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Lemon Drop Meringues – light meringues infused with lemon. Lemon juice and zest provide the perfect balance to these sweet, melt-in-your-mouth cookies. Garnished with lemon zest and sparkling sugar to give them a pretty, shimmery look.

A large plate of five Lemon Drop Meringues

These meringues are fantastic! The sweet yet slightly tart flavor is in perfect balance. The crispy exterior shell gives way to a light melt-in your-mouth texture. In a word, I’d call these Lemon Drop Meringues “heavenly”.

The recipe calls for egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar, lemon juice and the zest of a lemon. For this batch of Lemon Meringues, I added some lemon zest and white sparkling sugar to the tops as they baked in the oven. Next time, I might use yellow sparkling sugar to give the cookies more color!

RELATED: Small Batch Meringues Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

This meringue cookies recipe is the perfect cookie recipe to use when you have leftover egg whites from a recipe.
These cookies are so easy to make. They require just a few pantry staples and are so incredibly delicious.

Ingredient Notes

See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

Egg whites: Meringues require egg whites and this meringue recipe needs two. See ways to use the leftover egg yolks below.
Cream of tartar: This ingredient helps the whipped egg whites stiffen and hold their shape.
Sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest: For flavor.
Sparkling sugar: Optional topping.

Overhead view of five Lemon Drop Meringues on a large plate that is placed on a metal tray with three lemon wheels

How To Make This Recipe

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until fluffy.
Add the sugar very slowly, about 1 tablespoon at a time while still beating.
Add the lemon juice and continue beating until the meringue is shiny and holds stiff peaks.
Fold in the lemon zest.
Drop by heaping teaspoons onto cookie sheet and place about 1-inch apart.
Top with extra lemon zest and sprinkle with sparkling sugar (optional).
Place baking sheets in the preheated oven and turn the oven off.
Leave the cookies undisturbed in the oven for at least 2 hours.

Expert Tips For No-Fail Meringue Cookies

I have a few baking tips showing how to make perfect meringues:

Be careful not to leave any of the egg yolk with the egg white. This will interfere with the egg whites foaming.
If your egg whites have been kept in the refrigerator, bring them to room temperature. Warmer eggs whip faster than cold eggs.
Use glass, copper or stainless steel bowls when making meringues. Plastic bowls can sometimes harbor traces of grease which will prevent the egg whites from getting stiff.
Use super-fine sugar when making meringues because it dissolves faster than regular sugar and gradually add the sugar, a tiny bit at a time while beating continuously.
Try not to over-whip the egg whites. The meringue should be shiny and glossy so stop whipping when stiff peaks form.
If possible, try to avoid making meringues on humid or rainy days. This could affect how the meringue cookies turn out. If necessary, you might need to increase the baking time.

Ways To Use Leftover Egg Yolks

If you have any egg yolks leftover from this meringue cookie recipe, you might consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes.

If you’re looking for a small batch of Meringue Cookies, you can find that recipe as well as many other single serving recipes by visiting our One Dish Kitchen site.

Enjoy!