Name: Chewy Meringues (UK) - Printable Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: Large Baking Tray; Baking Paper; Large Mixing Bowl; Electric Hand Whisk; Piping Bag (optional); Piping Nozzle (optional); 2 x Large Egg Whites, room temperature; 1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar; 3/4 tsp Cornflour; 130g (1/2 Cup + 1 tbsp) Caster Sugar

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Tired of buying those dry and tasteless shop bought meringues? Want to know how to make meringues that are crisp on the outside, yet chewy in the middle? It’s easier than you think! This chewy meringue recipe is simple to follow, includes step by step pictures, and yields perfect results that are easy to achieve! Keep reading to learn how…

A bowl of mixed berries and a plate with a chewy meringue dessert on it.

The best chewy meringue recipe

I’ve eaten countless shop bought meringues and, trust me when I tell you, they are NOTHING on the homemade versions! I’ve never been able to find a shop bought variety that is anywhere near as good as homemade. You know… Those gorgeous chewy meringues, that are crisp on the outside and go perfectly with whipped cream and berries?!

This recipe was actually born of me trying to create a new air fryer recipe, but I haven’t perfected that one just yet. However, as a happy accident, I managed to develop this chewy meringues recipe instead! Woohoo!

It is worth noting that, although I do include US measurements, this recipe was developed as a UK recipe using weight, not volume. (i.e. grams.)

How to make meringue chewy

Basic meringues require just 2 ingredients. Fresh eggs and sugar. But to make them chewy, we need to add a little cornflour and some cream of tartar. Both of those extra ingredients help to stabilise the egg whites (which can be temperamental at the best of times!), but the cornflour really helps to get that chewy marshmallowy centre that we want.

A meringue nest filled with berries and cream

Why not use vinegar?

Vinegar does help to stabilise the egg whites in meringue. However, as we’re already using cream of tartar (which is also acidic), we don’t need the addition of vinegar as well.

What type of meringue is this recipe?

This recipe uses French meringue. It’s the most commonly used method, and the easiest one to make. The Italian and Swiss methods, although delicious, are a little tricker to make. As they require certain ingredients to be hot/cooked throughout the whisking process.

A chewy meringue dessert on a plate with a fork

Should you use cold or room temperature egg whites?

If you have the time, using room temperature egg whites is always best. Using cold egg whites inhibits the expansion of the air bubbles. Whereas room temperature egg whites can take in more air, much more easily.

And if you’re short on time? There are ways you can bring eggs to room temperature quickly.

Can you add flavourings to chewy meringue?

Personally, I don’t like to mess with the delicate balance of ingredients in meringue, as it’s not worked well for me before. There are so many ways to add flavour to your meringues after they’ve cooked though, that I really don’t think of this as a negative.

How to use chewy meringues?

They do taste great on their own, but you can use meringues as part of lots of delicious recipes! They make a wonderful dessert base to add other ingredients to, and you can utilise them for pretty much any occasion. For example, you can use them to make a cheat Christmas pavlova, Halloween meringue ghosts, or even Easter meringue nests!

Someone topping a meringue with blueberries

Worried your meringues might sink? Don’t be!

So long as you whisk your eggs to proper stiff peaks, it’ll be fine. If you haven’t done this before, and you’re unsure, use the Step by Step Picture Recipe, as this has images for every stage. So you will be able to clearly see what your egg whites should look like.

The addition of cornflour and cream of tartar will also help to add stability to the whipped egg whites. Which will make your life a little easier.

3 plates of meringues topped with whipped cream and berries

How do you stop meringues cracking?

Again, so long as you whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks properly and add the sugar gradually, it should be fine. The addition of the cornflour and cream of tartar will also help to stabilise things. Just make sure you don’t over whisk, as this can destabilise the eggs.

Dramatic temperature change can also crack your meringues. So if it is a particularly cold day, you might want to open the oven door when the cooking time is over, and leave them in the oven for a little while. So they cool down gradually.

Just keep an eye on them if you do. I left the door open once, and my cat actually stole one straight from the oven!! He is called Naughty Noodle though, so it’s to be expected I guess, haha!

