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This easy Eton Mess is the no-bake, gluten free dessert of dreams. My take on this classic British dessert features homemade meringues, whipped cheesecake cream and fresh strawberries. Perfect as a summer dessert and naturally gluten free.
If you’re searching for the summer dessert of dreams you HAVE to give this easy gluten free Eton Mess a go.
It’s a light yet indulgent dessert which is best enjoyed in the summer sunshine after a gluten free BBQ or even on a picnic.
My Eton Mess recipe with a twist has a cheesecake-style cream filling to swirl within the chunks of homemade meringue and fresh strawberries.
It’s believed to have originated at Eton College but now it’s enjoyed by the masses during strawberry season.
And if you need more easy no bake summer sweets, why not make a dessert platter and serve it up with my gluten free strawberry cheesecake or strawberry cheesecake ice-cream.
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this gluten free cheesecake Eton Mess.
There’s a full printable recipe card down below with the full method, but here is an idea of what you’ll need.
For the meringues:
- Egg Whites: You can separate eggs or buy cartons of egg white.
- White Wine Vinegar
- Caster Sugar: Or baker’s sugar in the US.
For the cheesecake cream:
- Double Cream: Or heavy whipping cream in the US.
- Full Fat Cream Cheese: It needs to be full-fat otherwise it will be too runny.
- Icing Sugar
- Fresh Strawberries
I also bought some white chocolate stars to decorate my Eton Mess – just be careful to check they do not contain gluten or have any ‘may contain’ warnings.
How to make Eton Mess
The joy of Eton Mess is that you can literally throw it all together – it’s designed to be a mess! But here are some step-by-step photos to guide you through the recipe:
To make the meringues:
Preheat the oven to 100C / 120C Fan / Gas Mark 1.5. Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper.
Add the egg whites and white wine vinegar to a large metal bowl and begin whisking with an electric whisk, increasing the speed every 20-30 seconds.
When the eggs are at stiff peaks (you can hold the bowl upside down above your head and they won’t drop – dare you to try it!) continue to whisk while adding the sugar 2 tbsp at a time, making sure the sugar is thoroughly mixed in each time.
Once completely mixed, ‘dollop’ the meringue mix onto the baking sheet in 4-5 ‘blobs’ and then bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 mins. Remove from oven and cool completely.
To make the cheesecake cream:
Add the double cream to a large mixing bowl and whip up using an electric whisk until it starts to thicken.
When the cream is thick add the icing sugar and cream cheese and continue to whisk until thick. It’s best to go slow here as the cream will suddenly go very thick, so keep checking it to avoid over-whisking.
To assemble the Eton Mess:
Hull the strawberries and chop in halves and quarters. Place a handful of strawberries in the bottom of a large serving bowl, then cover with dollops of cream.
Crumble over a (cooled) meringue and then keep repeating the layers until finished. Finish with a sprinkle of white chocolate stars and some extra strawberries!
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Eton Mess
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh strawberries
For the meringue:
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 100 g caster sugar
For the cream:
- 300 ml double cream
- 100 g full fat cream cheese
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- White chocolate stars, optional, to serve
Instructions
First make the meringues:
- Preheat the oven to 100C / 120C Fan / Gas Mark 1.5. Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper.
- Add the egg whites and white wine vinegar to a large metal bowl and begin whisking with an electric whisk, increasing the speed every 20-30 seconds.
- When the eggs are at stiff peaks (you can hold the bowl upside down above your head and they won’t drop – dare you to try it!) continue to whisk while adding the sugar 2 tbsp at a time, making sure the sugar is thoroughly mixed in each time.
- Once completely mixed, ‘dollop’ the meringue mix onto the baking sheet in 4-5 ‘blobs’ and then bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 mins. Remove from oven and cool completely.
- To make the cheesecake cream:Add the double cream to a large mixing bowl and whip up using an electric whisk until it starts to thicken.
- When the cream is thick add the icing sugar and cream cheese and continue to whisk until thick. It’s best to go slow here as the cream will suddenly go very thick, so keep checking it to avoid over-whisking.
To assemble:
- Hull the strawberries and chop in halves and quarters.
- Place a handful of strawberries in the bottom of a large serving bowl, then cover with dollops of cream.
- Crumble over a (cooled) meringue and then keep repeating the layers until finished. Finish with a sprinkle of white chocolate stars and some extra strawberries!
Notes
- You can make the components of this Eton Mess up to 24 hours in advance but it is best served when freshly-assembled, so the meringues retain their crunch. Store the meringues in airtight container once cool if making them the night before.
- For more help with this recipe check out the FAQs below this recipe card, or the step-by-step photos in the blog post above.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the questions I get asked about making this gluten free Eton Mess. If you can’t find the answer you need, ask me in the comments!
This Eton Mess recipe relies heavily on dairy with cream and double cream whipped together to make the filling. I haven’t tried this with a dairy free cream cheese and dairy free cream yet so not sure if the quantities would need tweaking.
I’ve already put my own spin on this Eton Mess recipe by making the cream element into a cheesecake cream. You could also add other berries like raspberries and blueberries or even a tropical twist with passionfruit or fresh peach slices. Another great twist would be to add melted white chocolate into the cream part for a white chocolate Eton mess.
If you don’t want to make your own meringues you can sue shop-bought meringues, as long as they are gluten free. Meringue is usually gluten free as it’s made from egg white and sugar but some have a may contain warning so are not suitable for people with coeliac disease.
Of course! If you prefer you can portion this Eton Mess straight into straight into bowls and serve it like that, rather than a large centrepiece.
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