Meringue Recipe
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Easy Meringue Recipe with tips to make it perfect and fluffy every time! This favorite recipe makes the best meringue for topping pies, puddings and more.
This meringue recipe makes me happy. Seriously. It also brings back so many memories of watching my Mama and Grandmothers making meringue to top their pies or chocolate pudding. I love that!
A smooth, glossy fluff of meringue on top a dessert immediately grabs my attention. I can’t wait to dig into a scoop of banana pudding or a favorite pie just for the feel of the airy topping melting in my mouth just as soon as it touches it.
But you know, meringue is really one of the easiest things in the world to make if you just know a few tricks when preparing.
Meringue Recipe Tips
1. Separate your eggs while they are cold and then allow them to come to room temperature for the fluffiest meringue.
2. Always make sure the bowl you are using to make your meringue is scrupulously clean. Wash it and then wash it again just to be certain if you have to.
3. Take care not to over whip your meringue. It should have a smooth and glossy look.
4. Use cream of tartar to help stabilize the meringue to hold its form.
5. Place meringue about 4 inches under the heat and bake for about 10 minutes, just until the peaks have turned golden brown.
Here’s my family’s meringue recipe. I think you’ll love it.
Meringue Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 (140 g) large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.75 g) cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
Instructions
- Remove eggs from the refrigerator and separate, as they will separate best cold.
- Allow egg whites to reach room temperature to allow them to whip to their fullest.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Pour eggs whites into a spotlessly-clean bowl.
- Whip the egg whites until they are glossy and smooth, then add the cream of tartar to help the egg whites hold their form.
- Slowly add the sugar to the egg whites about a tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition until the sugar is incorporated. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Spread meringue on top of pre-baked or no-bake dessert, place about 4 inches under the heat and bake for about 10 minutes, until golden.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
I used this on my coconut cream pie and it looks beautiful. I did toast my coconut separately then sprinkled it on top before putting the pie in the oven. Thanks for letting me have the
Instructions.
I love this meringue on coconut cream pie, too, Jeanie! Thanks!
Where are the measurements for sugar?
1/4 cup sugar is the last ingredient in the recipe, April. Hope you enjoy!
Robyn, when I use this recipe on chocolate pie and put back in oven to brown will the heat mess up my pie filling? Thank you soo much and have a blessed day.
Don from so-cal
Don, if you have baked a chocolate pie and then top with the meringue, it should not make a difference to your pie filling. You just leave the meringue in the oven long enough to brown the top, about 10 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Loved this recipe! Perfect! Thank you!
Your a pie saver!! Thank you for the recipe. I had 2 failed attempts with another recipe and then tried yours. It came out perfect. whew… I now have a beautiful Coconut Meringue Pie.
I’m so glad this recipe worked so well for you, Lauri! Thanks.
Robyn
You advised Marcy, above, to cook the meringue “4 inches from the top heating element,” meaning 4 inches below it. Yet you say “do not broil.” This is confusing; cooking anything UNDER a heat source is what broiling means. Please reconsider your instructions or your terminology.
Joe, you don’t turn the oven setting to “Broil”; you leave it on “Bake”. You just move the pie a little closer to the top heating element while you bake the meringue. Hope this helps!
If you are cooking the pie filling In the crust to their required doneness… then you are going to cook it again for 15 minutes More to cook meringue, doesn’t this make the whole pie crust and filling overcooked?
No.
How do you put it 4″ below the burner in a gas oven with a bottom burner?
Just adjust the top rack so that the meringue would be 4 inches below the top burner, Aaron. Hope you enjoy!
Preheat the oven your just giving the top a nice color & cooking the raw eggs. Don’t worry if you don’t have electric stove. Pay attention don’t burn it.Good luck.
I don’t really understand why we need the cream of Tartar. I mean, it stiffens it but doesn’t powdered sugar do the same? I’m not sure if I should swap it out.
The cream of tartar stabilizes the egg whites to keep their shape.
I have used Arrowroot in meringue that I put on top of individual key lime pies – big hit !
Turned out great!! I have not done meringue before and this was easy and oh so pretty!!
I’m so glad the meringue turned out so well your first time, Jill. Thanks!