Meringues are a light and crunchy naturally gluten-free dessert that melt in your mouth. Better yet? Mine are made with only two ingredients –egg whites and maple syrup.
Meringue cookies are fun, yet elegant, pleasing both young and old; my children and their friends devour them. So does my husband. We’ll be serving my quick and easy Meringues at our Passover Seder, along with my egg-free Macaroons, in order to give everyone with food restrictions loads of options.
If you’re not Jewish, these meringues are also a wonderfully springy, light, and festive Easter dessert.
- 2 egg whites
- ½ cup maple syrup
- In a medium pot combine egg whites and maple syrup
- Turn flame on stove to lowest setting possible
- Using a hand blender with whisk attachment, whisk meringues in pot on stove
- Whisk 4-5 minutes total, until stiff glossy peaks form
- Fit a pastry bag with a ⅜-inch round tip (ateco #804) and fill bag with meringue
- Pipe meringue kisses 1-inch in diameter onto parchment-lined baking sheets
- Bake at 200°F for 2 hours
- Allow to cool for 1 hour
- Serve
This meringue cookie recipe is based on the meringue frosting recipe in my first book, The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook.
If you don’t want to be fussy and mess with a pastry bag you can drop this meringue mixture one large spoonful at a time onto a parchment lined baking sheet. One of the best things about these delicious, melt-in-your mouth meringues is that you don’t need to own a stand mixer to make them, you can make them like I did with a cheap hand mixer using the whisk attachment.
Another note on these gluten-free meringues –I tried making them with honey and they had an overly sweet cloying taste, my entire family preferred the ones I made with maple syrup, in fact, the boys would not eat the meringues made with honey.
If you’re wondering what to do with all those extra egg whites when you make my Chocolate Pots de Creme, use this Meringue recipe. According to Martha Stewart, meringues can be made 5 days ahead and stored in a cool, dry place at room temperature.
Claire Moses says
Thank you so much for this recipe, I was so pleased to find it.
I really didn’t see how these could work but they did! So easy and delicious, perfect little sweet bites for those who don’t eat refined sugar but need a treat!
When they were cooling I found they went a little tacky but your tip to put some crumpled kitchen roll in the airtight box soon made them dry and crisp again.
Brilliant!
Elana says
Claire, thanks for letting me know these are easy to make and perfect little sweet bites!
Susan says
Elana, my immersion blender doesn’t have a whisk attachment. Is this a deal breaker for the recipe? Chag sameach.
Elana says
Susan, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Shannon says
I’ve been making these meringues for years and love them!
Have you ever tried making a Pavolva with them? I wonder how well they will hold up in sheet form.
Elana says
Shannon, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Katie says
Hi They arein thevoven an hour now and smell like burning and verty brown .oven is at 200
Elana says
Katie, that would mean you’re baking them at celsius, this recipe calls for fahrenheit :-)
mela says
They are amazing!!! but we try not to use parchment paper. Any idea how to stop them from sticking? thanks mela
Elana says
Mela, thanks for your comment! I haven’t tried making these without using parchment paper so not sure about that. I’m so happy to hear these are amazing!
Stacy says
Hi Elana,
I was wondering if you have a recipe for holiday meringues? Maybe flavored or colored. I just wondered how you would flavor it if you use maple syrup. I make them with maple syrup and my family loves them, but I’d like to make them for a holiday cookie exchange. Any ideas so they don’t taste like maple?
Elana says
Stacy, thanks for your comment! Yes I do:
https://elanaspantry.com/marthas-coffee-meringue-acorns/
Enjoy!
Elana
Lynda says
Good morning Elena,
This recipe is awesome and so easy to do but can you tell me why, some times, they taste more like the chocolate bar Crunchies than meringue ? Thank you (for all the excellent recipes).
Elana says
Lynda, they have tasted like meringues to us every time I’ve made them so not sure :-)
Lynda says
No problem…. the taste is still very good but not as crispier… more like taffy (you undertand when I talked about the Crunchies bar ? I did not find the translation for “tire éponge”). Overcooked ?
Elana says
Lynda, if you turn off the oven and leave them in for a while longer they’ll get crispy :-)
Lynda Favron says
Good Morning,
Me again… did you ever try to freeze ot? This recipe is so popular with friends and family that I want to make a very big recipe for everybody. I search on the web and did not find the answer and with you experience… maybe you know !!! Thank you.
Elana says
Lynda, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do experiment I hope you’ll let me know if it works :-)
Sharon says
Trying with sugar free torani caramel. In the oven now. Will let you know results. Can’t wait to eat.
Elana says
Thanks Sharon!
LindaRose says
Hi Elena, I just tried whipping 2 batches of meringues because the first just didn’t whip up. Guess what the second batch didn’t whip up either. Any idea why egg yolks wouldn’t whip up??
