My Pavlova dessert recipe is an airy, cloud-like meringue that looks simply stunning on a plate and literally melts in your mouth. The texture is crisp on the outside and marshmallow-soft on the inside, and what’s more, the make-ahead recipe comes out perfectly, even for beginners!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Helpful Reader Review
“I have made this recipe several times for my family. Never disappoints. SO good!! I use lemon curd, raspberries and Chantilly cream for mine. Unbelievably good!!” – Molly ★★★★★
Pavlova Video
I love the elegance of pavlova, and it doesn’t surprise me how often I see you all making this as a party dessert (I love seeing your posts on Instagram!). The single serve size keeps the Pavlova looking beautiful, unlike a large single Pavlova Cake, which always gets smooshed while slicing. It looks fancy, but I promise it’s simple to make when you follow my step-by-step instructions. Watch my video for all the tips!
Pavlova Recipe
What is Pavlova? There’s some debate about the origin of Pavlova, but the facts are – it’s a show-stopping meringue dessert, made by beating together egg whites and sugar. The addition of lemon juice and cornstarch helps form a smooth and crisp exterior, along with marshmallow-like soft centers. To serve, pavlovas are topped with lightly sweetened Whipped Cream and fresh berries.
Ingredients
Temperature and timing are important in this failproof pavlova recipe.
- Egg whites – room temperature – since the eggs separate from the yolk more easily when chilled, I prefer separating the egg whites into a bowl and then set it on top of a second bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. P.S. Save the yolks for my easy Hollandaise Sauce to top Eggs Benedict.
- Granulated Sugar – provides sweetness and structure so the dessert doesn’t collapse. I don’t recommend reducing the amount.
- Cornstarch – vital to form the crisp exterior and marshmallow-soft interior. You can substitute with potato starch.
- Lemon juice – adds a light, fresh flavor and prevents the sugar from forming crystals, creating a smooth meringue surface.
- Vanilla extract – adds perfect flavor. You can substitute with peppermint, almond, or lemon extract.
- Cream Topping – you’ll need granulated sugar and COLD Heavy whipping cream. You can even refrigerate your bowl before mixing.
Toppings for Pavlova
For this post, I used a mix of 4-5 cups of washed and dried berries and fresh mint leaves. The toppings for pavlova are endless:
- Berries – Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.
- Tropical fruits – kiwi, pineapple, or mango
- Stone fruit – peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines
- Garnish – fresh mint or basil
- Chocolate – a reader suggested painting the cup with Chocolate Ganache and adding chocolate shavings
- Saucy drizzle – Caramel Sauce, Strawberry Sauce, or Blueberry Sauce
- Jelly – Plum Jam or Peach Preserves
How to Make Pavlova
For pavlova meringue, I use my stand mixer. If using an electric hand mixer, you may need to add 2 minutes to the mixing time for stiff, smooth, and glossy peaks to form. Do not attempt to hand whisk – yikes!
- Beat – Preheat the oven to 225°F and line an XL baking sheet or 2 cookie sheets with parchment. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Fold in the lemon juice, then vanilla, and finally cornstarch, until well blended.
- Pipe the meringue mixture into nests using a Wilton 1M Tip. Use the back of a spoon to indent the center. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, and then turn off the oven and leave it in there another 30 minutes to dry.
- Cool – transfer with the parchment paper to wire racks.
- Make Whipped Cream: Beat the cold heavy whipping cream with the sugar until light, airy, and pipeable.
- Assemble Pavlovas: Pipe the sweetened cream onto the cooled pavlova just before serving and top with fresh fruit.
Tips for the Best Pavlova
This easy pavlova dessert recipe comes out perfectly sweet and beautiful every time with these easy tips:
- Fully preheat your oven and bake right away; otherwise, pavlova can start melting or forming a layer of brown sugar at the bottom.
- If using this large 3/4 baking sheet, you can fit them all on one sheet; otherwise, bake on 2 separate baking sheets in the top and bottom thirds of your oven. You’ll need enough space for air to circulate, but they don’t expand much.
- Make sure to use parchment paper for easy removal from the baking sheet (do not use wax paper – it sticks like crazy).
- Let pavlovas rest in the warm oven for 30 minutes before removing from the oven to ensure the exterior dries appropriately.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The individual parts can be can be made ahead, but once the pavlova is assembled, it’s best to enjoy within 4 hours since the cream will immediately start to soften the meringue.
- Make-Ahead: Make the meringue up to 3 days ahead and store loosely wrapped at room temperature (away from humidity). Store the whipped cream separately.
- Refrigerate Cream: Whipped cream refrigerates well in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Add cream to pavlovas just before serving.
- Freezing: Freezing pavlova can be tricky but you can store un-assembled meringue in the freezer, because it’s just dry enough to keep the meringue crispy. Store cooled meringue in the freezer in an airtight container. Thaw in the container for a few hours at room temperature before serving.
