Here it is, at last… drumroll please … the Holy Grail of egg-free / vegan baking, a recipe for proper, homemade meringues that look and taste exactly as they should. Not possible I used to think. I have previously posted about using Angelfoods meringue mix (3M Mess post) and they were good but a bit too crisp and brittle. Besides, using a packet mix is cheating, isn’t it?
This recipe is tweaked and amalgamated from the only two real recipes for vegan meringues I found online (meat and egg-free.com and Vegetarian Ventures), and a huge thank you to both these bloggers, I would never have considered using soya protein if I hadn’t read their fabulous recipes.
I experimented and fiddled with the recipes, and I’m really happy with how they turned out: pretty much perfect classic meringues but without using egg whites. They’re crispy on the outside, soft and marshmallowy inside. It might seem wasteful to go and buy some soya protein just for this recipe, but it is so good I guarantee you’ll use it again and again.
(Be prepared for more meringue based recipes 😉 )
Egg-free Meringue (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, sesame-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan) warning: contains soya
makes about 12 smallish meringues
- 6 tbsps icing sugar, sifted
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp soya protein
- 3 tbsps cold water
- ¾ tsp cider vinegar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1½ tsps soya protein
– Preheat the oven to 110 degrees Centigrade/Gas Mark ½
– Line a baking sheet with baking paper/parchment
– In a small bowl whisk together the icing sugar, xanthan gum and 1 tsp of soya protein. Set aside.
– In a large bowl place the water, vinegar, vanilla and 1½ tsps soya protein. Whisk on high speed for up to 10 minutes until it has increased considerably in size, and is fluffy and bubbly.
– Keeping the whisk on high add the icing sugar mix, 1 tbsp at a time. The mixture should eventually turn pure white and leave stiff peaks when the whisk is lifted out of the mix (I found the peaks were not quite as stiff as one would expect from an egg-based meringue)
– Pipe or spoon the mix onto the lined baking sheet.
– Place in the oven for up to 1½ hours, until the meringues are totally set and easily peel off the paper.
– Remove from the oven, peel off the paper and leave to cool.
– Keep in a sealed box until ready to use.
– Utterly delicious when made into meringue kisses – simply sandwich together using this chocolate ganache
Note on the unusual ingredients:
- The soya protein takes the place of the egg-white and gives substance to the mixture. I found a totally vegan soya protein made by Pulsin for sale on Amazon, but be careful as lots of soya protein seems to contain egg or other ingredients you might not want.
- The xanthan gum helps to bind the mixture together and stops them being too brittle. It is easily found in supermarkets and is often used in gluten-free baking
- The vinegar gives the soft, squidgy marshmallowy centre which in my opinion is the mark of a great meringue!
47 Responses
Unbelievable Lucy! And I thought I’d never have pavlova again!
Watch this space… Gonna try a pavlova with the mix and see how it turns out (fingers crossed!) x
SO WATCHING! Fingers crossed on both hands!!!
Your meringue looks and sounds fantastic! Funny you should post this, I was just thinking about tinkering with my meringue again. That marshmallow center has been evasive for me as well. Thanks for posting 🙂
We’re always on the same wavelength 😉
They’re so cute! Well done, and thanks for sharing!
Hi Lucy, just two quick questions – in your ingredients list for the meringue you’ve listed the soya protein twice? And how did the pav turn out?!
Hi Fiona,
Well spotted… One amount of soya protein gets whisked in with the water, the other amount is combined with the sugar and added that way. The pavlova turned out great, just needed to be eaten as soon as made as the egg-free meringues tend to collapse when topped with wet soya cream! You’ll find the post on my site if you do a search
Lucy
Haha I even read the recipe twice before posting the question and missed it both times! Thanks for clarifying! Can’t wait to try making a pav – thanks very much.
Hope it turns out well 🙂
Just wanted to add that Mattie over at veganbaking.net developed a seriously gorgeous vegan meringue recipe a couple of years ago.
Definitely worth checking out–especially since he goes into all of the science behind meringue and how to make a vegan match.
Here’s the link:
http://www.veganbaking.net/cookies/710-pistachio-meringue-cookies#.UR_YyuhaE7E
Ooh, thanks for the link. What an awesome website, I love his explanations. I might give his version and go and have a taste test 🙂
I’m so excited to find your recipe, I can’t wait to try it!
People are always shocked when you say you made an egg-free meringue – but the results are really good 🙂
My daughter is allergic to eggs so pavlova is a huge no-no at our house! I was so delighted to stumble across your website. I made this recipe for Christmas Day. I doubled the recipe and baked it as 2 large discs, sandwiched them together with whipped cream and lots of chopped fruit! My family were shocked to see that I was serving pavlova. I waited until they had eaten it and then told them that it was egg-free. Needless to say, no-one believed me until they saw my daughter sitting there eating a huge bowl full with a big smile on her face!!! Thank you soooooo much. I am about to try your Bear Paw recipe. I love frangipane but have steered clear for the past 11 years!
Fantastic! Your comment has made my day…. It is such a delight to be able to give your children things they think they’ve missed out on, which are as good, if not better 😉 than the originals! I can’t say the meringue is very natural or healthy – but everyone needs a decadent treat now and then!