Puzzled!
Elana says
Linda, yes happy to help. This recipe calls for egg whites :-)
Linda says
Sorry, my Lyme’s brain is getting the best of me these days, I meant egg whites wouldn’t whip up in two separate occasions. And the batch I made the week before whipped up and cooked well. However, next morning were all soft and gooey. I love your books I have them all.
Elana says
Linda, thanks for the update! I’ve found that sometimes on very humid days egg whites can be very stubborn when it comes to whipping up properly. I’m glad they were a success the first time. When it comes to keeping the meringues, remember, they are hydroscopic, meaning they absorb moisture. So if you live in a humid climate, as soon as the meringues are completely cooled, store them in an airtight container with a piece of paper towel crumbled to the side (to absorb any extra moisture) and keep in a cool part of your kitchen or pantry :-)
Hannah says
Well, I did not really believe that it would make fifty. If I wanted to get fifty I figured I would have to make them the size of a hershey kiss. Well, not so. I made them that size, and it turned out I had over 100!!! I made these the night before valentines day and the family LOVED them! Thanks so much Elana for posting this!!!! Amazing!
I don’t have a hand mixer so I actually just whisked it by hand and it worked fine… my hand did not even get very tired! :) I did use Maple Syrup and want to try it with honey! Thanks again!
Elana says
Hannah, thanks for your lovely comment! I’m thrilled to hear your family LOVED the meringues!
JO says
Hi Elana is this 200 F or C? can I have both please
Elana says
Jo, this temperature is 200F. Here’s a temperature conversion chart for you:
https://elanaspantry.com/temperature-conversion-chart/
Enjoy!
Elana
LT says
Love this recipe Elana! Made them for my son’s class as an alternative to bought sweets and they were a hit!
Came out perfectly first time and trying them again tonight.
Just want to thank you for all your recipes, we’ve made your cookies and cupcakes and they’ve all been delicious and a great alternative for our wheat free son.
Elana says
LT, so great to hear these were a hit!
Noelle says
The honey oozed out of mine during baking, what did I do wrong?? :(
Elana says
Noelle, honey does not work well for these meringues, best results will come from the use of maple syrup as listed in the recipe :-)
Alia says
If I want to use this recipe to make one or two large pavlovas, should I alter the temperature or baking time?
Elana says
Alia, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you do please let us know if it works!
Isabelle says
Do you think that using honey instead of maple syrup would work? I’d love to make these but forgot I ran out of maple syrup!!!!!
Elana says
Isabelle, I recommend making them with maple syrup :-)
Shannon says
I tried this recipe with honey once… they seemed to cook much faster for some reason (maybe honey has a lower burning point?), and they were much more chewy (got stuck in my teeth :/). Maple syrup definitely works much better!
Jennifer says
I made these with honey, they turned out nicely and were a huge hit with my daughters class. Honey does caramelize at a lower temperature though, so I had to turn down the temp (170 F which is as low as my oven will go) and kept them in for 3 hours rather than 2. I also let them cool inside the oven because we have a lot of humidity here which will make them sticky.
Jennifer says
OH! I also had to cut the honey down to 1/4 cup.
Elana says
Thanks Jennifer! I’m so glad these were a huge hit :-)
Jennifer says
You’re welcome. I’m very glad I found this page. My daughter’s teacher ended up asking me for the recipe, she was so delighted to finally have a treat EVERYONE in her class could enjoy since there’s a few kids with a lot of allergies and intolerances. (luckily no egg allergies. lol.)
Elana says
Jennifer, thanks for another wonderful comment! I’m so happy that I was part of your daughter’s class’ festivities via this recipe that everyone could enjoy. You made my day :-)
Nancy O'Neal says
I’ve always loved meringues that were chewy instead of crunchy— does anyone know how to make them come out chewy?
Elana says
Hi Nancy, you might want to take them out of the oven a bit early before they dry out and become crispy.
Shannon says
Honey makes them chewy… but also sticky… not fun for the teeth.
Elana says
Thanks Shanon!
Andrew says
In THEORY, according to my experience making pavlova over the years with varying ratios marshmallow/meringue, I suggest for a 2 egg recipe: 1 to 2 teaspoons of white vinegar whipped in at the end, and slightly less cooking time, should produce something closer to a meringue encrusted marshmallow.
I’m new to making meringues and not tried this.
Belinda says
Nice, easy recipe. Turned out great. I had syrup to bottom of some (not sure why). They’re quite sweet.
Elana says
Belinda, thanks for your comment! That has happened to us once in a while when it is a humid day.
Agnes says
to cool should i do that in or out of the oven
Elana says
Agnes, remove from the oven to cool.
