Looking for a way to use up a bit of extra whey from cheesemaking? This lemon and whey meringue pie is a unique and delicious treat. The whey perfectly compliments the flavour of lemon.

Different types of whey

There are actually several different types of whey.

Sour whey comes from cheese made with citric acid or vinegar. It is quite sour and will add quite a bit of zip to this pie.
Sweet whey is made from cultured cheese. It will taste sweet for the first 3 hours after draining. After that it will become more acidic. Storing sweet whey in the fridge will help slow the acidification, but only for a short time.
Cultured whey comes from heavily cultured cheese. It is basically sweet whey that is a few days old. It is more sour and flavourful then fresh sweet whey.

All three types of whey will work in this pie, but the flavour is best with fresh sweet whey. If you are looking for more ways to use up whey, check out this post on how to use up extra whey.

Lemon and Whey Meringue Pie

The sourness of lemons in this traditional pie is complimented by the addition of whey. Lemon and whey meringue pie is a sweet, sour and delicious treat.

Author: Emillie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: Serves 4-8 1x
Category: Dessert

Scale

Ingredients

1 x 9-inch pie crust, pre-baked at 425 F for 20 min

Lemon Filling

1 cup sugar
6 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups whey
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
3 egg yolks well beaten
2 tbsp butter

Meringue Topping

4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Combine all of the lemon filling ingredients in a sauce pan.
Slowly bring to a boil, stirring gently. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute. After 1 minute it should have started to thicken. Pour the lemon filling into the pre-baked pie crust.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until they form soft peaks.
Gradually beat sugar, until stiff peaks form.
Stir in vanilla extract.
Dollop the meringue topping over the lemon pie.
Bake for 20 min at 425 F.
Allow to cool before serving.
Store in fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

The sugar in the lemon custard filling could be replaced with an alternate sweetener. However, sugar is essential for the meringue topping.
The flavour of this pie is best with fresh, sweet whey. If you are using acid whey, then only add as much lemon juice as required to balance the acidity of the whey. Exactly how much lemon juice will depend on how acidic the whey is. The goal is to have a slightly tart flavour, without making the pie too acidic.

Keywords: traditional, treat, extra whey, winter, sweet