Here's everything worth knowing about meringue and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 14 recipes to cook tonight.

What is meringue?

Meringue is the airy foam you get when you whip egg whites with sugar until they hold their shape. Nothing else goes into it, yet that simple pairing turns into pie toppings, crisp cookies, the shell of a pavlova, and the base of a buttercream.

The whites supply the structure and the air. The sugar dissolves into the foam and stiffens it, while holding in moisture so it does not weep.

Beaten far enough, a spoonful stands up in a glossy peak.

For more on the protein that makes it work, see the egg whites page and the /recipes/eggs hub.

Soft Peaks Versus Firm Peaks

Where you stop whipping decides everything. At soft peaks the foam slumps and the tip curls over, which is right for folding into a mousse or spooning a soft top on a Cinnamon Chocolate Pie.

At firm peaks it stands straight and glossy. That is what you want for piped shapes and baked shells.

There are three ways to make it. French meringue, the everyday kind, beats sugar into raw whites cold. Swiss meringue warms the whites and sugar over a water bath to about 120°F (49°C) first, giving a denser, more stable foam.

Italian meringue streams in hot sugar syrup at about 240°F (116°C), which cooks the whites and makes the sturdiest, safest foam of the three. Crushed baked meringue stars in an Eton Mess, folded through cream and berries.

The Grease Rule and Other Failures

The one rule that breaks more meringues than any other: no fat anywhere. A speck of yolk in the whites, or grease left in the bowl, coats the proteins and the foam simply will not climb. Separate eggs carefully and wipe the bowl with vinegar if you are unsure.

Add the sugar too fast and it cannot dissolve, leaving a gritty foam that beads syrup as it bakes. Pour it in slowly once the whites turn frothy.

A baked meringue that weeps or browns too fast was cooked too hot. Bake low, around 200°F (93°C) to 225°F (107°C), and let it dry out rather than color. A pinch of cream of tartar helps hold the foam steady, as in these Lemon Snowflake Cookies.

Substitutes and Shortcuts

When fresh whites are inconvenient or you want to skip raw egg, meringue powder (dried whites plus sugar and stabilizer) beats into the same foam and is the standard choice for royal icing.

For a vegan meringue, aquafaba, the brine from a can of chickpeas, whips and bakes much like whites. Use about 3 tablespoons to stand in for one white.

Making Ahead and Storing

Meringue is happiest made and used fresh, since the raw foam starts to deflate within an hour or two on a counter. Fold or bake it soon after whipping.

Baked meringues are the opposite. Once dried crisp they keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, away from any humidity, which turns them sticky and chewy. Freezing works too, though a damp day undoes them fast.

Quick facts

In Chinese

酥皮

British (UK) term

Meringue

en français

meringue

en español

merengue

Recipes using meringue

There are 14 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 14 recipes