Keto Meringue Cookies
Published February 17, 2021 • Updated August 23, 2026
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Crispy on the outside with a center as soft as a cloud, and they dissolve on your tongue the way the bake-sale ones did. I whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, pipe them, and bake them at 200°F for a full hour so they dry out instead of browning, and one reader found that a dark nonstick sheet pushes the bottoms golden before the middles are done, so use a light pan. They sit next to thin mints on my cookie exchange spread. 0.3g net carbs each.
I make these sugar free meringues with four required ingredients, plus optional food coloring or flavor extract. They taste like biting into a sweet cloud that dissolves on your tongue. They’re a hit at bake sales and cookie exchanges. I like to pair them with my almond flour cookies and thin mint cookies for a full sugar-free cookie spread.
At 0.3g net carbs per cookie, these are about as close to zero carb as a cookie gets. I’ve eaten a handful in one sitting and still been well under my daily limit. If you’re counting macros, you basically can’t mess this up.
These aren’t anything like traditional cookies. No flour, no sugar. The base is just egg whites. The whole batch comes together in about 15 minutes of active work before they go into the oven, and the ingredient list is shorter than most things I make.
Making low carb meringue is simple: egg whites, sweetener, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt. From there, have fun with it. Add optional food coloring or flavor extract, or pipe them into shapes like ghosts for Halloween. I personally add a quarter teaspoon of almond extract to almost every batch because it rounds out the sweetener aftertaste in a way nothing else does. That amount is subtle on purpose.
Your sweetener choice matters here more than in most recipes. Powdered erythritol or a monk fruit blend both work well. Allulose will leave you with chewy, sticky meringues that never fully crisp up. I tested it twice to make sure, and both times the texture was wrong. If you want that classic shattering shell, stick with powdered erythritol.
After the hour at 200°F, I prop the oven door open about an inch with a wooden spoon and let them cool inside for another hour. I started doing this after a batch came out baked through but still chewy, and I realized residual steam trapped inside the oven was the problem. That one change made the biggest difference in crispness of anything I’ve tried.
These store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. I keep mine on the counter in a mason jar. You can freeze them too (layer parchment between cookies so they don’t stick), and they thaw in about 15 minutes. If you’re looking for more keto cookies to add to your rotation, my flourless cookies and keto fudge are two I come back to constantly.
How to make keto meringue cookies
Key ingredients
- Egg whites: The star of the recipe and there’s no substitute. Make sure no yolk gets into your whites or you won’t get stiff peaks. I use the leftover yolks for keto chocolate mousse or sugar free condensed milk.
- Cream of tartar: I add 1/4 teaspoon to stabilize the sugar free meringue and help the peaks hold longer.
- Salt: A small amount enhances the sweetness.
- Powdered sweetener: Use powdered (not granulated) so your meringue turns out airy instead of grainy. I use powdered Swerve or a monk fruit blend.
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Ingredients
4 egg whites -
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
-
Pinch of salt
-
1/2 cup powdered sugar free sweetener
-
food coloring or flavor extracts, optional
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat oven
Preheat oven to 200°F.
Beat eggs until foamy
To a large clean, dry bowl, add egg whites. Add cream of tartar and a pinch of salt. Beat until mixture is foamy. It’s important for the bowl to be clean and dry so your meringue forms stiff peaks.
Beat until stiff peaks form
Slowly add sweetener while continuing to beat mixture. Add food coloring and flavoring, like vanilla extract, if using at this point. Beat until very stiff peaks form (around 3-5 minutes). Meringue needs to be so stiff that you can flip the bowl upside down without it falling out.
Pipe into cookie shapes
Add meringue mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip or desired tip. Pipe little star shaped cookies out onto a parchment lined baking tray. Space each cookie about ½ inch apart.
Bake and cool
Bake at 200°F for 1 hour. After an hour, turn off the oven, prop the door open about 1 inch with a wooden spoon, and let the meringue cookies cool inside for another hour to set and harden further.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I freeze keto meringue cookies?
I freeze them all the time. Layer parchment paper between the cookies, store them in a freezer bag, and they'll keep for about two months. When I'm ready for a few, I pull them out and let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. They crisp back up almost exactly like fresh.
Why are my meringue cookies chewy instead of crispy?
In my experience, it's almost always one of two things: under-baking or humidity. If you're in a humid climate, meringues absorb moisture from the air and lose their crunch. I prop the oven door open about an inch with a wooden spoon during the cooldown hour, and that keeps steam from softening them. If they're already chewy, put them back in at 200°F for 10 minutes and they'll usually crisp up again.
