Making sugar free meringue is so simple! These keto meringue cookies are light as a feather, crispy and melt-in-the-mouth sweet. Even better, they are only 0.2g net carbs per cookie.
Keto meringue cookies have been on my to-try list for a while and I'm so glad I finally got around to making them.
People think that making meringues is difficult. It is not! In this post, I'm sharing all the details you need to know to get it just right. Baking with sweeteners instead of sugar means we are making a few adjustments. However, if you follow all my tips your meringue cookies will taste just like classic meringues.
This recipe can be used for French meringue pie, Eton mess or any keto recipes that require a meringue topping.
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Authentic flavor and texture - I did not think it would be possible to make delicious meringues with sweetener - until I developed this recipe. It took me quite a few trial runs. I am so proud that these meringues taste like the real deal, with a lovely sweet vanilla flavor. I did all the hard work so you don't have to!
- 3 basic ingredients - It is a well known fact that the best things in life are simple, and this recipe requires only 3 ingredients.
- Healthy - This is meringue without the drawbacks. No sugar rush, and only 0.2g net carbs per meringue cookie. Yes, I am expecting you to eat more than one!
What Are Meringues?
Meringues are are a popular European dessert or candy made from just 2 ingredients: stiffly beaten egg whites and powdered sugar.
The air that is whipped into the egg whites makes the egg increase in volume and creates a foam. This foam is being stabilised by the icing sugar.
Meringues are baked in the oven like cookies. They are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.
There are 3 types of meringue that use different cooking methods: Swiss, Italian and French.
- French Meringue: The classic one. Sugar is beaten into the egg white until it dissolves. Light and airy.
- Swiss Meringue: The sugar and egg mixture is gently heated over a double boiler. Softer and denser, often used for pavlovas.
- Italian meringue: The sturdiest - soft and creamy. A cooked meringue that uses a sugar syrup. Must be made with a candy thermometer. Used for buttercream.
My sugar free meringue recipe follows the French meringue method. Of course, I am using a sugar free sweetener instead of sugar!
In fact, I am using a combination of 2 different sweeteners for best results.
Ingredients
Here is what you need for keto meringue cookies:
- Egg whites - must be very fresh
- Inulin - a sweetener made from chicory root (read more about inulin). The additional benefit of inulin is that it acts like a stabilizing agent as well since it's high in fiber. This means you don't need to add cream of tartar.
- Powdered sweetener - I used an erythritol monk fruit sweetener blend
- Optional: vanilla extract.
I am not keen on the cooling taste of erythritol when it's overpowering. As regular meringues contain mainly egg whites and sugar, I originally wanted to avoid erythritol altogether.
On my first try, I used only inulin. Inulin is gently sweet, high in fibre and does not have an aftertaste. The result was super crisp and bright white. However, the texture was somewhat fibrous and it did not taste authentic.
That's why I settled on using part inulin and part erythritol. This combination achieved the classic crisp meringue texture and had the perfect amount of sweetness.
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Let's get started with making keto friendly meringue cookies!
1.) Put 2 very fresh egg whites into a clean, dry glass or metal bowl. Whisk with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
2.) Mix the inulin and erythritol in a separate bowl. Add to the egg whites a spoonful at a time, while whisking on a high speed. Last, add the vanilla extract and continue whisking until combined.
3.) Fill into a piping bag and pipe cookie shapes onto a parchment lined baking sheet. If you don't have a piping bag, simply spoon little cookie heaps onto the sheet!
4.) Bake for 15 minutes at 110 Celsius / 230 Fahrenheit on a low shelf. Then turn down the oven to 90 Celsius / 200 Fahrenheit continue to bake for around 45 more minutes.
5.) Check the cookies regularly to make sure they don't turn brown. Then turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside for at least another hour so they can dry out.
Tips For Stiff Egg Whites
Your egg whites will be stiff without fail if you
- use extra fresh eggs
- use a glass or a metal mixing bowl. Plastic does not work.
