VEGAN PINK LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Vegan Pink Lemon Meringue Pie, it’s sound like sorcery, right?

It is! This Vegan Pink Lemon Meringue Pie was made with vegan magic known as aquafaba, the water from a can of chickpeas. It whips up into the fluffiest most perfect meringue I have ever tasted, with not even a hint of chickpea flavor at all. It’s marshmellow-y and delicious. The only thing better than vegan meringue? Putting it on top of a pink pie, of course!

I made this Vegan Pink Lemon Meringue Pie for a couple of our super awesome friends and Kickstarter backers. They got to choose their favorite recipe for me to make a vegan version of. (Thanks for the challenge, y’all!) They gave us a choice between Banana Cream Pie and Lemon Meringue Pie. I tried two different (failed) versions of a Banana Cream Pie before switching things up. The first attempt was a raw version that tasted wayyyy too healthy. My second try at Banana Cream turned brown in my Vitamix. Needless to say, the thought of making another Banana Cream Pie made me want to climb under the bed with my cat and never come out.

So, what’s a girl to do? I had quite a few pink lemons in my fridge (I am obsessed with all things pink and purple), so I thought why not go with the other choice, but make it PINK?  Thus, this Vegan Pink Lemon Meringue Pie was born. The pink lemons turned out to look more like grapefruit than a deep, rich pink. I added some raspberry juice for extra color and flavor and a couple of drops of natural pink food coloring for fun.

Let’s talk about this pie crust! It’s whole wheat and made with lemon flavored vodka, so you know it’s going to be amazing. It’s flaky and delicious, and only takes a few minutes to prepare. The recipe for this Vegan Pink Lemon Meringue Pie and flaky whole wheat crust is adapted from NamelyMarly.com, a delightful vegan food blog with tons of vegan cooking and baking tips.

[ingredients title=”Flaky Whole Wheat Pie Crust”]

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons cold vegan butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons cold lemon flavored vodka
• 2 tablespoons cold water

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar into a food processor and pulse until combined, about 2 seconds.
2. Add vegan butter and process until just combined. Add the shortening pieces and pulse until dough clumps together, about 15 seconds.
3. Add the remaining cup of flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed (10-15 seconds). Empty the dough into a medium sized bowl.
4. Sprinkle vodka over dough and knead until combined. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. (You probably won’t need it all.)
5. Shape the dough into a ball balls and flatten it into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350.
6. Roll your dough into a wide circle about 1/8″ thick and press it into a 9″ pie pan. Pinch the edges of the crust into a pretty design and pierce the bottom with a fork a few times.
7. Bake the pie crust for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

[/directions]

[ingredients title=”Vegan Pink Lemon Meringue Pie”]

• 1 whole wheat pie crust (recipe above)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1½ cups water
• 3 pink lemons, juiced and zested
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• 1 cup raspberries, juiced
• 1 cup silken tofu (one small package)
• 1 tablespoon Agar Agar (optional)
• 3 drops natural pink food coloring (optional)
• 1 recipe Vegan Meringue (recipe below)

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. To juice the raspberries, I blended them then strained the mixture through a cheesecloth. You can also substitute 1/3 cup of red fruit juice (pomegranate, strawberry, etc).
2. In a small saucepan combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir with a whisk to combine.
3. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the water, lemon juice, lemon zest, raspberry juice, and agar agar (if using). Stir occasionally, to make sure the custard doesn’t burn. Bring this to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until you have a thick mixture in the pan. Remove from heat and add the tablespoon of vegan butter. Stir to combine. Set aside.
4. Place the tofu in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the lemon mixture from the saucepan and pulse it all together until a smooth consistency is reached.
5. Prepare the meringue according to the recipe below and heat your oven to 350.
6. Pour the lemon custard into your prepared pie crust. Top with meringue, being sure to create a seal with the crust. With the end of a spatula or spoon, create peaks in your meringue by dipping the end into the meringue and pulling it back out. These peaks will turn a lovely golden brown color in the oven, just like traditional meringue
7. Place in your heated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the meringue just begins to brown. Turn your heat to 375 and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the meringue has golden edges.
8. Remove from the oven and cool for about an hour. Refrigerate for one to two hours before serving.

[/directions]

[ingredients title=”Best Ever Vegan Meringue”]

• 3/4 cup aquafaba (liquid from one can of chickpeas)
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup organic sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
• 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla (optional)

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Pour the liquid from a can of chickpeas into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the balloon attachment. Add the cream of tartar and mix at medium high speed until the mixture becomes frothy, about a minute or two.
2. Meanwhile in a food processor, process the sugar for 30-45 seconds so it becomes fine like caster sugar.
3. Mixing the chickpea water on medium high speed, add the processed sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue mixing until soft peaks form. Add the vanilla and continue mixing until stiff peaks form. If you don’t have clear vanilla, skip this step. It will still taste amazing!
4. Add the xantham gum to help the meringue keep stiff peaks. Mix for another minute or so, then spoon it onto your pie filling.

[/directions]

I could not even believe how good this Vegan Pink Lemon Meringue Pie tastes! Normally I’m capable of restraining myself around pie, but this baby, oh no. I ate two slices of this pie PER DAY until finally giving the rest away. It’s that good! It’s pink, it’s fluffy, this Vegan Pink Lemon Meringue Pie just might be the best pie I’ve ever had.