This pavlova is made up of a perfectly crisp, and slightly chewy in the centre, meringue, layered with whipped coconut cream and dotted with fresh chopped strawberries.
I used to be quite scared of baking meringue.
But after testing this recipe for vegan pavlova, quite a few times, and having success each time, it feels a lot less scary. And a lot more simple than I previously used to think.
Which is just as well, because I wouldn’t want to miss out on this delicious dessert!
I created a Vegan Meringue Nests recipe a few years ago, when aquafaba first became a “thing” but have tweaked things a bit for this recipe.
How do you make a Pavlova without egg whites?
The secret is the magical ingredient: Aquafaba!
If you haven’t heard of this before, it’s simply the liquid you find in a tin of chickpeas (or other legume).
The water you would normally discard, is what we will be using in place of egg whites. Crazy, huh?
Pavlova Baking Tips
- Start with a completely clean bowl and whisk. The smallest amount of grease or fat could ruin this recipe, so do a quick clean before starting.
- How to get glossy peaks: Wait until you have soft peaks before adding the sugar and then add it in very slowly, so it doesn’t weigh down the mixture.
Once all the sugar has been added, whisk that aquafaba like mad until you have super glossy stiff peaks. If it’s still runny, it’s not ready and your pavlova will be a flop! - Leave that oven door alone! I’ve already stressed this in the recipe, but do NOT open the oven door even a tiny bit after it’s baked. It needs to stay in the oven as the temperature slowly decreases.
- Wait until right before serving to decorate
Because it will go soggy after half an hour or so of adding the cream and fruit.
If you plan on serving later, keep the cream separate in the fridge and the meringue layers in an air-tight container at room temperature (don’t refrigerate the meringue).
Serving Suggestions
- For the cream, you have a few options, either whipped coconut cream, soy cream or oat-based cream, which you can find in health food shops or some supermarkets.
- Goes without saying but the topping options are endless and up to you. Mixed berries, tropical fruit, rose syrup, lemon curd, chocolate shavings etc.
More Aquafaba Desserts:
📖 Recipe
Vegan Pavlova with Strawberries & Cream
A fresh and light summer dessert, consisting of aquafaba-based meringue layers, dairy-free cream and fresh fruit.
Ingredients
- 100 g / 3.5 oz / Approx ½ cup aquafaba (liquid from a tin of chickpeas or shop bought carton)
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 100 g / 3.5 oz / ½ cup caster sugar
- 1 400 g / 14 oz tin of coconut milk (chilled, using just the fat and discarding the liquid) or another vegan cream substitute
- Strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 110C / 100C fan /230F and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Add the aquafaba to a stand mixer and whisk on medium until soft peaks appear. Add the cream of tartar and corn starch. Whisk again on high.Slowly add the sugar into, a teaspoon at a time, until you have thick, glossy, stiff peaks.
- Create two circular layers from the meringue mixture, roughly the same size. Bake for two hours. Do NOT open the oven door!
- After two hours, turn off the oven but keep the door closed and leave the meringues to cool inside the oven for another two hours.
- Meanwhile, whip the cream. Hull and chop the strawberries.
- To assemble, smooth a large dollop of cream on top of one layer and place the other on top. Add the rest of the cream to the top of the pavlova and decorate with strawberries.
- Slice into 4-6 pieces and serve immediately. If you're serving later, keep the cream separate as it will soften the meringue into mush after a while.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 292Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 4mgSodium 143mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 5gSugar 31gProtein 2g
Anne says
Absolutely delicious and made perfect meringues.
Aimee says
So pleased to hear that!
Pamela says
Do you chill the aqua faba or straight from the can at room temperature?
Nobody says
i don’t know what i did wrong, but when i took them out, they were flat, burnt, and caramelized. i didn’t open the door like the directions said, so i don’t know why this didn’t work. is it my oven?