Mini Pavlovas Recipe (Video)
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Pavlova is a show-stopping meringue dessert and it’s easier than you think! The pavlova is crisp on the outside and marshmallow soft inside, topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and studded with plenty of fresh berries. Mini pavlovas bake faster and are easy to serve. The fruit toppings for the pavlova are endless. You can change it up with kiwi, mango, blackberries, or all of the above!
We posted this pavlova recipe 4 years ago. Today we’ve updated the photos, improved the recipe, and ofcourse included a video tutorial to show you just how easy these are to make.
Kick off your shoes (unless your socks are smelly), elevate your legs for good circulation, grab a miniature cup of coffee (the video is only 4 minutes long after all), and enjoy the show. And feel free to fast forward through the taste test as it is my most embarrassing one yet – oh boy!
These mini pavlovas have a cloud-like meringue that literally melts in your mouth. They almost have a whimsical quality (whatever that means!). The tart berries cut the sweetness just right so I always add a generous amount. Serve these at your next party and they will be flying off the plate. They are well loved by adults and children.
How to Make Mini Pavlovas:
Click Here to Print the Recipe
Oh and P.S. you can make the meringue up to 3 days ahead of time – yes way!! So perfect for parties! Read the deets here.
I want to take a moment to say thank you! You all inspire and encourage me everyday when you visit our blog, cook our recipes and share them with your homies. I’m so happy you’re here. My blog has grown so much thanks to you and has now become a full time career for my husband and I. For that, I am truly thankful.
Loads of ❤️ and mini pavlovas,
-Natasha
natashaskitchen
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These look so pretty! I don’t suppose you have any topping ideas/recommendations for Christmas? I was thinking something with cranberries, or maybe even sauteed apples but I’m a little worried that it could get messy with it being on top of the whipped cream. I’ll have to do some brainstorming! I can’t wait to try them. 🙂
Cranberries sound awesome! Sliced almonds and cranberries give off major Christmas vibes! Pomegranates as well!
Can’t wait to try these. Thanks for the receipe and the video!!!
My pleasure Janet, please let me know what you think of the recipe!
If I make the povlovas bite size without topping & such, how long would I keep them in the oven for?
Hi Alina, I haven’t experimented that way so I could only guess. It depends on how small they will be. If doing half the size, maybe cut the time down to 45 minutes? You might just test one to check for doneness: “The outside will be dry and crisp to the tap and very pale cream colored (almost white) and the inside will still be marshmallow soft.”
how long can these stand at room temp after being assembled? will they melt after about 4 hrs?
Once they have cream on them, you don’t want to keep them any longer than 4 hours or they will get too soft. I add the cream just before serving. You can keep them longer covered at room temp if they don’t have the toppings on them.
Natasha, I want to put these on a buffet for 40. Can I leave them out with the whip cream on them without them getting soggy?
Hi Jill, I would suggest adding the cream as close to the serving time as possible. Ideally, they should be eaten within 3-4 hours of adding the frosting since the whipped cream will soften the meringue over time.
Hi. Tried to make the recipe tonight but did not succeed. The mix is too liquide. I don’t understand how come. Could not make the Pavlovas because the mix was way too liquid even though i followed the measures exactly. Cannot understand why. Any advice?
Ho Sofiya, did you make any substitutions in the ingredients, measurements or changes in the process? For example, make sure you beat the egg whites as instructed prior to adding any sugar or it will take substantially longer to beat the meringue to the correct consistency. Also, a stand mixer is much more efficient and mixing the meringue than a hand mixer so if using a high powered hand mixer on high speed, add 3 minutes extra or until the correct consistency is reached. I hope that helps!
These are fantastic! I’ve made them many times. The few times I’ve tried a different recipe they just weren’t the same. A delicious variation- filling the pavlovas with some tart homemade lemon curd and whipped cream on top.
Either way, this recipe gets 5 stars!
I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe Mel! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Could these be baked a day or two in advance and just be assembled right before serving? Anyone tried that?
Hi Svetlana, yes that will work great, I have a note about that at the bottom of the post. Just make sure you keep them at room temp away from humidity and moisture.
Have you tried a layered maringue cake. What you need is;
– 1 1-2 cups. Caster sugar
– 600 ml cream
– lots of fruit
– 7 egg whites
1. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees. Whip eggs till light and fluffy add sugar 1 teaspoon at a time. While they are whipping draw five 20 cm circles on baking paper. Spread Maringue in the circles. Put in oven for 20-25 minutes.