- make sure the mixing bowl is perfectly clean - no fat residue, no water droplets, no egg yolk
- mix using a traditional electric mixer (like the one in the recipe steps image, with metal whisks)
- take your time and mix slowly first. Then increase the speed once the eggs are frothy and are starting to firm up. If you mix at a high speed right from the beginning, you'll create large air bubbles with no staying power and your meringues will deflate.
Some meringue recipes recommend using cream of tartar to increase the stiffness of egg whites. You can add ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar to your mix if you wish. I have not found it necessary when following the steps above.
Recipe Tips
I have made this recipe several times before I was happy with it. Here is what I learned:
The oven time will depend on the size of the meringues (and on your oven!!). My meringues were only about 1 inch in diameter. Larger meringues will need longer than small ones.
Keep a close eye on them and if they brown, remove them from the oven. Turn the oven on the lowest setting (mine is 50 C / 120 F), wait for the oven to cool a little, then return the meringues into the oven and leave for a couple of hours. If you have a fan oven, use the fan setting. The air circulation helps the meringues to dry.
Sugar free meringue cookies are soft while they're warm. They crisp up as they cool down and should NOT stick to the baking paper.
You can make the recipe with only powdered erythritol - simply use 4.5 tablespoons of erythritol or an erythritol mix such as Swerve.
Variations
- Almond - Use ½ teaspoon of almond extract instead of the vanilla.
- Strawberry - Add 1-2 tablespoon of freeze dried strawberry powder.
- Peppermint - Add 1-2 drops peppermint extract.
- Lemon - Replace the vanilla extract with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and add an additional teaspoon of lemon zest.
- Chocolate - Add 1-2 tablespoon cocoa powder and dip the bottoms of the meringues into melted sugar free chocolate!
- Use food colouring to add a touch of colour.
I have not yet experimented with making sugar free meringue using the Italian or Swiss method as described earlier. I imagine a liquid sugar free syrup could work quite well. I'll keep you posted!
Recipe FAQs
A mix of erythritol or erythritol blends (monk fruit sweetener or stevia) and inulin yields the best result in terms of taste and texture. Using just erythritol also works, but the taste won't be as nice. Don't use allulose as it does not set hard and you'll end up with marshmallow.
This means that they need more drying time in the oven at 50 C / 120 F.
To crisp a soft meringue, simply pop them into the oven at 180C / 350 F for a few minutes.
It seems impossible to make sugar free meringue that stays completely white AND crispy. My best batch (see images) ended up ever so slightly beige on top. This does not affect the taste!
My sugar free meringue cookies contain only 0.2g net carbs per cookie.
Storage
Store at room temperature. Store in an airtight cookie jar for up to 3 weeks. They will soften up over time if kept outside because they attract the moisture in the air. For that reason, don't store them in the fridge either.
Store in the freezer. It's possible to freeze low carb meringue cookies! Freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 months. If you find they are soft after defrosting, crisp them in the oven as above.
More Sugar Free Cookie Recipes
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Recipe
Keto Sugar Free Meringue Cookies
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites
- 4 tbsp / 40g inulin
- 3 tbsp / 30g powdered erythritol
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 110 C electric / 230 F.
- Put 2 very fresh egg whites into a clean, dry glass or metal bowl. Whisk with an electric mixer until stiff - but take your time! Start with a slow speed and increase the speed once the egg whites become foamy and begin to thicken. This will take 2-3 minutes.
- Mix the inulin and erythritol in a separate bowl. Add to the egg whites a spoonful at a time, while whisking on a high speed. Last, add the vanilla extract and continue whisking until combined.
- Fill into a piping bag and pipe cookie shapes onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. If you don't have a piping bag, simply spoon little cookie heaps onto the sheet!
- Bake for 15 minutes on a low shelf. Then turn down the oven to 90 Celsius / 200 F and continue to bake for around 45 more minutes. Then turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside for at least another hour so they can dry out.
Notes
- almond meringues - use ½ teaspoon of almond extract instead of the vanilla.
