Basic Egg White Meringue

December 17, 2021

Meringue is simply sweetened egg whites that are whipped into stiff, glossy peaks that can be used in a variety of dishes. A basic meringue only requires 4 ingredients – egg whites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar and salt – but, it can be flavored and dyed to create meringue cookies, macarons and pavlova, it can be used to make frosting or as a topping for pies and when it is folded into batter, it will give your cakes, cupcakes and pancakes a beautifully light, airy texture.

There are so many reasons to know how to whip up a basic meringue, so let’s get started…

The basic ingredients needed are 3 egg whites, 2/3 cup of granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar and a pinch of fine salt.

Notes:

- - Room temperature egg whites whip up easier than cold ones, so I recommend separating your eggs and allowing the egg whites to sit out for about 30 minutes before whipping
  - Check the expiration date on your cream of tartar. Even though cream of tartar is usually sold in small containers, it is only needed in very small quantities, so unless you are doing a whole lot of baking, you may have had that container in your pantry for a while now, so check the date to be sure that it is still fresh and active
  - The bowl that you whip your egg whites in is very important! It should be clean and dry with absolutely no grease residue. A bit of grease or water in the bowl can prevent your egg whites from whipping to their best potential, so make sure that bowl is spotless!

You can make meringue in a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer. Either way, begin by whipping 3 room temperature egg whites along with 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar and a pinch of salt on medium speed.

Once the egg whites are super foamy and full of bubbles, begin adding the granulated sugar about a tablespoon at a time while continuing to whip on medium speed. Add the sugar gradually, so it has time to evenly distribute before you add more.

Once all of the sugar has been incorporated, increase the mixing speed to medium high and keep on whipping the egg whites.

If you are new to whipping egg whites, you may be wondering what the difference is when a recipe calls for “soft peaks” or “stiff peaks”. Egg whites at the soft peak stage are very light and fluffy, but when you stop the mixer and pull the beaters out of the egg whites, the little peaks that form will fall over and droop back down into the bowl. The texture at this stage will be soft and flexible.

Egg whites at the stiff peak stage have been whipped past the soft peak stage and will be lighter and more fluffy, have a glossy appearance and those little peaks that form when you pull the beaters out of the egg whites will stand up easily on their own.

This is exactly what you are looking for if your goal is to have your egg whites at the stiff peak stage. See how those little peaks are standing straight up? They will stay like that because they have been whipped long enough. If your peaks droop, keep on whipping your egg whites!

Once your meringue reaches the stage your recipe calls for, you can add any flavoring or dye that you want. There are many extracts that can impart beautiful flavors to your meringue. The type of extract you are using can determine the amount you should add. Vanilla, butter, cake batter and almond extract are slightly more subtle than citrus, rum or coffee extracts, so the amounts will vary. Always start with just a little, because you can always add more, but you can’t take it out once its in there…

Another thing you can add to your meringue is food coloring. Gel is best, but you can use what you have on hand. Just like with the extracts, start by adding just a drop or two and if you want a deeper color, you can always add more.

If you are topping a pie or cake with your meringue, you can just smooth it over with a flexible spatula or offset spatula, but if you are using your meringue to create cookies or a pavlova, you may want to pipe out fancy shapes.

The easiest way to pipe out meringue is to transfer it into a piping bag or gallon ziplock with a piping tip inserted. To do this, cut a small portion off of the tip of the bag or the corner of a ziplock bag and insert your piping tip.

Place the bag over a tall water glass and fold the bag over the edges as in the photo above. Use a spatula to transfer some of the meringue into the piping bag and then pipe the meringue onto parchment lined baking sheets or whatever your recipe calls for!

I hope this simple recipe helps you whip your egg whites to perfection!

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