of gelatin to help the filling set better for slicing.
This also leaves a generous 8 egg whites for an ample meringue topping. I've chosen to use a French meringue on this dessert because I find that it is the least fussy to make, providing a nice marshmallowy layer essential for a proper Lemon Meringue Pie. I've swapped the traditional sugar for stevia and stabilized everything with a bit of cream of tartar.
If you're looking to stock your gluten-free pantry, check out my list of pantry favorites here!
The magic is in the crust
Though Petunia's crust was likely a classic flour + butter recipe, I've upgraded this to something significantly more delicious. My pie crust is a gluten-free blend of almond flour + butter + coconut + low carb sweetener that tastes just like a macaroon. I would go as far as to say that the crust is my favorite part of this pie, which I understand is a lofty claim - but totally true!
A note for special diets
Petunia Dursley's Lemon Meringue Pie is grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, low-carb, and friendly for keto diets.
LOOKING FOR MORE HARRY POTTER-INSPIRED RECIPES?
You’re in luck! You can find all my Harry Potter-inspired recipes and other magical content linked HERE.
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Petunia Dursley's Lemon Meringue Pie
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 pie 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven / Stovetop
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Prior to Marge's ballooning aerial departure in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Aunt Petunia served a fancy meal finished with a Lemon Meringue Pie. Though it's not clear if Harry was able to grab a slice in between the four that Dudley devoured, it was likely that the pie itself was impressive.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup unsweetned shredded coconut
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ tsp sea salt
For the lemon filling:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup lemon juice
- ½ cup lemon zest
- 1 ½ cup stevia or monkfruit sweetener
- 8 egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 tsp gelatin bloomed in 2 tablespoon cold water
For the meringue:
- 8 egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- ¾ cup stevia or monkfruit sweetener
Instructions
For the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Add almond flour, unsweetned shredded coconut, melted butter, and sea salt to a pie pan (8 or 9-inch both work well). Mix by hand until evenly blended, pressing into the pie pan bottom and slightly up the sides, evenly.
- Bake the crust for 12-15 minutes or until it is lightly golden brown. Reserve to the side to cool.
For the lemon filling:
- In a medium pot, melt butter slowly over low heat.
- Remove butter from heat and whisk in lemon juice, lemon zest, and stevia until well-incorporated.
- Add egg yolks and return to low heat, whisking continuously until curd begins to thicken. Then add bloomed gelatin and continue to stir until dissolved. *If you do not pre-bloom the gelatin in cold water first, it will clump up when added to the hot lemon curd.
- Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a glass storage bowl, using your whisk to help move the curd through the strainer. Reserve to the side and lower oven heat to 300 degrees F (149 C).
For the meringue:
- In a large glass mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer) blend egg whites until they are soft and frothy. Add cream of tartar and continue mixing until combined.
- Add stevia 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until it has dissolved before adding each subsequent tbsp. By the time the stevia is completely incorporated, the egg whites should have reached soft peak stage, meaning when you pull the whisk attachment out of the bowl there will be a soft peak with a tip that falls over.
- Continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy and have reached stiff peak stage, meaning when you pull the whisk attachment out of the bowl the peak will stand straight up without falling.
Assembling and baking:
- Pour the lemon curd into the baked pie crust, spreading it out until its even.
- You can either spread the meringue on top or pipe it out into a fancy shape. I generally opt to spread it out and then use the tines of a fork to add swirls and peaks.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top of the meringue has begin to turn golden brown.
- Allow the pie to cool on the counter then transfer to the refridgerator to firm up. The colder the pie, the easier it will be to slice. Store in the refridgerator until ready to consume.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander 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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of the pie)
- Calories: 329
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 89 mg
- Fat: 31 g
- Saturated Fat: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 179 mg
Keywords: harry potter, lemon meringue pie, pie
I haven't attempted a meringue in a long time. This has given me the urge to make one as soon as possible!
★★★★★
This pie looks absolutely delicious. What a lovely presentation. It definitely made me drool. I'm not a pie master but with your instructions and recipe I just might give it a try and make this for my family. I bet they will be delighted.
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I'm so glad you found the post helpful. I hope you give it a try!
What a fun literary inspiration for a pie! It sounds delicious and that lightly toast meringue topping is stunning.
This is so beautiful. I love this unique dessert from The Harry Potter Movie. Took me down to memory lane. Love it.
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This is such a beautiful pie! The lemon center and meringue topping make it a perfect summertime dessert.
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Loving the Harry Potter vibes! Such a fun post and the pie is SO good!! Now I want to watch the movie!
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What a lovely presentation of this delicious lemon meringue pie! Such a great idea to use almond flour with shredded coconut for the crust! This pie looks perfect for summer - so refreshing, yummy and lightened up!
I absolutely love lemon desserts during this time of year and I haven't made a lemon pie yet! Thanks for a sweet reminder. Loving this Recipe!
★★★★★
This pie looks delicious! The crust sounds amazing! Love baking with almond flour and stevia. Can’t wait to try it at our next family gathering.
Thanks, the crust is my favorite part of this pie!
This is perfect for an end of summer parties! I can't believe it is that time of year and lemon desserts will be a thing of the past. However, personally, for me I could enjoy them all year long.
★★★★★
I'm with you! Lemon year-round!
This Petunia Dursleys Lemon Meringue Pielooks soooooo deliciously good. I wish I could eat that right now!
★★★★★
Thanks, Maggie!
Ok, I am in LOVE with your spatula. I love Harry Potter and think this would be perfect for the next Halloween theme party!
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Thanks! I found it at Williams Sonoma!
Love your presentation to this Pie. My kids to enjoy every bit of it.
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Thanks, Veena. It's a fun one!
This lemon meringue pie is amazing! Love the cake server you use in the photos too. So fun!
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Thanks! It's really delicious! The cake server was a gift from a sweet friend. I think it came from Anthropologie.
I love that you've tied in some Harry Potter into this recipe, how adorable! This lemon meringue pie looks delicious and also healthy! The perfect combo!
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Your photos are so enticing! I'm not sure I could really pull off a meringue, but maybe I can convince a Harry Potter obsessed friend to try this out FOR me. I'll volunteer as the taste tester.
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I laugh at the idea of Petunia baking a keto, GF, low sugar pie! Your take on it not only sounds delicious but is also so refreshing that it's a terrific dessert choice for those of us w/ dietary restrictions.
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