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Easy basic meringue

Published: 31 May 07
Updated: 11 Apr 25

Think meringue is too fiddly or time consuming to make from scratch? Think again! You’re just three ingredients away from making perfect meringues every time with this easy basic meringue recipe.

Perfect proportions: This recipe can easily to doubled to make more meringues or nests – just follow the proportions carefully.
Flexible recipe: Use as a base for a pavlova or see Tips for how to create meringue nests. It’s a blank canvas: top with whipped cream and fresh fruit, sliced bananas and toffee sauce or whatever you fancy!
Easy variations: We’ve used vanilla extract to add flavour, but see the ideas below for easy twists on the recipe, including coconut and chocolate meringues.

Simple and foolproof, this recipe is a user favourite. Here’s what one cook had to say:

“I’ve tried lots of meringue recipes before that haven’t worked so well, but this one works extremely well! The secret seems to be to add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, and whisking well in between. The meringues puffed up beautifully (and stayed that way), and were lovely and crisp on the outside, slightly soft in the centre.”

When you’ve mastered the basic recipe, be inspired by the ideas in our best meringue collection, including fruity pavlovas, pies and classic eton mess.

Easy
June 2007

Test kitchen approved

Serves 6
Hands-on time 15 min, oven time 1 hour 15 min-1 hour 30min, plus cooling

Think meringue is too fiddly or time consuming to make from scratch? Think again! You’re just three ingredients away from making perfect meringues every time with this easy basic meringue recipe.

Perfect proportions: This recipe can easily to doubled to make more meringues or nests – just follow the proportions carefully.
Flexible recipe: Use as a base for a pavlova or see Tips for how to create meringue nests. It’s a blank canvas: top with whipped cream and fresh fruit, sliced bananas and toffee sauce or whatever you fancy!
Easy variations: We’ve used vanilla extract to add flavour, but see the ideas below for easy twists on the recipe, including coconut and chocolate meringues.

Simple and foolproof, this recipe is a user favourite. Here’s what one cook had to say:

“I’ve tried lots of meringue recipes before that haven’t worked so well, but this one works extremely well! The secret seems to be to add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, and whisking well in between. The meringues puffed up beautifully (and stayed that way), and were lovely and crisp on the outside, slightly soft in the centre.”

When you’ve mastered the basic recipe, be inspired by the ideas in our best meringue collection, including fruity pavlovas, pies and classic eton mess.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 121kcals
Fat: trace (trace saturated)
Protein: 1.6g
Carbohydrates: 30.6g (30.6g sugars)
Salt: 0.1g

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Before you start

It’s really important to make sure your bowl is spotlessly clean when whisking egg whites – even a tiny amount of grease will stop the whites from stiffening up. It’s best to avoid plastic bowls as they’re the most likely to harbour fats or oils from a previous recipe.

Wondering whether the sugar has been properly mixed into your egg whites? Take a pinch of mixture and rub it between your thumb and finger – if it feels grainy, it needs mixing a little more.

If you want a neater finish to your meringues, transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a wide nozzle and pipe it onto the baking tray.

Before you start

Wondering whether the sugar has been properly mixed into your egg whites? Take a pinch of mixture and rub it between your thumb and finger – if it feels grainy, it needs mixing a little more.

If you want a neater finish to your meringues, transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a wide nozzle and pipe it onto the baking tray.

Ingredients

3 large, organic egg whites
175g white caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 140°C/fan 120°C/gas 1. In a large, grease-free mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks. While continuously whisking, slowly add the caster sugar – 1 tbsp at a time – until you have a stiff, glossy meringue mixture. Whisk in the vanilla extract until combined.
Line a baking tray with baking paper, fixing it in place with a tiny blob of meringue in each corner (we have a short video showing this technique). Using a metal spoon, place 6 craggy dollops of meringue on the baking paper, well spaced apart.
Bake for 1¼ hours for mallowy centres, or 1½ hours if you prefer crisper meringues. Peel off the baking paper, then transfer the mallowy meringues to a wire rack to cool, or leave the crisp ones in the turned-off oven for at least 4 hours to cool slowly, then transfer to a wire rack.

Browse more of our best meringue recipes, including eton mess and chocolate meringue pie.

