Name: Eton Mess Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 10oz Strawberries (1 1/2 Cups), diced (roughly X medium-sized strawberries); 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Granulated Sugar; Juice of half a small Lemon; 10oz ( 1 1/4 Cups) Heavy Whipping Cream; 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar; 3oz (1- 1 1/2 Cups) Meringue Cookies

Learn how to make Eton mess, this gorgeous English pudding is always a winner! Easily make each component ahead of time and wow your guests at your next dinner party! Eton mess is the best summer dessert!

eton mess in a tall glass dish with a strawberry on top

Some of my favorite desserts are those of contrasting textures like my deconstructed banana cream pie. Something about the crunch and the creamy I just can't get enough of.

I also can't get enough of heavy cream, in any form. So naturally, I love Eton Mess. Eton mess is made up of a soft luscious whipped cream with strawberries, and crushed meringues swirled throughout.

Who invented Eton mess?

Legend has it that Eton Mess was born at Eton College, England during a cricket match. The three ingredients were accidentally messed up together, creating Eton Mess.

What are the ingredients for Eton mess?

Meringues (homemade- here is my step-by-step recipe with photos or store-bought) For homemade meringues, you'll need: egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar or caster sugar.
Macerated Strawberries, while not traditional I also love adding blackberries, blueberries or raspberries!
Soft Whipped Cream

How do you make Eton mess?

This dessert is easy, you can make your own meringue cookies or use store-bought, then chop some strawberries and sprinkle with sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Let the berries sit and get extra juicy. Then gently fold the berries into softly whipped cream and then fold in crushed meringues.

I like to serve extra crushed cookies and remaining strawberries on top just for an extra pretty look. The layers are so beautiful to me!

Can you whip cream by hand?

Of course but expect a workout! I find it easiest and quickest to use my stand mixer, but a handheld mixer also does a great job. Of course, you can use a whisk and your arm strength to make whipped cream too!

lightly whipped cream and glass bowl of strawberries and meringue cookies

How do you macerate strawberries?

In a medium bowl add the diced strawberries, toss them in the lemon juice and granulated sugar. Let them sit for 30-40 minutes at room temp or let them sit in the fridge for 3-4 hours.

This will help draw the juices out of the strawberries. If your berries are extra tart you can increase the caster sugar a little to create more sweetness

How do you assemble Eton Mess?

While the berries are resting make the whipped cream. We want a soft whipped cream. In the bowl of an electric mixer or large bowl with a hand held mixer beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar for a couple of minutes until you reach soft peaks. You do not want to beat too much, we want softly whipped cream.

Macerated Strawberries folded into whipped cream

Gently fold the strawberries and liquid into the whipped cream then crush the meringue cookies and fold into the mixture. Serve with extra strawberries and meringue crumbles, if desired.

meringue cookies crushed on top of a metal bowl of whipped cream

Keep in mind meringue cookies will take a while to bake in the oven, so prepare ahead of time.

Can you make Eton mess in advance?

Totally, the meringues can be made a few days in advance. You can also make the macerated strawberries and softly whipped cream a few hours in advance, just store them separately and assemble them right before serving.

More English dessert recipes

Sticky Toffee Pudding is the ultimate treat for my family.

During the colder months, we cannot get enough of this baked rice pudding recipe.

Perfect for a party, this Coffee Layer Cake, is a show stopper!

hand sprinkling crushed meringues on top of a glass full of eton mess

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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Recipe Card

eton mess served in a tall glass dish with crushed meringues and strawberry on top

Eton Mess Recipe

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5 from 2 reviews

Print Recipe

Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

10oz Strawberries (1 ½ Cups), diced (roughly X medium-sized strawberries)
1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Granulated Sugar
Juice of half a small Lemon
10oz ( 1 ¼ Cups) Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
3oz (1- 1 ½ Cups) Meringue Cookies

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Instructions

In a medium-sized bowl add the diced strawberries, toss them in the lemon juice and granulated sugar. Let sit for 30-40 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer or large bowl with a hand held mixer beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar for a couple of minutes until you reach soft peaks. You do not want to beat too much, we want softly whipped cream.
Gently fold strawberries and liquid into the whipped cream then crush the meringue cookies and fold into the mixture. Serve with extra strawberries and crushed meringues.