My fool-proof Mini Pavlova recipe makes show-stopper single-serve desserts and the mixer does most of the work for you. You’ll love how simply stunning these are when piled high with smooth whipped cream and tart berries. Try this recipe to impress your guests!
Pavlova Recipe
Ingredients
For Pavlova:
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
For Cream:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, (very cold)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
For Topping/Decor:
- 4-5 cups fresh fruit, blueberries, kiwi, raspberries, sliced strawberries, etc
- 15 Mint leaves , for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Beat – Preheat the Oven to 225˚ F. Line a large 3/4 baking sheet* with parchment paper. Using your stand mixer, beat 6 egg whites on high speed 1 min until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar and beat 10 minutes on high speed, or until stiff peaks form. It will be smooth and glossy.
- Fold – Use a spatula to quickly fold in 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract, then fold in 2 tsp corn starch and mix until well blended.
- Pipe meringue into 3 to 3 1/2 inches wide nests onto the parchment paper using a Wilton 1M Tip. Indent the center with a spoon to allow room for cream. Bake at 225˚ for 1 hr and 15 minutes, then turn the oven off and without opening the door, let the meringue sit in the hot oven another 30 minutes. Outsides will be dry and crisp to the touch and very pale cream-colored, and insides will still be marshmallow soft.
- Cool – Transfer the pavlova with the parchment paper onto the counter or a cookie rack and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Make the Frosting – in a large, cold mixing bowl, combine cold whipping cream with 2 Tbsp sugar and beat on high speed for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until whipped and spreadable.
- Assemble Pavlovas – Pipe frosting onto the pavlova and top with fresh fruit or your desired toppings.
Notes
- Fruit – berries, mango chunks, kiwi slices, diced peaches, etc.
- Syrups – Chocolate Ganache, Caramel Syrup, Blueberry Sauce, Strawberry Sauce
- Herbs – mint or basil sprigs
- Make Meringue in advance, storing it loosely wrapped on the counter up to 3 days ahead. Avoid humidity.
- Make whipped cream 2-3 days in advance, storing it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to assemble.
- Assembled pavlova should be eaten within 4 hours since the meringue will absorb moisture from the cream and soften.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Individual Desserts
I love making mini Pavlovas for parties because they’re easy to serve and impressive looking. Here are more single-serving, bite-sized desserts you’ll love:
- No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes
- Chocolate Covered Strawberries
- Creme Brûlée
- Lemon Posset
- Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
- Eclairs Recipe
- Homemade Cream Puffs
- Panna Cotta
- Eton Mess
- Chocolate Souffle
Hi Natasha. Yesterday while making i followed exactly the timing you gave and when I opened the oven to take the pavlovas out I was not able to hold them with my finger. My fingers were going inside. Does it mean pavlova is undercooked? And then again I turned on the oven and kept for another 10 mins and then left inside oven for 20 mins. This time it was cooked. But inside it was dried. A kind of biscuit and chewy. Inside how it should be? Please can you guide me? Sorry for long comment
Hi Ameena, they should feel dry when you tap on them but they will be soft inside when you bite into them. Make sure you are baking on conventional bake mode and not convection which would cook them faster.
I made them yesterday. Thank you thank you thank you for this amzing recipe. It was sooo delicious… ❤️
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Hi, these pavlova are delicious! I would like to make them half the size. How would you recommend to adjust with baking and drying?
Thank you for an amazing recipe.
Hi Jess, I haven’t tried making these any smaller but I suspect it would take less time in the oven.
Hey! I love your recipes and I wanted to try and make these but I won’t have time to test them before we have some friends over for dinner and the problem is that we are at high altitude. All your other recipes have been fine but this one worries me, do I need to do anything differently for high altitude?
Hi Ardyn, I don’t have any way of testing this at a high altitude, but I would suggest googling a standard baking adjustment for your altitude to be safe.
Hi, Ardyn, having never made this particular item, I hope I can help. We lived below sea level when I got this recipe for “Forgotten Cookies”. Then we moved to 6000′ in Colorado and I made no adjustments and they turned out just like before. These are Meringue Cookies with chocolate chips and nuts and left in the turned-off oven overnight. Really popular with my family & friends. If you’d like the recipe, email me at maryedgar@comcast.net & I’ll send it to you. I find that cakes are the really bigger issue at altitude….
Regards, Mary
Natasha, I LOVE your recipes & videos! I have loved every one I’ve tried, and recommend you often!
I made these mini pavlovas for Valentine’s Day, topped with raspberries and blueberries (couldn’t get mint). My husband and I LOVED them as a light dessert after a steak dinner. My kiddos got to try them & liked them so much. I must’ve made them a little small…it made so many! Haha. So we shared with a neighbor, and my sister in laws family. My nieces loved them, I showed them your video to explain how I’d made them. I’m making more today to gift to 2 friends who have birthdays tomorrow! Love these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds awesome! Thanks for your wonderful review, Rebekah. I’m glad you liked it and you were able to share it with others too.
