Why You Will LOVE this Recipe
- This keto pavlova recipe has been tested multiple times, using various ingredients, and by two different methods.
- Conventional and thermal methods. Using both a stand mixer and mixing the pavlova with a Thermomix we have tested various ways to make it.
- Originally published in 2017 this recipe has been tested MANY many times. So you are getting a tried and true sugar free pavlova recipe that WORKS!
- We have detailed ingredients and instructions to help make this a fail proof pavlova recipe. Read through the entire blog post carefully before baking to get all the hot tips.
Keto Pavlova
What is pavlova? Pavlova is an Australian classic dessert. It is basically a huge meringue that is traditionally topped with whipped cream and fruit. (You can make mini pavlovas too if you wish).
Often served at family gatherings, parties and Christmas in Australia and New Zealand. This iconic Australian dessert had to have a sugar-free, keto-friendly makeover. The Aussies and Kiwis might argue over who came up with this recipe first, but this sugar-free version is all Mad Creations!
Related Recipes – Mini Keto Pavlova / Keto Meringues
The Ingredients
Scroll to the recipe card below for all the measures of ingredients needed to make my low carb pavlova dessert.
There are only a couple of different ingredients in our sugar-free diabetic pavlova recipe to the original. It is important to select the correct sweetener, as outlined below.
Egg whites – room temperature FRESH egg whites are a must. You can tell fresh egg whites by how thick they are. If they are watery and do not hold their shape, then get some fresh ones. Old egg whites will NOT hold shape. Cold eggs don’t whip as well, so bring the eggs to room temperature before whipping until stiff peaks form.
Sweetener: I use erythritol-based sweetener. I use Sukrin Melis (a powdered sweetener). You can use monk fruit sweetener or granular erythritol sweeteners with a little stevia too, BUT you will need to blitz them first into a powder. I have tried finer granular sweeteners, but they just dissolve like caster sugar does when making a pavlova. Xylitol and allulose are NOT suitable sweeteners for this healthy pavlova. It will make the meringue soft and chewy.
Xanthan gum or cornstarch – xanthan gum or cornstarch helps to hold shape. While cornstarch is not keto-friendly it is only 1 tablespoon for the entire pavlova. Use xanthan gum for keto and grain free. Arrowroot powder is also a good substitute for cornstarch in pavlova. It has approximately the same carb count but seeing you are using so little, it is not adding a lot of carbs to the pavlovas nutrition count. All options still make for a gluten-free pavlova recipe.
White Vinegar – vinegar is used for cleaning the bowl before mixing and to help stabilise egg whites. Mix the xanthan gum (or cornstarch) with the vinegar and add in the last mixing for 2-3 minutes after it is added.
Vanilla extract – adds a nice flavour to pavlova.
More Related Recipes Keto Lemon Meringue Pie / Keto Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
How To Make Keto Pavlova
Step 1. Preheat oven to 130℃ fan/150°C static (300°F). Line a baking tray with parchment. Cut a 20cm (8 inch) diameter circle of parchment and place it into the centre of the lined tray.
Step 2. Clean a mixing bowl thoroughly with vinegar. Dry well with paper towels.
Step 3. Use a stand mixer to whisk egg whites to stiff peaks.
Step 4. Add sweetener, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting 30 sec between adding the next. Once all the sweetener has been added, scrape down sides of bowl; and mix a further 3-5 minutes until glossy.
Step 5. Add vanilla extract, vinegar, cream of tartar and xanthan gum or cornstarch. Mix 3 minutes until thick and glossy. Turn oven down to 100℃ fan/120°C static (250°F).
Step 6. Bake for 90 minutes or until crisp to the touch. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to cool in the oven with the door closed.
Step 7. Transfer pavlova to a cake stand or plate and top with cream, lemon curd, berries or whatever you love. You can see my pavlova has lots of cracks in it. This can happen with a pavlova. It is still perfect in my eyes and holds together really well.
How to Make Pavlova in a Thermomix
Making a pavlova in a Thermomix is easy too. I have included full instructions to making my keto pavlova recipe in the Thermomix in the recipe card. If you follow each step closely the pavlova will be perfect. It is my preferred method as it is easy to see the time counting down for adding the sweetener. Plus, you can easily set the times for mixing.
HOT TIPS: Make sure you take the bowl apart and thoroughly clean the mixer before using with vinegar. You can do a vinegar wash, but I like to ensure that under the blade is completely clean before starting. Clean the whisk attachment with viengar too, including where it attaches to the blade.
Keep the measuring cap off while mixing as you can monitor how the egg whites are thickening before adding sweetener and the following steps.
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Questions & Tips
There are soooo many reason why a pavlova weeps. This post has some great pointers on the whys and how to fix. While it is for a standard pavlova the reasons pretty much apply to a low carb pavlova as well.
