Looking for aquafaba recipes? Try one of these delicious, vegan recipes made with the water from a tin of beans. You'll be amazed at what you can make.
What is aquafaba?
Aquafaba is simply the liquid from a can of beans. Usually the water from a tin of chickpeas is used but aquafaba from other beans can be used too.
It is made up of carbohydrates and proteins and has binding, thickening and foaming properties.
You can make your own aquafaba by cooking dried chickpeas and reserving the cooking liquid. But it's much easier to use tinned aquafaba, especially if you haven't used it before.
Be sure to use unsalted chickpeas - especially if making a sweet recipe.
Using aquafaba as an egg replacer
Aquafaba is a brilliant egg replacer. It has many of the same properties as egg white.
This means that it can be used instead of eggs in many recipes to make vegan versions of all sorts of things.
Examples of things you can make from aquafaba include:
mayonnaise
vegan meringue
whipped cream
sausages
cake
marshmallow
vegan Yorkshire puddings.
Alternative vegan egg substitutes
Once I started exploring vegan and egg free baking I was amazed at how many egg substitutes there are out there.
Here are some vegan egg substitutes that I've come across:
flax or chia seed eggs
mashed banana
apple purée
aquafaba
diet cola
silken tofu
chickpea flour
baking soda
commercial egg replacer.
These vegan egg replacers all have their own properties.
For example flax eggs are best used as a binding agent, aquafaba is best for meringues and apple purée is great for making vegan enriched bread dough.
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Comments
Choclette
So many good recipes here. It certainly beat throwing the bean water down the sink. Those sausages look super professional. I think I might need to try using aqua faba more often. Though I have had absolutely no success making macaroons or meringues with it.
Reply
Cook Veggielicious
I'm so impressed with Nico's sausages too! Try my meringues recipe - I've had a few people tell me it worked really well.
Reply
Deirdre
Ooh there are so many ideas here I have to try! I love that we can enjoy both the beans and the water they are stored in, no waste!
Whipping aquafaba generally takes 3-6 minutes to get to semi-firm peaks, depending on your equipment and how thick your aquafaba was to begin with. So take your time and don't be discouraged if it takes some time to reach stiff peaks! It can require a little practice and patience.
Cream of tartar is key to stable whipped aquafaba. Just 1/8 teaspoon per 2 tablespoons aquafaba does the trick. Amp up the power. Just like egg whites, you'll need to use an electric mixer — either a stand or hand model — to get your aquafaba beaten to stiff peaks.
Saponins, the part of aquafaba that is responsible for the egg white-like texture and foaming, are a toxic steroid derivatives that disrupt red blood cells. They may even contribute to development of leaky gut by damaging the gut wall.
How long can you keep aquafaba? Store unwhipped aquafaba in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze aquafaba for months. For ease, consider freezing it in tablespoons in an ice cube tray.
Aquafaba is mainly made from chickpea water. Because of its clear color, it most closely resembles egg whites. However, aquafaba isn't only made from chickpeas. It can be made of liquid from any legume can or legume cooking process, such as white bean water and lentil water.
However, like whipped egg whites and heavy cream, you can over-whip aquafaba. Once stiff peaks have formed, no matter how many minutes it took, stop whipping. Whipping too long can cause them to deflate.
You will need to defrost the Aquafaba overnight in the refrigerator before using. Always smell your Aquafaba before using it. It will smell like spoiled beans (not pleasant) if it is no longer good. Toss it if this is the case.
If you pour too fast, the mayo will not thicken. A good rule of thumb is to drizzle in the oil at the rate of about ¼ cup per minute. If you mess up, you can try again. Simply start over with the recipe up to the oil drizzling step, then drizzle ¾ cup of the "fail mayo" into the container instead of ¾ cup oil.
Let the reduced liquid come to room temperature and then transfer to a clean container and store in the fridge – once chilled aquafaba will turn gelatinous and resemble an egg white.
As a general guideline, you can use aquafaba to replace one or two eggs in recipes for baked goods such as cookies, cakes, and muffins. Use 3 tablespoons of aquafaba per egg. These yummy Vegan Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with aquafaba.
There are other vegan egg substitutes that you can try if aquafaba isn't suitable for your recipe, such as flaxseed, chia seed, banana, and even avocado! And I'll cover those in another post. In the meantime, give aquafaba a go with one of my recipes below: No-Fail Vegan Meringues.
What about lectins, phytates/phytic acid, phytohemagglutinin, gas, etc? Aquafaba by definition is made from beans that have been heat treated > 100C, and chickpeas have the least amount of lectins and phytates. If you're worried, use canned or home cooked chickpeas and avoid the other beans.
Aquafaba also may not be a good choice for everyone, as it contains “oligosaccharides, which are sugars that the body can't digest until they reach the colon,” Miller explains. This can result in bloating and gas for some people, especially those with irritable bowel syndrome.
Due to its ability to mimic functional properties of egg whites in cooking, aquafaba can be used as a direct replacement for them in some cases, including meringues and marshmallows. It is especially suitable for use by people who avoid eggs, such as vegans.
Eggs are a good source of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, while aquafaba does not offer any significant nutritional value. Eggs typically have 77 calories, 6 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fat, while aquafaba is extremely low in calories, protein, and fat.
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Introduction: My name is Cheryll Lueilwitz, I am a sparkling, clean, super, lucky, joyous, outstanding, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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