Learn how to make the perfect Swiss meringue for a variety of desserts. Find essential tips for creating a smooth and stable Swiss meringue.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- What is Swiss Meringue?
- 2 Simple Ingredients to Make Swiss Meringue
- 8 Tips For Perfect Swiss Meringue
- Why is the Swiss meringue loose?
- Why is my Swiss meringue grainy?
- 5 Steps To Make Swiss Meringue
- Uses for Swiss Meringue
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Frosting Recipes
- VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
- Printable Recipe
- Perfect Swiss Meringue
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple recipe - Follow the 5 simple steps using just two ingredients to make a smooth and stiff meringue.
- Use it for various desserts - Make a variety of desserts using this Swiss meringue, such as Swiss meringue buttercream, meringue cookies, macarons, and more!
- Essential tips - I am spilling all the tips and tricks for making the perfect Swiss meringue at home. This is an in-depth guide to making Swiss meringue. Read through the post and feel confident making it!
What is Swiss Meringue?
Swiss meringue is made by heating egg whites and sugar in a water bath and then whipping it. Heating egg whites makes more stable meringue that can hold its shape for longer, compared to un-cooked meringue.
How is Swiss meringue different from other types of meringue?
1. Italian meringue
Italian meringue is made by combining hot sugar syrup (244ºF or 118ºC) and whipped egg white. I use it for various desserts, such as fruit mousse, like strawberry and raspberry mousse, lemon meringue tart, meringue cakes, and meringue cookies.
2. French meringue
French meringue is made by just whipping egg whites and sugar. It is the easiest type of meringue, yet the most unstable one since it's not heated. It is ideal for many baked desserts, such as vanilla chiffon cake, meringue cookies, souffle pancakes, etc.
2 Simple Ingredients to Make Swiss Meringue
- Egg white: Ensure no oils (yolks, etc.) and liquids are mixed in the egg white since they prevent it from whipping well. I recommend using pasteurized eggs to avoid the risk of Salmonella. Save the leftover egg yolks for other uses, such as French buttercream, pastry cream, anglaise sauce, etc.
- Granulated sugar: Use white sugar, such as granulated sugar and caster sugar.
8 Tips For Perfect Swiss Meringue
- Ensure all the tools are completely dry and clean with no oil, liquids, or any residue attached - Egg whites do not get whipped well when coming in contact with them. Even a small amount of them can affect the result! Egg yolks contain natural oil, so carefully separate eggs.
- Use a water bath to heat egg whites gradually and prevent them from getting cooked. Ensure the bowl does not touch the hot water directly so the eggs do not get cooked with extreme heat. Simmering water is ideal even though the meringue might not get cooked with boiling water if you constantly mix while heating.
- Mix constantly and evenly to prevent egg whites from getting cooked partially. We tend to miss the spot around the edges of the bowl - Scrape off the egg whites often.
- By heating egg white to 160°F (71°C), you can create a very stiff and stable Swiss meringue that does not collapse easily. When you heat it for less time, the meringue gets looser. And when you heat it too much, egg whites can get cooked, which leads to a grainy meringue. By knowing this, you can also lower the temperature a bit to create a slightly softer Swiss meringue when it is more desirable for the specific dessert.
- Use a candy thermometer to get the accurate temperature. When you check it by hand, touch it and rub it with your fingers - The sugar granules shouldn't feel grainy when heated enough.
- Egg whites get whipped A LOT more when it is warmer. Once it reaches 160°F (71°C), don't wait; start whipping immediately!
- Stop whipping the meringue when it's cooled to room temperature. The meringue slowly starts losing the volume when it's over-mixed.
- Use it right away after the meringue is made. The meringue gets firm as it sits, and it'll collapse by trying to re-mix it.
Why is the Swiss meringue loose?
- It could be because the meringue was not heated enough. The lower the temperature, the looser the meringue gets.
- There may be oil or liquids mixed in the egg whites or tools. They can also prevent egg whites from whipping well.
- The heated egg white mixture was not whipped immediately - The cooler meringue does not whip up as much.
- The meringue was over-mixed - Stop whipping it after it cools down to room temperature or slightly warm.
Why is my Swiss meringue grainy?
When the egg whites are cooked partially, it leads to grainy meringue. Mix the egg whites and sugar constantly and evenly while heating them with a water bath to prevent it. Also, ensure that the water bath does not touch the bowl directly since the extreme heat can also cook the egg whites.
5 Steps To Make Swiss Meringue
Preparation
- Separate eggs. Ensure that no egg yolks are mixed in.
- Prepare hot, simmering water in a saucepan for the double boiler.
Heat egg whites and sugar.
- Step 1: Combine egg whites and sugar in a large bowl with a whisk.
- Step 2: Heat it with a water bath while constantly mixing it with a whisk attachment. Immediately remove it from the heat when it reaches 160°F (71°C).
Whip the egg white mixture.
- Step 3: Wipe off the steam under the bottom of the bowl. Pour the egg white mixture into a stand mixer bowl and immediately start whipping at high speed with a whisk attachment.
- Step 4: Turn down the mixing speed as it cools down - Touch the bottom of the bowl or meringue and check. Turn it down to medium heat once it feels comfortably warm. Turn it down to low to medium-low speed when it feels slightly warm.
- Step 5: Stop whipping it when the meringue or the bowl is cooled to room temperature or feels slightly warm. Use it immediately. The finished meringue should look stiff but still elastic and smooth.
