Sugar-Free Keto Pavlova Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How much can I reduce sugar in meringue? ›

You can easily halve the sugar measurement for a traditional meringue recipe and still have it come out OK (albeit less tasty) - especially if you make one of the more stable meringue types, such as an Italian meringue where the sugar is combined as boiling sugar syrup.

The acid will actually help stabilise your whipped whites too. That's why we add cream of tartar to our pavlova recipes. If you use a little more vinegar in the meringue, you'll encourage a soft centre and a crisp shell.

While on a keto diet, it's important to limit your intake of sugary sweets and opt for low-carb alternatives. Some keto-friendly sweet options include sugar-free jello, dark chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa, sugar-free gum or mints, keto-friendly protein bars or shakes, and berries in moderation.

Use ultrafine Baker's Sugar for meringues and other baked goods – it dissolves faster than regular granulated sugar. Use ultrafine Baker's Sugar to help prevent “weeping” or sogginess. Meringues will weep if there's any undissolved sugar.

How much sugar and how much egg white do we need? According to most bakers, you'll need 30-60g sugar per egg white (we are assuming large eggs). The less sugar, the softer the meringue.

Is Cool Whip Keto? If you're looking solely at carb content, then technically yes, store bought cool whip is keto friendly. However, the real problem with store bought cool whip is that it is full of junk ingredients. Hydrogenated oil is like the first thing listed followed by high fructose corn syrup!

Satisfy your sweet tooth with keto-friendly sweet snacks like a small piece of dark chocolate or berries with cream. Look for a snack with some protein, if possible, and some fat. Even though you might be craving sugar, grabbing some keto-friendly berries might not be the best choice right before a workout.

While your body is adopting to keto, you are limiting glucose but your body still do not have the full mechanism of producing or utilizing ketones. This leaves your body a bit confused as to where to get its fuel. The result? Carbs cravings.

Pavlova shell isn't crisp: is it humid? Pavlovas love to soak up moisture, so avoid making them on humid days. Egg whites won't whip: make sure your metal or glass mixing bowl is completely clean and dry, with no oily residue.

Why won t my sugar dissolve in pavlova? ›

Egg whites can be over whisked & sugar will not dissolve in over whisked egg whites. I've noticed on a lot of stand mixers that the stated speed for whisking egg whites is nearly full bore. If you whisk them at this set speed you will not have enough time to add the sugar before the egg whites are over whisked.

What's the Difference Between Pavlova and Meringue? Pavlovas and meringues are both made of whipped egg white, but a Pavlova has a delicate crispy exterior with pillowy soft marshmallow inside, while meringue is dry and crisp all the way through.

It gets even better - you can also find desserts made with keto-friendly ingredients like healthy fats from coconut oil, and flours made from nuts and seeds, like almond flour, pumpkin seed flour, flaxseed flour or sunflower seed flour. These sugar-free ingredients can easily fit into a balanced Keto diet.

Peanut butter can definitely be part of a keto diet, but it's best to stick to plain options that are free of extra flavors and sweeteners. Almond butter is a good choice, too, and it's slightly lower in carbs. Additionally, you should be mindful of your portion size if you're trying to lose weight.

The chemistry of sugar attracts water molecules, so cutting it out can make your baked goods too tough and dry. If you really want to cut back, sugar can usually be reduced by about a third without seeing a major difference in texture.

Know the Sugar-to-Egg Ratio

How much sugar you add depends on your recipe: Soft meringues used to top pies or baked Alaska, or to fold into batter have about 2 tablespoon sugar for every egg white.

The answer: surprisingly quite low. A typical pavlova recipe might have a ratio of 1/4 cup of sugar per egg white in the recipe. I found that I could cut the sugar in half with no noticeable impact on texture and taste. So I kept testing and reducing the sugar.

There are a lot of recipes for Italian meringue (and Italian meringue frostings) you can try to see what effect the different sugar content has. Reducing the sugar can definitely reduce the stability, but stability is a somewhat subjective term. That's why I recommend experimentation.