11 Meringue (Egg White) Cookie Recipes Without Cream of Tarter

Cream of tarter is used to alter the ph balance of egg whites, it causes them to become acidic which in turn stabilizes them and helps keep them fluffy and from falling flat while baking.

No. But, it is helpful, and if you have it on hand and can use it (no known allergy), go ahead and use it. It’s like putting a fail-safe in effect to make sure your egg white cookies stay fluffy and light. While a flat meringue cookie isn’t the end of the world some people may become upset if they discover all their cookies fell during backing.

Without cream of tartar, meringue may fall while baking. That being said there is only a slight chance that your meringue cookies will collapse or lose some of their height.

When it comes to leaving it out when making meringue cookies there is less risk because the meringue is portioned smaller, unlike with a souffle or meringue pie. On the off chance that your cookies do fall because of the lack of cream of tartar, they will still taste great and just have a flatter appearance, more like a traditional cookie.

Lemon juice, baking powder, and white vinegar are the best substitutes for the cream of tartar in meringue cookies. If you prefer to just substitute cream of tartar instead of not using it all together you can use a few different things. Since cream of tartar is an acid it’s best to replace it with another acid. Although you can use buttermilk and yogurt in addition to the substitutions we’ve listed we do not recommend them for egg white cookies.

1. Lemon Juice – You’ll want to use a 1:1 ratio when substituting lemon juice from cream of tartar in your recipe.
2. Baking powder – Baking powder is a 3:2 ratio, for example, if your recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar you’ll want to add 1.5 teaspoons of baking soda.
4. White Vinegar (distilled) – White vinegar is also a 1:1 ratio for the cream of tartar.

The cream of tartar’s magic is difficult to replace, but these options can be useful. Keep in mind that they may alter the taste of your cookie so it’s not something you want to experiment with if you need the cookies to take to a party or gathering. You’re better off using one of the recipes below that don’t use cream of tartar and have been tested and perfected!

Yes – it is possible to whip egg whites without cream of tartar. If your egg whites are older you may experience some weeping and you will need to use one of the substitutes (lemon juice, baking powder, white vinegar) mentioned above to stabilize your egg whites. Make sure to incorporate your substitute as soon as you notice the issue.

You can’t. There is no way to make actual cream of tartar at home. It is actually a byproduct of winemaking and comes with a fancy name to boot potassium hydrogen tartrate. Unless you own a winery and are able to produce potassium hydrogen tartrate then you are SOL when it comes to making cream of tartar at home. What you can do is use one of the substitutes provided above.

Yes, as previously stated, baking powder is a substitute for cream of tartar, and the amount to be added should be the same as if you were using cream of tartar.

No. Baking soda and cream of tartar belong to two separate chemical families and it will not work in place of cream of tartar. Baking soda acts as a leaver that needs an acid to react. So, it can not replace the acid.

Yes, you can use apple cider vinegar to replace cream of tartar. It may add a funky flavor to your meringue cookies though so you might want to avoid it. White vinegar or lemon juice would be preferable. Apple cider vinegar should be plan C.