An Aussie classic, this is really the best pavlova recipe ever! Make sure to follow along with my tips and tricks so that you can make the best pavlova at home with ease! Perfect for summer and holiday celebrations, wow your guests with this gorgeous dessert!
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Why This Recipe Rocks!
This is a tried and true recipe that I have made over and over again without fail! Pavlova's can be tricky to master, but with a few extra instructions, I have made this recipe so easy to follow.
This pavlova recipe is:
- delicate and show stopping - who doesn't love a dessert with a wow factor!
- requires pantry staple ingredients - nothing fussy just easy ingredients.
- can be customisable according to your tastes and toppings you choose
- is a state for holiday cooking - think special occasions, easter, Christmas and more.
- is sweet, but not too sweet - balanced with toppings of choice.
Recipe Ingredients
Eggs - this recipe requires six eggs at room temperature. Take them out a few hours before you start making the pavlova. Generally I use 50-55 gram eggs which are large eggs.
Sugar - if you have is, super fine sugar, known as castor sugar is best for this recipe. Otherwise plain white sugar is fine.
Vanilla - I use extract for this as it has a bit more of a vanilla flavour to it, otherwise vanilla bean paste or vanilla essence work as well.
White Vinegar - this helps bond the pavlova at the end. You cannot taste the vinegar at all in the recipe once it's cooked.
Cornflour/Corn Starch - helps to also bond the pavlova.
Recipe Instructions
*please follow the recipe card for full instructions located below.*
- I use some a splash of white vinegar on some paper towel to wipe out the mixing bowl and whisk blades.
- Seperate your eggs - there must be no contamination off egg yolks into egg whites or shell, otherwise they won't whisk properly.
- Whisk the egg whites until firm peaks appear - you should be able to flip the bowl upside down and the egg whites won't fall out.
- Gradually add the sugar beating for 1 minute after each addition, then 3 minutes after the final ¼ cup of sugar is added.
- Mix the cornflour, vanilla and vinegar in a small bowl - the corn flour will become tacky, this is normal. Whisk is in until just combined.
- Shape the pavlova, then bake for one hour to one hour and 15, then cool int the oven.
- Top with your favourite toppings of choice.
My Top Tips for a Successful Pavlova
- The egg whites need to come up to room temperature so that they whip better. The best solution is to separate the cold eggs first into a bowl, then bring the whites to room temperature.
- Initially, the egg whites need to be whisked until firm peaks appear. The best method to turn the bowl of eggs whites (very, very carefully) upside down. If they start to slip and slide, they need longer. If you can hold the bowl upside down and they don't move, they are whipped enough!
- Use a clean whisk and clean bowl, and there must be absolutely no egg yolk in the egg white mixture.
- The sugar needs to be incorporated well to avoid sugar syrup seeping out of the pavlova. A good indication is to get a little bit of the meringue and sugar mix and rub it gently between your thumb and finger. If it feels grainy, keep whisking.
- Once the sugar is incorporated keep whisking for around three minutes. This will really stiffen up the mixture and make it easy for shaping.
- Once the vinegar, vanilla and cornflour are added, you only need to whisk the mixture about 30 seconds more to ensure it is only just whisked in.
- Preparing the pavlova for the oven is important. I cut a piece of baking paper/parchment paper into a round sheet, and place it on a round pizza oven. To keep it in place, take a ¼ of a teaspoon of the meringue, and dab it onto four spots on the outside of the paper round to keep it in place.
- Shaping the pavlova is also important. I start by spooning all the pavlova mixture out onto my prepared oven tray. Then, using a spatula, I very carefully shape into a round shape. Start from the bottom, and make upward movements. The top will naturally form together. I don't tend to make a small mound in the middle because I find one naturally forms when the pavlova cools (see images for shaping!).
- Preheat the oven to 300F/150C first, then reduce the oven temperature to 250F/120C when you put the pavlova into the oven.
- Very important!!! DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN throughout the cooking time! If you need to check on it, use the oven light, but do not open the oven!
- Also VERY IMPORTANT!!! Once the pavlova has had 1 hour and 15 minutes in the oven, turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to fully cool for around 2-3 hours. By allowing it to fully cool in the oven, you are reducing the chances of the pavlova cracking!
