Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

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This decadent Lemon Meringue Cheesecake is ultra-creamy filled with pockets of lemon curd and topped with a billowy-soft Swiss meringue. This would be a perfect spring or summer dessert or try my original Cheesecake Recipe!

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Basics

Just like any cheesecake, the base of this gem is a buttery graham cracker crust. The filling is a classic cream cheese base that is spiked with plenty of lemon but filled with pockets of lemon curd. (SO good!) After its baked, top the whole thing with a toasted meringue topping which takes this over the top. Get ready to live, people. It’s the perfect decadent, refreshing dessert for Spring.

Pro Tips and Tricks

Here are my biggest tips to make perfect Lemon Meringue Cheesecake! I have a whole lot of details about the art of cheesecake making on my Classic Cheesecake Recipe if you’re interested. But here’s the readers digest version.

• Room Temperature. Use cream cheese and eggs that are absolutely at room temperature. This makes for a smoother filling.
• Be Patient. Leave the cooked cheesecake in the oven for a good 6 hours (or overnight!) after baking to cool and avoid cracking, though a crack in a cheesecake never stopped me from eating it.
• Plan Ahead. Just plan ahead because this is not a one and done kind of recipe.

How to Make Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

In a nutshell, this Lemon Meringue Cheesecake has three parts: the crust, the filling, and the topping. It is a bit of a long recipe, but the directions couldn’t be simpler. I promise it’s easier done than said! For full details see the recipe card down below!

Make the Crust

Preheat oven. In a small bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs with sugar and melted butter until combined and moist. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake and set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature.

Make Lemon Cheesecake Filling

In a large bowl, stir cream cheese and sugar together. Stir in vanilla and lemon extracts. Add in one egg at a time and stir. Scrape edges and stir in lemon zest. 

Add the Lemon Curd

Add lemon curd into the cooked crust by dolloping it around the edges and into the center. Pour prepared batter over top of the lemon curd and smooth the top.

Bake, Cool + Chill

Bake, then turn the oven off completely, leaving the cheesecake inside the oven to cool completely. Refrigerate cheesecake until completely chilled.

Make the Swiss Meringue

For the meringue topping, whisk egg whites, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar together in the top of a double boiler OR in a large, heat-safe bowl overtop of simmering water. Whisk until topping is very thick, glossy, and billowy. Fold in vanilla. Spread over top of the cheesecake and broil on low until topping has browned OR use a kitchen torch to brown meringue.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Storing Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

The best way to store leftover lemon meringue cheesecake is in an airtight container and back into the fridge for up to 3 days. If you are going to freeze this cheesecake, I recommend wrapping it well BEFORE adding the meringue topping. As long as it’s wrapped well, it will last up to 3 months in the freezer. To defrost, transfer cheesecake to the fridge until completely defrosted. 24-48 hours. Add meringue topping once you are ready to serve.

Love Lemon? Try these Favorites:

• Lemon Cheesecake Tart
• Lemon Cheesecake Bars
• Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
• Lemon Bars (Lemon Squares)

While I don’t have a lot of talents, making cheesecake is certainly one of them. I can make a mean cheesecake that tastes ultra-lemony, extra creamy, and super decadent. It’s a gift, what can I say? Whether you’re a passive cheesecake lover or at the addictive level, this is the kind of dessert that always gets finished, that always has people raving and that doesn’t get easily forgotten.

The printable recipe card is below. Enjoy, friends! 🙂

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5 from 6 votes

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

This Lemon Meringue Cheesecake is ultra-creamy, filled with pockets of lemon curd and topped with a billowy-soft swiss meringue.

servings 10 servings

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins

Total Time 7 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

for the crust-

• ▢ 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• ▢ 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 5 tablespoons melted butter

for the filling-

• ▢ 32 oz cream cheese four 8 oz packages, completely at room temperature
• ▢ 1 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• ▢ 4 large eggs at room temperature
• ▢ 1/4 cup lemon zest very loosely packed
• ▢ 2/3 cup cold lemon curd

for the Swiss Meringue topping-

• ▢ 3 egg whites
• ▢ 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs with sugar and melted butter until combined and moist. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes and set aside to cool.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• In a large bowl, stir cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and combined. Stir in vanilla and lemon extracts. Add in one egg at a time and stir in completely before adding in the next egg. Scrape edges and stir in lemon zest. 
• Add lemon curd into the cooked crust by dolloping it around the edges and into the center. (Using cold lemon curd with allow it to hold its shape while baking.
• Pour prepared batter over top of the lemon curd and smooth the top. Bake 1 hour, then turn oven off completely, leaving cheesecake inside the oven to cool completely, about 6 hours.
• Refrigerate cheesecake until completely chilled.
• For the topping, using a hand mixer, whisk egg whites, granulated sugar and cream of tartar together in the top of a double boiler OR in a large, heat-safe bowl overtop of simmering water. Whisk 5-7 minutes or until topping is very thick, glossy and billowy. Fold in vanilla.
• Spread over top of cheesecake and broil on low until topping has browned. OR use a kitchen torch to brown. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Nutrition

Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 83mg | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 420IU | Vitamin C: 3.1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.8mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Lemon Meringue Cheesecake