Lightest ever meringues
See this recipe step by step

Lightest ever meringues

Whisk up a batch of classic meringues, then get creative with citrus swirl, Turkish delight and chocolate varieties

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes about 18

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 25 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr

Plus cooling
Freezable

Low-fat

Method

  1. Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment and set up a piping bag with a medium-size star nozzle.
  2. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until very stiff - the whites should stand in stiff, not floppy, peaks when the beaters are lifted out. Once you have reached this point, pour in roughly half the sugar and the vanilla extract and whisk again until the mixture becomes very thick, firm and shiny. Add the remaining sugar and whisk again until thick, firm and shiny. If you like meringues with soft, mallowy centres, just add 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tsp white wine vinegar to the mix along with the sugar.
  3. Carefully spoon the meringue into the piping bag. Push any air out of the top and tightly twist the end of the piping bag to seal. Gently squeeze until meringue is visible at the end of the nozzle, then begin piping onto your lined baking sheets. Pipe spiralling circles, about 6cm wide and 3 layers high - like you would ice a cupcake to make roughly 18. The meringues will spread slightly as they cook, so leave enough space between each one. Bake in the oven for 1 hr, turning the heat down to 120C/100C fan/gas ½ after 30 mins.
  4. Remove from the oven - they should peel easily away from the parchment - and cool on a wire rack. Can be made up to a week ahead and kept in an airtight container, or frozen for up to 3 months, between layers of parchment, in an airtight container.
  5. To make Cream & chocolate meringues for dessert, put 100g dark chocolate in a glass bowl and melt over a pan of gently simmering water. Carefully dip the base of each meringue in to coat, then place on their sides on a plate or tray to set. While the chocolate sets, whip 300ml double cream. Assemble the meringues in pairs and sandwich their chocolate bases together with a good spoonful of cream. Delicious served with ice cream, raspberry coulis or fresh berries.
Try

Chocolate meringues

Finely grate a small knob of plain chocolate and chill while you make the meringue. Fold 1 tbsp cocoa powder into the basic mix, then spoon 4-6 large shapes onto baking parchment covered baking sheets. Scatter with the grated chocolate and bake for 45 mins at 140C/120C fan/gas 1, then for a further 45 mins at 120C/100C fan/gas ½.

Turkish delight meringues

Make the basic meringue mix minus the vanilla extract, then gently fold in ¼ tsp rose water and ¼ tsp red or pink food colouring. Shape and bake as in the basic meringue recipe.

Citrus swirl meringues

Gently fold zest 1 orange and ¼ tsp yellow or orange food colouring into the basic meringue mix, then spoon 4-6 large shapes onto baking parchment covered baking sheets. Bake for 45 mins at 140C/120C fan/gas 1, then for a further 45 mins at 120C/100C fan/gas ½.

Per serving

53 kcalories, protein 1g, carbohydrate 13g, fat 0 g, saturated fat 0g, fibre 0g, sugar 13g, salt 0.04 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2010.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo vickie

    28 April 2010

    vickie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Done the Chocolate meringues have made meringues several times, but I have got to say that this recipes is the best ones i have made, that were perfect and was still eating them a week later and they still tasted just as good. Well recommmend this receipe.

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  • Binder photo JellyCake

    15 June 2010

    JellyCake rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    What a brilliant success these meringues were. I made them with swirled blue and green food colouring for my daughter's Under The Sea birthday party and they looked and tasted fantastic. Highly recommend.

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  • Binder photo Elizabeth

    12 July 2010

    Elizabeth rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Ellie

    14 August 2010

    Ellie commented on this recipe

    I just found out some family are calling in tomorrow so I thought I'd try these. The pink swirl meringues look great. I left the vanilla essence in as I couldn't get my hands on rosewater this evening. The citrus meringues were a bit of a flop. They flattened as soon as I put them in the oven, and orange juice came out. They looked somewhat curdled. I binned them after 10 minutes. I'll try again with less zest, and I'll make sure it's dry. Looking forward to eating the pink ones! Very pretty.

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  • Binder photo stef1607

    24 August 2010

    stef1607 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    yummy yummy yummy, these meringues are perfect and went down so well at a party. so easy to make!!!

