First and Foremost and most importantly, thank you to Goose Wohlt, Rebecca August and the 35,000(!) members of the Vegan Meringue – Hits and Misses Facebook page and everyone who has embraced, experimented and revolutionized the world of egg-free cooking with aquafaba.
What is AQUAFABA?
(definition from www.aquafaba.com)
“Generally, the term aquafaba refers to liquid from cooking legumes, like the liquid in a can of chickpeas, or liquid from cooking dried beans at home. The liquid is very close to the consistency of raw egg white and can be used in many recipes in very much the same way. You can bake with it, whip it and make meringues, make marshmallows with it, or use it as a raw fluff. The term aquafaba also generally refers to an idea… an idea that the billion dollar egg industry should be worried. It is a community, a revolution, and perhaps someday a brand of standardized or powdered aquafaba for bakers and home cooks.”
Why Aquafaba?
- Aquafaba is easy to use.
- Aquafaba is inexpensive — one can of chickpeas gives on average 3/4 cup of liquid– that’s approximately 4 “eggs”.
- Aquafaba is versatile. I’ve used it in all types of recipes, from cakes, to pies, to cookies, to bread, and it produces fantastic results.
My own baking has changed dramatically since chancing upon the Facebook page last March (update: this post is originally from Jan 2016!). For one, I eat a lot more beans now as I buy chickpeas by the boatload for that precious liquid! Aquafaba is my go-to egg replacer in all my new dessert creations. It’s so simple and accessible and rarely leaves an aftertaste like my previous go-to, flax seed, can. If you are egg-free by choice or by necessity, I highly recommend you try this.
Look at it! So smooth and creamy. And believe me, delicious too 🙂
At the end of this post, I’ve included links for a variety of recipes using aquafaba – it’s not just for making meringues. You can use it to make cheese, cakes, roasted nuts, cookies, macarons, omelets, and more. The possibilities are still being explored, the experiments are still happening and if you want to know if it works in something, give it a try! That’s what we’ve all been doing, just seeing what works and what doesn’t and playing around in the kitchen until we have a hit.
Meringues colored and flavored with powdered freeze dried fruit (blueberry, strawberry & apple). 
In the front, peppermint meringues, sprinkled with crushed candy canes and dipped in chocolate. In the back, orange meringues, sprinkled with crushed orange life savers and dipped in chocolate. 
Meringues in the dehydrator. These have been colored and flavored with powdered freeze dried blueberries.
I am by no means an expert on all things aquafaba. I will not be able to answer all your questions as some may not even have answers yet, but I will try :-).
Ok! Are you ready to learn how to make egg-free meringues? Before you start, please read through the notes. I know it seems like a lot, but believe me, this is not recipe that you can just ‘wing’ or change as you see fit [unless you are experimenting, then go for it but I won’t be responsible for what happens, good or bad :-)]. There are important things in play here if you want your efforts to be successful. I want you to be successful!
Check out my new YouTube channel, christened with a Vegan Meringue Tutorial!
Video Tutorial: How to Make Meringue
The Video is in Real Time so you can see it go from soft, to medium, to stiff peaks.
Meringues have few ingredients and each one is essential, serving a very important purpose!
Types of Beans
- Chickpeas work the best for making meringues. I’m not sure of the science behind it, but I’ve used brine from lots of other beans and had very varied results. With chickpea aquafaba, I always get good stiff fluffy peaks. Don’t throw away the brine from your other beans though – it is still good as an egg replacer in pancakes, breads, cakes and so much more (see the collection of recipes at the end of this post for more aquafaba ideas).
- Unsalted is best. Salted is fine if you are using a strong flavoring, like orange or peppermint. The salt taste will be covered up. I have used salted aquafaba with just vanilla extract as flavoring and I couldn’t taste any beaniness but others have noted that they can.
Sugars
- The best sugar to use is just plain regular granulated cane sugar.
- Do not decrease (or increase) the amount of sugar. It is there for a reason. I know we are all trying to be healthier, or get away from refined sugar, or what have you, but the sugar provides the structure for the meringues. Without it, you will not get stiff peaks, or any peaks at all and your meringues will probably collapse.
- Now, since I just said that, there are other awesome bakers out there who have been using other sugars and different quantities with varying amounts of success. I am including links for some of them, but please search the Facebook page or do a google search to find more information. I have never used any other sugars besides plain ol’ cane sugar so I will not be able to answer any questions regarding the effectiveness of any of them. I am providing these links merely as a resource since it seems to be the most common question people ask.
- Lemon Meringue made with Icing Sugar from The Vegan Lass
- Meringues made with Maple Syrup from Soy Division
- Vegan Meringue made with White & Brown Sugar from The Dish and The Spoon
- Salted Caramel Meringues made with Coconut Sugar and Raspberry Matcha Meringues made with Xylitol from Fragrant Vanilla Cake
- Vegan Meringue Nests made with Icing Sugar from Wallflower Girl’s Plant Based Kitchen
- Meringues made with Powdered Sugar & Xantham Gum from The Frosted Vegan
Equipment
- Use a machine with a whisk attachment. Kitchen Aid mixers are the best. A handheld electric mixer with a whisk attachment is great. You can use regular beaters but you will not get the peaks as stiff as they can be and your meringues may collapse.
