Meringue shells are a breeze to make and can be stored in the freezer for last-minute desserts. Follow this tutorial on how to make meringue shells.
This tutorial for how to make meringue shells has saved me many, many times. As much as I love entertaining, there are times when the thought of making a full meal, from appetizers and cocktails to entree, side dish and dessert, seems overwhelming. Of course, I could make things a little easier on myself by buying a dessert from a pastry shop, but that is not in my masochistic nature. That is where these easy, freezable meringue shells come in. Made of whipped egg whites and sugar, the shells can be made ahead of time and stored in airtight containers in the freezer. They take a matter of minutes to defrost at room temperature, and can be filled with ingredients such fresh berries, whipped cream, chocolate mascarpone cheese, or ice cream.
This post is part of my weekly how-to series. Be sure read through the other tutorials for more kitchen tips and skills.
How to make meringue shells:
*It is very important to use a bowl and beaters that are well-cleaned and dried. Any grease on these items can prevent the egg whites from achieving stiff peaks.
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
Prepare two large baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. On each piece of parchment paper, trace six 3- to 3 ½-inch circles with a pencil.
Pour 8 large egg whites into a very clean, large bowl or the bowl of a mixer.
With a hand or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat at low speed until the egg whites are foamy.
Increase speed to medium and gradually pour in 2 cups sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites form stiff peaks when you lift the beaters out of the egg mixture. You now have a meringue.
Take care not to overbeat the egg whites, as they can become grainy and dry.
Using a rubber spatula, gently transfer the meringue to a clean pastry bag fitted with a large circular or star tip, depending on the look you want to achieve.
Starting at the center of each circle, pipe a circle of meringue. When you reach the outer rim of the circle, pipe 1 to 2 additional layers on top of the border. Obviously, the more you pipe, the deeper each shell will be.
Put the baking sheets in the oven. Bake for 1 ½ hours, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven for 30 additional minutes.
Gently peel the meringues off of the parchment. Cool completely and put the meringues in an airtight container. Freeze the meringues if you will not be using them in the next 3 to 4 days.
Printable Recipe
How to Make Meringue Shells
Ingredients
- 8 large egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
- Prepare two large baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. On each piece of parchment paper, trace six 4- to 5-inch circles with a pencil. Flip the parchment paper over so that the meringue will not be sitting directly on the pencil marks.
- Pour 8 large egg whites into a very clean, large bowl or the bowl of a mixer. With a hand or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat at low speed until the egg whites are foamy. Increase speed to medium and gradually pour in 2 cups sugar. Continue beating until the egg whites form stiff peaks when you lift the beaters out of the egg mixture. You now have a meringue. Take care not to overbeat the egg whites, as they can become grainy and dry.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently transfer the meringue to a clean pastry bag fitted with a large circular or star tip, depending on the look you want to achieve.
- Starting at the center of each circle, pipe a circle of meringue. When you reach the outer rim of the circle, pipe 1 to 2 additional layers on top of the border. The more you pipe, the deeper each shell will be.
- Put the baking sheets in the oven. Bake for 1 ½ hours, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven for 30 additional minutes.
- Gently peel the meringues off of the parchment. Cool completely and put the meringues in an airtight container.
- Freeze the meringues if you will not be using them in the next 3 to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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Soma
I had always been so scared to make meringue. Don't know what keeps me away from even giving it a try. This step by step is bookmarked and I WILL try it, sometime. Thanks Dara.
Mary at n00bcakes
How cool! These are very attractive, and I love the fact that you can freeze them to use later. It's a great way to decrease the time needed to make a classy dessert. Thanks for another great how-to!
Darla @ Bakingdom
Looove these. I only recently learned that I love meringue so much, and the idea of filling it with more deliciousness is great! Plus, it's so much easier than you'd expect...for something visually impressive. Thanks for the idea!
RecipeGirl
Great tutorial! I never have much luck w/ meringue. It either turns brown in the oven, or the air here is too damp and it turns into a mushy mess instead!
Heidi
Mine came out brown this time too...too much heat?
Vivienne
this is gonna be soo useful to me for when i have to make meringue..im terrible at it coz seems like i always overbeat or underbeat.. which resulted in my latest pavlova disaster;)
your shells look so elegant and pretty!
Rose&Thorn
What a great tip - I would never have known you can freeze meringues. I will certainly be trying this soon.
Rose&Thorn
What a great tip - I would never have known you can freeze meringues. I will certainly be trying this soon.
Rose&Thorn
What a great tip - I would never have known you can freeze meringues. I will certainly be trying this soon.
Katrina
I'm scared of meringue but I just may have to try! These are beautiful! ♥- Katrina
warmvanillasugar
These are just lovely! I'm so happy I know how to make them now 🙂
Cookin' Canuck
Thank you for all of your comments! These were a lot of fun to make and I'm happy to have a stash sitting in my freezer.
Torviewtoronto
I like making meringue at home you have made them beautifully looks delicious
Barbara | VinoLuciStyle
I love all things meringue. Meringue cookies, meringue layers in lieu of cake layers and yes, meringue shells...which I haven't done for such a long time and now wondering why. Beautiful job.
Lizzy
Dara, you have mastered these! Beautiful~
marla
Dara, these are so great fro entertaining. Love the idea that you can freeze them ahead of time. Looks like so much more effort than is actually required. Thanks for this helpful tutorial.
Sue
Your meringue shells are perfect and beautiful! Thanks for the great tutorial.
Pegasuslegend
Very pretty, I think I will try these in Green for St Pattys Day! thanks for the tutorial!
Lisa@Pickles and Cheese
Thanks for this great tutorial! These look beautiful and delicious and I never imagined that you could freeze them...Even better! I will be making these very soon. Thank you.
Daydreamer Desserts
Great tip post Dara, a very simple yet elegant dessert! Love it!
Explora Cuisine
They are so beautiful!!! lovely dessert, I love it 🙂 Have a great weekend!