
Who else is so excited for citrus season?! Come this time of year, I can pretty much eat my weight in any kind of orange. Meyer lemons? Yes, please! Grapefruit? Yep! Limes? Love ‘em. I could go on and on. Not only is citrus juicy and bright, it can also bring a much needed note of tart acidity to otherwise rich and very sweet desserts. Enter this perfectly balanced and irresistible Winter Pavlova recipe with tangerine curd and salted pistachios. If you’re looking for a special dessert recipe to bring to a holiday party, this is it!
Winter Pavlova Recipe with Tangerine Curd and Salted Pistachios

What is pavlova?
Pavlova is a traditional Australian dessert made up of a cloud of meringue that’s been baked low and slow until the shell is crisp and the interior is pillowy soft and marshmallowy-like. It’s typically topped with whipped cream and fruits.
For this rendition, we combined all the things to make the perfect, ultimate winter pavlova recipe, while celebrating the best of the season: citrus! We have a big, gorgeous crown of meringue topped with a cloud of whipped cream, homemade tart and sweet tangerine curd (don’t worry, it’s very easy to make!), slices of fresh, juicy tangerines, and salty roasted pistachios to bring some balance and crunch. Are you drooling yet?


Winter Pavlova Recipe with Tangerine Curd and Salted Pistachios
Ingredients
Meringue
- 6 large eggs room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sugar superfine
- 1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Tangerine Curd
- 6 large egg yolks room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp tangerine zest
- 1/2 cup tangerine juice from about 6-8 medium tangerines
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature and cubed
Topping
- 2 cup heavy cream whipped to soft peaks
- 3 tangerines sliced
- 1/4 cup roasted and salted pistachios roughly chopped
Instructions
To make the pavlova
- Preheat oven to 300° F.
- In the very clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add in the egg whites and whip on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- Next, add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, allowing each spoonful to incorporate for a few seconds before adding the next in. Continue to beat for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and glossy and all the sugar has dissolved. Test by feeling a bit of the mixture between your fingers. If you can still feel sugar granules, continue to beat a few minutes more until it’s completely dissolved.
- Add in the vinegar and vanilla bean paste and beat another 2 minutes or so until completely incorporated.
- Scoop out the meringue onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in a large mound. Spread into an even layer about the size of a dinner plate and shape the sides up a little taller than the middle, creating a little well in the center to hold some of the filling later.
- Decorate the sides with swirls with the back of a spoon or offset spatula in whatever pattern you’d like. Turn oven down to 250° F and bake for about 2 hours.
- Then turn the oven off and leave the meringue in the closed oven to continue cooling, at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
To make the curd
- Combine the egg yolks, sugar, juice, zest, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Allow to cook, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat and add in the butter. Stir to combine until all the butter has melted and been incorporated. Allow to cool then keep in refrigerator until ready to assemble.
To assemble
- Place the meringue on a large serving platter. Top with whipped cream then dollop over the curd. Layer on the tangerine slices and sprinkle with the pistachios. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition


This pavlova recipe makes the perfect dessert for any winter celebration or holiday party. It’s a total stunner when you bring it to the table and, while it does involve a bit of a time commitment, it’s actually pretty simple to make. But no one needs to know that but us!

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Hi-just a comment. I came for the winter pavlova recipe and left without seeing it-literally. Within 5 seconds of landing on the page 80% of the entire page was obscured with popup ads. Sorry, but that’s a huge turnoff. I just won’t be back and found another recipe somewhere else I wish I could show you the picture-I took a screenshot. Its just a huge turnoff.
Hi Michele, I hope you enjoy the recipe and all of the hard work I’ve put into creating FREE content here on my blog. You may not know this, but revenue from ads helps to keep this (and many other) website running, including testing recipes like the one you found. Not sure how else you’d like me to be able to support my household, purchase food to test for recipes, and continue creating content for free? Open to recommendations though! BTW, my ad settings are significantly lower than other sites of my caliber, so best of luck finding quality recipes in the future.