These strawberry meringue dessert cups are made with fresh strawberries, cream cheese, yogurt, and crushed meringues. A simple 7-ingredient dessert you can make ahead.
Spring is strawberry season, and this easy strawberry cream and meringue dessert is one of my favorite ways to make the most of it. Or better said, one of my daughter's favorite ways. Just like this Strawberry Mascarpone Dessert.
Creamy, light, and layered with sweet strawberries and crisp meringue, these dessert cups are simple to make but look beautiful on the table.
This recipe actually started as a way to use up the strawberries and a few other ingredients left in my fridge. The result was a delicious twist on an Eton Mess that everyone loved. I made sure to write it down straight away because I knew I'd want to make it again.
The best part? You can prepare these strawberry dessert cups several hours in advance, so they're perfect for entertaining. Try another strawberry cup dessert, this Romanian Strawberry Foam.
Ingredients: 7 | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Servings: 6 | Difficulty: Easy
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Recipe ingredients
Meringue: Store-bought meringues work perfectly, but homemade meringues are great if you have them.
Strawberries: Use ripe, sweet strawberries for the best flavor.
Cream cheese and yogurt: I usually use low-fat Greek-style yogurt because that's what I have in the fridge, but full-fat works just as well. I honestly don't notice much difference in this dessert. Use a creamy, Philadelphia-style cream cheese.
- This amazing German Strawberry Cheesecake with Yogurt is also made with cream, yogurt, and cream.
Sugar: Go easy on the sugar. The meringues are already very sweet, and they'll soften as the dessert chills, making the whole dessert taste sweeter than it does when you first assemble it.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make strawberry and cream dessert cups?
Prepare the strawberries: Wash, hull, and dice them.
Step #1: Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Step #2: In another bowl, beat the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Step #3: Gently fold in the whipped cream.
Step #4: Divide a little of the cream mixture between six dessert cups, jars, or glasses.
Step #5: Top with crushed meringues and chopped strawberries.
Step #6: Repeat the layers, finishing with strawberries.
Refrigerate for a few hours before serving. During this time, the meringues soften and almost melt into the cream, giving the dessert its wonderfully creamy texture.
Tips
- Make ahead: These dessert cups are best when they have a few hours to chill. This gives the meringue time to soften and blend with the creamy filling. You can prepare them in the morning and serve them later the same day.
- Adjust the sweetness: Taste the cream cheese mixture before assembling the dessert. The meringue adds a lot of sweetness, so you may need less sugar than you think.
Strawberry Meringue Dessert Cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1â…“ cup cream cheese a bit softened
- 1 ¼ cup yogurt Greek style, Note 1
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½-1 teaspoon vanilla extract to taste
- 1 lb strawberries
- 20 meringues about 2 oz/60 g
Instructions
- Whip the heavy cream until stiff. Set aside.1 cup heavy cream
- Combine: Mix cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth in a large bowl. 1⅓ cup cream cheese + 1 ¼ cup yogurt + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar + ½-1 teaspoon vanilla extract to taste
- Fold in the heavy cream.
- Chop the strawberries.1 lb strawberries
- Assemble the dessert: Place some cream cheese mixture at the bottom of 6 dessert cups or jars. Add some meringues, crushing them with your fingers on top of the cream. Add some chopped strawberries. 20 meringues
- Repeat these layers one more time, finishing with strawberries and crumbling a bit of the remaining meringues on top of each cup.
- Refrigerate: Place the cups in the fridge and let them stand for a few hours before serving. The meringues will mostly disintegrate, making the dessert creamy and sweet.
Notes
- Yogurt: 10% fat or 3.5% fat, it is up to you. I used lower-fat when I made these pictures, but I used full-fat some other times. Both versions are delicious.
Carol says
I cannot wait to make this beautiful dessert. I love the use of strawberries in it but I am thinking that some other time I might also try it with other fruit as well, Would this work?
Adina says
Hi Carol. I hope you try it, it's delicious. Strawberries are the best fit, but flavorful berries would work too, especially raspberries. I also made it with canned mandarins once and we liked it.
grace says
this treat is as light and delicious as it is beautiful!
Katerina says
What a delightful refreshing dessert!
Monica says
I love a parfait/layered dessert like this. It looks so pretty and very elegant.