Hi! I was wondering how to get it thicker? Mine didn’t form stiff peaks:(
Hi Emma, make sure to use the same kind of sugar, also room temp whites helps and be sure to beat long enough. A stand mixer is more effective so if using a hand mixer, you would have to beat much longer.
Hi, it’s the 2 time i made them. The first time they came out perfect. I don’t know what went wrong this time. The middle was hard and sticking to teeth. While the outside was dry and crumbling.
Hi Natalia, it could be due to under baking or possibly being in a high humidity area. These are best when made and kept in a dry place at room temperature. If they are sticky, you should continue baking. Also, be sure you are baking on the regular bake setting (not convection). One of our readers wrote “the reason they come out sticky is because you change the temperature really fast like from hot oven to room temp. So what I do is bake them 1 hour and 15 min and then turn off the oven and let them sit there for 30 min like you say in your recipe and then just crack open the oven a little and let them sit there until the oven cools off completely or even longer sometimes 2 hours. ” I Hope this helps.
Hi Natasha!
I am looking to make this recipe for a project. If I substituted potato starch, would I use the same amount of potato starch as corn starch? Thank you so much, and I can’t wait to make this!
Hi Mariana, I haven’t tested substituting to advise of the measurements, but one of our readers reported great results using potato starch.
Any idea if it will turn out the same if I substituted the sugar with monk fruit?
Hi Olga, I haven’t tested that so I don’t know if it would form properly.
I am gonna give it a go, finally found monk fruit sweetener, will let you know how it turns out 😁
I’m going to make these for my daughter’s birthday. Recently, I had them at a restaurant and they used lemon curd instead of the cream. It was delicious so I am going to go with that.
How many does your recipe make?
Hi Carol, the serving size is at the top of the recipe card. I hope you love the pavlovas.
I don’t think it will work on a silicone mat but you can be the first one to try it!
I don’t think it will work on a silicone mat but you can be the first one to try it!
Hi Natasha! Thanks for sharing it with me! These turned out great and I really love this recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoeyd this recipe, Nelly!
I really loved this recipe and am thankful that I found it!
I’m so glad you discovered our blog! Thank you for sharing that wonderful feedback, Nelly!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with me! The pavlovas turned out GREAT!
You are very welcome, Nelly. I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi, Natasha, thanks for the recipe. it was a big hit with my friends. I was just wondering if it is possible to reduce the amount of sugar {it was a bit too sweet for me}? will it affect the texture or the density? could i use more lemon juice? any suggestions?
Hi Natalia, it may impact density, but one of our readers did write in saying they used 1 1/4 cup of sugar instead of 1 1/2 cup. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Can I pipe them onto a silicone mat instead of parchment paper?
Hi Nadia, I have only tried this on parchment paper to advise on a silicone mat.
So they did turn out but definitely needed a little longer baking time. They tasted a little raw in the center by the time in the recipe. Gonna stick to parchment for now 🙂
I make pavlova without cornstarch at all just egg whites. Sugar. Vanilla and vinegar and comes out perfect 👌
So good to know that, Christine. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Natasha,
When I tried out this recipe, there was a translucent liquid leaking out of the base of the pavlovas. I assume this to be me being slow in the folding of the vanilla, flour, and lemon juice.
Furthermore, after letting the pavlova cool down in the oven for half an hour, it was still giving a marshmallow consistency.
I am in a very humid country and was wondering if the humidity could be the reason why my pavlovas do not harden?
Hi Chris, humidity is the biggest culprit to why you are getting the marshmallow consistency. You may need to bake it longer and make sure you are not opening the oven door to check on it, letting humidity in.
I have been making pavlova for more than 30 years and have never put corn starch or lemon in mine and they have always turned out perfectly. British recipes that I have used called for cream of tarter and as I usually didn’t have that skipped it too. I’m going to try your recipe and see how it compares
Hi Pat! Thank you for sharing that with me! I hope you like this recipe!
Hi Natasha,
I am planning to make these for Christmas and thinking I will do a test run this weekend, I’ve had a look through the recipe, comments and notes and can’t find if the 225 is Celsius or Fahrenheit?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Kate, that is fahrenheit!
Hi Natasha, the first time I made these they were perfect and delicious. Now they are in the oven for the correct time and f but they turn this yellow/cream color and are sticky as if not ready. What do I do to fix it?
Hi Sofiya, make sure to bake them on regular bake mode and not to increase the heat to speed up the process since that is what causes them to change color. I would reduce the temp and continue baking until they are dry on the outside and firm to the tap.