What in the World Is Aquafaba? (Recipe Included!)

AquafabaWhy am I writing about Aquafaba? Well, one evening I mentioned that I was going to make some “Aquafaba topping” for dessert and that’s when my non-vegan husband turned and said, “What is that?” He knows a lot about food, but Aquafaba was not on his food radar.

If you’re a Latin scholar, you know that Aquafaba means “bean water.” But you don’t have to know Latin to know that it has been the buzz of the vegan baking world since early 2015.

A chef friend called me at that time and said, “Google the word Aquafaba. You can thank me later.” Suffice it to say that afterward, I was making loads of hummus because I was opening up can after can of garbanzo beans to experiment making this luscious and fluffy meringue made from bean juice. It’s so versatile that it also makes a delicious marshmallow topping.

As a vegan, I often get creative making my own “oat milk,” cheeses and other delicious treats that are animal-free. But Aquafaba opened up a whole new world in the kitchen. I’m not a baker, and there was a challenge in getting the bean water to make perfect peaks—and to not taste like beans!

According to local baker Regina Petruizziello Mason, “Aquafaba is great. You can fold it into vegan waffle batter, and it can make the end results fluffy and light.” Regina is right; adding it to any batter or dough enhances the texture greatly. It also makes a great dessert topping and very delicious meringues. The nice thing about making meringue from bean juice is that you can lick the bowl and beaters when you’re done because you’re not licking raw egg whites.

All of a sudden, we’ve gone from bean juice to meringue. Kitchen science at its best!

How to Make Your Own Aquafaba

Aquafaba

You may want to experiment a few times before you actually make the recipe. The key is to not underbeat. If you do, your batter will not survive in a 220-degree oven for two hours. The end product, if not whipped to perfection, will look like a lava-load and will ooze and get flat.

Ingredients

  • Juice from one can of garbanzo beans = ⅔ cup of bean juice
  • ⅔ cup of confectioner’s sugar (make sure it is corn-free)
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar powder
  • Parchment paper

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees (F).
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Strain the bean juice to remove any loose bean skin.
  4. Sift the sugar and cream of tartar; set aside.
  5. Place bean juice in a metal mixing bowl.
  6. With an electric mixer, place on highest speed. Beat bean juice for five minutes, then add the cream of tartar and half of the sifted powdered sugar.
  7. As the bean mixture begins to thicken, add the vanilla and the remainder of the sugar.
  8. After about 10–12 minutes of beating, peaks will begin to form. Continue beating for an additional 3-4 minutes. Turn beater off, and check for peaks by lifting hand mixer up and down. When you have stiff peaks, you are done. The mixture will look like “fluffy marshmallows,” but stiff peaks will form.
  9. Before you begin, make three-inch circles, two inches apart, with a marker or pencil, on the parchment paper. Once you have the outline of 12 circles (ideally, four per row), flip the paper over.
  10. Place meringue on each circle. You can either use a piping bag or a four-ounce scoop. (I prefer the scoop.)
  11. Place in a pre-heated oven, gently closing the door. Gently.
  12. If your meringue has met its peaks during the hand-mixer part of this recipe, in two hours, you will see the most beautiful meringues, ever! Do not open the oven door during baking process.
  13. Remove from oven. Let cool, then gently peel off the parchment paper.
  14. Enjoy with a cup of tea and a side of fresh fruit. Store in an airtight container.

AquafabaIf you haven’t used all of the meringue, you can serve it as a dessert topping or, better yet, load it onto a banana and peanut butter sandwich. Remember that this is a cholesterol and fat-free product as well as a delicious and tasty heart-healthy dessert.

If you love the meringue, you can thank French chef Joe Roessel, who was tooling around in the kitchen one day when he realized that the viscosity of bean juice was much like the viscosity of egg whites—then he went into action. Aquafaba has made it big. It even has its own Facebook page (Aquafaba Everything) and is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary.

If you’re looking for some protein in your dessert, Aquafaba just might be what you’re looking for! Enjoy it as a dollop on your favorite fresh fruit compote … just don’t tell everyone that you made it with bean juice!

Five Helpful Tips for Making a Successful Bean Juice Meringue

  1. Make sure your mise en place is all set up; have all ingredients ready.
  2. Use room temperature canned beans.
  3. Strain the contents of the can.
  4. The entire “whipping time” can take between 15–20 minutes (depending on your mixer).
  5. You can use ¼ cup maple sugar instead of the powdered sugar; the end result is still the same. (Delicious!)
  • Photos: Char Nolan