Does the type of sweetener matter for meringue?
It matters a lot with these. I've tested powdered erythritol, monk fruit blends, and allulose. Erythritol and monk fruit both give you that crispy, shattering texture. Allulose does not. It stays soft and tacky no matter how long you bake. I tried it twice because I wanted it to work (allulose tastes the closest to sugar), but the texture was wrong both times. Go with powdered Swerve or a monk fruit blend.
How long do these keep?
Mine last about two weeks in an airtight container at room temperature. I keep them in a mason jar on my counter and they hold their crunch the whole time. The key is keeping moisture out. If you leave the lid off or store them in a humid room, they'll go soft within a day or two.
What if I don't have a piping bag?
I've used a spoon plenty of times. Just scoop a tablespoon of meringue and drop it onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. They won't have the pretty star shape, but they taste exactly the same. You can also cut the corner off a plastic bag and use that as a makeshift piping bag. I did that for my first few batches before I bought a proper tip.
Can I fold chocolate chips into the meringue?
I haven't tested chocolate chips in this recipe, so I can't give you an amount or promise the same texture.
Why bake at 200°F instead of a higher temperature?
I've tested these at 225°F and 250°F, and both of those temperatures rush the drying process. You get a meringue that's crispy all the way through with no soft center, or one that browns on the outside before the inside sets. 200°F gives you that crispy shell with a cloud-soft center, which is the whole point. It takes longer, but the contrast in texture is worth the wait.
Are egg whites keto?
Completely. Egg whites are nearly pure protein with trace carbs, so they fit perfectly into a keto diet. I use them in a lot of my recipes. The whole batch here uses four egg whites and comes out to about 0.3g net carbs per cookie, which is about as low as it gets.
Can meringue cookies be made without sugar?
Yes. I make these with 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup powdered sugar free sweetener, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt. Bake them at 200°F for 1 hour, then turn off the oven, prop the door open about 1 inch, and let them cool inside for another hour. Each cookie has 0.3g net carbs and 5 calories.
Can you have meringue on keto?
Yes, as long as it is made with a sugar free sweetener instead of sugar. My keto meringue cookies come out to 0.3g net carbs and 5 calories each, so a few of them barely touch my daily carb count. Traditional bakery meringue is mostly sugar, which is why I whip these with powdered erythritol or a monk fruit blend instead.
Can I make these the night before a party?
I do this all the time. They hold up really well overnight in an airtight container at room temperature. I've made them up to three days ahead and they stayed crispy. The key is keeping them sealed and away from moisture. Don't refrigerate them. The fridge introduces humidity and turns them chewy.
What are the ingredients for 3-ingredient meringue cookies?
This recipe uses four required ingredients, not three: 4 egg whites, 1/2 cup powdered sugar free sweetener, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt. Food coloring or flavor extract is optional.
I ate four of these standing at the counter before they even finished cooling !! Annie, you keep rescuing my sweet tooth. These are SO good, and my coffee has a new friend!!!
That makes my day! I'm glad they earned a spot next to your coffee.
Ha, thanks. I did another batch last night with a little peppermint extract and it came out fine.
somehow these bring back the church bake sale
That crowd had meringues figured out long before I did.
Pan color made a real difference, dark nonstick sheet had the bottoms going golden by the 50 minute mark even at 200 degrees. Switched to a lighter pan and they came out right.
Wasn't sure it would hold without real sugar.
Mei, I had that exact doubt my first batch. Cream of tartar plus powdered erythritol holds those peaks just fine.
Weightless. That's the word my son landed on when he picked one up. His food descriptions are usually useless, but that one is actually right. The shell gives and then the whole thing just dissolves. He kept checking how many were left in the container.
Your son nailed it, Gina. Five calories each explains why you eat three, the dissolve is why you eat twelve. I've had to move mine to a less visible shelf.
you never miss annie, this site is everything
That makes every test batch worth it.
I announced 5 calories each while setting out the tray and watched people do the math and reach for another. Brought two plates to a block party, piped with a little food coloring so they looked the part, and a few people kept poking them when they came out, cloud-soft inside when everyone expected hollow or dry. They were gone before the burgers came off the grill. Next time I'm making three batches just so I actually get some.
Gone before the burgers came off the grill is a high bar for dessert at a cookout. Three batches sounds right.
