Everyone feels a bit intimidated to make Italian meringue for the first time. I know it because I was the same when I started baking. But after some failures, I realized it is actually not that difficult if you know the key points.
That is why I am sharing my 5 tips to make a perfect Italian meringue anywhere.
What is Italian meringue?
Italian meringue is made by combining hot syrup and whipped egg white.
The process of Italian meringue is very simple:
- Whip egg white to make meringue.
- Make hot syrup. 117 - 119 C (242.6 - 246 F)
- Add the syrup to the meringue slowly as you whip.
... That's it! It is quite simple. But many things can go wrong if you don't know the tips. You may have encountered problems in the past, such as:
- It's loose.
- It's grainy.
- It looks too stiff.
...and so on.
I am mentioning all the points tied to the failures and the troubleshooting.
You'll learn essential baking tips such as:
- How to avoid sugar crystallization
- How much should you whip egg white before adding hot syrup?
- How to add hot syrup to make the smooth Italian meringue.
- When should I stop whipping the Italian meringue?
- How to make meringue cookies with Italian meringue
... and so much more.
Let's get started! 💪🏻
Jump to:
- What is Italian meringue?
- You'll learn essential baking tips such as:
- 📌 What's In Italian meringue?
- 📌 How To Make Italian Meringue
- 📌 After it's made
- 📌 How to make meringue cookies
- 📌 Uses for Italian Meringue
- 📌 Frequently Asked Questions
- 📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
- 📌 Printable recipe
- Perfect Italian Meringue
- 📌 Pin It!
📌 What's In Italian meringue?
3 Simple Ingredients:
- Egg white
- Ensure no oils (yolks, etc.) and liquids are mixed in the egg white since they prevent it from whipping well.
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- We make hot syrup by heating the sugar and water.
📌 How To Make Italian Meringue
The 3 Steps
As I mentioned earlier, the steps to make Italian meringue is very simple:
- Whip egg white to make meringue.
- Make hot syrup. 117 - 119 C (242.6 - 246 F)
- Add the syrup to the meringue slowly as you whip.
My 5 Tips
Now, let me share the 5 essential tips and additional valuable tips in the 3 steps so you can make it successful at home.
Preparation
My first tip comes in before we start whipping egg white. which is:
Tip 1: Ensure all the tools and egg whites are clean with no oil and liquids.
This is very important to make a fluffy meringue. That is because egg whites do not get whipped well when they come in contact with oil or liquids - the meringue becomes less stable.
You might have heard that egg whites are not whipped well when mixed in egg yolks. That is because yolks contain oil.
Ensure all the tools are completely dry and clean - Even a small amount of oil can affect the result!
Step 1: Whip egg whites.
Tip 2: Whip meringue well before adding syrup.
And how much you whip before adding the syrup is very important to make a stiff meringue. The finished meringue gets loose when you do not whip it enough before adding the syrup. If that is the consistency you like, it is not even a problem. But it'll be harder to pipe or frost beautifully with it because it can not hold shapes well.
I gotta say, depending on the recipes, they ask for different things here. Some recipes ask you to whip until it gets soapy, and others say to whip until it gets fluffy. I tried many ways and can tell you that you will be less likely to fail when you whip it until it looks very fluffy.
you can start making it before or after whipping the egg white of your choice. You'll need to control the timing so the meringue can be ready to use by the time the syrup is ready. I usually start whipping it at a low speed and gradually increase the speed toward the end to control the timing.
But, of course, do not continue whipping it until it starts separating. Whip it until it looks fluffy and smooth.
See the 2 photos below as examples.
It's not whipped enough:
It's ready!:
Step 2: Make hot syrup.
To avoid sugar crystallization:
- First, add sugar to a pot and pour water all over it. Shake a pot if needed to ensure the sugar is wet completely. When the sugar is not evenly wet, it can crystalize while heated.
- Brush all around the edge with water to wash off any sugar attached to it. This also prevents sugar from crystalizing while it is heated. I recommend brushing twice as you heat to prevent that from happening.
- Do not shake or move a pot around while heating it. Sugar can crystalize by doing so.
Tip 3: Heat the syrup to 117 - 119 C | 242.6 - 246 F.
The syrup's temperature is crucial for deciding the thickness of the meringue.
117 - 119 C | 242.6 - 246 F is the golden temperature for the shiny and fluffy Italian meringue. The consistency is perfect for piping or frosting easily.
The meringue gets loose when the temperature is lower. And it gets too firm or grainy when the temperature is higher.
How the syrup looks when it is reached 118 C | 244 F:
How to check if the syrup is 118 C | 244 F without a thermometer
- Prepare icy water in a bowl.
- Drop a small amount of the hot syrup into ice water using a spoon.
- Wait for a second until it cools down completely.
- Squish with your fingers. It should be firm but still elastic enough to form a ball. (See an image below.)
I highly recommend using a thermometer to check the temperature for accuracy if you can get it. The temperature often increases too much while checking the consistency, even if you remove the pot from the heat. Try to check quickly when you need to do this method.
Step 3: Add hot syrup to the meringue.
Once the syrup reaches the temperature, remove it from the heat right away. I like to wait for about 5 seconds until the bubble calms down slightly.
It gets too thick and sticky when you wait too long. Don't wait more than 5-10 seconds before you pour it.
Tip 4: Add hot syrup slowly along the side of a bowl while whipping meringue at high speed.
By adding hot syrup along the side slowly, it slides down and a whisk can pick it up easily.
When you pour syrup over the whisk, it can scatter everywhere. Or when you pour between the side and a whisk, the syrup falls fast, and some can sink to the bottom.
When you add too much at once, your egg white can get cooked up partially or some syrup can sink to the bottom.
