Meringue is one of those naturally dairy-free foods that few people realize. It’s made with egg whites, but little else. They’re beaten with sugar until stiff, and baked for the lightest, most cloud-like cookie possible. Nonetheless, some brands and recipes do add milk in some form, particularly flavored varieties. Fortunately, it’s easy to make your own! We have a simple Vanilla Meringue Cookie Recipe and the one below for Chocolate Meringues. The latter are made with cocoa, and they’re optionally spiked with dairy-free mini chocolate chips.
If you confuse eggs with dairy, you’re not alone! See this post: Are Eggs Dairy? If you need egg-free, I’ve included a vegan and egg-free option below!
This chocolate meringues recipe was originally shared with us by Enjoy Life Foods. The photo is by Annie Spratt.
Special Diet Notes: Chocolate Meringues
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, gluten-free, optionally nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, and vegetarian.
For vegan and egg-free chocolate meringues, use aquafaba. You’ll need about 3/4 cup aquafaba (the liquid from one to two cans of chickpeas). See my aquafaba guide for details.
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 225°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer on low until foamy. Add the sugar, 1 to 1 ½ tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition. Turn the mixer up to high and beat until stiff glossy peaks form, but do not overbeat.
- Sift the cocoa powder over top and sprinkle on the chocolate chips, if using. Gently fold the ingredients in.
- Dollop or pipe the meringue mixture onto your prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 30 minutes with one pan on the bottom rack and one pan on the second rack from top. After 30 minutes, rotate the pans and bake an additional 30 minutes or until dry to the touch. Turn the off oven, and let the cookies cool in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
- Store the meringues in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks (if you don’t eat them all).
For More Dairy-Free Recipes, Get Go Dairy Free!