A meringue nest topped with cream and berries on a plate

Ingredients and substitutions

Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s what you need to know…

Eggs – For less headaches, use the freshest eggs you can get. This helps prevent lots of potential disappointments.
Sugar – Use caster sugar (superfine in the US), NOT granulated. Granulated sugar can take much longer to dissolve into the egg whites. Which can result in over whipping, and sunken meringues.
Cornflour – Don’t leave this out or substitute the cornflour. This is key to getting those pillowy chewy middles!
Cream of Tartar – Adding stability, cream of tartar is a good helping hand in making sure those egg whites behave. Don’t omit this.

I highly recommend you don’t substitute any of these ingredients. Meringues require a delicate balance of ingredients to bake properly, and it’s best not to mess with that if you want to avoid disappointment.

Chewy meringue recipe tips

Here are a few tips you might find helpful when making chewy meringues…

Weigh your sugar out into a small bowl or jug before you begin. This will make it easier to gradually add it into the egg whites when they’re ready.
Don’t over beat the egg whites, as this can result in sunken meringues. Use the step by step picture recipe to see exactly what things should look like at each stage to help.
Don’t get egg yolk (or anything else) into the whites before you whisk them. The addition of any fat will stop the egg from taking in air as well, and it can ruin the entire batch.
You can use a piping bag or nozzle to make your nests look fancy, or simply use a spoon to scoop and spread them out. Neither method cooks better than the other, and they will both taste great!
These meringues will puff up/spread slightly during cooking. So make sure you allow a little room between each one.
Meringues haven’t turned out as well as you’d hoped? Smash them up and make Eton mess instead!

Meringue with cream and strawberries on a plate

Time management

Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier.

It will take anywhere between 3-5 minutes to whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff peaks. (Possibly longer if you’re using cold eggs.)
It should take around 4-8 minutes to gradually whisk in the sugar and cornflour.
Piping or spooning out your meringues will take no more than 5 minutes.
Baking the meringues will take about 70 minutes.
Depending on if it’s a hot or cold day, they will take up to an hour to completely cool.

A chewy meringue with cream and berries next to a vase of flowers

If you like this recipe…

…you might also like:

Chewy Meringue Recipe UK – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to make 6-8.

2 x Large Egg Whites, room temperature
1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
3/4 tsp Cornflour
130g (1/2 Cup + 1 tbsp) Caster Sugar

Essential equipment

Large Baking Tray
Baking Paper
Large Mixing Bowl
Electric Hand Whisk
Piping Bag (optional)
Piping Nozzle (optional)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 110ºC (230ºF) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Add the egg whites (x 2) and cream of tartar (1/8 tsp) to a large mixing bowl, and plug in your electric hand whisk.

Egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl

Whisk the mixture until it forms stiff peaks. It will take around 3-5 mins, and the peaks should hold their shape when you pull the whisk out of the bowl (see images below).

I like to keep my whisk on a medium speed, rather than going any faster. That way you can keep a close eye on things, and you’re less likely to over whisk the eggs… which will result in deflated meringues.

A close up of what stiff peak egg whites should look like

Next, sprinkle over the cornflour (3/4 tsp) and briefly whisk it in.

Now it’s time to gradually incorporate the sugar (130g | 1/2 Cup + 1 tbsp). About 1 tsp at a time, add the sugar into the egg whites and whisk for about 10 seconds after each addition.

Repeat until all the sugar has been used, and the mixture is very thick and shiny. It should hold it’s shape with a little softness to the peaks when pulled out of the bowl.

Don’t try to add more sugar in at once, or speed things up. This has to be done gradually for your meringues to work.

A close up of what chewy meringue mix should look like

If you are piping your meringues, load a piping bag with your nozzle of choice (I used a 3M open star nozzle), then fill with your meringue mixture. Otherwise, just use two spoons to scoop and spread straight from the mixing bowl.

Pipe/spoon your meringues out onto your lined baking tray. I usually get between 6-8, and they are about 7cm in diameter by 3cm tall. Though I leave the middles thinner, so you can fill them with cream and berries after.

Do allow a little room between each one, as they tend to spread/puff up a little during baking.

Meringue nests piped onto a lined baking tray

Bake in your preheated oven for 70 minutes. They will be crisp on the outside and underneath, and perfectly chewy in the middle.

Baked chewy meringue nests on a baking tray

Allow to cool completely, then serve with sweetened whipped cream and berries. Or any way that takes your fancy!

A meringue topped with cream and berries on a plate, with ingredients scattered around

How to store chewy meringues

Store your meringues in a metal container at room temperature. They should keep pretty well for about 7 days or so.

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