Also, it is important to continue whipping at high speed while adding syrup to pick up the syrup well before it gets too hard.
Many people leave too much syrup in a pan, which messes up the ratio of sugar and egg white - Flip a pan toward the end as you pour and drop off as much syrup as possible.
Tip 5: Continue whipping fast until it cools down enough.
The process is very important to make a shiny, smooth, firm, and elastic Italian meringue. The meringue is not stable yet, while the meringue is hot. It is rougher, not so shiny, and elastic.
To check if the meringue is cooled enough, touch the bowl or the meringue itself. It's ready when it feels nothing or slightly warm. (Very slightly is the key.)
By the time you pipe or frost, the temperature goes down slightly. And by the time you finish piping or frosting, it is cooled and set.
When you continue whipping it after it cools down, the volume starts to go down eventually.
📌 After it's made
After the Italian meringue is made, it is important to use it immediately. If you need to pipe it, do it as fast as possible. That is because meringue slowly loses its stability as it sits at room temperature, especially when it is not cool.
Also, as it cools down, it gets firmer. When you mix or even touch it after it's set completely, it breaks down and gets loose. And you won't be able to re-whip or pipe that again with the same consistency.
📌 How to make meringue cookies
To make meringue cookies, pipe and bake immediately while the condition is the best.
How to bake them
Bake slowly in an oven at 100 - 105 C or 210 - 220 F for 1 - 3 hours, depending on the size. You can pipe them small if you want them to cook up faster. And color the meringue as you like!
To check if it's done, gently touch the surface. It is done when it is dry and firm! When it's still soft, bake longer.
Once they are cool, they are ready! It is very lightly crispy and melts in the mouth. It's such an amazing feeling. It is a perfect little snack.
How to store it
Any type of meringue gets sticky after a few hours or faster, depending on the humidity in the room. That is because meringue likes to soak up humidity fast. So if you want to store it, you'll need a silica gel inside the container to soak up all the moisture so that meringue can not! You can use any of your favorites. By the way, they are not edible, so tell kids they can't eat them!
📌 Uses for Italian Meringue
Italian meringue is often used to make a variety of desserts, such as:
- Italian buttercream: It is so fluffy and stable. One of my favorite frostings!
- Macaron with Italian method: It is my go-to way of making macaron.
- Lemon meringue pie: I love the dessert SO much!! The fluffiness, tanginess, creaminess... perfection!
- Frosting for a whole cake: You can frost it with meringue to create a unique, crowd-looking cake.
- Baked Alaska: Complete the classic dessert with fluffy Italian meringue.
- Mousse: I love using Italian meringue, especially for fruit mousse, such as strawberry mousse, raspberry mousse, etc.
... and a lot more.
Use this recipe as a guide and complete your favorite dessert!
📌 Frequently Asked Questions
You can. It’s possible, but with less sugar, it is less stable and won’t hold a shape as much. If it’s 10% or 20%, the difference shouldn’t be too big, though!
Here are the causes I can think of:
* The temperature was not high enough with your oven.
Try baking it at slightly higher temperatures.
* They needed more time to cook through the center because they were large.
* The meringue was loose.
It happens when:
- The temperature of the syrup was not high enough.
- The meringue was not whipped enough before adding syrup.
- liquid or oil mixed in the bowl, etc.
* It took hours before consuming it.
Store them with a silica gel to soak up moisture in the air if you don’t eat them immediately.
Yes. But the whisk (when you use a stand mixer) can not pick up the syrup and that can end up in runnier meringue oftentimes.
To prevent that, try the:
1. Use a smaller bowl if possible.
2. Ensure that the meringue looks very fluffy before you add syrup.
3. Whip well after adding syrup.
Also, use a small pan for the syrup so the water does not evaporate too much.
When you are using a hand mixer, you're going to have to move your hands for both meringue and syrup at the same time. So work closely with the bowl and pot and set everything ready before you start everything.
📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
To see how to make Italian meringue visually and get a better understanding of all, check out the video tutorial:
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📌 Printable recipe
💬 If you loved this recipe, please share your feedback on this post! I always love hearing how you enjoyed it with your friends and family.
Perfect Italian Meringue
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Pot (Small one)
- Brush
- Thermometer
Ingredients
- 7.9 oz Egg white
- 15.9 oz Granulated sugar
- 5.3 oz Water
Instructions
Preparation
- Tip #1: Make sure all the tools and egg whites are clean with no oil and liquids.
Step 1 - 3
- Whip egg whites until it gets fluffy.Tip #2: Whip it well until it looks fluffy before adding syrup.7.9 oz Egg white
- Make hot syrup:Heat sugar and water together at medium heat. Make sure that the sugar is wet completely before heating. Brush the edge with water on the way. Tip #3: Heat the sugar and water in a pod to 117 - 119 C | 242.6 - 246 F.15.9 oz Granulated sugar, 5.3 oz Water
- Add the hot syrup to the meringue while you whip it at high speed.Tip #4: Add it slowly along the side.Continue whipping:Tip #5: Continue whipping it fast and turn down the speed as it cools down. Stop whipping when it doesn't feel anything or very slightly warm when you touch the bowl or the meringue itself.
After it's made
- After the meringue is made, it is important to use it right away while the condition is the best.
How to make meringue cookies with them
- And color the meringue as you like and pipe it with a pastry bag.Bake at 100 - 105 C | 210 - 220 F slowly for 1 - 3 hours depending on the size. Pipe them small if you want them to bake faster. * Adjust the time and temperature accordingly.
- To check if it's done, gently touch the surface. If it's still soft, bake more. If you feel it is dried and set, it is done!Let them cool.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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