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
Hi again Natasha. I asked a question about the use of half the called for sugar in this recipe. I would like to know if that’s possible.
Hi Judith! I haven’t tried cutting back since sugar is important for the meringue to form properly. It really helps to use whipped cream that is just barely sweet and adding berries gives it some tart elements to help cut the sweetness. I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha, I would like to cut the size of these mini pavlovas to 1/2 it’s size & make double with this portion. Would I keep the oven temp & timing the same?
Hi Val, you may need to reduce bake time. We do have mini pavlovas here that you may enjoy.
Hi Val, I haven’t tried that so you will have to experiment. I would check on them a little earlier to see if the shell is dry to the tap.
I recently made meringue cookies using half the sugar. They came out great. Will I be able to make this using half the sugar? Also, when making the cookies the cream of tartar was added directly into the egg whites before whipping them. Would we be able to add the corn starch to the egg whites before whipping? That way the corn starch would be completely mixed in.
Hi Judith! I haven’t tried cutting back since sugar is important for the meringue to form properly. It really helps to use whipped cream that is just barely sweet and adding berries gives it some tart elements to help cut the sweetness. I hope that helps!
So I forgot to beat the egg whites first for a minute and added sugar right away, and now beating it while writing this,, should I just re do the whole thing all over ??
Hi Alli, it may still work but will take longer to beat! I hope that worked out okay for you!
Hi Natasha,
This is a great recipe. I use it to pipe out a 9” meringue at 110 degrees celcius( I live in Israel)My meringue comes out high, billowIy like. After an hour and a half, it’s firm on the outside and like marshmellow inside. Perfect. I pull out all the stops to avoid cracking and grind my granulated sugar so it is very smooth, leave the meringue in the oven overnight, and use nonstick baking paper. BUT when it comes time to remove the meringue with the paper the next day it invariably cracks. Not all over and of course the whip cream covers the cracks. BUT I would love to know how to avoid this issue in the future… Thanks in advance! Melissa
Hi Melissa, 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 realy 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. ” Hope this helps.
Natasha, I love your receipes. I tried these and they came out marshmallowly but not with a crispy coat. No leakage ansd they kept their shape…just soft. What do you recommend doing to get that crispy coat? Thanks!
Hi Betty! Cornstarch is the key to allowing that to happen. Did you possibly alter the recipe in any way? I’m wondering if it needed some more time in the oven
Hello. I’ve been looking for a Pavlova recipe and this one looks perfect. My question/issue is that I have a gas oven. Meaning everything comes out nice and moist, thanks to the very humid heat. How do you think that heat will effect the outside of a Pavlova? nothing in a gas oven ever seems to get really nice and crispy on the outside.
Hi Ty, generally, humidity is not good for pavlovas and can prevent the hard shell from forming. I don’t have a gas oven to test this so if you try it out, please let me know how it goes since other smay have the same question.
Well. I made it. And I was happily surprised that it came out nice a crispy on the surface and pillow and Marshmellow in the center. The gas oven seems to have effected it very little. Cheers!
I am bringing dessert tonight for our Christmas dinner and wanted something special. This is it! My son’s girlfriend has gluten and dairy sensativities so I will server the whip cream on the side. I think they will love it, Thanks.
You’re so welcome! I hope they love it!
Hi, how many does this recipe make? Going to try them for Christmas in Chile! 🎄
Hi Stef. This makes about 14 to 15 or so Pavlovas, simply depends on the size piped. I hope this helps!
I am going to try my hand at making these beautiful pavlovas this Christmas! I don’t know if you’ve answered this before, but if I don’t have a standing mixer what else could I use to make these delicious treats? Thanks!
I hand mixer will work, it will just take a lot longer to mix that until stiff peaks form. I hope you love it!
Thanks so much!!! I look forward to trying it!
You’re so welcome! Enjoy!
Hi Natasha!
I’m planning to make your lovely pavlovas for xmas and I did a try round today! They were DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for the recipe! I wanted to ask, is it possible to put less sugar in the meringue? And if so, how much? (For my sugar intolerant friends)
Hi Ira, Thank you for the wonderful review! I haven’t tried cutting back since sugar is important for the meringue to form properly. It really helps to use whipped cream that is just barely sweet and adding berries gives it some tart elements to help cut the sweetness. I hope that helps!
