This Swiss meringue recipe creates a glossy, stable foam that’s easy to pipe, bake, or use as a decorative topping. With simple ingredients and clear technique, it’s ideal for home bakers who want reliable results and elegant finishes.
This Swiss meringue recipe is your go-to method for achieving a glossy, stable meringue with a smooth texture and clean flavour. Unlike French meringue, which is raw, or Italian meringue, which requires boiling sugar syrup, Swiss meringue is gently heated over a water bath before being whipped — making it safer, more stable, and more versatile.
It’s perfect for piping onto cakes, baking into crisp meringue kisses, or using as a base for buttercream. The gentle heating of the egg whites and sugar ensures that the sugar dissolves completely, resulting in a meringue that’s smooth, shiny, and resistant to weeping or collapsing.
Whether you’re topping a tart, decorating a pavlova, or torching it for a modern mousse cake, this method will give you consistent results. It’s a pastry essential that every baker should master — and you only need a few basic ingredients and tools.
Swiss Meringue Recipe Video:
Swiss Meringue
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scales
- Medium mixing bowl heatproof
- Small saucepan for simmering water
- Silicone spatula
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment or hand mixer
- Cooking thermometer digital or sugar thermometer
Ingredients
- Egg whites – 115 g
- Vanilla extract – 2.5 g
- Salt – pinch
- Sugar – 230 g
Instructions
- Place the egg whites, vanilla, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir until fully combined.
- Set the bowl over barely simmering water and gently stir until the mixture reaches 71°C.
- Transfer to a stand mixer and whip on high speed until the meringue reaches your desired consistency.
- Bake at 90°C until meringue is fully dried.
Video
Want to see how Swiss meringue is used in a finished dessert? Take a look at my Black Forest Mousse Cake — where I use it as a toasted topping to finish the cake with a dramatic flourish.
Craving more behind-the-scenes moments, step-by-step videos, and sneak peeks of upcoming recipes? Join me on Instagram @andbonbons for a closer look at the process, pastry tips, and plenty of chocolate inspiration.