Alla says
Egg whites did not stiffen AT ALL. Pretty disappointed :(
Elana says
Alla, there can be a number of reasons that egg whites don’t whip to stiff peaks. Sometimes it’s due to a trace of grease in the pan, or on the beater. Or it could be due to egg yolks contaminating the whites. Or it could be a very humid day that requires additional time whisking the whites. I hope these tips help you in your future egg whisking endeavors :-)
Henry says
Looks great
Micky says
Can you use sugar-free or no sugar added maple syrup?
Sonya says
damnit…just realised as the meringues were staring to colour very strongly after only 20 mins that the oven temp must be in Fahrenheit and in Australia we use Celsius. Hopefully they won’t taste too burnt.
Charmaine says
Same here in SA, our ovens also in celsius
Anna says
is there any way to use coconut sugar instead of maple syrup?
Charmaine says
I used Xylitol, worked fantastic
Julieta says
How much xylitol dos you use? Thanks!!
Bhavin says
Hi can’t wait to make these. I was wandering if you were to make a few larger meringues rather than 50 small ones would you amend the cooking temp/time. I’ll try it out and post results.
Kristin says
Mine turned out quite watery. I never got the stiff glossy peaks. The mixture is yummy though.
Lily says
I wonder if using flax seed or chia seed would work as a substitute instead of egg, I did , however make it on the stove tonight with egg and maple and I only got 21 cookies dropped off the teaspoon… Mounded ,yes. A great and amazing recipe, thanks for the share!
Eva says
I made them with aquafaba (chickpea brine): worked a treat.
Lisa says
Help! These came together beautifully but now that they are baking the maple syrup is oozing out of the bottom. Same happened when I made the ones with honey by Danielle Walker! Any ideas?
Lorraine says
leave it to someone with no clue, but I did think the beating of the whites over simmering water (double boiler) and for several minutes to stiff and glossy… I made mine large (lazy) with spoondrops they came out well but I could see a little of the maple syrup on their bottoms…
HbW says
Same thing happened to me… First time was perfect, next two times they deflated and the honey oozed out. They were still delicious, but I dont know what happened. :(. Hoping the maple syrup version works better.
Lorraine says
I can only say I finally found a recipe for successful meringue cookies (at least that isn’t loaded with powdered sugar) that holds up. Mine were big (lazy) and 2 hours perfect. Next time I may make them smaller and will check them at about 1.5. Oh I used double boiler (glass bowl on pan) because cord does not reach stove. My trick was to boil water, move onto counter (hot pad) and put in bowl with ingredients in and start whipping until stiff/glossy. Of course the water simmers down. Thanks again…
lorraine says
oops I mean I put onto pan the glass bowl…
Patti says
Every other recipe for meringues directs me to whisk the mixture in a bowl double boiler style, but yours works perfectly just whisking the mixture over direct heat. Is the maple syrup + egg whites the magic formula that can only be done this way? I want to make peppermint meringues but maple syrup would throw off the taste, so I’m wondering if a sugar or honey sub would tolerate the direct heat method. Any idea? Cuz your way is so much easier!
Elana Amsterdam says
Hi Patti,
I have a funny habit when I work on recipes of experimenting to make things as easy as possible. I take shortcuts whenever I can. I believe that the method in this recipe (whisking mixture directly over heat) will work. I use a similar method in a recipe in my first cookbook for making meringue frosting. However, I haven’t tried using this method with a change of ingredients (i.e., honey) so I can’t be 100% certain. If you do try, I hope you’ll stop back by and let us know how it goes :-)
Elana
Michelle @ Leo Sigh says
Love meringues. Used to buy them as a kid back in the UK at a shop near my school. Three large meringues for the equivalent of about 30 cents. Not nowadays :)
Will try these at some point. They look easy to make and look delicious. Thanks!
EllenFitz says
For those with only a stand mixer, KitchenAid gas a water bath attachment that you can add hot or ice water to to warm things up or cool them down. That said, I’d still like to know why we have to heat the mixture & what happens if we don’t. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000SQKPF6?pc_redir=1404316483&robot_redir=1)
Mary says
I wondered about heating the mixture as well, this sounds like the method for making Swiss meringues. Heating would make the syrup less think and perhaps that is useful?
———————————————————————————-
Swiss Meringues
Swiss meringues are made by combining sugar and egg whites and heating them over a double boiler.
To prepare a Swiss meringue, whisk the sugar and egg whites enough to break up the whites, but not so vigorously that they form an airy foam.
The sugar will melt and act as a protective shield against coagulation of the egg whites; heat and whisk constantly until the temperature of the whites reaches 145 degrees F or hotter.
Remove the bowl from the heat, and beat the warm egg whites until they form stiff, glossy peaks.
Misty says
These are amazing!!! So simple and yes, the recipe really does make 50 meringues. I now have Elana to thank for my passover meringue and purim hamantaschen. Thank you!
