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Published: Modified: by Isabel Laessig
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My Mini Pavlova recipe is a show-stopping, elegant dessert made with a light and airy meringue and a mascarpone filling finished with fresh berries. It is a gorgeous holiday dessert and perfect for parties!
Jump to:
- Mini Pavlovas
- What are Pavlovas?
- Best Pavlova Recipe Ingredients
- Mini Pavlovas Recipe
- Pavlova Recipes Tips
- How to Separate Egg Whites from Yolks
- Mini Pavlova Recipe FAQs
- Pavlova Recipe Toppings
- Finger Food Desserts
- 📋 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
Mini Pavlovas
My individual pavlovas are just irresistible, made with mascarpone, homemade whipped cream filling, and light, crisp meringue cups, which are the perfect bite-size desserts to make if you want to impress family and friends. Everyone will be asking you to share the recipe!
The most important part of this recipe is the pavlova meringue. A meringue recipe for pavlovas is made differently from a regular meringue. The best pavlova recipes are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, which calls for adding cornstarch to the mixture!
This is a holiday recipe requested by my family year after year!
They were absolutely delicious and recipe was easy to follow. Thanks for a great recipe!
Claire on Pinterest
What are Pavlovas?
Pavlovas are a meringue dessert with a creamy topping and fresh fruits for garnish. It has a crisp meringue crust but is soft, creamy, and light on the inside. Traditionally, it is served as one large cake, but I prefer mini pavlovas! Pavlova is named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It is a popular dessert worldwide, especially as a Christmas dessert!
Best Pavlova Recipe Ingredients
- egg whites
- caster sugar
- cream of tartar
- cornstarch
- vanilla extract
- whipping cream
- mascarpone
- fresh fruits (your choice; I use berries, like raspberries and blueberries)
Mini Pavlovas Recipe
How to Make Pavlova Meringue
- Preheat ovento 320°F. Line two baking tins with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl,using an electric mixer at high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add the sugar and the cream of tartarand keep beating at high speed.Add the cornstarch and vanilla extract. Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Pipe the meringueonto the prepared tins. First pipe a small circle and then pipe on top of it, around the edges, in order to form a well.
- Put one baking tin in the ovenand immediately lower the temperature to 245°F.
- Bake for 30 minutes, and lower the temperature to about 200°F.
- Bake until the meringue is dry when touched carefully. Turn off the ovenand open the door halfway. Leave the meringues inside to cool down. This will prevent the temperature change from being too drastic and causing the meringue to crack.
Individual Pavlovas Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone with powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. In another large bowl, whip the cream until thick. Using a rubber spatula, gradually add the whipped cream to the mascarpone.
- Pipe or spoon the filling into the holes of the mini pavlovas. Top with fresh berries and mint leaves.
- Serve immediately.
This recipe is perfect in every way, very thorough and tasty!
Iva
Pavlova Recipes Tips
- Baking properly is the key. For perfect pavlova bites with no cracks or burns, bake them at a low temperature. The best thing to do is to preheat the oven to a higher temperature, and then gradually lower it during the baking until you switch the oven off.
- Don’t take the baking pan out immediately! You need to leave the mini pavlovas inside the oven to cool down, with the door open halfway. This is the best way to avoid cracks in your pavlova meringue.
- Add the topping and the decoration right before serving, otherwise, the meringue will get soggy from the moisture.
- If you do not have a piping bag, you can make one by cutting the end of a large plastic bag. Or, you can use a spoon. You do not need a piping tip for this mini pavlova recipe.
How to Separate Egg Whites from Yolks
This recipe calls for egg whites. To separate egg whites from the yolks, follow one of these methods. Note: keep eggs chill before cracking. It’s easier to separate egg whites from cold eggs.
- Crack the egg into your hand over a bowl. Catch the yolk with your palm and let the white drip into the bowl.
- Alternatively, crack the egg across the widest part of the shell. Break in half over the bowl and tilt the egg halves back and forth to catch the yolk in one half and allow the white to drip out into the bowl.
- Or, you can crack the egg onto a slotted spoon. The yolk will catch on the spoon and allow the white to drip through into the bowl.
Mini Pavlova Recipe FAQs
Can I make a pavlova ahead of time?
You can make the meringue a day ahead of time, although we recommend making them the day of or no earlier than the day before for best results.
How so I store pavlovas?
You can store the baked meringues outside of the refrigerator at room temperature in an airtight container if you would like to make them ahead of time and have them ready to serve.
Store the filling separately from the meringues.
Fill the pavlovas when ready to serve, otherwise they will get mushy.
Do I need to use cornstarch?
Cornstarch should not be omitted from this recipe – it is necessary to make the pavlova meringue as light and crisp as it is with a fluffy inside. If you need to use a substitute, use potato starch.