-2 whip Cream and spread on maringue stack add fruit to each layer and the top. Now show it off to your friends !!!!!!!😄😃😀😋😁😃🎂🍰
Hi Natasha – it almost sounds like you are describing the Boccone Dolce cake except you only bake it for 20-25 minutes? Is yours like a pavlova cake where it’s soft inside?
My name isNatasha too and I love cooking 🍰🎂😀😁😃😄😆
Awesome! Me too 🙂
I made these yesterday and they came out perfectly. I wonder if I could cut back on the sugar a little (in the name of calories, boring I know) and still maintain the texture etc? Anyone tried with maybe 1/2 the sugar or something?
Hi Krista, I haven’t tried that so I won’t be much help. I’m not sure the meringue will form and bake properly with that much less sugar…
Do you stabilize your whipped cream with agar agar?
STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM:
Ingredients:
1 c. whipping cream
2 T. confectioners sugar
1 t. powdered agar agar
Whip whipping cream until almost ready. Add confectioners sugar and agar agar. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form. This cream topping/filling will stay firm and not separate.
I use agar agar in my French Buttercream Frostings and my signature Mock Whip Frostings.
I buy mine from Barry Farms, online.
Thank you for sharing!
I might try that thanks😆😁🎂🍰👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😋
Hey Natasha. Great recipe. I’ve made these a few times already and every time they come out of the oven cracked. Which isn’t too bad, because they get covered with whip cream. But any tips on how to avoid that?
Hmmm I wonder if maybe your oven runs a little too hot? Also, the instructions are for a conventional electric oven, so a gas oven or convection would probably need some modification – I don’t know if that applies to you or not. Also, are you using the same kinds of ingredients and proportions that I listed? I once tried using organic sugar that was more course than granulated sugar and the meringue did not form properly in the oven. I hope that reply helps somehow!
Natasha, I love all your recipes! You do such a great job. I’m very thankful for your site. Can’t wait to make these, they look so delicious 😋
Thanks for the wonderful compliments and for following! 😀 Please let me know what you think of the recipe Angela!
Hi, Natasha! I have a question, if I can’t put all of them on one baking sheet (doesn’t fit into my oven) , can I bake two sheets at a time?
Thanks
Natasha
Hi Natasha, that should work if you bake them on 2 racks with the top one in the top third of the oven and the second in the lower third so they are evenly spaced out.
I would like to make 8 pavlovas instead of the 15 minis. How long should I bake them? I made pavlovas several years ago and could not find the recipe so I am happy to read yours and see the video. Can’t wait to make them for Easter dinner. Thank you!
Hi Marcia, I haven’t experimented that way so I can’t say for sure. I’ve only made them into 1 large pavlova and the minis.
Hi,Natasha!I tried this recipe for few times and it’s seems like after 1hour 15 min. and 30min with turn off oven not dry yet and it’s sticky when touch them.I have gas oven…Do you think I need to make the temperature more high?
Hi Svitlana, I have an electric oven so I can’t really advise without testing it in a gas oven, but normally they should not be sticky to the touch, but dry and firm to the tap. I would either bake a little longer or increase the temperature slightly. I think it’s safer to bake longer because too hot of an oven temperature can cause these to get a little golden in color instead of white.
Hello! They are look soooo delicious… I wanna try to bake them tomorrow evening, but i need them on friday:) how or where i can store them overnight… or maybe i can bake them tomorrow night and leave them on the table overnight and decorate them with whipped cream on friday before serving??? Give me please a good advise…. please!!!!:)
Hi Viktoria, you can store them overnight at room temperature. Once they have cooled to room temp, loosely cover them with something like a plastic bag and leave them on the counter over night. This works best if it’s not humid in your area. Do not refrigerate 🙂
Hi Natasha. I love your recipes!!!!
Im planing to make pavlovas tomorrow, but I want to make them half smaller. I was wondering do i still bake them 1h 15m?will they still have the marshmallowy center or will they dry out?
Hi Tammy, they are more likely to get dry on the inside but they would still taste good. Without testing them half the size, it’s difficult to guess the exact baking time but I would say to check them at 45 minutes and then every 10-15 minutes or until the outside is hardened when you tap on them with your nail. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Thank you! By the way i asked the same question on the other pavlova recipe. I didnt get a notify the you replied so i thought you never got it. Oops sorry:) thank you for replying!:)
Love the video!😄 Pavlova! Mmmm…looks incredibly good. I haven’t had one before but have pinned it to try it out. Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you so much for pinning! I hope you love the pavlova 🙂
I totally lol when you showed how exciting you are inside. Haha. You are cute. That dessert looks so yummy!!! On my list to make it this summer 🙂 !!!!!
Thank you Veta 😁!
