Easily — whipping egg whites is a light load, and a hand mixer gets them to stiff peaks in about 5 to 8 minutes. A clean bowl and adding the sugar slowly matter far more than the motor.
Why power is not the constraint
Beating air into whites is a low-load job. There is nothing stiff to move — the opposite of bread dough. Any working hand mixer has the power; what changes between machines is speed control and how long you hold it.
What actually matters
A clean, fat-free bowl. Glass or stainless, not plastic. A trace of yolk or grease is the most common reason meringue fails.
Room-temperature whites, which foam faster and fuller than cold ones.
Starting slowly. Small bubbles beaten early make a stable foam; starting on high makes large ones that collapse.
Sugar after soft peaks, a spoonful at a time — about ¼ cup per white for a firm meringue — beaten until it no longer feels gritty between your fingers.
A deep, narrow bowl, so the beaters stay in the whites instead of spraying them.
Soft, firm or stiff peaks
Soft peaks fold over when the beaters lift. Firm peaks hold with a curl at the tip. Stiff peaks stand straight and the meringue is glossy. Stop there — over-beaten whites turn grainy and weep.
Swiss meringue and food safety
Swiss meringue warms whites and sugar over simmering water while you whisk, then whips them off the heat. Heating the mixture to 160 °F, checked with a thermometer, meets the USDA guidance for eggs — useful for frostings and toppings that are not baked. A hand mixer is the easiest tool for it: it goes over the pan.
What a stand mixer adds
Not holding it. Over a long whisk that is the whole difference, plus a dedicated whisk attachment. The Hamilton Beach Classic at $62.95 gives you both in one — its listing names “fluffy meringue” among its jobs. The stand mixers page compares the rest.
And the bowl, again
Clean and dry. It is not an appliance specification, and it is the thing that most often goes wrong.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-10-18. The live price is at the top of the page.
What readers want to know
How long does meringue take with a hand mixer?
About 5 to 8 minutes for stiff peaks from three or four whites: a minute or two on low until foamy, then medium-high while the sugar goes in, a spoonful at a time. A stand mixer takes about as long — what it saves is holding the mixer.
Why won't my egg whites form stiff peaks?
Usually fat. A trace of yolk, a greasy bowl or a plastic bowl that holds oil stops whites from foaming. Use a clean glass or stainless bowl, separate eggs one at a time into a cup first, and add about ⅛ teaspoon of cream of tartar per white to stabilize the foam. Sugar added too early, before soft peaks, also slows it down.
Is a stand mixer better for meringue?
It does the same job without being held, which matters for Swiss or Italian meringue that needs 10 minutes or more. The Hamilton Beach Classic at $62.95 is both: a stand mixer whose head unlocks as a hand mixer, with a whisk among its five attachments.
Last reviewed 18 October 2026