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!
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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
I made it today for very first time and it came out great! My sister always makes them by this recipe and they always look and taste wonderful
That’s wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Hi there, pavlova is an Australia/ New Zealand dessert! Love the recipe!
So glad you love it!
Hi Natasha, I loved this recipe and it tasted so good!! However, when I put them in the fridge with the whipped cream, the next day the meringues were soggy. Was it the whipped cream that made it soggy or something else?
Hi David, yes, they need to be eaten quickly after they are put together. If you’d like to make them ahead you can store the pavlova in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to put together.
Try making lemon curd and make a trifle alternating broken up meringue,.curd, whipped cream and strawberries…so delicious
Sounds delicious!
Excellent recipe BUT they are neither Russian or Ukraine in origin..they are either Australian or New Zealand in origin..there has been an ongoing debate for as long as the dessert has been around, just which of those two countries can claim it as theirs!
This is such an irrelevant comment. Many people share similar culture and why would you even try to debate a recipe online on a cooking website. Stop hating
The best pavlova recipe EVER! I’ve tried a few different recipes and none of them beat this one. It’s been my family’s favorite dessert for the last 3 years. Easy, simple, and scrumptious!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Val!
How is this Russian or Ukrainian cuisin? Look up the origin of the pavlova and you will find it was created by a chef in Wellington, New Zealand to honour ballerina Pavlova.
So she says in “ What is Pavlova?”! But I think people may think of it as Russian, so filing it under Russian Cuisine is appropriate I think….
This reminds me of my Grandma’s German foam cake. Are you sure it is Australian or New Zealand? Grandma’s recipe does differ slightly to the traditional recipe for German foam cake that says to use powdered gelatin but grandma always used cornstarch and lemon juice instead because her grandma used cornstarch and lemon juice. And they didn’t cover it in chocolate even though the family would get mad about that.
Hello, I have always used caster sugar when making meringue,,why do you advise granulated?
Hi Mary, I have always made it this way, I haven’t tried caster in a pavlova to advise on the outcome, I hope you try our recipe soon!
This did not come out AT ALL. I tried 3 times all three times after adding the sugar into the whipped egg white- it was runny and gooey. It was very upsetting and annoying.
Hi, I haven’t had that experience. Are you using granulated sugar and also real egg whites (not from the carton which might have additives?). Also, make sure all of the ingredients are at the right temperature. Usually with egg whites and granulated sugar, if you just keep beating, it will turn into a meringue consistency. You do need a high-powered mixer to make meringue though – maybe that is the issue? I hope that helps to troubleshoot.
I made this recipe last week and it came out beautifully. I shared it with friends who were very impressed att my amazing skill ;). Really, the recipe is simple and straightforward. The only change I made was mascerating the berries. Yes, okay, it did amp up the sweetness but hey, it’s already off the calorie counter’s list!
I will definitely make it again.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Laurie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
These came out great I have made this several times now using this as a base in various sizes and always get a nice Pavlova out of it. It’s a good reliable recipe. One quick note though you have this listed as Ukrainian or Russian, while they are named after a dancer from their this dish is very much from Australia or New Zealand.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Wonderful recipe of a wonderful desert.
Make sure you have the right piping tip or it can be messy.
Yes, that’s important. Thank you for the reminder and good feedback!
Hi Natasha. My bize looked and felt nice until I added the cream. Then it became sticky and chewy?
Hi Lina, it should only become sticky and chewy if refrigerated or kept in a high moisture area. I recommend serving it immediately after pipping on the cream.
Great and easy to follow recipe. It’s as tasty as it is eye popping pretty. I substituted the sugar with monk fruit sweetener to make it Keto friendly. Although it came out a little browner, it was awesome! Highly recommended!
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Darin! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made these but forgot the cornstarch and they still turned out great.
Great to hear that it still turned out great!
HI. I have a small oven and was wondering how long can I store the whipped pavlova batter before I can bake it? Or should I make it in two batches?
Hi Nidhi, it will lose its volume as it sits. I would mix it in batches.
Hi!
I made this recipe and turned out amazing! I just forgot to spoon down the middle to make room for cream and berries. I already baked them, is there anything I can do?
Hi Tabi, once they’re baked, and hard it’ll like break if you try spoon it down or make it flat. When you pipe the cream, you can intentionally pipe it allowing a place for the berries to rest. You just may not have as much cream on them.
I haven’t made this yet, but thinking of a comment asking about omitting lemon jc and your vid comment about the contrast of the tangy berries to the sweeter components… maybe a bit of muddled berry in the meringue cup before the cream filling? I feel like that might be more balanced to help with the cloying sweetness? Full disclosure… not a super sweet fan. Really just asking a question, not offering a criticism since I haven’t made them! 😀
I looked but I didn’t see a question or an answer to this: Can you use carton egg whites for these? Thanks.
Hi Michelle, make sure that if you are using egg whites from a carton, they don’t have any additives. I have had readers report difficulty using carton whites.
This recipe is amazing! Just won 1st place at my work’s dessert contest! First time making it too.
Wow! Congratulations! I’m so happy to hear that!
Wow, congratulations and great job to you!
Hi Natasha!
Im making this for my husbands birthday today! I was wondering if it’s possible to omit the lemon juice in this recipe? Does adding it make the pavlova taste like lemon?
Hi Jenn, the lemon adds just a hint of flavor, but these do not have a strong lemon taste.
The acid from the lemon helps stabilize the meringue so you can whip it longer and get a lighter and fluffier meringue. It isn’t there for flavor you shouldn’t really be able taste it.
Hey there, Jenn! Of course, you can omit the lemon juice! It’s only been added for that little hint of flavor! It also helps to keep the batch at the end a bit more sturdy so you don’t end up with a dollop of runny cream! The lemon does not add any heavy flavor to your Pavlova.