I hope you like the frangipane recipe – I’m particularly proud of that one 🙂 Let me know how you get on x
We loved the bear paws!! I used sliced nectarine and careme pastry (we can use dairy) so they puffed up nicely. I am now working my way through the rest of your site to see what other yummy recipes I can try. Once again THANK YOU!!! 🙂
Fab! So glad it turned out well…. Love the idea of nectarine and frangipane – yum! There are no eggs anywhere near any of my recipes so hopefully you’ll find more useful ones!
Thanks so much for all the lovely comments 🙂 xx
If I wanted to use this recipe for meringue to top a pie, would I leave out the sugar and other flavorings and bake it like that? If so, how long would you suggest baking it on top of the pie til it sets like a true meringue?
I haven’t tried baking it on top of a pie – but you would still need the sugar in it otherwise you wouldn’t have any texture.
The meringue does need long, slow cooking so I’m not sure how it would work on top of a pie – perhaps you could always bake the meringue separately and then place on top (a bit of a cop out, sorry!)
If you give it a go and it does work – let me know 🙂
Totally making a strawberry pavlova with this recipe! It was one of my favourites and i’ve not had it in over 3 years since going vegan… EXCITED.
It works surprisingly well. Just make sure you eat it straight after putting the fruit and cream on or the meringue starts to collapse! Enjoy x
These do deserve a drumroll – wonderful!!! Celeste:)
Thank you 🙂 x
I have been looking a egg free meringue for my non colourant lemon gluten free pie( I scratch bake, the filling if made. I am so thrilled to try this, I will let you know .
Let me know! I haven’t yet tried it as a pie topping, so I’d love to hear how it turns out 🙂
This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it out! Is it possible to use a different protein powder other than soya?
I know you can buy pea or hemp protein but I’ve not tried them. Let me know if you give it a go, I’d love to know if it works. The results are rather magical and totally like a conventional meringue 🙂
I just receive some soya protein and I plan to try it within the next few weeks.
I will let you know If is works how do I send a picture?
Marg
Hmmm, I’m not sure! Are you on Instagram? I could follow you? Or on twitter? It’s my daughters favourite recipe, and I hope you get great results too. Just make sure your bowl is totally grease-free before starting or it won’t foam! X
Hello Lucy
In i m not on instagram or twitter.just a experimental,baker. I did make the meringue for my scratch lemon pie today., but I changed the ingredients. I tried the recipe you had but it was to sticky, so in my second attempt, I use granulated sugar, corn starch, cream of tartar and the soya protein, and water.. And whipped the tar out of it, meringue tastes great. Looks good.
Ooh, lemon meringue pie. Yum! I’m intrigued by your adaptations nod will give them a go. 🙂
Hallo Lucy, I’ve just prepared meringues following your recipe step by step and they turned out at the first time. I mentioned your blog and your original recipe in my post Vanilla cream cupcakes with meringue and strawberry coulis. I hope you don’t mind, if yes let me know and I’ll delete it! 🙂
Thank you for sharing it !
I’m most flattered – thank you for the mention 🙂
The cupcakes look gorgeous – I Bet they tasted yummy! How did you like the meringues? X
They look great. I wonder if this can work for pavlova?
Yes indeed it does – here’s the recipe! http://lucysfriendlyfoods.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/egg-free-raspberry-pavlova/
Im so excited to try . Thank you so much for sharing, what a delight. They look so Scrumptious. Thank you again! 🙂
Hope you enjoy 😀
so disappointed, this is the second attempt and my mixture did not fluff up and neither did it turn white , what did i do wrong? I followed the recipe exactly. it has cost a small fortune buying protein and xanthum gum.
Oh so sorry you’ve had disasters. All I can think that when it hasn’t worked for me is if there is any hint of grease on the whisk or bowl. On those occasions the initial mix hasn’t foamed. So I’ve started again after a thorough wash of the bowl and whisk and then it’s worked well. Hope that helps! Let me know if not and I’ll try and work out the problem x
Hi Lucy , See my post august 11, 2013. I did change your recipe as I found it sticky for lemon pie topping. and it worked well. Yes you need a clean greased free bowl, I also had my bowl chilled. I would like to show you a picture of the pie, but I am not sure how. And yes it is expensive, but, it is trial and error, to succeed.
I am trying to find an egg free alternative for my meringue based snickers cake, which is a base with salty crackers and peanuts mixed in with the whipped egg whites and sugar. So I’m wondering if you have any idea how many egg whites would give the same amount as your recipe?
Hmm it doesn’t make huge amounts. I’m thinking it’s the equivalent to one big or two small egg whites. Hope that helps 🙂
Hi . I have tried the meringue recipe twice now and it has been a failure .i followed the recipe exactly. I sent for soya protein (£6) and the gum .4/5 teaspoons used out of 200grams not cheap. I did send a message to Lucy but so far have not had any reply. So I would be interested to hear how you get on .
Sent from my iPad
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Hi sue, so sorry for the delay in replying. It’s been on my never ending to do list since I returned from holiday. I’m so sorry to hear you’ve had disappointing results from my recipe. It’s always worked so well for me that I gave it another go to try and work out some tips for the results you hoped for. I’m sad to say on this occasion I also had disappointing results – the meringues were not white and turned our harder and crispier than before. The only thing I can think that was different was that I’d bought a new pack of soya protein, so maybe they’ve changed the formula? Anyway, I’ll give them another go when I’m next off work and let you know the results. Hopefully I can work out a solution. In the meantime, sorry for your disappointment and I hope it doesn’t put you off trying my recipes. Best wishes, Lucy