Meringue Cookies
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These baked Meringue Cookies are sweet, crisp, and practically weightless. They are like biting into a little sugar cloud. They melt in your mouth and look so pretty on a cookie tray, especially when piped into delicate little kisses and tinted with a hint of color.
I have a lot of recipes here on this site that begin with meringue. Recipes like chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream, angel food cake, and coffee macarons. It may seem pretty simple to whip egg whites and sugar together until fluffy and stiff, but it can actually be kinda tricky if you're not sure what you're doing.
And I get a lot of questions about it! So I thought it was about time I put together a comprehensive guide for how to make meringue. And these cutie-patootie baked meringue cookies are the perfect place to start!
For these meringue cookies, we aren't so much baking the meringue as drying it out.
These bake at a really low temperature (only 200 degrees F), for a long time. This gets them nice and crisp all the way through, without browning at all.
How To Make Meringue
The overall idea of meringue is pretty simple. It's really just egg whites and sugar whipped together until fluffy and stiff.
I like to add a few other ingredients as well, such as cream of tartar to make the meringue more stable, vanilla extract, and salt to balance the flavors.
If you want to make meringue without cream of tartar, just sub in a few drops of lemon juice or white vinegar. They all pretty much do the same thing.
And you can get creative with flavors too. Vanilla isn't the only option! Try adding almond extract, rosewater, lemon, or orange blossom water for example. You could even fold in freeze dried fruit (like raspberries) that's been ground to a powder in the food processor.
Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Light & Airy: Crisp on the outside and slightly chewy in the center, just like the best bakery-style meringues.
- Naturally Gluten-Free & Low-Calorie: Just 10 calories each and made without flour or butter.
- Customizable: Swap out the extract or add color for different flavors and themes.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: These cookies keep beautifully and don't lose their crunch.
Ingredients You'll Need
The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list with all of the amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.
- Large egg whites: The star of the show. Make sure they're at room temperature for the best volume.
- Cream of tartar: Helps stabilize the egg whites and create those strong, stiff peaks.
- Kosher salt: Just a pinch to balance the sweetness and enhance the flavor.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens and gives the meringues their signature crisp texture.
- Vanilla extract: Adds classic flavor; feel free to substitute other extracts if you like.
- Icing color (optional): A drop or two of gel color gives a beautiful pastel hue without deflating the meringue.
In Photos: How To Make Meringue Cookies
Step 1: Prep the Oven
Start by preheating your oven to 200°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
Step 2: Whip the Egg Whites
Place the egg whites in a clean, grease-free mixing bowl. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Begin mixing on medium speed until the mixture becomes foamy and opaque.
Step 3: Add the Sugar Slowly
Increase the mixer speed slightly and begin adding sugar, just a little at a time. This step is key! Go slowly (about ¼ teaspoon at a time) to ensure the sugar dissolves fully.
If the sugar is added too quickly, the meringue may collapse or become grainy.
Step 4: Whip to Stiff Peaks
Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer to high and continue whipping until the meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without it budging.
Step 5: Add Flavor & Color
Mix in the vanilla extract, and if you're using color, fold it in gently with a spatula.
Step 6: Pipe the Meringue
Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe small 1-inch diameter kisses onto your prepared baking sheets, spacing them slightly apart.
Step 7: Bake Low & Slow
Bake in the preheated oven for 2 to 2 ½ hours. They should feel dry and crisp, but not take on any color. Once baked, let them cool completely in the oven with the door cracked open.
Tips & Troubleshooting
Why Won't My Meringue Stiffen?
While the ingredients may be simple, the technique could really make or break you.
The most important thing when making meringue is timing. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Add the sugar in too early and your whites might never get fluffy enough.
- Add it in too late and your meringue might weep because the crystals didn't have time to dissolve.
- Add it in too fast, and it could deflate all the air out of the meringue.
It's a really delicate balance! But if you start adding the sugar when the whites are starting to look foamy and a little white, and keep it going in S-L-O-W-L-Y (I'm talking like ¼ teaspoon at a time!) you should be ok.
There's one other thing that is SO important when it comes to making meringue, and that's to make sure that everything is SUPER clean!
Make sure your bowl and your whisk are 100% free of any trace of fat. If any of your tools are at all greasy, your whites won't whip up properly. Wash everything in very hot, soapy water and dry it well. Even the most microscopic trace of fat could make it impossible for your meringue to reach that critical stiff peak stage.
