Bean Water Bliss: Foolproof Aquafaba Meringue
Aquafaba is a fairly recent culinary discovery, when it was found that by combining brine water from canned chickpeas with a little sugar, whizzing them up makes vegan meringue! So now vegans the world over are enjoying lemon meringue pie, Eton mess and pavlova!
Before recycling tins, rinse/remove lids (or pop ring-pulls over holes) then step on the can to ‘pinch’ inner rims together, to stop wildlife getting trapped.
Aquafaba (Latin for ‘bean water) acts as an egg-white substitute due to a unique blend of proteins, starches and soluble solids that perfectly mimics the foaming, emulsifying and binding properties of real eggs.
It was discovered in 2014 by French chef Joël Roessel, then a year later software engineer Goose Wohlt coined the official term. For recipes, 3 tablespoons usually replaces one large whole egg, or 2 tablespoons replaces 2 large egg whites.
You can actually use other beans (like cannellini) or even black beans, but you’ll end up with grey meringue! Most recipes use cream of tartar (1/8 teaspoon per ‘egg white’) to help the foam hold its shape. And just like real egg meringue, it’s really important to ensure your bowls are clean and dry
It also takes time – around 10 to 15 minutes of whipping to produce the stiff glossy peaks to top desserts. Aquafaba can also be used for ‘airy mousse’ and other light desserts, or even vegan mayo. And of course it’s a zero waste way to use up leftover brine water from canned beans!
Aquafaba strawberry mousse (Full of Plants)
Where to buy aquafaba meringue
OGGS is sold in a 200ml carton (makes 4 ‘eggs’) for home bakers, with larger 1L (20 ‘eggs’) and 10L (200 ‘eggs’) options for professional bakers, chefs and caterers. Produces 72% less CO2 too! Most kerbsides now recycle Tetrapaks, ask your council.
For soft peaks, they recommend whisking for a few minutes, or 4 minutes on high speed. Their chickpeas are dried and made into gram flour, to avoid waste.
Suma makes organic aquafabs in glass bottles. Sold by the case, this is made from organic chickpea broth and a pinch of salt.
The Very Food Co (France) sells a ready-to-pour version for consumers, or a professional version for bakers and caterers. The site offers a useful page for chefs to convert real eggs to aquafaba ones!
Veringue Vegan Meringue Powder Mix is instead made from potato proteins and starches, just whip it or pipe it and add your flavourings. Sold in compostable/biodegradable packaging with a resealable pouch. Sold in four sizes.
Aquafaba (cocktail foamer for bartenders)
Aquafab (Australia) is sold in an easy-pour ontainer that’s easy to recycle. This is designed for bartenders as a cocktail foamer. You can make around 16 cocktails per pack.