The tips should curl up when lifting it with the whisk.
Uses for Swiss Meringue
Use Swiss meringue for a variety of desserts, such as:
- Swiss buttercream: The buttercream is so fluffy and stable. It is made by combining Swiss meringue and butter.
- Meringue cookies: The meringue cookies made with Swiss meringue are shiny and crispy. They are also less fragile than meringue cookies made with French meringue. I made cute bear cookies with hearts using Swiss meringue.
- Meringue tart (or pie): The fluffy meringue is a perfect addition on top of any fruit tart, chocolate pie, and more!
- Decorations: Pipe it on plated desserts or cakes to make them look fancy.
- Macarons using the Swiss method are shiny and visually appealing. They are often slightly sweeter than macarons with French or Italian methods.
- Frosting for layer cakes: You can frost a cake with meringue and add a beautiful texture. Torch the surface with a kitchen torch to make it look more dynamic. One of the most famous cakes is a baked Alaska - ice cream covered with fluffy meringue!
- Mousse: Swiss meringue creates stable mousse. The texture gets slightly heavier than that of mousse with Italian meringue.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store the frosted cakes or piped meringue in the fridge for up to a few days.
Unfortunately, no - You'll need to use it right after it's made since it'll slowly lose its stability as it sits.
Yes, you can! You can add flavors such as vanilla extract, almond extract, cocoa powder, matcha powder, etc. Just be careful not to add it too much since it can make the consistency too loose.
It’s possible, but I wouldn't recommend reducing it too much. With less sugar, the meringue gets less stable and can't hold its shape so well.
Yes, you can use a hand mixer if you don't have a stand mixer. Whip the Swiss meringue constantly at high speed. But it can take time and exhausting. I highly recommend using a stand mixer if you have one!
Yes. However, the whisk attachment might not be able to pick up the egg whites well with a stand mixer, especially if the bowl is large. And this can lead to looser meringue. To prevent that, try the list below:
1. Use a smaller bowl (if it's possible).
2. Whip it well at the highest speed while the egg white mixture is hot.
Yes! I recommend gel food coloring - They color meringue better and won’t affect the consistency much compared to liquid food coloring.
It is possible - the meringue looks foamier and won't feel grainy when touching it when rubbing it with fingers. But judging the exact temperature by look or hand can be hard. I highly recommend using a candy thermometer to get the most accurate temperature.
More Frosting Recipes
If you like this Swiss meringue recipe, also check out other frostings and explore the tastes!
VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!
Watch how to make Swiss meringue and better understand each step!
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Printable Recipe
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Perfect Swiss Meringue
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Bowl
- Thermometer
- Stand mixer with a whisk attachment or hand mixer
- Spatula
NOTE: For best results, measure ingredients with a scale. All recipes are designed with weighed ingredients using grams/ounces. Cup measurements (US customary units) are provided for your convenience.
Instructions
Preparation
- 1. Separate eggs. 2. Ensure that no egg yolks are mixed in. Prepare hot, simmering water in a saucepan for the double boiler.
Swiss Meringue
- Combine egg whites and sugar in a large bowl with a whisk.150 g Egg white, 225 g Granulated sugar
- Heat it with a water bath while constantly mixing it with a whisk attachment. Immediately remove it from the heat when it reaches 160°F (71°C).
- Wipe off the steam under the bottom of the bowl. Pour the egg white mixture into a stand mixer bowl and immediately start whipping at high speed with a whisk attachment.
- Turn down the mixing speed as it cools down: Touch the bottom of a bowl or meringue and check. Turn it down to medium heat once it feels comfortably warm. Turn it down to low to medium-low speed when it feels slightly warm.
- Stop whipping it when the meringue or the bowl is cooled to room temperature or feels slightly warm. Use it right away.The finished meringue should look stiff but still elastic and smooth. The tips should curl up when lifting it with the whisk.
Video
Notes
8 Tips For Perfect Swiss Meringue
- Ensure all the tools are completely dry and clean with no oil, liquids, or any residue attached - Egg whites do not get whipped well when coming in contact with them. Even a small amount of them can affect the result! Egg yolks contain natural oil, so carefully separate eggs.
- Use a water bath to heat egg whites gradually and prevent them from getting cooked. Ensure the bowl does not touch the hot water directly so the eggs do not get cooked with extreme heat. Simmering water is ideal even though the meringue might not get cooked with boiling water if you constantly mix while heating.
- Mix constantly and evenly to prevent egg whites from getting cooked partially. We tend to miss the spot around the edges of the bowl - Scrape off the egg whites often.
- By heating egg white to 160°F (71°C), you can create a very stiff and stable Swiss meringue that does not collapse easily. When you heat it for less time, the meringue gets looser. And when you heat it too much, egg whites can get cooked, which leads to a grainy meringue. By knowing this, you can also lower the temperature a bit to create a slightly softer Swiss meringue when it is more desirable for the specific dessert.
- Use a candy thermometer to get the accurate temperature. When you check it by hand, touch it and rub it with your fingers - The sugar granules shouldn't feel grainy when heated enough.
- Egg whites get whipped A LOT more when it is warmer. Once it reaches 160°F (71°C), don't wait; start whipping immediately!
- Stop whipping the meringue when it's cooled to room temperature. The meringue slowly starts losing the volume when it's over-mixed.
- Use it right away after the meringue is made. The meringue gets firm as it sits, and it'll collapse by trying to re-mix it.
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