Recipe from June 2007 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 121kcals
Fat: trace (trace saturated)
Protein: 1.6g
Carbohydrates: 30.6g (30.6g sugars)
Salt: 0.1g

FAQs

When should you use French meringue?
It is best to use French meringue when the meringue will be cooked further, either on a pie or to make crisp meringues (for nests, shards etc). If not cooking further, you should use Swiss or Italian meringue.

What are the 3 types of meringue?
French, Swiss, Italian (there are others but these are considered the main ones). French meringue is made with raw egg whites and sugar. Swiss meringue is made when eggs and sugar are cooked together before being whipped to cool (this type or meringue is the most dense and more stable than French meringue). Italian meringue is made with a hot sugar syrup being added to whipped egg whites. This cooks the eggs and creates the most stable of all three meringue types.

Do you need cream of tartar for meringue?
No, but it can help to stabilise the egg whites.

What is the difference between meringue and pavlova?
Meringue is crisp and might have a chewy centre (depending on how long it’s cooked for) while pavlova has the addition of cornflour and vinegar, resulting in a thinner crust and a soft mallow middle.

How do I make my meringue chewy?
Cook for less time. The less cooking, the more chewy it will be in the centre.

What does vinegar do for meringue?
It makes a stable foam so that the meringue better holds its shape (same as creme of tartar and lemon juice aka acid).

What is the ratio of sugar to egg whites in meringue?
About 60g of sugar to 1 egg white; this recipe uses 175g for 3 large egg whites.

How do I make chewy meringues?
Bake this recipe for 1¼ hours for mallowy centres, or 1½ hours if you prefer crisper meringues.

How long to beat egg whites before adding sugar for meringue?
Beat the eggs white until the hold soft peaks (that flop over when you hold up the whisk) before beginning to add sugar.

delicious. tips

Watch our handy to video to see how these easy basic meringues are made:
Make the meringues up to a day in advance. Keep in an airtight container somewhere cool.
To make these meringues into nests, make the recipe up until the end of step 2 (dolloping the meringues onto the lined baking sheet). Using the back of a metal spoon, press the centre of each meringue down, making a shallow hollow and creating a ‘nest effect’. Continue with step 3.

Here’s how to vary the flavour of your meringues. After whisking to stiff peaks, gently fold through additions, being careful not to knock air out of the meringue.
Coconut: Add 1/2 tsp coconut essence and 25g desiccated coconut, lightly toasted in a dry pan.
Chocolate: Add 30g of cocoa powder, sifted.
Chocolate swirl: Drizzle 25g melted dark chocolate into the meringue mixture, then quickly fold, once or twice, to swirl the chocolate through the meringue.
Crunchy almond: Whizz 75g roasted and cooled blanched almonds coarsely in a food processor (take care not process too finely or the nuts will become oily and affect the meringue). If you don’t have a food processor chop the nuts very finely with a sharp knife. Mix through the meringue mixture.

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Recipe By:

Delicious. food team

Published: 31 May 07
Updated: 11 Apr 25

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No-Bake Mango Cheesecake – Bake Play Smile says:

14th Dec 2022 at 5:00 pm

[…] meringues and passionfruit pulp – these are optional (for decorating the […]

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Winner! – Homemade meringues – Achy Bakey says:

3rd Aug 2021 at 6:35 pm

[…] lovely recipe from Delicious has changed my meringue game. With a handy tip to cook for 1.25hrs for chewy, mallowy textures or […]

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jnout@orcon.net.nz says:

5th Aug 2020 at 5:38 am

Tried meringue before and not had a lot of success, but this was spot on first time.

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Anny Sudz says:

28th Apr 2020 at 4:18 pm

My first time making meringue and this recipe worked perfectly, thank u!

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Peter Duggan says:

14th Jun 2018 at 3:38 pm

Very good app will thought out app
More recipies please

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Ruth Farajian says:

27th Nov 2017 at 2:12 pm

I’ve tried lots of meringue recipes before, that haven’t worked so well, but this one works extremely well! The secret seems to be to add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, and whisk well inbetween. The meringues puffed up beautifully (and stayed that way), and were lovely and crisp on the outside, slightly soft in the centre. I left some in the oven (switched off after cooking) overnight, and they came out completely crisp, all the way through.

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Paula Casamento says:

19th Jun 2015 at 2:09 pm

I love this recipe because I had never mastered meringue until I tried this!

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