My mini pavlovas came out from the oven a little brown? Did everything how you wrote it
Hi Viktoria, are you sure you read the temperature as Farenheight rather than Celcius and you turn the oven off for the lats 30 minutes? At those temperatures, meringue should not brown. It would be very unusual. Does your oven usually run too hot?
Mmmmm wow omg Natasha im totally drooling these bring back such childhood memories I remember seeing these pavlovas @ a shavout (feast of weeks) community neighborhood cake and tea gathering @ i was very extremely picky with my food and these totally knocked my socks off gotta make these sometime love the video tutorial gotta watch again however am wondering if the piping would work with a Ziploc baggie or is it best to get a pastry fluter and tip @ usual darlin ur recipes totally rock and never disappoint
I think you could make it work with a Ziploc baggie and a frosting tip but it is difficult to keep the frosting tip steady inside of a Ziploc bag. With mini pavlovas you can actually just place a scoop of the meringue onto the parchment paper then use a spoon to create a well in the center. You don’t have to pipe them on to the parchment, but it is a lot prettier if you do.
Oh okay cool to know that I can do it with a spoon if I don’t have a pastry fluter wow utensils are such a gr8 awesome use thanx lots for the tip sweetheart have a gr8 blessed super cool week cheers
Natasha, this is beautiful. Im making this for my friend’s baby party tomorrow so I just made without putting the cream on top yet. The outside came out beautiful, but the bottom stick to the parchment paper. Is it supposed to stick? They are so sticky that I couldn’t remove them to a container or a zip bag or the shape will collapse. I don’t have lemon so I used lime instead in the recipe. Is that the reason? By the way, I just put them in the fridge for now and ill put the cream tomorrow. Thanks.
Hi Niko, I haven’t tried with lime juice so that is possibly why it might be sticking. It should not stick to the parchment when it’s done. Did you let it sit in the oven for an additional 30 minutes with the heat off and the oven door closed?
Hi Natasha, I made them the 2nd time with lemon juice and followed exactly from your recipe but they were still sticked on the parchment paper. But they still taste delicious. Maybe my oven runs on low. I will bake them little longer on my next try. Hopefully they will turn out perfect like yours. Thanks again for this lovely recipe 🙂
I’m glad you still enjoyed the recipe! I’m not sure what else it could be besides the oven, unless you used wax paper since it will stick to wax paper.
Hi Natasha I tried to make these and followed your recipe exactly how it shown on video and mine would stick to my hand when I take them off and stick to parchment paper
Hi Lana, it sounds like they are not fully dried out and need a little more time in the oven – did they look the same as mine in the video before you put them in the oven? It could also be due to altering the baking time or temperature.
Hi Natasha 🙂 I watched the video and wanted to double check if the 1 hr 15 min bake time (+30min w/oven off) is the correct amount of time because it’s the same as the full sized pavlova. I thought the smaller ones would take less time to bake? I’m going to try making these this weekend and am a newbie with meringues so I don’t wanna over-bake. Thanks!
Hi Lyuda, the instructions are correct. The large pavlova instructions are actually different from the little ones. On the large pavlova you: “Bake at 250˚F for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Then turn off the oven and with door closed, let it sit inside the oven another 1 hour until cooled.”
I see! I thought the large pavlova was the one you originally posted in 2012 and linked to above. Because in that one it says 225 for 1hr15min but I see now that one is also for the mini ones. I made them today and for some reason my centers fell and cracked but they still are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside and taste great! Next time I might try the large one now that I know how to bake it. Thanks!
Hello,
What’s the reason for them to crack? How to prevent it?
Dina
Hi Dina, to prevent cracking, make sure to keep them in the oven for thirty minutes with the oven off and don’t cut that time short, it helps to really dry out the shell. I haven’t really had any issues with the mini pavlovas cracking though. The full size pavlovas tend to crack under the weight of the cream and berries.
Could I substitute a flour for the corn starch?
Nadia, I never tested it and I have never seen it done this way before. This is why think it would not work.
Just tried it, because I already started the recipe. But the good news is that it worked and they are all gone!! Thank you for the recipe.(will do corn starch next time) Need to run to Costco and fill up on fruit now since this is our family’s new fav dessert. So light and chewy!!! Thanks again 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for the amazing review! 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I have made pavlovas before you created this recipe. The recipe that used had an additional ingredient: white wine vinegar. I find that the vinegar makes the pavlovas more tastier, but I really like how you made a little hole in the center…I always struggled to have the cream and fruits to stay firm on the pavlovas. Thanks to your genius brain…my pavlovas will be 👌🏻😀
Evelina, thank you for the vinegar tip and you are welcome 😀.