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  • Binder photo Moosie Moo

    29 May 2011

    Moosie Moo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I have made these twice now, both the chocolate & cream piped ones & the citrus swirl & it has got to be the easiest meringue recipe ever. I've always had problems with my meringues in the past but these appear to turn out perfectly every time.

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  • Binder photo Fluffysammy

    23 February 2012

    Fluffysammy rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    mmmmmmmm yummy i have just made these with rose water and swirled pink, i didnt bother with piping them as im the one who has to do all the washing up so try not to do extra lol i just but blobs on the tray, they were lovely mega chewy in the middle yummy

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  • Binder photo mummy likes to cook

    25 February 2012

    mummy likes to cook rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This recipe made fabulous meringues, I left out the vanilla essence and used cardamom and orange..seeds from 4 pods ground down and zest of one large orange and the meringues are to die for!!

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  • Binder photo Pollypops

    05 April 2012

    Pollypops rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I have never made meringues before and these turned out perfect first time. I made the turkish delight ones and opted for a mallowy centre as per instructions, however used white vinegar as did not have white wine vinegar. I tried them straight out of the oven and they were crispy on the outside and mallowy in the middle. They are delicious. I did mix the colouring all the way through and piped them out. Next time I will try blobs as I did one for a trial and it was fine and I will also add more rosewater as I couldn't really taste it.

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  • Binder photo Joanne

    06 May 2012

    Joanne commented on this recipe

    Always nervous aboout making meringues, but was so pleased with these. I love the idea above making blue and green ones for an under the sea party!! I have just made the chocolate bottom ones. I am having an ice crem factory themed pudding today and these will go on top of the ice creams. Can't wait to try the turkish delight ones!! Any idea where I can get rose water from?

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  • Binder photo Gayle Worswick

    10 June 2012

    Gayle Worswick commented on this recipe

    Joanne, I get my rosewater from a local deli but lakeland sell it online. Some of the bigger supermarkets have it in some areas of the country too. Or possibly a specialist cake shop?

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  • Binder photo cerri

    23 June 2012

    cerri commented on this recipe

    Never made meringue before and glad i chose this recipe as it came out wonderfully. I am going to be using this recipe again and going to try the different flavored ones

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  • Binder photo beckybobs

    25 June 2012

    beckybobs commented on this recipe

    Joanne, I bought rosewater in Sainsburys (and orange blossom which would also be great), and Tesco has also introduced it recently into its larger stores.

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  • Binder photo sjt

    08 July 2012

    sjt rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo lizleicester

    12 September 2012

    lizleicester rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made the Turkish Delight meringues using Rose water from Indian supermarket, and swirling red food colouring gently through the egg whites. They look so gorgeous I'm going to serve them at dinner party with gluten free friends.

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  • Binder photo Monty

    25 September 2012

    Monty rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Definitely a great meringue recipe. works every time!

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  • Binder photo justjane13

    02 October 2012

    justjane13 commented on this recipe

    I followed the recipe and ingredients exactly as stated but couldn't get the mixture to thicken enough to put into the piping set. Have put them in the oven, but had to spoon them onto the baking sheet, so will need to wait and see if they turn out okay. Any suggestions?

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  • Binder photo lizleicester

    17 December 2012

    lizleicester commented on this recipe

    Returned to this foolproof recipe to try the chocolate version. Delicious and oh so beautiful to look at. Such a satisfying use of leftover egg whites!

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  • Binder photo miss december

    27 December 2012

    miss december commented on this recipe

    What a great recipe! So easy and they've come out absolutely perfect if i don't say so myself.

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  • Binder photo Blondie

    10 February 2013

    Blondie rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Quite an easy recipe and was intrigued to use the vinegar and cornflour. I tried the adaptation of citrus and turkish delight however i found adding the extra liquid made the mixture runny and so when spooning them onto the baking tray they all just went into a puddle and didn't hold a nice shape. Quite disappointed with that but hopefully they will taste great and have a good texture.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes about 18

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 25 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr

Plus cooling
Freezable

Low-fat

Ingredients

  • 4 egg whites
  • 225g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • plus your choice of flavourings (see below)
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Per serving

53 kcalories, protein 1g, carbohydrate 13g, fat 0 g, saturated fat 0g, fibre 0g, sugar 13g, salt 0.04 g

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