Aquafaba

Aquafaba is the cloudy liquid in a can of chickpeas, or the liquid left after cooking dried ones. It holds starch and protein from the beans, so it foams and whips much like egg white. It is the standard egg replacement in vegan baking and for anyone with an egg allergy.

How to do it

1. Drain a can of chickpeas through a sieve into a bowl. A 400 g (14 oz) can gives about 120 ml (½ cup).
2. If it is thin and watery, simmer it until it has reduced by about a third, then chill it. It should be about as thick as raw egg white.
3. Whip it in a clean, grease-free bowl with ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar per 120 ml. It takes longer than egg white, often 5 to 10 minutes with an electric mixer.
4. For meringue, add sugar a spoonful at a time once it is foamy, and keep whipping to stiff peaks.

As a rough guide, 3 tablespoons of aquafaba replaces one whole egg, and 2 tablespoons replaces one egg white.

How to tell it is done

Whipped aquafaba is bright white and glossy. At stiff peaks, the tip stands up when you lift the whisk and the bowl can be tipped without the foam sliding.

How to store it

Keep it in a closed jar in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze it in ice cube trays. One standard cube is about 2 tablespoons.

Common mistakes

• Using liquid from salted or flavored chickpeas. Choose unsalted or low-salt, unflavored chickpeas, or the meringue tastes salty or of beans.
• Baking aquafaba meringues too hot. They need a low oven, about 100°C (210°F), for 1½ to 2 hours, then cool in the switched-off oven.
• Expecting it to set like egg in quiche or custard. It foams and binds, but it does not firm up when heated the way egg protein does.

In recipes

Recipes use aquafaba for vegan mayonnaise, chocolate mousse, macarons, cocktails that call for egg white, and as a binder in cookies and burgers.