And do you know what contains fat? Egg yolks! So be really careful when you separate the eggs too. If you accidentally pierce the yolk you can forget about ever making a proper meringue.
Meringue Cookies FAQ
You might be able to get away with baking meringues ahead, but you'd be taking a big chance.
If it's a dry day, that's probably your best bet. But if it's at all rainy or humid, you're going to have trouble. They might come out of the oven just right, but over time they will re-absorb moisture from the air and become sticky.
I've had this problem a few times before and it's so frustrating. You will be so much better off if you make them just before you plan to serve them.
If you live in a really dry environment, and you want to take your chances, place the meringue cookies in an airtight container and seal it tightly to keep the humidity out. They can last for a few days at room temp without spoiling, but they may become a bit sticky.
Hopefully this info will come in useful for you the next time you need to make a meringue-based confection! And if you have a question I didn't cover here, feel free to leave it in a comment below, and I'll get back to you with an answer as soon as I can.
These little meringue kisses are super cute and fun to snack on by the handful. But once you have meringue making mastered, there are all sorts of things you'll be able to make with ease.
Here are a few examples:
-> Pipe the meringue into a cup or nest shape, and it can be filled with lemon curd, berries, or ice cream.
-> Try your hand at Pavlova - it's baked a little faster so it remains soft and marshmallow-y inside.
-> Top a lemon meringue pie or baked Alaska - the meringue that tops these desserts doesn't get baked at all; instead it's toasted with a brulee torch or under the broiler.
-> If you can make a proper meringue, you're halfway to making French macarons!
-> You can also make my favorite ever frosting: Swiss meringue buttercream!
More Meringue Recipes
- Lemon Meringue Pie
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Pumpkin Meringue Tarts with Whole Wheat Shortbread Crust
- Raspberry Meringue Sandwiches with Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling
- Chocolate Peppermint Meringue Christmas Trees
- Pomegranate Meringue Tart with Brown Butter Shortbread Crust
- Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites, (large)
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon ) cream of tartar*
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) kosher salt
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract**
- 1 drop icing color , (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Place the egg whites in a large, clean mixing bowl, and add the cream of tartar and salt.
- Whip the whites on medium speed until foamy and just beginning to turn white.
- While continuing to whip, add in the sugar very slowly (about ¼ teaspoon at a time).
- When all the sugar has been added, turn the mixer up to high speed and whip until the meringue is glossy and very stiff.
- Stir in the vanilla extract, then fold in the color (if using).
- Transfer the meringue to a clean piping bag fitted with a French star tip, and pipe 1-inch diameter kisses onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake the meringues in the warm oven for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until light and crisp (do not brown).
- Serve immediately.
Notes
**Other types of extracts can be substituted to taste.
Hi Allie!
Can’t wait to make these! If I want to make chocolate or raspberry, how much powder do you suggest folding in?
Thanks in advance!
Love this recipe
Can i use powder sugar instead? And how much powder sugar if so?
Sorry I've only made it this way so I can't say for sure.
Worked Amazing!
So glad to hear that!
I think I have the same question as others. I just put them in the oven at 200. Mine are small- 1/2”-1”. They stay at 200 for 2 hrs or I turn the oven off at some point? Yours is the only recipe I have seen that didn’t say to bake for 3o minutes, then turn oven off and leave for an hour. Please confirm.
Hey there! The first step of the recipe is to preheat the oven to 200 degrees F, and step 8 says to bake the meringues for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. They should be baked at 200 degrees F for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until light and crisp. Sorry for any confusion.
Dry the meringue in the warm oven, means just put it inside without set the oven timer?.. Sorry, im abit confuse here.
Hey Helda- are you able to view the recipe card at the bottom of the post? The oven temp and cook time are listed there.
I really want to try this recipe but I only have a microwave oven... What time/temperature should I set in the microwave for the cookies and preheating?
I'm very sorry but you cannot bake these in a microwave.
How much lemon juice do you use instead of cream of tartar. Thank you in advanced 🙂
Just a few drops should suffice. Maybe 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon?
Thank you
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! I ended up making a ton of them today and they were absolutely delicious! I had made several challah breads, which require a lot of egg yolks, so I had lots and lots of egg whites and needed a recipe to use them up quickly and easily. This ended up being a great recipe just for that! So I made a double recipe two separate times today. Since I have a a convection oven I was able to fit one double recipe onto 3 cookie sheets and bake them at the same time, then later I did the same again. The first time I added raspberry flavoring and a little bit of red food coloring to make them pink, the second time I made them lemon flavored with yellow coloring. They are so so good!! Since I had three trays at a time in the oven I increased the baking time to 1 1/2 hours, rotating the sheets after 1 hour. Then I turned the oven off and left them in the oven for 2 hours to cool and they were very nice and crisp. Thank you again for the detailed instructions, it was very helpful!