- lemon meringues - replace the vanilla extract with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and add an additional teaspoon of lemon zest.
- chocolate meringues - dip the bottoms into melted dark or sugar free chocolate
- add food colouring for a pop of colour
Roger Trujillo
Hi, I've wanted to try making them for a while now, but hadn't looked up a recipe. I like yours. I have an unpredictable oven at home though, so I try not to you it for anything other than broiling and frozen pizza. LOL.
My question is do you think the egg whites are cooked enough after the first 15 min? if so what do you think about finishing them off in a dehydrator? I know we will have to let them cool before transferring them but I'd like a pro's input.
Katrin Nürnberger
You would have to try it out because we're using quite a low temperature for this recipe. If the outside feels firm enough, transferring them to a dehydrator sounds like a good idea.
Carolyn Stoker
I am curious about using allulose in place of erythritol? Can I use that with insulin? Does it need to be powdered or will it dissolve in the egg white like granulated sugar?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Carolyn, from my experience, allulose stays softer than erythritol. I have used it in cakes for a softer result and I know that you can make fantastic marshmallows with it, which is basically the same recipe as meringue. That said, I have never tried using allulose in this particular recipe so I don't know if it would harden if you left it in for long enough. It's worth a try! I don't see an issue with mixing allulose and inulin.
Sarah
Mine went brown 🙁 I think my oven lies about how hot it is. Do you have any tips for reducing temperature or cooking time please? I'm not very good at guessing that sort of thing.
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Sarah, make sure that you're baking on a low shelf and that you're using the electric and not the fan setting (which needs to be 20C lower). If you think your oven is hotter than it says, just reduce the temperature by 10C. You need to keep an eye on them and be very patient - long and low is how it works!
Val
This is the first time ever I have had huge success making keto white meringues and meringues before keto. They always came out brown and soggy but not these. I used organic eggs and powdered Lakanto for the sweetener. I piped small meringues about 1 1/2 " wide. I doubled the recipe and got about 146 mini meringues that I wanted to make Eton Mess with. They stayed white too and didn't brown in the oven. They are melt in the mouth delicious. Thank you for sharing.
emily
how much powdered lakanto did you use? thank you so much
Luisa
Hi, I only have in hand agave inulin. Do you know if using this one will still be keto friendly?
Katrin Nürnberger
I have not yet come across agave inulin. Check the nutrition on the pack and see what the net carbs are - if the fibre is high enough, it may well be keto friendly.
Sandra
Holland and Barrett do it, also you can get it from Amazon
Amanda
Hello,
I can't get powdered erythritol where I live, just the granulated kind. Would that work?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Amanda, you need to use powdered sweetener for this to get a result that's not gritty. Simply make your own - I do it all the time. Just blend your granulated sweetener in a food processor or high speed blender until it is powdered.
Sandra
I used Stevia and they worked!
Rebecca
How much stevia did you use?
BevanR
I made these with Swerve (4 1/2 Tbsp) and it was plenty sweet and stayed stark white. I made with lemon juice and vanilla and they were wonderful. Will try lime next and peppermint for holidays!
Rachel Johnstone
Oh no! I’ve just realised why my meringue is rubbery. I clicked x2 and doubled the egg white but your grams of inulin and erythritol didn’t double! I have only just noticed this.
Katrin Nürnberger
So sorry! Yes, the recipe card can only change the first number in the list, which is the US measurements.
Leigh
Came upon this recipe and very excited to try it, wondering if you’ve had any success with making a macaron sugar free?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Leigh, I've never tried it!
Wendy
Has anyone tried the recipe with xylitol? Perhaps the "cool" feeling would go well with peppermint?
Katrin Nürnberger
Hi Wendy, from my experience xylitol yields less crunchy results when baked compared to erythritol. I wonder if in this case you'd have to keep the meringues in the oven for longer (but not increase the temperature because they'd become brown). It would be an experiment, these sugar substitutes all behave so differently.