Hi Natasha, what kind of pastry bag are you using,how many inches? Thank you for all delicious recipes and videos! Blessings to you and your family!
Tatyana, I used Ateco 12″ pastry bag that can with this set. Blessings to you and your family as well 😀.
Hi Natasha. is it a must to use corn starch?
Love your laugh in the end, so cute.
Ha ha thanks Natalie! 🙂 Yes, the corn starch is necessary to get the correct pavlova consistency.
Prikalistka!
Natasha, how come every time I bake merengue ,it always sticks to my wax paper. ..I love your video..so beautiful but I’m scared to ruin the dessert and my time.
Hi Lina, it’s because you are using wax paper. You should always bake meringue on parchment paper. I hope that helps 🙂
is that right. ganna get some parchment Paper! thanks a bunch Natasha…excited to try your beautiful meringue
Hi Natasha, what is the difference between this and zefir? My husband brings home zefir from european market and it is so good! Is this similar type dessert? thank you
Hi Angela, it is very different. Zephir is more just marshmallows and are meant to be eaten alone (maybe sandwiched or dipped in chocolate), but pavlova is an actual dessert with a crisp shell and marshmallow soft melt-in-your-mouth center.
The acid from the lemon is necessary to create top the soft interior. Without it you basically have a meringue and it’s not pavlova like at all. Am interested to try this as I’ve never seen a successful mini pav, they always end up hard like meringue. A pav should have less than 5 ml hard exterior while the rest is soft, so totally different to meringue. Also the traditional ingredient is vinegar, not lemon. And they’re definitely from New Zealand, not Aussie 🙂
Angela, thanks for sharing. Following the bake times and our recipe produces wonderful mini Pavlovas.
How far in advance can you make these? Thanks! Love your site!
HI Maya, you can make the meringues 3 days in advance then frost and decorate just before serving. I have more details on that in the original post.
Hi Natasha!
Keep sharing your inner food monologues 🙂 This is probably my favorite taste test thus far.
I was wondering why you add the lemon juice. I’ve had different desserts similar to this, and I noticed a lot of them have a tangy, lemony flavor, which I personally dislike. Is the lemon taste noticeable in this recipe? Is it necessary to add?
Thanks!
Thank you for the encouragement! 😉 If you didn’t know the lemon juice was in there, you probably would not notice it. It’s not lemony at all but just works to balance the flavor 🙂
Could the Boccone Dolce Meringue Cake be made in miniature also like the pavolova? I’m planning to make the Baccone for our 40th anniversary, which is tomorrow.
Hi Mari, I’m sure it could be done! I have over-baked a batch of these in the past and they turned out just like the baccone dolce. I turned the oven off and left it in there about 2 hours before I realized I had them in there 🙂
Vaw Natasha!!! You acted so natural in the last part of the video! That’s what brings people to your shows! keep up those beautiful laughs and smiles:) I going to make these this Sunday…yumm
Awww thank you Elona. 🙂 What a nice compliment!! 🙂
Oh my they look so beautiful!!!
My nephew is turning 1 this week and I couldn’t think of what to make… Lol now I know! This will be perfect 😄
What a sweet treat for your nephews birthday! 🙂 I hope he loves the pavlovas 🙂
Beautiful. They look delicious. The taste test was pretty funny. I watched that part a couple time. 🙂
Oh boy, now I’m extra embarrassed. lol. I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Natasha,
I have a question is the oven supposed to be set on 225 or 325?
Hi Inna, it is 225˚F. Did I write 325 somewhere by mistake? I’ve checked but I couldn’t find it. It may help to see the written instructions here.
Wow looks absolutely delicious and stunning, next time I wanna make dessert I know what I want to make. Thanks so much for the quick recipe Natasha!!
And I like how exciting you are by cooking always with a big smile in the kitchen:)
And love the last part of the video to, haha;)
I went back and forth and back and forth about whether or not I should include that. Lol. I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Hi. Can I just leave it plain without cream or fruit? Will it taste like a Bize?
Or do I need to make it sweeter and bake longer?
Thank you.
Hi Liya, you could if you want to but they are much more enjoyable with the cream and fruit. The lightly sweetened cream and tangy berries help to cut the sweetness so it’s just right, otherwise you’re just eating a sweet meringue cookie.
Looks soo good, making this for Sunday dinner for our guests. That last part was hilarious, the taste test when you got all excited, made me laugh pretty loud (woke up my baby) 🙁 oops!
lol. Oh no!! Not the baby! I hope baby went back to bed. Thanks Olga 🙂