Love this recipe! It’s my new go-to!
Lisa
Pavlova Recipe Toppings
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Peach slices
- Apricots
- Kiwi slices
- lemon curd
You can use whatever fruit you like to top your bite-size pavlovas. We love fresh berries, but other fresh fruits make delicious additions as well.
Finger Food Desserts
- Keylime Bars
- Milk Pie Bar Squares
- Crumbl Cookie Recipe
- Pumpkin Pie Cookies
This recipe is a perfect ending to a holiday meal. I love serving pavlovas when I entertain and make a slow-roasted prime rib or standing rib roast. And for another great Christmas treat, try my guide on How to Make Salami Roses!
So easy to make and such a show-stopper!
Sarah on Pinterest
📋 Recipe
Mini Pavlova Recipe
Isabel Laessig
Impress everyone with this mini pavlova recipe! Mini pavlovas are great finger food desserts for parties, and are so easy to make.
4.71 from 41 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine New Zealand
Servings 35 mini pavlovas
Calories 80 kcal
Ingredients
Pavlova Meringue:
- 4
- 1 cup caster sugar
- ½ tsp.
- 1,5 tsps.
- 2 tsps.
Mascarpone Filling:
- 1 cup mascarpone
- 1 cup cold
- 2 tbs
- 1 tsp.
- fresh berries
- mint leaves (optional)
Cooking Conversions
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
Pavlova Meringue
Preheat oven to 320°F. Line two baking tins with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer at high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
4 egg whites
Gradually add the sugar and the cream of tartar and keep beating at high speed.
1 cup caster sugar, ½ tsp. cream of tartar
Add the cornstarch and vanilla extract. Beat until stiff peaks form.
1,5 tsps. cornstarch, 2 tsps. vanilla extract
Pipe the meringue onto the prepared tins. First pipe a small circle and then pipe on top of it, around the edges, in order to form a well.
Put one baking tin in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 245°F. Bake for 30 minutes, and lower the temperature to about 200°F. Bake until the meringue is dry when touched carefully.
Turn off the oven and open the door half way. Leave the meringues inside to cool down. This will prevent the temperature change from being too drastic and causing the meringue to crack.
Mascarpone Filling
In a large mixing bowl, beat the mascarpone together with powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
1 cup mascarpone, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 2 tbs powdered sugar
In another large bowl, whip the cream until thick. Then, using a rubber spatula, gradually add the whipped cream to the mascarpone.
1 cup whipping cream
Pipe or spoon the filling into the holes of the mini pavlovas. Top with fresh berries and mint leaves. Serve immediately.
mint leaves, fresh berries
Notes
RECIPE TIPS:
- Don’t store filled pavlovas for more than few hours. You can keep pavlova meringues for few days in the fridge, in an airtight container. Place them in the container after they are completely cool. Alternatively, you can freeze them for up to a month. To do that, the best way is to wrap them with plastic wrap as they are on the baking tin with the parchment paper.
- Baking properly is the key: To achieve perfectly white pavlovas with no cracks, bake them at low temperature. The best is if you preheat the oven to higher temperature and then gradually decrease it during the baking, until switching the oven off.Don’t take the tin out immediately!You need to leave it to cool down inside the oven, with the door half open. That’s thebest way to avoid cracksas they are caused by temperature changes.
- Add the topping and the decorationright before serving, otherwise the meringue will get soaked by the moisture, and we want it crispy.
- Alternatively, you can just spoon the meringue on the sheets instead of piping, but that way your mini pavlovas will be slightly bigger.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pavlovaCalories: 80kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 12mgPotassium: 22mgSugar: 6gVitamin A: 190IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 13mg
Keyword mini pavlova, mini pavlova recipe, mini pavlovas, pavlova recipe
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Photography by Daniela Lambova.
About Isabel Laessig
Hi! I’m Isabel Laessig, also known as Family Foodie, creator of Sunday Supper Movement and author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook. Sunday Supper is my mission to bring family back around the dinner table. Join me in making family meal-time a tradition to celebrate!
» About Me
Reader Interactions
Comments
DeeCee says
Can you use cream cheese instead of mascarpone?
Reply
Isabel Laessig says
Hi! Yes, this should work out just fine – and will be delicious! You may need to add a little extra whipped cream to get the texture to where it needs to be, but I’d mix it 1:1 to begin with and only mix in more whipped cream if you find it needs more. Enjoy!
Reply
Gloria says
You say to line two tins with paper but then put one in the oven. What about the other one? Does it go in later? I’m confused
Reply
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Gloria! We had enough to make two batches, and generally you will want to make these one batch at a time.
Reply
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