Rainbow Sherbet Meringues Recipe - We are not Martha (2024)

These Rainbow Sherbet Meringues are packed with orange, lime, and raspberry flavors and taste just like a bowl of rainbow sherbet... Except they won't melt!

When it comes to ice cream, I'm all about the chocolate. And coffee. And peanut butter, caramel, cookies, brownies, etc. Basically, I like a lot of stuff in my ice cream. And hold the fruit, please.

But every now and then, I seriously crave sherbet. Rainbow sherbet (why would you choose plain old orange when you could have rainbow??). To be fair, sherbet isn't really ice cream. Nor is it really sorbet.

It's kind of in that in-between world. It's creamy and sweet and so very fruity. Plus? It's always gorgeous! The colors of sherbet make me so happy.

A few years ago, I made Rainbow Sherbet Cupcakes and discovered that the flavors of sherbet go really well in all kinds of desserts. Since meringues are basically a blank canvas for flavor, I decided rainbow sherbet meringues needed to happen.

🥣 What are meringues?

If you're new to meringues, you're probably wondering what the heck they are!

To put it simply, meringues are a sweet treat made from whipped egg whites and sugar. Oftentimes, meringue recipes also include an acid or cream of tartar, which help to stabilize the egg whites.

You can also add any flavorings you want, but have to be somewhat careful to maintain the integrity of the whipped egg whites and not add too much additional moisture (I love peppermint and gingerbread meringues during the holiday season and chocolate meringues any time).

To make meringues, egg whites are whipped into a foam, sugar is gradually added, and the egg whites become glossy and stiff.

Then you pipe or spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet and bake at a low temperature for a long time in order to dry out the meringues, leaving them crisp on the outside with a slightly chewy interior.

When you make little meringues like these rainbow sherbet ones, they're often referred to as cookies. You can also make meringue in a cake-like form called pavlova. You may already know I have a serious thing for pavlova!

If you haven't made meringues before, I recommend getting into the kitchen immediately to try! They're so very easy and, like I said, can be flavored in pretty much any way you dream.

Not only can you make them look pretty with food coloring, but you can also dip them in chocolate, crushed nuts, candy canes, etc.

Once you have the basic meringue recipe down, the world is your oyster! These rainbow sherbet meringues are definitely the most "complicated" meringues I've made, but they're still quite easy!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

These rainbow sherbet meringues are the perfect little summer treats that are great for bringing to BBQs and picnics and anywhere your summer loving heart desires.

They're way more fun than the typical meringues in both looks and taste. They're incredibly pretty and taste just like rainbow sherbet.

The meringues are easy to make and will impress your friends and family.

🗒 Ingredients

Meringues are pretty simple cookies and don't require too many ingredients. These ones do need a few more than the typical meringue because of the three different flavors, but they're still not complicated!

Here's everything required (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Egg whites
• Salt
• Cream of tartar
• Granulated sugar
• Lime zest
• Freshly squeezed lime juice
• Orange zest
• Freshly squeezed orange juice
• Raspberry extract
• Orange, green, and pink food coloring

🌈 How to make rainbow sherbet meringues

To start, just add egg whites and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment or large bowl with a hand mixer. Beat them until foamy and then add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form.

Add the sugar a little bit at a time and continue beating until stiff peaks form. I've said this before, but beating egg whites is seriously like therapy to me.

What you see below are the stiff peaks; see how they're sticking straight up?

Now for the "complicated" part. Normally, you could add some flavoring and pipe your meringues right away.

But for these rainbow sherbet meringues, I wanted to utilize the three flavors of sherbet (orange, lime, and raspberry), so I divided my meringue mixture into three bowls and flavored each differently.

To one bowl, I added orange zest and orange juice. To another I added lime zest and lime juice. And to the third, I added raspberry extract.

I also wanted to incorporate the three rainbow sherbet colors, so I fit my pastry bag into a tall drinking glass and brushed orange, green, and pink food coloring along the sides.

Then I scooped each of the three meringues into the bag. Instead of layering them, I tried my best to get each of the three flavors along the side of the bag (without smudging the color too much) so there would be a little of each flavor in all of the meringues.

I piped my little meringues on a baking sheet and baked for an hour at 250 degrees.

Once the hour was up, I turned off the oven, opened it a crack (I hold mine open with a wooden spoon), and keep the meringues in there for another two hours. This will help prevent cracking.

Then they're ready to enjoy! I was instantly in love with these rainbow sherbet cookies. They're perfectly crunchy and packed with deliciously fruity flavor.

I promise that they really do taste like rainbow sherbet; it's actually kind of mind-blowing.

Meringues are technically cookies, but I never actually think of them as cookies. Probably because there's no flour or butter. Really, they're egg white cookies and a fabulous option for anyone who's gluten-free.

But just a warning that they're also addictive. There's something so satisfying about the crunch of a meringue and obviously the sweetness and rainbow sherbet flavors make them that much more appealing.

⏲️ How to store meringues

Meringues are super easy to store. Just put them in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature. They should last for 2-3 weeks when stored properly.

I've never tried freezing meringues (I eat them too quickly!), but this is also an option. Keep them in airtight containers in the freezer and thaw them on wire racks when you're ready to enjoy.

Homemade meringues are also a great cookie for transporting since you can throw them in an airtight container and tote them around to all your summer events.

They're pretty unique in terms of cookies go... And I'd be pretty shocked if anyone else turned up to your summer BBQ with rainbow sherbet meringues in hand!

Plus, the colors are enough to brighten up any summer celebration.

🎉 More meringue recipes

If you like these meringues and want to try your hand at a variety of types (there's so much you can do with them!), be sure to check out some of my other favorite recipes:

• Fruity Pebbles Meringues
• S'mores Pavlova
• Orange Gingerbread Meringues
• Mini Easter Pavlovas
• Peppermint Pavlova
• Lavender White Chocolate Meringues (from Compelled to Cook)
• Hazelnut Meringues (from Let the Baking Begin)
• Lemon Meringue Hand Pies (from Taste and Tell)

If you got through this post without starting to crave a bit bowl of rainbow sherbet, I give you credit.

These meringues have reignited my love for the flavors of sherbet and now I can't wait to incorporate them into more desserts!

Do you love rainbow sherbet?

📖 Recipe