How to Make Meringue: Everything You Need to Know

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While meringue can intelligibly feel like a daunting dish, it doesn ’ t have to be. In this post, you ’ ll not only learn how to make meringue and some common ways to use it, but how to avoid common mistakes and answers to frequently asked meringue questions .

side view of a meringue covered cake being sliced

Reading: How to Make Meringue: Everything You Need to Know

Ah, meringue. My first baking nemesis .
When I was in early middle school, I wanted to learn how to make meringue. And my ma, being the trusting person she is, made the mistake of giving me full reign of the kitchen to do therefore .
I don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate remember precisely what went wrong, but what I do remember is that they came out fluid. And somehow it didn ’ metric ton read in my pre-teen heed that it wouldn ’ t be a good mind to load that fluid ooze into a shoot pocket and try to pipe it anyhow .
It. Got. Everywhere .
The counters. Down the presence of the bury. Somehow up the cabinets above the counters .
I ’ ve made meringue many times since then, and messed them up man a time before finally nailing the march .
sol today I ’ meter sharing not only my go-to recipe and how to make it, but a overplus of my meringue mistakes and how to avoid them .
My kitchen no longer looks like person murdered the Stay Puff Marshmallow man and yours doesn ’ thyroxine have to either .

Table of Contents

What is meringue and how is it used ?

by and large speaking, meringue is a mixture of egg whites and boodle that has been whipped until light and downy. sometimes other ingredients, like an acid for stability or extracts for season, are added .
This mix can be baked, toasted, folded into batters or served as a top for other foods. Meringue is normally used for pies, baked Alaska, pavlova, cookies and meringue kisses, frosting and macarons to name but a few .

How to make meringue

At it’s core, meringue is a 1:2 ratio of egg whites to granulated sugar. Each egg white is approximately two tablespoons, so for every egg white you ’ ll want to use 1/4 cup boodle .
If you ’ re using cream of cream of tartar to stabilize your meringue, you ’ ll want to add about 1/8 teaspoon per testis white .
so what does this mean for some of the most coarse meringue recipes ? How much will you want of each ingredient ?
Here’s what I use:

4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

This will make enough for 40-50 small meringue kisses, a single 8-9″ level of pavlova, 12 cookies or to frost a 9″ pie or coat .
If I ’ megabyte making cookies, pavlova or anything that will be baked, I use the french method acting to make my meringue. If I ’ thousand adding meringue to something that won ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate be baked ( at least not after the meringue is added ), like a pie or frost, I prefer the swiss method .

The three most common techniques for making meringue

French meringue

This is the elementary of the meringue techniques. With this technique you whip the egg whites until they hold easy peaks, then gradually add the sugar, beating until it dissolves and the meringue is dense and downy .
Because this method acting doesn ’ thyroxine necessitate heating the meringue ( ergo the egg whites are raw ), it ’ randomness good suited to meringues that will be baked, such as cookies, kisses and pavlova .

Italian meringue

This proficiency uses carbohydrate and water to create a hot syrup ( cooked to the softball stage ) that ’ s poured into the flog egg whites. The italian meringue method acting creates the most stable meringue, and is perfective for buttercream frostings and topping pies and cakes .

Swiss meringue

Like the italian meringue, swiss meringue produces a cook meringue that works well for buttercream frostings, pavlova, cookies and topping pies and cakes. To make this meringue, testis whites and boodle are combined over a double kettle ( a bowl over a toilet of boiling water ), cooked to 160F and then whipped until faint, downy and cool to the touch .

Common meringue problems and how to solve them

Why did my meringue crack?

Cracking is a park problem for bake meringues. Often times temperature is the perpetrator : Either an oven that ’ s besides hot or the meringues experience excessively abrupt a change in temperature .
If you haven ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate calibrated your oven or checked that it ’ south heating to the correct temperature recently, this is a good rate to start .
While each meringue recipe may call for slightly different bake temperatures and times, I like to bake most of my meringue at around 200F. If you ’ ra baking meringue at temperatures higher than this, this may be the reason your meringue is cracking .
finally, that promptly temperature fell that happens as a resultant role of removing your meringue from a hot oven can besides lead to cracking. To fix this, turn off your oven when the meringue is done baking and let it cool inside .

Why does meringue weep?

Weeping is when a layer of liquid forms under your meringue. This can occur for a few reasons : Undercooking, overcooking or when meringue has been placed on top of a damp dainty like pie fill .
To prevent this, make certain you ’ re following your recipe and cooking it to the item specified. It can besides help to add a stabilizer like cream of tartar or corn starch .
If you live in a humid environment, this can besides lead to weeping. When possible, try to make meringue on less humid days or keep it somewhere dry .

Why didn’t my meringue get stiff?

Grease is a common perpetrator that keeps meringue from stiffening. Make certain all of your equipment is grease-free and try to avoid credit card utensils and dishes, which can pull and retain grease from former culinary projects .

Why did my meringue stick to the baking paper?

When meringue is in full baked, it should easily pull away from baking paper. If it ’ s stick, that ’ s likely a sign that it needs to bake longer .

Why did my meringue wrinkle after baking?

Meringue is very susceptible to moisture and can wrinkle or look scaly as it absorbs moisture. This can happen when humidity is high or if it ’ s not baked long enough .
To prevent this, allow the meringue to cool in the oven nightlong after baking. Be sure to crack the oven for 10 minutes after turning it off so that no moisture from inside the oven has an opportunity to reabsorb .

Common meringue questions

Can meringue be frozen?

broil meringues can be frozen for up to 1 month in an breeze close container. To thaw, invest unwrapped meringues on a electrify rack at board temperature. Use immediately once thawed .

Can meringue be refrigerated?

due to their damp nature, refrigerators are not an ideal environment for meringue. Unbaked meringue can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. broil meringues can be stored at room temperature .

Is meringue gluten free?

Yes. While the treats meringues adorn may not be gluten free, meringue itself is .

How do I store meringue?

Baked meringue is best stored in an vent rigorous container at board temperature for 1-2 days ( dependent on humidity ). Unbaked meringue can be stored in a embrace container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours .

Recipes that use meringue

Looking to test your meringue making skills ? here are a few recipes to try :
Did you make this recipe? I ’ vitamin d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photograph and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations !
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How to Make meringue : A Basic Recipe

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While meringue can intelligibly feel like a daunting dish, it doesn ’ t have to be. In this recipe, you ’ ll not only learn how to make meringue and some common ways to use it, but how to avoid park mistakes and answers to frequently asked meringue questions .

Author: Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield:
2

4

1

x
Category: dessert

Ingredients

Units

Scale

4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Swiss meringue:

Whisk together egg whites and sugar.
Place over a pot of boiling water and cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot (160F).
Whip meringue on high until light, fluffy and cool to the touch.
Add the vanilla extract and whip on low until just combined.

French meringue:

Combine egg whites and sugar in a bowl.
Whip on high until the meringue is light, fluffy and the sugar has dissolved.
Add the vanilla extract and mix on low until just combined.

Italian meringue:

In a small saucepan, combine sugar with 1/2 cup water.
Cook until the mixture boils and turns clear (about 235F, also known as the soft-ball stage).
While the syrup cooks, whip egg whites until frothy and stiff.
With the mixer on high, pour a thin stream of syrup down the side of the bowl until the saucepan is empty.
Whip on high until light, fluffy and cool to the touch.