- Traditional toppings for pavlovas are cream and fruit. I love using a mixture of seasonal berries such as strawberries and blueberries. Passionfruit is also a good option, but personally, I don't think you can go wrong with cream and strawberries!
FAQs and Troubleshooting
My egg whites have turned to liquid.
Tip #1 - This could be one of two things - you have over whisked your egg whites and the sugar turns them to liquid. Only go as far as you need, do not over whisk in the first step.
Tip #2 - you have added the sugar too quickly - this is a gradual process. Add the sugar ¼ of a cup at a time and whisk after each addition.
Why Egg Whites Won't Whip
Tip #1 - make sure there is absolutely no cross contimination of egg yolks into the egg whites - they will not whip is there is yolk in the mix.
Tip #2 - use a really clean bowl.
The Sugar is leaking
Some sugar leakage is normal however it should be at minimal. There shouldn't be puddles of sugar leaking out the bottom of your pavlova.
This best pavlova recipe is a must try if you are looking for a dessert that totally WOW's your guests! This serves up between 10-12 people, depending on serving size, and I guarantee everyone is going to absolutely love your show-stopping dessert!
Georgie x x
📖 Recipe
Best Pavlova Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 egg whites at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated/caster sugar
- pinch salt
- 3 teaspoon cornflour/cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 1 cup cream for whipping
- strawberries or other fresh berries for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F/150C
- Get some paper towel, and soak it in in a little white vinegar. Wipe out your bowl and the whisk attachment with the vinegar so that it is clean. Discard the vinegar soaked paper towel.
- Whisk together the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
- Gradually add sugar, ¼ of a cup at a time and whisk after each addition for about 1 minute. Whisk until sugar has dissolved. To test to see if it's dissolved, gently rub a little bit of the meringue mixture between your fingers. If it's grainy, keep whisking.
- After the last of the sugar has been added, whisk on high for 3 minutes. The mixture should be very thick and glossy.
- Combine the cornflour/cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla essence in a very small bowl.
- Add to the meringue mixture and whisk until just combined.
- Line a 12" round pizza tray with a piece of baking paper/parchment paper cut into a circle.
- Start scooping out the meringue mixture, forming a circle roughly 8-9" in diameter.
- Use a spatula, to gently start shaping your pavlova. Start at the bottom and gently make nice neat lines moving toward the top of the pavlova (see image).
- Reduce oven temperature to 250F/120C and place pavlova in the oven on the middle shelf.
- Cook for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn on oven light to see the pavlova. The pavlova should be lightly browned. If you to, quickly open the oven door and touch the pavlova. It should be dry to the touch.
- Turn off the oven, and leave the pavlova in the oven with the door closed for 3 hours until the pavlova is cooled down.
- To serve, whip the cream, and gently spoon into the centre of the pavlova. Top with fresh berries.
Nutrition
If you love this best pavlova recipe, then you'll love my vanilla meringues with blackberry pinot sauce, or my chocolate mini meringues!
Mary R says
Wow wow the best Pavlova i"ve ever made imade a few Pavlova but this is the best ever my husband even commented the best Pavlova i ever made
Thank you
Georgie says
aww thank you so much for the kind feedback!!!
Wendylou says
Wonderful recipe, turned out great, my second time making this pavlova, won’t bother looking any further!
Georgie says
Thanks so much for the positive feedback Wendy! I'm so glad you loved it 🙂
Lana Shev says
Just here to say that I’ve made countless pavlovas and this has been the best recipe 🙌 it turned out gorgeous
Georgie says
thank you so much Lana for the feedback! So glad loved the recipe 🙂
Hana Badger says
Hello, do you use a fan forced oven with the above temperatures or no fan?
Thank you,
Hana
Georgie says
great question I will update the recipe with that info. its fan forced!
PK says
Hi- I haven't tried this yet but am planning to this weekend. Do you not sweeten the whipping cream or the strawberries? (Sorry may be a dumb question as I've only eaten pavlova once before and never made it)
Georgie says
Not a dumb question at all! Pavlovas are sweet so I wouldn’t sweeten the cream or strawberries as it would end up being too sweet. The tart of the star berries and fruit cut through the sugar in the pavlova!
Janice Meakin says
Hi can you please tell me what size eggs are best with the sugar quantities used please? I’m in the Uk so not sure if is the weight of each egg before cracking or whatever you recommend ? Many thanks
Georgie says
Hi Janice, our eggs are around 60g or a medium size egg. I wouldn't worry too much about weighing them before hand, I've used bigger eggs and smaller ones and it hasn't made much of a difference but definitely our eggs are 60 odd grams.
