If you are looking for an elegant and sophisticated dessert on Valentine's Day or just because this Ile flottante recipe is a good way to go. It is an easy and delicious gluten-free egg dessert made in less than an hour. Plus, there is a make-ahead option!

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Ile flottante (plural îles flottantes), or a floating island dessert, cannot beat any other festive dessert. This light and airy foaming meringue resembling meringue islands on a pool of crème Anglaise is perfect to cap off a heavy, calorie-laden celebratory dinner.
This delightful treat takes a classic French dessert and adds a modern twist. Made with the signature Pink Praline, it brings a beautiful pop of color and a delicious new taste to this elegant dessert.
What is Ile Flottante?
Ile Flottante, or oeufs à la neige, meaning snow eggs, are French meringues floating on a vanilla custard sauce (creme Anglaise) and topped with praline or spun sugar. It translates as a floating island in English.
Originally, at the end of the 19th century, Ile flottante was made from slices of sponge cake, soaked with liquor, separated with apricot jam, and served with custard.
Today, it is made of egg whites poached in warm milk, cooked over a water bath, or baked in the oven and then placed on the custard.

Why you should try this recipe
- The île flottante recipe (ile flottante recette) is easy to make and requires a few simple ingredients.
- You can always swap pink praline for other candied nuts or prepare it yourself a few days ahead.
- Finally, this dessert is the cutest romantic treat on Valentine's Day, perfect to accompany a "heavy" holiday dinner.

Ingredients
For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.
- Milk: Use whole milk to make the recipe. Opt for full-fat milk to make the best creme Anglaise.
- Heavy cream: The recipe calls for heavy cream with at least 30% fat content.
- Vanilla bean: Use the most flavorful Madagascar vanilla beans.
- Egg yolks and egg whites: separate them using an egg separator while the eggs are chilled. Then bring both to room temperature.
- Caster sugar is superfine sugar that dissolves more efficiently while making the meringue. You can process granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds to make it superfine.
- Lemon zest: Use unwaxed organic lemon to make the zest.
- Pink praline: Make Pink Praline yourself or purchase crushed pink praline on Amazon. Replace it with pistachios or toasted almonds if desired.
Recipe variations
If you are eager to try out ile flottant recipe with baked meringue (recipe is below) instead of poached meringue, here are some fun ways to make the recipe your own.
Omit the fancy-sounding Pink Praline and top it with candied nuts or roasted almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc.
Choose crushed amaretti cookies, chopped praline, or candied citrus. Or drizzle caramel over your meringue for more indulgence.
No time for making creme Anglaise? No worries. A delicious alternative is melting vanilla ice cream and then letting the meringue float on top. It is not the same but a tasty and easy way to enjoy ile flottant.
How to make Ile flottante
Making ile flottant includes a few simple steps:
- Preparing creme Anglaise
- Making the meringue
- Assembling the dessert
Make creme Anglaise
Heat milk, heavy cream, scraped vanilla seeds, and the emptied vanilla bean in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks and sugar with a hand whisk (photo 1). Add the hot milk and cream mixture to the egg yolks and sugar, stirring constantly, and pour back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, constantly stirring with the whisk.
It takes a few minutes when the custard starts thickening, coats the back of a spoon, and reaches a temperature of 180°F (82°C): use a candy thermometer to check.
Pro tip: Read about tips and tricks on how to make perfect creme Anglaise.
Take the saucepan from the heat and pour the vanilla sauce into a clean bowl. Remove the empty vanilla bean from the custard (photo 2) and cover it with plastic film in contact. Let it cool down on the counter or refrigerator until 73°F (23°C).

Make the meringue
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Beat egg whites with an electric or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at low speed until frothy.
Gradually add sugar, increase the speed, and whisk the meringue at medium speed until sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form. It may take up to 10 minutes.
Pro tip: Meringue whipped at medium speeds for a more extended period is more stable than made at high speed.
Add crushed pink praline with lemon zest to the whipped egg whites (photo 3) and gently mix with a rubber spatula (photo 4).

Place one large tablespoon of the meringue on a baking tray covered with parchment paper (photo 5).
Continue with the rest of the whites (you will get six meringue mounds). Bake for about 5 minutes and let cool afterward.
Serve ile flottante
Pour creme Anglaise on the bottom of the martini glasses or glass bowls and place the meringue on each serving. Sprinkle with chopped pink praline and serve (photo 6).

