Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Pavlova
A cloud of meringue, crisp shell, marshmallow heart, piled with cream and summer fruit. The dessert two nations claim.
New Zealand · medium · serves 8
prep 20 min · cook 75 min
~301 cal · 4g protein · 30g carbs · 19g fat · 1g fiber · 28g sugars · 11g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Pavlova is the dessert two nations claim, an object of gentle rivalry between Australia and New Zealand ever since it was named for the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova during her 1920s tours. Wherever it was born, it has become the crowning sweet of Antipodean summers and celebrations.
Its magic is textural: egg whites whipped with sugar and a little cornflour and vinegar, then baked low and slow so the outside sets into a crisp, snow-white shell while the inside stays soft as marshmallow. Rushing the cooling cracks it, so patience is part of the recipe.
It is finished only just before serving, crowned with softly whipped cream and a pile of summer fruit, classically kiwifruit, strawberries, and passionfruit. Light, sweet, and a little dramatic, pavlova is the centrepiece of Christmas tables and midsummer gatherings across both countries.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and gluten-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
4 egg whites, room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups heavy cream, whipped
3 kiwifruit, sliced
1 cup strawberries, halved
3 passionfruit pulp
Instructions
1
Whip the egg whites (or aquafaba) to soft peaks.
2
Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whipping continuously, until the meringue is stiff, glossy, and no longer grainy when rubbed between your fingers.
✎ Chef’s note
Adding the sugar slowly and whipping until it fully dissolves is what prevents weeping and gives pavlova its glossy, stable shell.
3
Gently fold in the cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla, which give the marshmallowy interior and crisp shell.
4
Mound the meringue onto lined parchment in a circle, making a slight well in the center and smoothing the sides.
5
Bake at 250F (120C) for 75 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the door ajar until the pavlova is completely cool.
✎ Chef’s note
Cooling it slowly in the switched-off oven is essential. A sudden temperature change is what cracks the shell.
6
Top with whipped cream and fresh fruit only just before serving, so the shell stays crisp.
New Zealand summer tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Canterbury. The plains themselves are the other story. Canterbury is flat, dry and heavily irrigated, running sheep in very large numbers and growing wheat and stone fruit, while the braided rivers coming down off the Alps carry salmon. Lamb here is a commodity as much as it is a dinner.
🗺️
New Zealand. The pavlova is argued over with Australia and the argument has some real evidence in it: the two earliest recipes carrying the name are Canterbury ones from 1933 and 1934, while researchers trace the meringue-cream-and-fruit form itself further back to German-speaking Europe and the American Midwest. The flat white is disputed on similar terms between Sydney and Wellington.
🌍
Oceania. The staple crops here were carried on purpose. Lapita voyagers moving east from roughly three thousand years ago brought taro, yam, banana, breadfruit and coconut with them along with pigs and chickens, because most of the islands they settled had almost nothing edible growing on them. The earth oven travelled too, as umu, imu, hangi, lovo, mumu, motu and um.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
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Browse all New Zealand recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven.
Storing it: Store in an airtight container. Most keep 2 to 3 days at room temperature, and longer refrigerated.
Make it a New Zealand meal
Boil-Up with DoughboysDinner
Flat WhiteDrink
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Frequently asked questions
What is Pavlova?
A cloud of meringue, crisp shell, marshmallow heart, piled with cream and summer fruit. The dessert two nations claim.
Where does Pavlova come from?
Pavlova is a New Zealand dish from Canterbury, New Zealand.
Can Pavlova be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Pavlova recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Pavlova safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Pavlova take to make?
About 95 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 75 minutes cooking), serving 8.
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