Thank you! I’ll definately try that! Maybe also some raspberry syrup, to add some sourness. 🙂
You’re welcome!!
Hi Natasha! Is there a secret to making them turn out white after baking..? Mine are yellow😌☹️🤔
The lower the heat the better! If they are yellow, that means they baked too quickly or at too high of heat. I hope that helps
Yes I think that’s why my batch was burnt, my commercial gas oven was still at 250. They held their shape beautifully though. I will try again at a lower temp like 200 degrees F. Question please: if I am to substitute vinegar for lemon juice, how much do I use please?
Hi Candy, I haven’t tried it personally, but I have seen other recipes online using vinegar so I assume it’s ok, but I haven’t tested it myself so I can not advise on the amount
Natasha this recipe is so perfect, I am a Kiwi living in the US and made these yesterday for Thanksgiving, and they were such a hit, thank you!
Hi Annie! That’s so great! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Hi Natasha. I’ve done these many times before and they turned out awesome! Today for some reason the batter is turning out quite runny and isn’t forming into stiff peaks. I already did one batch, after baking they kind of melt and are just big circles instead of that pretty ridged “tower” from using the star tip. Any suggestions? Please help:(
Is it possibly too humid where you are now? Humidity may have that affect.
Thank you so much! I guess I wasn’t beating the egg enough before adding the sugar. I tried beating the egg for 2-3 minutes and got better results every time. I made 200+ for a wedding😩
That’s so great! I’m glad it worked out! WOW! 200 is quite a bit!!
My first time making pavlovas and they were such a hit at my party! I doubled these and made sure to use all your tips and tricks and they turned out beautiful!! I used to be scared to work with meringues but this was easy and successful, thanks so much!
You’re welcome! Thank you for sharing your great review! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
Hello. So I’ve tried making the pavlova but it doesn’t seem to work out. When I beat the yolk alone, it turns out bubbly and yellow and it’s like watery mix, even when I add the sugar it still watery base…it does not turn white and creamy and like shown in your video. Also I’m using the hands on mixer…maybe that’s the problem? Idk what to do! Please advise. Thanks.
Hi Margarita. This recipe doesn’t call for yolks. You need the egg whites part of the egg to make this recipe. This recipe calls for 6 egg whites at room temperature.You can definitely use a hand mixer but it will take a lot longer to mix to stiff peaks than a stand mixer. So watch and adjust the mix time accordingly.
Hi just wanting to check if the measurements are in metric or imperial?
Thanks
Hi Crystal! this is using the imperial system.
Hello, my pavlovas turned out crispy but for some reason quite sticky. Any suggestions as to what I may have done wrong?
Hi Liana, 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 sometime 2 hours. ” Hope this helps.
Are you using the lemon juice and corn starch in place of cream of tartar? I’ve seen other recipes that use cream of tartar without corn starch and lemon juice. So I’m wondering if I can just use that instead or is the lemon juice for flavor also?
Hi Audra, the lemon juice does add a hint of flavor as well, but maybe you are thinking of boccone dolce? Pavlovas are typically made with corn starch to get that crisp on the outside and marshmallow soft inside texture.
Oh. Ok. Thanks for the reply and explanation! I’m gonna try making them today!
Hi Natasha. we are having a huge party of over 50 people this sunday and I want to make pavlovas earlier becsue we already have many things to make so can I bake them like 2 days earlier? and then what do I do when I bake them, do I put them in the frigde, the freezer, or just in room temperature? and do I put them in ziplocks? also last question, is it okay if I don’t do the frosting? I want to do like rose pavlovas… thank you so much
Hi Victoria. I added that note to your previous comment. We kept ours in an airtight container at room temperature. Putting it in the fridge or freezer will cause it to catch moisture and can make it sticky. I hope this helps.
Can you not put the frosting and the fruits on the pavlovas? Also when you finish baking then do the freeze for like 2 days and will they melt once you take them out?
Hi Victoria. I’m not sure I understand your question. We usually top ours with cream and fruits. I haven’t tried freezing these, I’m afraid the moisutre would make it sticky. This recipe works well in dry conditions away from moisture. We keep ours in an airtight container until ready to dress up and serve.