Bake a perfect Pavlova in your Air Fryer! Follow my easy pavlova recipe and tips to create a wonderful meringue dessert ready to be filled with cream and fruit.
Pavlova is my go-to dessert whenever I have people over for dinner. Why? Because the meringue shell can be baked in advance and filled just before serving. Plus it is beyond delicious, gluten-free and you can add your own personal twist to it.
Pavlova was created as a tribute to ballerina Anna Pavlova – the light-as-air dessert is certainly suited to an ethereal ballet dancer!
It is made simply with egg whites and sugar and baked until the shell is crisp outside with a marshmallow texture within. The fillings can suit the season or the occasion – generally a combination of softly whipped cream and fruit.
CAN YOU COOK PAVLOVA IN THE AIR FRYER?
I have been using my air fryer to bake cakes, muffins, sourdough and cheesecake so why not make Pavlova in the air fryer? That’s my thinking folks and I am glad to report you can bake the perfect Pavlova in your air fryer.
Bear in mind that the pavlova will need to cook for 90 minutes – 2 hours and also cool inside the air fryer basket. So don’t go making it when you are planning an air fryer dinner… unless you own more than one air fryer that is (guilty).
PAVLOVA INGREDIENTS
Pavlova starts with meringue and for that you will need egg whites and sugar. For best results use fresh eggs and not liquid egg whites.
You can use granulated sugar or caster sugar (superfine sugar).
A pinch of salt or a teaspoon of lemon juice help the egg whites whip up and I always add a little vanilla bean paste too.
A stand mixer is essential for making meringue – I have tried to make it with a hand mixer but it simply is not powerful enough!
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER PAVLOVA
Separate the eggs and place the egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer. Use the egg yolks to make Carbonara or curd. Add the sugar and lemon juice and place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the mixing bowl doesn’t come in contact with the water.
Use a balloon whisk to stir the egg whites and sugar to encourage the sugar to dissolve. This will take a few minutes – feel between your fingers to check whether the sugar has dissolved. If the mixture feels gritty then continue to cook and stir over the double boiler.
Dry the bottom of the mixing bowl and attach to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until the meringue holds firm peaks – this can take ten minutes or more. The meringue needs to be stiff and glossy.
Fit a piping bag with a large star tip and fill with the meringue. Place a liner inside your air fryer basket. Pipe a ring of the meringue on the liner then fill the middle. Build up the sides by adding more meringue.
Bake in the air fryer at 120°C for 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 95°C and continue to cook for a further hour and 10 minutes (2 hours total). Turn the air fryer off but leave the pavlova inside the basket to cool. It can stay in there overnight or until needed.
Carefully remove the meringue shell from the air fryer and place on a cake stand or plate. Fill with softly whipped cream, lemon curd and top with a medley of fresh berries.
Once the pavlova is filled it has to be served straight away as the cream and fruit will cause the crisp shell to soften.
PrintAir Fryer Vanilla Berry Pavlova
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients
For the Pavlova
- 3 large eggs whites only
- 1 cup (200g) sugar caster or granulated
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
For the whipped cream
- 1 cup (230ml) cream heavy / double cream
- ½ cup (60g) sugar powdered / icing
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
To fill
- 2 tbsp curd lemon, orange etc (optional)
- 1 cup (150-180g) fresh berries strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
Instructions
Make the pavlova
-
Separate the eggs and place the egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer. Save the egg yolks to make Carbonara or curd. Add the sugar and lemon juice and place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of the mixing bowl doesn’t come in contact with the water.
-
Use a balloon whisk to stir the egg whites and sugar to encourage the sugar to dissolve. This will take a few minutes – feel between your fingers to check whether the sugar has dissolved. If the mixture feels gritty then continue to cook and stir over the double boiler.
- Dry the bottom of the mixing bowl and attach to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until the meringue holds firm peaks – this can take ten minutes or more. The meringue needs to be stiff and glossy.
- Fit a piping bag with a large star tip and fill with the meringue. Place a liner inside your air fryer basket. Pipe a ring of the meringue on the liner then fill the middle. Build up the sides by adding more meringue.
- Bake in the air fryer at 120°C for 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 95°C and continue to cook for a further hour and 10 minutes (2 hours total). Turn the air fryer off but leave the pavlova inside the basket to cool. It can stay in there overnight or until needed.
Make the whipped cream
-
Place the cream, icing sugar and vanilla in the bowl of the stand mixer with whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer). Whisk on medium-low setting until the cream holds soft peaks.
Fill and serve
-
Carefully remove the meringue shell from the air fryer and place on a cake stand or plate. Fill with softly whipped cream, lemon curd and top with a medley of fresh berries. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Be careful when separating the eggs. If egg yolk gets into the whites the meringue will simply not whip! Cold eggs are easier to separate.
- Make sure the bowl of the stand mixer and whisk are spotlessly clean. Even a tiny bit of grease can stop the meringue from frothing.
