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  3. Meringues & Mousses
  5. Meringues
  7. Italian Meringue
Monsieur Chouchou

Italian Meringue

The most stable meringue: a sugar syrup at 118°C poured over whipped egg whites. An essential base for macarons, mousses, and buttercreams.

🕐Prep: 15 min
🔥Cook: 5 min
👥250 servings

Recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Thermometer
  • Scale
  • Stand mixer

Recipe

  • 150gCaster sugar
  • 55gEgg whites
  • 45gWater
Start the recipe
Cook the syrup

Ingredients for this section

Caster sugar150 gWater45 g

Detailed steps

Caster sugar150 gWater45 g
1Step 1 of 1

Cook the sugar syrup

👉 Pour the water then the sugar into the saucepan. Drop in a probe and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (8/10) without stirring. Watch until 118°C.

💡 Tips

  • •As soon as you hit 118°C, kill the heat and leave the pan on the burner until the bubbles settle
  • •If your probe has an alarm option, that's a game-changer. Set it to 118°C
  • •Use caster sugar (fine), not granulated sugar
  • •Your whites should already be in the mixer bowl, whisk attached
  • •At 114°C, start the mixer (next step)
!Avoid

Common mistakes

•

Don't stir after the boil → sugar crystallises

•

Tiny white grains in the syrup means it's crystallised. Toss it and start over

•

Without a thermometer, it's a gamble. 3°C off changes everything

•

Below 115°C: meringue too soft. Above 121°C: too firm

1Step 1 of 1

Cook the sugar syrup

👉 Pour the water then the sugar into the saucepan. Drop in a probe and bring to a boil over medium-high heat (8/10) without stirring. Watch until 118°C.

💡 Tips

  • •As soon as you hit 118°C, kill the heat and leave the pan on the burner until the bubbles settle
  • •If your probe has an alarm option, that's a game-changer. Set it to 118°C
  • •Use caster sugar (fine), not granulated sugar
  • •Your whites should already be in the mixer bowl, whisk attached
  • •At 114°C, start the mixer (next step)

⚠️ Mistakes to avoid

  • •Don't stir after the boil → sugar crystallises
  • •Tiny white grains in the syrup means it's crystallised. Toss it and start over
  • •Without a thermometer, it's a gamble. 3°C off changes everything
  • •Below 115°C: meringue too soft. Above 121°C: too firm
Whip the meringue

Ingredients for this section

Egg whites55 g

Detailed steps

Egg whites55 g
1Step 1 of 4

Whip the whites

👉 Start the mixer at high speed (8/10) when the syrup reaches 114°C. Whisk until the whites are nice and foamy.

💡 Tips

  • •The whites must be foamy and uniform before they receive the syrup
  • •Wipe the bowl and whisk with a cloth dampened in white vinegar or lemon juice to remove any trace of fat
!Avoid

Common mistakes

•

If the whites aren't foamy enough, the hot syrup cooks the eggs

•

Make sure no liquid white is left at the bottom of the bowl

1Step 1 of 4

Whip the whites

👉 Start the mixer at high speed (8/10) when the syrup reaches 114°C. Whisk until the whites are nice and foamy.

💡 Tips

  • •The whites must be foamy and uniform before they receive the syrup
  • •Wipe the bowl and whisk with a cloth dampened in white vinegar or lemon juice to remove any trace of fat

⚠️ Mistakes to avoid

  • •If the whites aren't foamy enough, the hot syrup cooks the eggs
  • •Make sure no liquid white is left at the bottom of the bowl
2Step 2 of 4

Pour the syrup over the whites

👉 At 118°C, pour the syrup very slowly in a thin stream between the bowl wall and the whisk.

💡 Tips

  • •Kill the heat and wait 2-3 seconds for the big bubbles to settle
  • •Drop the mixer speed (4/10)
  • •Pour very slowly — 2-3 minutes is normal
  • •Aim at the bowl wall, onto the foam — never on the whisk
!Avoid

Common mistakes

•

If the syrup hits the whisk, it sprays into sugar threads on the walls. You lose syrup and your meringue ends up too soft

•

Pour too fast and the syrup won't incorporate properly — you'll get an uneven meringue

2Step 2 of 4

Pour the syrup over the whites

👉 At 118°C, pour the syrup very slowly in a thin stream between the bowl wall and the whisk.

💡 Tips

  • •Kill the heat and wait 2-3 seconds for the big bubbles to settle
  • •Drop the mixer speed (4/10)
  • •Pour very slowly — 2-3 minutes is normal
  • •Aim at the bowl wall, onto the foam — never on the whisk

⚠️ Mistakes to avoid

  • •If the syrup hits the whisk, it sprays into sugar threads on the walls. You lose syrup and your meringue ends up too soft
  • •Pour too fast and the syrup won't incorporate properly — you'll get an uneven meringue
3Step 3 of 4

Cool the meringue

👉 Once the syrup is fully poured, crank the mixer back up to high speed (9/10) for about 2 minutes. Then drop it back to 4/10 for 2 minutes.

💡 Tips

  • •Your meringue should be between 35°C and 40°C
  • •Trust the texture above all — the bird's beak (next step) tells you when to stop
3Step 3 of 4

Cool the meringue

👉 Once the syrup is fully poured, crank the mixer back up to high speed (9/10) for about 2 minutes. Then drop it back to 4/10 for 2 minutes.

💡 Tips

  • •Your meringue should be between 35°C and 40°C
  • •Trust the texture above all — the bird's beak (next step) tells you when to stop
4Step 4 of 4

Check the bird's beak

👉 Stop the mixer and lift the whisk. Look at the shape of the meringue hanging from the end.

💡 Tips

  • •The bird's beak is your main indicator
  • •The perfect beak: firm, shiny, the tip curves slightly without dripping
!Avoid

Common mistakes

•

Under-whipped: the meringue runs, the beak droops. Keep going for 1-2 min and check again

•

Over-whipped: stiff straight tip, dull dry look. You'll have to force the macaronnage → flat shells

4Step 4 of 4

Check the bird's beak

👉 Stop the mixer and lift the whisk. Look at the shape of the meringue hanging from the end.

💡 Tips

  • •The bird's beak is your main indicator
  • •The perfect beak: firm, shiny, the tip curves slightly without dripping

⚠️ Mistakes to avoid

  • •Under-whipped: the meringue runs, the beak droops. Keep going for 1-2 min and check again
  • •Over-whipped: stiff straight tip, dull dry look. You'll have to force the macaronnage → flat shells