Kindra says
Does this store in fridge?
Georgie says
Hi Kindra - no it won't store in the fridge it'll get soggy. What I suggest is make the individual components first, then at the last minute assemble. Leftovers will need to be refrigerated but they are still good enough the next day.
Julie says
I got confused the first time I made it as it says to wipe the bowl out with the vinegar and then to whisk the vinegar. However it doesn’t say what to do with the whisked vinegar after that… so the first time I just followed the recipe exactly, but the egg whites wouldn’t then whisk because of the vinegar that was in the bowl that had been whisked… so my question is… what are you meant to do with that whisked vinegar from step 1? Every other time I’ve just wiped the bowl out with the vinegar towel and not whisked the vinegar as step 1 says…
Any ideas what is actually meant to occur in step 1?
Thanks
Georgie says
hi Julie I'll review the instructions and edit them. What you do is just take a little bit of vinegar and lightly soap a paper towel in the vinegar (not soaking) then wipe the bowl and the whisk. it shouldn't leave any vinegar in the bowl. then you follow the recipe as is, the vinegar is added with the corn starch and vanilla.
Ruth says
I was also very confused about this, I read it the same way as you did. Wipe then whisk the 2 tsp of vinegar. Didn't sound quite right so I came to the comments to see. Glad you asked before I started cooking 🍳
Georgie says
Hi Ruth - I have edited the instructions to make it clearer thanks for your feedback!
Desiree says
Love this Pav recipe cooked it now many times
l Smith says
Hello
Thankyou for a lovely recipe.
Can anyone tell me how to get the pavlova off the non-stick paper (after cooking it) without cracking it?!!! I have used both non-stick paper and non-stick paper dusted with cornflour, but still unable to move the Pav off the paper without breaking some of it. Should I leave it in the oven for a longer time? Not sure.
Thankyou for your help
Georgie says
Hi there! it's actually super tricky to do this, so I leave the paper on the pavlova then use scissors to cut the paper as close to the pavlova as I can then transfer to the serving plate. otherwise you risk cracking the pavlova.
Bridget says
Lightly grease the baking paper with melted butter and then sprinkle on flour which you thrn shake off. Then place pavlova mix on it ...it will not stick when baked .
Good luck 👍 and happy eating !! 😀
Georgie says
Thanks Bridget I'll give it a go next time
John Clarke says
This a a good recipe...even as a New Zealander I'll give you some credit...the real key here is letting the pavlova cool for several hours slowly in the oven.
Karina says
Can you make this the night before? And if so how do you store it?
Georgie says
Hi karina - yes I suggest making the shell the night before, and you can prep the cream and berries separately. it won't keep well if you assemble it the night before it will become soggy. I store the pavlova in a large round air tight container.
Mari says
I used this recipe last year but tripled it for a company party.. It cooked perfectly in the oven. It was a success and one year later, my boss asked me to make one for her family Christmas party. She will pay me of course. I caution if you plan to triple the recipe. The weight of the cream and fruit will cause it to collapse.
Georgie says
Hi Mari - this is great feedback thank you for taking the time to comment. I haven't tried doubling or tripling the recipe so interesting to see that it works.
Pauline says
Hello!
Thank you so much for sharing. I have made it a few times, and we have loved it each time. I would love to make mini pavlovas (round, 10 cm in diameter). Have you ever tried this? How long would you bake it for?
Georgie says
Hi Pauline thanks for the feedback! I haven't made them into individual pavlovas but I'd love to see if you ended up making them and they turned out. I have used the recipe to make a pavlova wreath which similarly uses smaller pavlovas shaped together in a wreath.
jacqui keskinen says
Did you ever try this, Pauline? I was thinking of making mini ones too! Let me know how yours turned out if you gave it a shot 🙂 Thanks!
Lisa says
Did you dvery try mini ones? My daughter wants it for her birthday but since people like different fruits, I was going to try mini ones so they could add their own fruit.
Karen Bane says
Can this be made ahead?
Kay
Georgie says
Hi Karen - you can make the pavlova ahead of time but don't add the cream or berries until you are just ready to serve it otherwise it will go soggy