You're very welcome Terese! I'm so glad you had such a great result, and your flavorings sound perfect!
Hi Allie,
Um... I get that in this recipe you use 200f, but I'd like to ask the baking time part, like you said "dry the meringue" what does that mean? Like just putting it in the oven, without turning it back on??sorry for the trouble, I've never made them before I wanted to try..
Hey Kristhel! You just want to leave the meringue cookies in the 200 degree oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. There's more info under the heading "Baked Meringue." Hope that helps!
They're all wondering if you leave the oven on or turn it off... very simple question with a simple answer lol it's a yes or no :p I tried to make these the "forgotten" way but they ended up falling and being sticky and no good... Can I use wax paper or tin foil instead of parchment?
If i were to use vinegar would i do white vinegar and if i do how much should i add?
You can find the answer to that in the notes section of the recipe card. Good luck!
Can’t wait to try this. I would like to decorate a cake with the baked meringue, how long would it hold. Will it lose shape or just get sticky over time?
They do get sticky over time, especially if it's a humid day. Again, I would recommend serving them right away.
This seems the perfect sweet for my kid who has type 1 diabetes. 2grams of carbs per serving is amazing! But how big is a serving?
A serving would be 1 cookie. Enjoy!
I tried to make some using the extra maringue that i used in my lemon pie
.when i took it out from the oven and while waiting for it to get cool it became limp and not crisp as what i thought it should be.what might be the problem?
Was it very humid on the day you made them? I talk pretty extensively in the head notes about how humidity can affect baked meringues. I think either they were picking up moisture from the air, or they weren't baked quite long enough. Sorry you had trouble!
How do I bake them at 200 degrees. I understand that you leave them in the oven for several hours I assume after you turn the oven off. Please clear this question for me how long do I bake them at 200 degrees?? Thank you so much. I appreciate your teaching us.
You just set your oven temperature to 200 degrees F.
But how long do they bake for 200 F?
Check out step #8 of the instructions on the recipe card.
Im baking these now... first time trying lol i have no piping bag or tips. I just used a spoon andmade peaks on each one when i plopped it on the pan.
Great idea! Hope they turn out well for you! Not sure where you are, but here in PA it's very hot and humid right now. If your conditions are similar, you may need to bake them a bit longer to get all the moisture out. Just a heads up!
How long can they stay? I saw u said serve immediately.
I would serve them as soon as possible, as they will begin to pick up moisture from the air immediately, and over time will become sticky.
Meringue Cookies are one of my favorite desserts. They're crispy, light, and sweet.
Hi! I remember my dad whisking by hand but i never did pay attention to the process, i also don't have a mixer but will attempt your recipe anyway and keep you posted?
Good luck Berta!
How would it turn out if I added less sugar and if I do add less sugar, how much would you recommend?
I would recommend using the amount that is called for in the recipe card. I always formulate my recipes with as little sugar as is necessary to obtain the proper result. Good luck!
Do I bake them for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or you bake them for less time and leave in the oven?
Thanks,
Sandra
Hello, actually I will be baking a cake for my mom birthday and i wanted to do some decorations with meringue. What do u advice? When should I make it?
I would make these just before you plan to serve them. As stated a few times throughout the article, they will pick up moisture from their surroundings very quickly, and become sticky. Good luck!
How do you make meringue cookies in Florida
Thank you
Not sure I understand your question, could you elaborate?
This is bs i wipped for 15 minuites its not stiff
Check out the info under the heading "TIPS AND TROUBLESHOOTING: WHY WON’T MY MERINGUE STIFFEN?"
I tried to make it.but my batter was not got stiff..so i couldnt make meringues properly .. wht is the reason for it.. please tell me
Please be so kind as to read the information I have already provided to you under the heading "TIPS AND TROUBLESHOOTING: WHY WON’T MY MERINGUE STIFFEN?" Thanks!
Do you think that if I cut out some sugar the meringue texture will be affected?
Yes it definitely would. The meringue will be less glossy and will have a different kind of texture.
I just made an almost identical recipe--it was called forgotten cookies. Put them into a preheated oven for 2 minutes. Then turned the oven off and in the morning they were done
Oh interesting!