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This traditional British Eton Mess recipe features fresh strawberries, homemade vanilla bean meringue cookies, and real whipped cream. A light and refreshing summertime treat!
What is an Eton Mess?
This parfait-style British dessert consists of whipped cream, meringue, and juicy summer strawberries. According to popular belief, the Eton Mess originated at England’s Eton College, which has served the classic fruit-and-cream concoction at its annual Eton vs. Harrow cricket match since the late 1800s.
While perhaps the most iconic of all of the British summer desserts, many Americans have never made, tasted, or even heard of an Eton Mess. In fact, I myself didn’t learn to make it until my Basic Pâtisserie course at Le Cordon Bleu London, during a lesson on traditional British recipes.
The classic Eton Mess requires just a handful of ingredients, and it’s easy as pie to prepare. Aside from the meringue portion (which mostly requires passive time, waiting for the cookies to bake and cool) Eton Mess doesn’t take long to make, either. And while you can take a few shortcuts (see my suggestions below), I prefer to make each of the components from scratch.
Eton Mess Ingredients
My Eton Mess consists of three key components: the meringue, the strawberries, and the whipped cream. To make this recipe, you will need:
- Eggs – About 85–90 grams egg whites (the whites from 2 large, or 3 medium eggs). You won’t need the yolks, so save them for another recipe, like my lemon curd.
- Sugar – You’ll need granulated (or caster) for the meringue and the strawberry sauce, plus confectioner’s sugar to sweeten the whipped cream.
- Vanilla bean paste – For flavoring both the meringue and the whipped cream. Vanilla extract will work in a pinch, but if possible I really rcommend breaking out the good stuff for this recipe!
- Fresh strawberries – Some to make a strawberry sauce, plus more for assembly and garnish.
- Whipping cream – A.k.a. heavy cream in the US. It only takes a few minutes to whip your own cream, and it’s so much better than the canned, store-bought kind.
Assembling the Eton Mess
To asssemble your parfaits, you will need some kind of glasses or vessels. I used 4-inch tall stemless wine glasses, but any similarly-sized glass jars, cups, or drinking glasses will work just fine.
For best results, put the parfaits together just prior to serving. Do not assemble your Eton Mess too far in advance. If you do this, the moisture from the cream and berries will dissolve the meringue cookies, and you’ll find yourself with a mushy mess.
Eton Mess Recipe Tips and Tricks
As a shortcut, you can substitute store-bought meringue nests or meringue cookies for the homemade meringue cookies. If you’re in the UK, you’ll find meringue nests in most grocery stores. In the US, Trader Joe’s makes and sells vanilla meringues.
Avoid using canned whipped cream for this recipe. It’s not very stable, and there simply isn’t an easy way to fold the strawberry syrup into the squirty store-bought stuff.
Fresh berries work best! If you can’t find fresh strawberries, you can purée frozen berries to make the sauce. For the fresh fruit portion, try substituting blueberries, blackberries, or cherries instead.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
The meringue cookies will take about 1 hour to bake, and another 1-2 hours to cool. For this reason, I suggest baking the meringues the night before, then turning off the oven and allowing the cookies to cool overnight.
You can also prepare the strawberry sauce up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerate it until ready to use.
Other Eton Mess and parfait recipes you might enjoy:
Eton Mess Recipe with Mixed Berries and Chocolate Meringue
Oreo Parfait with Chocolate and Cherries
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Eton Mess
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 4 4-inch parfaits 1x
Description
A traditional British Eton Mess recipe comprised of fresh strawberries, homemade meringue cookies, and real whipped cream. A light and refreshing summertime dessert.
Ingredients
Meringue
85–90 grams egg whites, at room temperature (about 2 large, or 3 medium eggs)
105 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Strawberry Sauce
140 grams diced strawberries (1 cup)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Whipped Cream
275 milliliters (1 1/4 cups) cold whipping cream
15 grams (1 tablespoon) confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Assembly
140 grams diced strawberries (1 cup)
Instructions
Meringue
Preheat oven to 110° C / 230° F.
Line a baking tray with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Fit a piping bag with a star* piping tip, and set aside until ready to use.
Add egg whites to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip to soft peaks.
Gradually add sugar, continuing to whip on medium-high speed until the mixture is thick and glossy, and stiff peaks form.
Transfer meringue mixture to piping bag fitted with star tip.
Pipe onto prepared tray.
Bake in preheated oven for one hour. Without opening the door, turn off the oven and allow cookies to cool in oven for 1 – 1.5 hours.
Strawberry Sauce
In a small bowl, toss the strawberries with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Set aside and allow to macerate, at least 15 minutes.
Add macerated berries to the bowl of a food processor. Purée until smooth.
Whipped Cream
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add chilled whipping cream. Whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
Whip in the confectioner’s sugar, followed by the vanilla bean paste.
Crush about 5 of the meringue cookies. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the crushed meringue into the whipped cream.
Fold in about 4 tablespoons of the strawberry sauce, reserving the rest for assembly.
Assembly
Add 1 tablespoon of strawberry sauce to the bottom of each glass.
Top with half of the whipped cream.
Top with most of the diced berries, followed by a handful of crushed meringue cookies.
Top with the remaining whipped cream.
Drizzle with remaining strawberry sauce.
Garnish with meringue cookies and remaining diced berries.
Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Custards and Puddings
- Method: Oven + No Bake
- Cuisine: Desserts