Expert Tips
- Check the readiness of creme Anglaise with a cooking thermometer. If you do not have it, look for a "coating" on the back of a spoon with custard. Read about when Creme Anglaise is done.
- Make Pink Praline yourself or purchase pink crushed pralines on Amazon.
- Make-ahead option: make the meringue and refrigerate it for up to 3 hours. Prepare creme Anglaise in advance and keep it covered with plastic wrap in contact in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then serve Ile flottante dessert in a minute.
Storing and freezing
For the best results, make the meringues no more than 1 to 2 hours before serving. If longer, it tends to form beads of liquid on the surface. However, you can prepare creme Anglaise 2 days in advance and refrigerate it.
Can you freeze ile flottant? No, you cannot freeze any part of this dessert.
Recipe FAQ
Ile flottants means floating island in English.
You can make creme Anglaise two days in advance and keep it covered with plastic wrap in contact in the fridge. Make the meringues in advance, but on the same day, refrigerate for up to 1-2 hours. Then serve Ile flottante dessert within a few minutes.
Love holiday desserts? Try these next!
- Heart-Shaped Puzzle Cookies
- Rosewater Meringue Roulade
- Raspberry Oreo Cheesecake
- Browse all Valentine's Day Recipes
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PrintRecipe card
Ile Flottante With Pink Praline
Ile flottante, or floating island dessert, is a classic French dessert - a light and airy floating meringue with creme Anglaise. It is made in less than an hour, plus there is a make-ahead option.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Gluten-Free Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
For creme Anglaise:
- 11.5 fl oz (340 ml) whole milk
- 3.5 fl oz (105 ml) heavy cream, 30% fat
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 4 large egg yolks (70 g) egg yolks, at room temperature
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) granulated sugar
For the meringue:
- 4 large egg whites (150 g) egg whites, at room temperature
- 6 ½ tablespoons (90 g) caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 1.2 oz. (35 g) Pink Praline
For the decoration:
- 0.5 oz. (15 g) chopped pink praline
* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
-
To make creme Anglaise, heat milk, heavy cream, scraped vanilla seeds, and the emptied vanilla bean in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
-
In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks and sugar with a hand whisk. Add the hot milk and cream mixture, stirring constantly, and pour back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, constantly stirring with the whisk. It takes a few minutes when the custard starts thickening, coats the back of a spoon, and reaches a temperature of 180°F (82°C): use a candy thermometer.
-
Take the saucepan out of the heat and pour the vanilla sauce into a clean bowl. Remove the empty vanilla bean from the custard and cover it with plastic film in contact. Let it cool down on the counter or in the refrigerator until 73°F (23°C).
-
To make the meringue, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Beat egg whites with an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at low speed until frothy. Gradually add sugar, increase the speed, and whisk the meringue at medium speed until sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form. It may take up to 10 minutes. Add crushed pink praline with lemon zest to the whipped egg whites and gently mix with a rubber spatula.
-
Place one large tablespoon of the meringue on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Continue with the rest of the whites (you will get 6 meringue mounds). Bake for about 5 minutes and let cool afterward.
-
To serve, pour creme Anglaise on the bottom of the martini glasses or glass bowls and place the meringue on top of each serving. Sprinkle with chopped pink praline and serve.
Notes
- Check the readiness of creme Anglaise with a cooking thermometer. If you do not have it, look for a "coating" on the back of a spoon with custard.
- Make Pink Praline yourself or purchase pink crushed pralines on Amazon.
- Make-ahead option: make the meringue and refrigerate it for up to 3 hours. Prepare creme Anglaise in advance and keep it covered with plastic wrap in contact in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then serve Ile flottante dessert in a minute.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 floating meringue
- Calories: 260
- Sugar: 33.1 g
- Sodium: 61 mg
- Fat: 11.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.8 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 7.4 g
- Cholesterol: 189 mg
The recipe was adapted from http://www.leparisien.fr/. It was originally published on January 07, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.
The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.
Elaine says
I love the fact that I can make this ahead of time! It's a beautiful light dessert, perfect for serving after a heavy meal. Your instructions are complete and easy to follow! Thanks for a great recipe!
Irina says
Thank you, Elaine! This dessert is so light that it is perfect to finish dinner. It is true:)
Jayne says
Served these at a baby shower last weekend and everyone loved them. Will be on the dessert list from now on.
Irina says
WOW! It seems that this pink dessert is a great baby girl shower idea! Thank you Jayne!
Maike says
This is what I am going to make for my husband for Valentine's Day. I've just bookmarked it. It looks so good and I know he will just love it.
Irina says
I am happy to serve you with a new Valentine's Day idea! Thank you, Maike!
Tonje says
This looks so fluffy and light, and perfect for Valentine's!
Irina says
I hope you will make it, Tonje! Enjoy!:)
Kelley says
This looks divine! I will have to try your method soon.
Irina says
Thank you, Kelley! Happy making and enjoy!:)
Pam Greer says
What a delicious and elegant dessert! I was looking for something that I hadn't tried before for Valentine's Day and this is perfect!
Irina says
You will love it more once you taste this dessert! Please, let me know how it went:) Thanks for your comment.
Rebecca says
I've never made a recipe like this, but now I want to try it! it looks delicious
Irina says
Thank you, Rebecca! You will love it. Guaranteed!:)
Michelle says
Such a pretty and unique dessert. Love the pretty pink!
Irina says
It is just all right for Valentine's Day, isn't it?:) Thank you, Michelle, for your comment.
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman says
What a lovely and unique dessert - and thank you for the detailed instructions! This is perfect for Valentine's Day!
Caroline says
This looks like a tasty dessert - I've often meant to try making ile flottante, and I love the sound of the pralines in there (and great being conveniently pink for V day).
Irina says
Caroline, thanks for visiting the recipe. I hope you will make it one day 🙂
Dannii says
I have never heard of this before, but it looks delicious. The perfect color for Valentine's Day too.
Irina says
Yes, it is a light festive dessert perfect to finish a holiday dinner. Please, enjoy the recipe, Dannii.
Kushigalu says
What a delicious treat to try for Valentine's Day. Love it. Thanks for sharing.
Irina says
You are very welcome, Kushigalu. Please, enjoy it!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
I love that you can make this ahead, and it sounds perfect for Valentine's dinner.
Irina says
Yes, you can serve this dessert within a few minutes with a make-ahead option. Please, enjoy it, Amanda!
Claudia Lamascolo says
Wow, this is so gourmet yet easy to make; you gave perfect instructions; everyone will love this here. It is light and so pretty!
Irina says
Thank you, Claudia. Please, enjoy the recipe. 🙂