The texture is actually right here, which keto meringues almost never are. Soft and cloud-like in the center, crispy shell. That contrast is the whole point of meringue, and getting it with a sugar sub takes a lower oven than most recipes say. The cool-down in a turned-off oven matters more than it sounds. Most versions I've made are decent crispy puffs. The interior here is the real thing.
That interior is why I landed on 200 degrees.
Tried these with almond extract instead of vanilla (the recipe mentions flavor extracts as optional) and the difference is noticeable in the best way. The almond comes through clean without being overpowering, and they still got that crispy shell with the soft, almost cloud-like inside. One thing I figured out after my first batch: your bowl has to be completely dry before you start beating the egg whites. Even a small amount of moisture and they won't peak up the way they need to. My second batch, once I actually dried everything properly, piped into clean little rosettes that held their shape through the full hour at 200. Made these for a pool afternoon this week because I wanted something sweet that wouldn't melt sitting out, and they held up perfectly in a sealed container. Peppermint extract is definitely next on my list.
The dry bowl thing catches everyone the first time. I do a vinegar wipe before I start (paper towel with a splash of white vinegar, then let it air dry). Any grease or moisture left over from the dishwasher and you're not getting stiff peaks, doesn't matter how long you beat them. The rosettes are worth it for taking places. Spooned drops are fine at home but they're less forgiving in a container.
Made these on Sunday and barely got them onto the cooling rack before my kids started picking them off. My youngest kept asking why they taste 'crunchy and fluffy at the same time,' which honestly is the best anyone has described a meringue. I've been making French macarons for a few years so the technique felt familiar once I got to stiff peaks, but these come together so much faster with no resting time before the oven. The 200 degree bake is what does it, they dry out rather than brown, and leaving them in the oven after you turn it off makes a real difference in texture (tried pulling them at the hour mark the first time and they were slightly sticky inside). None of my kids are keto and I've made no announcements about that. I'm doubling the batch next weekend and adding the almond extract.
'Crunchy and fluffy at the same time' is a better description than anything I wrote on the page. Add the almond extract before piping, it carries through the whole bake.
I genuinely thought sugar-free meringue was a fool's errand. I'd tried two other recipes that came out grainy and collapsed on me and just... defeated the whole point. Made these mostly out of stubbornness and the 200 degrees for a full hour felt insane to me, but the moment I cracked the oven open after the cool-down they had this paper-thin shell that gave way to something actually airy inside. Not the weird chewy-gummy texture I'd been getting with other sweeteners, which I've since figured out was erythritol crystallizing too fast without enough stabilizer. The cream of tartar is doing serious structural work here and I think that's exactly what the other recipes were missing. Six batches in since March, and I've started swirling in peppermint extract and a little cocoa powder before piping (they hold their shape through the full bake, no weeping, no collapse). Took me way too long to find a meringue recipe that actually behaves like meringue.
Peppermint and cocoa before piping with no weeping through the full bake. I haven't done that yet and now I need to. Six batches since March puts you ahead of most of my recipe testers.
Fourth batch and I finally landed on my version. A little almond extract alongside the vanilla took it from sweet-and-airy to something that actually tastes like a real cookie. The 200 degree slow bake is non-negotiable, you can't rush it. Only note: mine needed closer to 70-75 minutes before they were dry inside, not the full hour, so check before you pull them.
Used almond extract instead of vanilla and these taste exactly like the Italian bakery meringues I grew up on. Same crispy shell, totally different vibe. Worth trying if you've got it.
Italian bakery meringue is exactly what it tastes like. That slightly bitter, more complex thing the almond extract brings, you just can't get there with vanilla.
Added a few drops of almond extract and some pink food coloring Saturday. Completely changed how I see this recipe. Almond in light meringue stays delicate instead of cloying (denser cookies don't do this), and the tint made them look like they came from an actual patisserie. Baked exactly at 200 for the full hour, no adjustments, still got that crispy shell with the cloud-soft inside. Making four colors for Easter in two weeks, double batch minimum. At 5 calories each I've been having a stack with my evening coffee every night this week and that's just not going to stop. The base takes modifications SO well, already planning lemon next.
That evening coffee stack at 5 calories each is exactly why I keep a batch on the counter. Lemon is going to be even better than the pink.
Just picked up all the ingredients to make these today and realized I only grabbed regular granular Swerve, not the powdered kind. Since the egg whites are so finicky I'm worried the granules won't fully dissolve while beating. Can I pulse it in the blender to make it finer first, or is it a total no-go and I need to run back to the store?
Blender trick works. Pulse it until it looks like powdered sugar. I've done it in a pinch. The finer the grind, the better it dissolves into the whites.