If you have used the correct sweeteners and fresh eggs then it might just be that your oven is slightly lower in temperature. Keep baking until it is crisp. Cool in the oven. If it is crisp when baked but softens the next day you can follow our steps below on re-crisping the meringue.
Store in an airtight container in the pantry until needed. If you haven’t added any whipped cream or other toppings that need chilling just keep dry and cool. If it has been garnished, store in the fridge for 2-3 days.
What To Serve With Pavlova
Pavlova is traditionally served with whipped cream and loads of fruit. Here are a few different options to try.
- Pavlova with Lemon Curd. The pictured pavlova is made with my keto lemon curd, but I also added lime juice (half of the juice amount) and a tablespoon of passionfruit. It is delicious and very summery while still low in carbs.
- Top with gelato, frozen yogurt, ice cream. Right before serving pile the pavlova high with scoops of your favorite iced confection. Ice cream (or similar) is a perfect way to break the sweetness overload of the meringue.
- Grilled fruit. Chargrilled peaches, pineapple, plums, or watermelon add a nice fruity sweetness. A small amount of grilled fruit with a sugar free pav can still be low in carbs and a decadent treat.
- Get saucy. Top with keto chocolate fudge sauce, berry coulis, jam, caramel syrup, or store bought sugar free caramel sauce,
What to do with Leftover Pavlova
Leftover pavlova usually looks pretty sad and sorry for itself the next day. So here are some great ideas for using up the leftovers.
- Pavlova Thick Shake – add some (keto) vanilla ice cream, milk and pavlova leftovers to a blender and mix. What a fabulous way to use up pavlova. Thick, sweet and delicious! Top with some whipped cream and crumbled meringue.
- Eton Mess – it is a classic.
- Pavlova Ice Cream – fold crumbled pavlova through softened ice cream. Serve it up straight away or keep frozen. Simple and delicious! This could also be set into icecream pop molds too. The kids will love it, big and small.
More Recipes To Try
For more great keto sweets and low carb dessert recipes have a look through the website to find some new favourites. These are just a handful of our most popular keto cakes and sweets to make when entertaining or perfect for a low carb Christmas cake.
Watch Me Make It
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Sugar Free Keto Pavlova
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Ingredients
- 6 (6) egg whites total weight 240g room temperature add extra whites to achieve the weight
- 1/2 cup (0.5 cups) powdered erythritol (100g)
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vinegar plus extra to clean the bowl
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) xanthan gum or 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
- Preheat oven to 130℃ fan/150°C static (300°F). Line a baking tray with parchment. Cut a 20cm 8 inch diameter circle of parchment and place into the centre of the lined tray.
- Clean a mixing bowl thoroughly with vinegar. Dry well with paper towels.
- Use a stand mixer to whisk egg whites to stiff peaks. Add sweetener, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting 30 sec between. Once all the sweetener has been added, scrape down sides of bowl; and mix a further 3-5 minutes until glossy.
- Add vanilla extract, vinegar, cream of tartar and xanthan gum or cornstarch. Mix 3 minutes.
- Turn oven down to 100℃ fan/120°C static (250°F).
- Spoon the mixture into large high pavlova approximately 25cm in diameter. Smooth sides and top to desired pattern.
- Bake 90 minutes or until crisp to touch. Turn oven off and leave pavlova to cool in oven with the door closed.
- Transfer pavlova to a cake stand or plate and top with cream, lemon curd, berries or whatever you love.
THERMOMIX METHOD
- Preheat oven to 130℃ fan/150°C static (300°F). Line a baking tray with parchment. Cut a 20cm 8 inch diameter circle of parchment and place into the centre of the lined tray.
- Clean mixing bowl thoroughly with vinegar. Dry well with paper towels.
- Insert whisk attachment. Add egg whites and cream of tartar; set mixer to 5 min/37℃/speed 4/MC off. Keep an eye on the egg whites and once they are thick and stiff gradually add sweetener, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting 30 sec between. Once all the sweetener has been added, scrape down sides of mixer; and mix a further 3-5 minutes until glossy.
- Add vanilla extract, vinegar, and xanthan gum (or cornstarch) and mix a further 2-3 minutes until thick and glossy. Follow from step 5 above.
