Meringue Turkeys

These adorable little meringue turkeys are the perfect Thanksgiving treat! They’re light, airy, and perfectly crunchy with chewy centers.

How to Make These Turkey Meringues: Step-by-Step Process

While the recipe below is quite detailed, I find visual cues to be super helpful! Below are some photos of the process to help guide you through this recipe.

I’ve also included a video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1: Preheat the Oven & Make the Meringue

Preheat the oven to 200°F/93°C and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside.

Before you whip up the meringue, make sure there are no traces of grease on the whisk attachment or in your bowl.

Grease can prevent the meringue from whipping up properly. If you see or feel any grease, moisten a paper towel with vinegar and wipe the inside of the bowl and the whisk attachment to remove any grease.

Then add 4 large egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and mix on medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles.

Add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage and leaves visible tracks.

Gradually mix 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, into the egg whites over a few minutes while mixing on a medium-low speed.

When the meringue gets close to reaching stiff peaks, add 1/2 tsp of vanilla or almond extract. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Step 2: Color the Meringue

Scoop about one-third of the meringue into a separate bowl and color it light brown yellow with a generous squirt of brown gel food coloring.

Fold the food coloring into the meringue gently, and mix just until it’s evenly colored. If you overmix the meringue, it will lose some of its structure and be more difficult to pipe.

Scoop it into a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping tip (like a Wilton 2A). If you don’t have a piping tip that size, cut an opening at the base of the bag that’s 1/4 inch wide. Seal the top of the bag with a clip or rubber band.

Scoop 2 Tbsp of merinue into a separate bowl and color it black with a very large squirt of black gel food coloring. Scoop it into a small piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip (like a Wilton 3).

Divide the remaining meringue into three parts and color them yellow, orange, and red with gel food coloring. Scoop each color into its own piping bag fitted with a medium round piping tip (like a Wilton 10).

Step 3: Pipe the Meringues

Immediately pipe the turkeys once the meringue is colored. The meringue loses its structure as it sits, so you don’t want to dilly dally.

Start by piping the turkey feathers with the red, orange, and yellow meringue. Then pipe orange dollops beneath the feathers to be the turkey’s feet.

Next, pipe a large mound of brown merignue over the feathers and partially over the feet.

Use the orange meringue to add the beak, the red meringue to make the snood (the red dangly bit next to the beak), and then the black meringue to add the eyes.

The last step is to pipe little wings on the sides of the turkey with brown meringue. You can also add white nonpareils to the eyes if you want them to have a bit more dimension.

These don’t spread as they bake, so they can be piped about 1 inch apart.

Step 4: Bake & Gradually Cool the Meringues

Bake the tray on the middle rack of your oven for 2 hours and 30 minutes, then turn the oven off and let the meringue sit in the oven for another hour.

You can also leave them in the oven overnight once you turn the oven off. Letting them gradually cool helps prevent them from cracking.

At this point, the meringue should be fully cooked and look and feel dry to the touch. If they still seem wet or moist, leave them in the oven for another hour.

Remove the tray from the oven. They should have a crunchy exterior and a soft, chewy center. Let the meringues cool fully to room temperature, then enjoy!

These can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.

Avoid refrigerating them! It will make them soft and sticky. 

How Many Turkey Meringues Does This Recipe Make?

The yield can vary a lot based on how large you pipe the turkeys and what piping tip you use. Mine ended up being about 2.5 inches, and I was able to make 24 turkeys that size.

How To Store These Meringue Turkeys

To keep these meringues from becoming sticky, make sure they’re completely dried out and cooled before storing, then place them in an airtight container at room temperature away from any humidity or heat.

Even a little moisture in the air will cause them to soften and feel tacky, so completely avoid the fridge or freezer! It’ll just add condensation.

For extra protection, tuck a food-grade silica gel packet (labeled “non-toxic” or “food safe”) or a tablespoon of uncooked rice wrapped in a paper towel inside the container to absorb any excess moisture.

When properly dried and stored, meringue cookies can stay light and crisp for up to two weeks.

Tips for Making the Best Meringue Turkeys

• Note that with the total bake and cool time, these need to be in the oven for at least 3 hours, if not overnight. I like to make these at the end of the day, so it doesn’t get in the way of any other baking/cooking I need the oven for.
• Separate your eggs while they’re still cold! While we want the egg whites to be room temperature when we whip them up, it’s easiest to separate them when they’re still cold.
• Use gel food coloring to color the meringue. If you try to use liquid food coloring, it can throw off the consistency and cause the meringue to be less stable.
• Beat the meringue on a medium-high speed instead of the highest speed. This will help you create a more stable meringue with smaller air bubbles that will be easier to pipe.
• Bake time can vary based on how large you pipe the turkeys and what piping tip you use. After they’ve baked and cooled in the oven, test them for doneness by gently trying to peel one off the baking mat or parchment paper. It should peel off cleanly.
• If you make these in advance and they get sticky or soft, don’t worry! Pop them in a 200°F oven for 10–15 minutes, then let them cool completely in the turned-off oven. They’ll crisp right back up.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try this recipe for meringue turkeys, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below.

Tag me @chelsweets and use #chelsweets on social media so that I can see your amazing creations!

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