Franki says
These came out perfect! They did stick to the parchment paper a bit, so I may try greasing it next time. I didn’t have a pastry bag so I put the batter in a ziploc and snipped the corner off, worked perfectly! These are so delicious and easy!
Mia Pritchett says
Ladies
Yes the recipe is correct:). I am making them right now. The 2 egg whites and 1/2 C. Maple volumize greatly with the whipping action. I did not have a whip attachment for my stick blender so I used that on the stove then transferred the batter to my Kitchen Aid with the whip attachment to finish them off.
I do believe the 2 hours is correct. The lower temperature will get the texture of crunchy and chewy that meringues are supposed to be.
I just piped them out using a frosting attachment I use for cupcakes. They are beautiful and mine weren’t completely uniform but I still got 45 meringues. Try these. Just popped them in and set the timer for 2 hours.
Jay says
2 ingredients and 2 hours- Wow ! Thanks for sharing this
Mel says
Is there a way to make those with a stand mixer? I only own a stand mixer…
Thanks!
AnonL says
I only own a stand mixer as well and just made these. Here’s what I did: I put the stand mixer bowl (mine is metal / heat safe) over a small pot to create a makeshift double boiler and whisked it by hand until the egg whites were warm to touch. Then I just attached the bowl to the stand mixer and whipped it until they were done. Just a note: Against All Grain suggested using a teaspoon of ice water at this stage and I did add that as well as some chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.
They turned out great – super delicious. I baked at 200 for 2 hours, then turned off the oven and let them sit for another hour in the oven.
jules says
Thank you for adding this – I was going to try something similar.
Jennifer says
How would you suggest storing these? I left mine out over night and they got very sticky. I’m going to try rebaking them for 30 minutes to dry them out, but then how do I keep them from getting sticky again? I was planning on giving some away as a gift and I don’t want to put them in just a plastic storage container….TIA
Lorraine says
mine stored well in plastic container (surprised me). I left some out for the roomies and yah, they got gooey…
Cathy says
Does anyone know why the egg whites are whisked over heat, rather than the traditional cold whisk method? Thanks!
Judy says
What is the reason behind heating the egg whites and maple syrup while beating? I’ve never made meringues and am wondering why you need to heat them while beating/whisking, and can’t beat them at room temperature. There must be some chemistry behind it. I’m a big fan of maple syrup and these sound delicious.
ohmom10 says
is there a recipe for it without using eggs? i know its too much to ask for but i dont eat eggs now but have eaten these meringues when i was small…
johav says
haha. that’s funny. meringue made without eggs? really? meringue IS EGG, and it’s a 2 ingredient recipe, half of which is EGG. use a little common sense.
Brooke says
I am sorry about the other commenter :-( A Google search suggests that it might be possible. I looked at a few recipes and this one seems closest: https://www.ener-g.com/recipes/egg-replacer-meringue. My guess is that you could sub in maple syrup (in a smaller amount) for the brown sugar–you would need to experiment. Hope this helps!
Kendra says
You can make egg-less meringue with the juice from a chickpea can! Google it!
Christi says
Aquafaba! Canned chickpea liquid! http://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/2015/07/05/vegan-meringue-cookies/
Tara Q. says
Elana, I just wanted to check:
2 egg whites
Is that correct for fifty little meringues?!
Tasha says
I am guessing that they are tiny cute little meringues, about the size of Hershey’s Kisses chocolates for example :)
Ursula says
I’d like to know the answer to this question too! Thanks!
Amanda Lee says
I made these today and it made 48!
cherie watson says
Surely 2 hours baking is a typo can you pls confirm as I would love to make these.
Rachel H says
Nope. Meringues bake low and slow, and 2 hours is typical.
aspr says
you really couldn’t look at another meringue recipe to confirm for yourself?
Sab says
Everyone has the right to ask a question or leave a kind comment…whether or not YOU feel it’s appropriate is irrelevant. Please show some ‘common sense’ and a smidgen of courtesy when commenting. Surprised your comment was not deleted!
Thanks Elana for this awesome recipe! Will definitely pin this one! :)
Rebekh says
The 2 hours might be right…. but the temperature must be 200 fahrenheit, which is about 90 degrees celsius. That might make more sense to you know.
Andrea says
Wow thank you for sharing this! I am a BIG fan of 2 ingredient recipes and this one looks amazing.
I have made meringues in the past with white sugar but the maple syrup will add so much more flavor. I have been boiling down my sap the last couple of days and will definitely put some aside for use in this recipe.
I will need to work on my “kisses” though as I don’t quite have a knack for it yet :)
Kelley says
2 whites and 1/2 cup of maple syrup makes FIFTY meringues?! Wow!