Video
Notes
Your Own Notes
Nutrition
171 responses to “Easy Sugar Free Keto Pavlova”
Thank you soo much i always try with my sister, i feel very happy to try out this.Hi Megan,
Tried the recipe today, twice. The Pavs didn’t crisp up, but were brown on top. They were also very dry inside, almost like the texture of white bread. I did notice some sugar had leaked out at the bottom and gone hard. What could be going wrong? I weighed everything and had the oven on bake. First Pav I placed a towel over the door so any moisture could escape. Second Pav I removed the towel. Both came out the same. Soft rubbery on outside, dry almost like a bready foam on inside. I used a hand mixer. Any ideas?Hi Tim, did you use the Melis or powdered erythritol? It sounds to me like you may have used xylitol, which does not work in this recipe. It is hard to say what went wrong especially with pavlova as there is enough errors that can happen when you make them normally. Was the bowl cleaned out and dry when the egg whites were whipped. Were the egg white room temp? Were they stiff peaks? Did you use cream of tartar (was it not out of date) creme of tartar gives you the marshmallow centre and crisp edge as it acts as a stabilizer and helps hold the egg white up. I hope one of these answers might help. Let me know. I did do a video on YouTube for the pavlova as well.
Megan I had a fail. It started off lovely and glossy and mix tasted amazing. Cooked it exactly per instructions and left in oven over night. In morning checked it and not crispy. So tried the reheat method and browned up lovely. I let it sit in oven but was getting browner so took it out and as cooled softened up and shrunk.
I substituted xylitol powder and vanilla bean paste – could that be issue? Also had fan on in oven.Hi Evie, yes xylitol is very unreliable in this recipe. It tends to give a soft chewy texture. I have left notes in the blog post and notes recommending powdered erythritol or Melis for this recipe only as it gives a perfect crisp shell and soft centre.
I made this for an Australia Day BBQ, toppd it with vanilla whippped cream and fresh berries and it was a huge hit with everyone. Will definitely be keeping this recipe on hand for future!Glad you had a great pav on Australia Day. Who knew it could be that easy x
Have you ever used monkfruit/ eurythratol mix?
I bought some Suriname Melis and Iโm a bit confused as to how you can say that this recipe is low carb or Keto. It indeed doesnโt have any calories but the packet states there are 6g of carbs in every serving of 6g so with the recipe calling for 80g of this then itโs also 80g of carbs. I also double checked the Sukrin.com website and it is the same information. Am I missing something?
You need to subtract the sugar alcohols from the carbs as it is international labels
Magical dessert thank youYou are most welcome Deborah
Love love love….. thank you my very first try… and this is and will be my go to pav recipe from now on.Awesome thanks Anet x
Iโve never made pavlova before and was expecting it to flop. Instead, it was great! It not only looked beautiful, the combination of flavors was amazing. I served it for Christmas dessert at a friendโs house, and everyone raved about how good it was. This included non-keto followers. This will be my go-to Christmas dessert from here on. Thanks ๐Thanks so much Marla. Great to hear that it was enjoyed by all
So simple and easy, beautifully thick mixture which made it easy to pipe. Turned out perfect, 1st attempt!Thanks so much Paula for your feedback.x
Hi! When re-crisping do you need to leave it in the oven to cool completely again (as you would when cooking)
No you don’t Phillipa. The idea is to quickly crisp and use shortly after
Has this been tried with xylitol. Keen to try it but only have xylitol on hand
It has been tried and failed to crisp using xylitol
Can all forms of sugar or sweeteners be removed from the recipe?I did try this but it didn’t taste too good at all. This has been made very low on sweetener vs a traditional pavlova sweetener:egg ratio
Does anyone know whether this can be made 2 or 3 days before required please?
Does anyone know how many days ahead you could make this please?
This is better only made 1-2 days before. You can re-crisp in the oven as per recipe notes when needed
Thanks Megan – sorry I’ve posted question twice
Made this today. Yumm. But is there a trick to getting it off the paper whole. Mine collapsed at this stage. Still tasted great though.
I place my hand over the top and turn upside down and gently peel it off.
This looks amazing!! Do you think it could work to use stevia drops as a sweetener? Thatโs the only thing my pregnant body can tolerate these days ๐ is granulated sweetener integral to the texture and structure of the pavlovaI am not sure if it would work krysta. POssibly as a meringue as I have worked some with Sukrin clear into thin stackable meringues
Amazing.
I thought pavlova was one of those things I’d never eat again.
This was delicious and super easy to make. It was actually the first pav I’ve ever made. I’ll be pulling this out Xmas day.
Absoloutly amazingly. I love what Sukrin products have brought to the keto kitchens they are amazing with zero carbs. This Pav us so light and fluffy and delightful thanks Megan. I used a lime curd as I had a heap if them and was devine.Thanks Deborah. Yes Sukrin products are totally fabulous. Glad you enjoyed the pav, and I too will have to try one with a lime curd as well.
Mine didn’t turn out crunchy outside! Was the oven meant to be on ‘bake’ setting, or fanforced? It was definitely very light though.
Hi Caity, what sweetener did you use, did you use all the exact measurements, and leave it to cool completely in a closed oven overnight. With many variables it is hard to know. However if you look at the notes there is a way to re-crisp the outside very quickly. I used a fan forced oven
Thankyou Megan this Pavlova is fantastic. My partner absolutely loved it too!
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