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Recipes for the Best Meringues, Step-by-Step

Meringue is a sweet bake made from a foam of egg whites and sugar.

It’s known for its crispy, delicate texture that simply melts in your mouth. This confectionery can be baked in various shapes and sizes—from tiny drops to large, flatter disks.

Meringue can also be enhanced with flavourful additions such as nuts, chocolate, dark cocoa powder, fruit, or creams.

Meringue with Cream for Dessert

Meringues can be served on their own as a dessert, but they are also frequently used to decorate cakes and tarts, especially when prepared as small meringue cookies.

Meringue is one of those desserts that requires a little practice and patience to perfect, as adequately whipping the egg whites is crucial for achieving the ideal consistency. However, the time and effort are certainly worth it, as meringue is a delicious and elegant choice for any occasion.

Meringue: The Perfect Dessert

Meringues are undoubtedly one of my children’s favourite sweets. Above all, they adore all versions of the Pavlova dessert, but they also happily sneak into my “stash” of mini meringues and snack on them like cookies.

If you, like my kids, love meringues, or if your children adore them, let’s take a look at what the meringue magic is all about!

What is Meringue?

Meringues are made by mixing egg whites and sugar. The egg whites must be well aerated—meaning, properly whipped. Sugar can be added to the meringue in three main ways, allowing us to distinguish three primary types of meringue: French, Swiss, and Italian.

French Meringue (Beza zwykła) – First, whip the egg whites (a pinch of salt added to the whites will help with this task). Once they are white and foamy, gradually add the sugar while continuously whipping. The meringue prepared this way is baked according to the recipe.

Swiss Meringue – This is prepared over a double boiler (or water bath). Lightly whip the egg whites, then add the sugar. Place the bowl of egg whites over a pot of simmering water and continue mixing until the sugar dissolves and you can no longer feel its crystals in the whites.

Italian Meringue – This meringue is “cooked” with hot sugar syrup. Boil the sugar with water (roughly 1/3 the weight of the sugar) until the syrup reaches a temperature of about 117-119°C (a special thermometer is essential here). Pour the ready syrup in a thin stream into the whipping egg whites.

You can also add a little cornstarch (or potato starch), vinegar, or lemon juice to the meringue. It also takes food colouring well.

How to Make the Perfect Meringue?

It is very important to separate the whites from the yolks thoroughly—not even a drop of yolk should get into them.

Your equipment and bowl must be perfectly clean—free of any traces of fat—otherwise, the whites won’t whip properly.

The whites should be fresh—and often, it’s better if they are at room temperature.

If you’re adding extras to the meringue—like chocolate or nuts—it’s best to gently fold them in with a spatula.

So, what will you bake first? A majestic meringue cake with cream and strawberries, mini chocolate meringues, an apple pie with meringue, or maybe a cheesecake with meringue?

Here are my recipes for meringue desserts and meringue cakes: