Eton Mess is an easy and classic British Dessert that’s made with strawberries, whipped cream, and meringue cookies. The flavor is so bright and the strawberry syrup cuts the sweetness perfectly. It comes together quickly and is always a crowd-pleasing summer dessert.
Just like our Coffee Affogato or Strawberries Romanoff, you’ll love that this is a no-bake, no-cooking required dessert. Watch the video tutorial and learn how to make a Strawberry Eton Mess.
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Strawberry Eton Mess Recipe
It’s no wonder this recipe is so popular – it’s simple but has such a beautiful presentation and the flavors are exciting with the fresh strawberry sauce and chunks of fresh strawberries poured over lightly sweetened homemade whipped cream. Those bits of meringue cookies add a fabulous crunch and you get a little bit of every layer with each bite.
This is bound to become your new favorite summer strawberry dessert. It works great for parties because you can make smaller portions divided between ramekins or glasses. It’s also a naturally gluten-free dessert.
Eton Mess Video Tutorial
Watch Natasha make this Strawbery Eton Mess. You will be surprised at how easy it is and how quickly it comes together. The flavors are memorable and I hope this becomes a new favorite strawberry dessert for you.
Ingredients
You can use either store-bought meringue cookies for the easiest version or homemade meringue cookies. We used Trader Joe’s Meringue Cookies but you can also find them at bakeries or order Meringue Cookies on Amazon.
- Vanilla meringue cookies – you’ll need about 10 cookies that are 1 1/2″ wide.
- Strawberries – we blend or mash up 2/3 of the strawberries and quarter the rest to keep a chunky consistency.
- Lemon – make sure to zest the lemon first then squeeze the juice. Adding both the zest and the juice to the strawberries adds an extra layer of flavor.
- Sugar – lightly sweetens the whipped cream and strawberry mixture. If your strawberries aren’t very sweet, you can add more sugar.
- Heavy whipping cream – heavy cream has a higher fat content than regular whipping cream and is much easier to beat into whipped cream. Also, make sure it’s very cold right out of the refrigerator before beating.
Pro Tip: You can change up the fruit for variety. Try a mixed berry Eton mess or a tropical spin with Mango. Diced stone fruit is also delicious in this classic dessert.
How to Make Eton Mess
- Crush the Meringue – Set your meringue cookies into a zip-top bag and crush them into course crumbles with a rolling pin or with the smooth side of a meat mallet, or even a small saucepan. Whatever gets the job done!
- Make Strawberry Topping – In a medium bowl, add 2/3 of your sliced strawberries along with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 2-3 Tbsp of sugar depending on the sweetness of your strawberries. Mash the strawberries into a chunky consistency. Stir in the remaining 1/3 of your quartered strawberries and add more sugar to taste if needed.
- Beat Whipped Cream – Beat cold heavy cream and 1 Tbsp of sugar on medium/high speed with an electric mixer with a whisk attachment for 3-4 minutes or until the cream has stiff peaks. Watch my video tutorial for how to make Whipped Cream.
Pro Tip: You can also substitute the mashed strawberries with our Strawberry Sauce. This dessert is a fantastic way to use up leftover Strawberry Sauce or even Cherry Sauce.
How to Assemble an Eton Mess
Add your ingredients to clear drinking glasses, sorbet cups, or your serving dish of choice. Spoon some cream into the bottom, top with a heaping spoonful of the strawberry mixture, add crumbled meringue and repeat with cream, fruit, and meringue to fill the cup. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 hours.
Pro Tip: Depending on the size of your serving cups, you can get 4-6 servings of Eton Mess with this recipe but it’s easy to scale up or down.
Make-Ahead
If you want to make this a day ahead of time, it’s best to keep all of the 3 parts separate (meringue, strawberries, and whipped cream). Cover and refrigerate the strawberries and whipped cream separately and store the meringue at room temperature. Assemble just before serving.
- To Refrigerate: I found these to have the best texture if they are eaten right away or covered and refrigerated for up to 3 hours before serving. After that, the meringue starts to get soft and melty.
- Freezing: Eton Mess dessert is not freezer friendly.
The best part of an Eton Mess is eating it! Every spoonful has layers of strawberries, whipped cream, and crushed meringue. The taste and texture are refreshing and such a delight. P.S. Keep this one in mind for Valentine’s Day or your next special occasion.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
If you love this Strawberry Eton Mess and are looking for more easy desserts, you will find some new favorite dessert recipes here. These are also our most-requested party desserts.
- Strawberry Pretzel Jello
- Peach Galette
- Apple Crisp
- Lemon Bars
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Fudgy Brownies Recipe
Strawberry Eton Mess Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 oz vanilla meringue cookies, 10-12 count, 1 1/2” wide cookies
- 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered, divided
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 3-4 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided and added to taste
- 1 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Crush the Meringue: Set your meringue cookies into a zip-top bag and crush them into course crumbles with a rolling pin.
- Strawberry Topping: In a medium bowl, add 2/3 of your sliced strawberries along with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and 2-3 Tbsp of sugar depending on the sweetness of your strawberries. With a potato masher or immersion blender, coarsely blend up your strawberries into a chunky consistency. Stir in the remaining 1/3 of your quartered strawberries and add more sugar to taste if needed.
- Beat Whipped Cream: In the bowl of your stand mixer, add cold heavy cream and 1 Tbsp of sugar. Beat on medium/high speed with the whisk attachment until whipped and spreadable, about 3-4 minutes.
- Assemble: Add your ingredients to clear drinking glasses or your serving cups or dishes of choice. Spoon some cream into the bottom, top with a heaping spoonful of the strawberry mixture then meringue. Repeat with cream, fruit, and meringue to fill the cup.
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Another amazing recipe Natasha! I’m a Brit, and have had many Eton Messes in my time, but your recipe was true to form! Thank you for yet another gem in my recipe book
Another wonderful recipe to try. Your site is the first one I check when I want to try something new. If you have a recipe, that’s the one I’ll use — never a failure.
Can I stabilise the whip cream so I can assemble 2 portions for a couple of days or so?
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review, Smary! I haven’t tried making the cream a couple of days ahead, but if done right it may work, you may need to rewhip however. I hope you love it.
As a Brit, I was interested in trying the American version of this – it turned out great!
That’s great to hear, Andy! Thank you.
Simple and quick to make, reminded me of the first time I had it in England over 20 years ago, the family loved it. Thanks!
That’s wonderful to hear, RJ! Thank you for sharing.