Swiss meringue
A meringue made by warming egg whites and sugar together over simmering water until the sugar dissolves, then whipping into a dense, glossy foam.

- Techniques and preparation methods
The whites and sugar are whisked over a pot of simmering water until the mixture reaches about 160°F (71°C) and feels smooth with no grit, then whipped to stiff peaks as it cools. Heating dissolves the sugar and makes the meringue more stable than French meringue.
Swiss meringue is used for meringue toppings, pavlova-style cookies and as the base of Swiss meringue buttercream.
Bake it at VanillaGoods
- RecipeSwiss meringue
- RecipeSwiss meringue buttercream frosting
- RecipeChocolate swiss meringue buttercream frosting
- Baking Academy lessonButtercream and piping 2 swiss meringue buttercream
- Dessert BuilderLemon raspberry layer cake
Tools for this
KitchenAid Artisan 5-Qt Stand MixerDoes the beating and kneading for you, hands-free.See it on Amazon
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONEReads in about a second, so you can hit sugar and chocolate temperatures exactly.See it on Amazon
Mauviel M'Passion Copper Egg White BowlCopper helps egg whites whip into a more stable foam.See it on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, VanillaGoods earns from qualifying purchases. We only suggest tools that help with this technique.
Related entries
Sources
Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.
- Swiss meringue (Q276276), Wikidata
