Eton Mess is one of my favorite desserts on the planet. It also happens to check all the boxes for easy entertaining: Quick to make, just a few ingredients, doesn’t give me a food hangover (unless I eat two servings), feels special. And don’t we always need something to bump up our feeling special quotient? Especially something that won’t take all day. This Easy Eton Mess is just the thing.
What Is Eton Mess?
Eton Mess originates from Eton College, a boarding school in the English countryside. I imagine it’s called a “mess” since, when you mix up the ingredients — strawberries, whipped cream, and meringue — it look rather messy. The taste, however, is nothing short of dreamy.
Traditionally, the dessert is mixed and served in one big bowl. I’ve prettied things up by doing them in individual glasses instead. Either approach works, since once it’s spooned into your mouth, your tastebuds won’t much care.
A Simple and Flexible Dessert
The only real work involved is whipping cream and cutting strawberries. Precision isn’t important, so feel free to riff on quantities and scale the recipe up or down depending on how many guests are at your table. If you don’t have strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries are fair game, too. You can also turn to your freezer if you can’t get fresh berries. I find melted frozen raspberries are particularly delicious in this Easy Eton Mess, too.
Store-Bought Meringues
My English friends routinely tackle this dessert using store-bought meringues, so I tend to follow suit. It means less work for the home cook and they do the job nicely. While meringues seem to be more common in British supermarkets, I’ve seen them at Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, plenty of supermarkets, and Amazon. If you can’t find store-bought, you can always make your own using this recipe. Just be sure to leave out the chocolate chips and let them cook a bit longer, so they’re completely crunchy.
Why Yogurt Whipped Cream?
Folding freshly whipped cream into Greek yogurt is a party trick I use all the time and is particularly good on Eton Mess. Here’s why:
It’s delicious — I like the subtle tang of yogurt when combined with sweetened whipped cream. It also gives it a particularly dreamy mouthfeel.
It’s a bit healthier — Using non-fat yogurt in place of some of the whipped cream cuts the amount of saturated fat. It also means beneficial “good” bacteria with every spoonful.
It’s sturdier — Greek yogurt makes the topping more stable. You can whip it several hours or even a day ahead and it will hold up reasonably well until dessert time.
Easy Eton Mess Can Be Prepped Ahead
Even though this dessert doesn’t take much time to make, it’s nice to know that you can do all the prep ahead of time. You can leave your bowl of cut strawberries to macerate in the sugar for a few hours at room temperature or in the fridge if much longer than that. The yogurt whipped cream will also hold up well covered in the fridge for a similar time frame. Wait until just before serving to assemble it in the glasses.
If you like Easy Eton Mess, you might like:
Rosewater Panna Cotta with Melted Raspberries
Wild Blueberry Yogurt Parfait with Maple Seed Brittle
Brown Sugar-Roasted Apricots with Crème Fraîche
Strawberry Galette from Hip Foodie Mom
No-Bake Strawberry Mousse Parfaits by Jessica Levinson
Easy Eton Mess with Yogurt Whipped Cream
Ingredients
- 16 ounces fresh strawberries (2 baskets or a 1 lb. clamshell)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 2 cups broken meringue pieces (about 7 Trader Joe’s or other store-bought meringues)
Instructions
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Trim off the strawberry stems and slice into quarters or sixths, depending on the size. Toss in a bowl with 1 tablespoon sugar. Set aside.
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Put the heavy cream and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the Greek yogurt into the whipped cream.
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Spoon the cream into six glasses or dessert dishes. Top with the strawberries and crumbled meringue. Serve immediately.