- Do not do this by hand. Seriously. Unless you have something to prove. Then go for it.
- You cannot use a blender, food processor, immersion blender, or anything else that doesn’t have a whisk.
How to Bake
- 200F (100C) for 2 hours. Do not open oven.
- After 2 hours, turn off oven. You can open it now to check on them. They’ll probably be a little soft. Let sit overnight or a minimum of 2 hours.
- You will know they have dried sufficiently when they peel off the parchment paper easily (no sticking).
- Only use parchment paper or super clean Silpat baking sheets. Do Not Use wax paper and do not grease your pans. Any type of grease, oil or wax will cause your meringues to collapse.
- Do not bake at any higher temperature or your meringues will turn into sad little pools of goo.
- You can make these in your dehydrator as well, 115 degrees for 15-20 hours, depending on the size you make them. They are done when they peel off the sheet easily.
Storage
- Store in airtight container. I’ve kept meringues for up to a month in a hard plastic container with a tight fitting lid.
- Meringues can also be kept in the refrigerator indefinitely in an airtight container.
- Any exposure to air will cause the meringues to get sticky. How fast that happens depends on the weather where you are. If it is hot and humid, they will get sticky and soft fast. At cooler temperatures, you may be able to leave them uncovered for an hour or so.
- If they get soft or sticky, a stint in the refrigerator will harden them.
Adding Flavoring
- Oils normally will deflate a meringue but by mixing the extract into the sugar first, you can add small amounts of extracts that have a little oil, but you can not use oiled based extracts.
- Only extracts that are alcohol based will work. Extracts that are alcohol-free and therefore oil-based will cause the meringue to collapse during whisking.
- Vanilla flavored – mix 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract into the 1 cup sugar
- Peppermint flavored – mix 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract into the 1 cup sugar
- Orange flavored – mix 1/2 teaspoon orange extract into the 1 cup sugar
- Almond flavored – mix 1 teaspoon almond extract into the 1 cup sugar.
- Freeze dried fruits can be ground into a powder and added to the meringue for flavoring and also coloring. Add approximately 3-4 tablespoons powdered freeze dried fruit at the end. How much you add depends on what you want for flavor and color.
- Flavor additions with any kind of fat or oil generally will not work. This includes: cocoa powder, peanut butter powder, nuts of any kind, orange or lemon zest.
Stabilizing Agents
- For a stable, pipe-able meringue, you need to add a stabilizer. I always use Cream of Tartar (available at any grocery store in the US, not sure about other countries). You can also use 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar or 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice.
Canned vs. Homemade
- Aquafaba can be from a can of beans or from your own homemade beans.
- I have only used the brine from canned beans because, well, I’m lazy 🙂
- Please visit the Vegan Meringue Hits & Misses page, do a search of the page or visit the pages File sections, and you will find loads of information about how to use aquafaba from home cooked beans.
And Finally, The Recipe!
This is what your meringue should look like – thick, creamy, smooth and standing up on it’s own.
Ingredients:
- Liquid from one can of chickpeas (2/3 – 3/4 cup. If your chickpeas have more or less liquid, please adjust to make it in this range)
- 1 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or other flavoring of your choice, please see notes)
Method:
- Make sure your mixing bowl, whisk and all utensils are super clean and free from any residual oils. Don’t use plastic bowls.
- Preheat oven to 200°F. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper. This recipe makes a lot! Really, however many baking sheets your oven can hold is how many you should prep. I usually do an additional parchment lined brownie pan or any other pan that will fit in my oven with the baking sheets.
- If you are going to be piping them, prepare your piping bag and tips. You can also just scoop dollops onto the prepared sheets.
- Mix the vanilla extract into your sugar and set aside.
- Add your chickpea liquid to the mixing bowl.
- Turn mixer to med-high [so the liquid doesn’t spray out of the bowl – learned that by experience :-)] and beat for 1 minute.
- Add the cream of tartar and beat until medium peaks (the whisk leaves a trail through the mixture but not so stiff it stands upright) with the mixer on the highest speed.
- Slowly, one tablespoon at a time, waiting at least 30 seconds between each addition, add the sugar while the mixer is still going. Do this until all the sugar is gone, stopping a few times to scrape down the sides of the bowl so no sugar is left there.
- You will notice the change in consistency in the meringue. It will now be super thick and glossy and have tripled in size.
- Stop the mixer and take a little bit of the meringue and rub it between your fingers. If there is any graininess, the sugar has not been fully incorporated. Beat it for as long as necessary to eliminate the graininess. Don’t worry, you can’t over-beat aquafaba meringue!
- Pipe or scoop your meringue onto the prepared baking sheets and put in the oven for 2 hours. Do not open the oven.
- After the 2 hours is up, turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there to dry for at least another hour (you can open the oven and look at them now, but don’t let too much heat escape – they still need to dry). Two hours is better, overnight is good too. They are done when they are completely dry and peel off the parchment paper easily.
- Dip in chocolate, eat plain, crumble for an Eaton Mess, layer like a Pavlova, make into Ice Cream Sandwiches or create a new awesome meringue dessert :-).
- Store in an airtight container.
What else can you do with aquafaba? I’m so glad you asked!
AquaFaba Cheddar Cheese from Avocados and Ales
Lime Tarts with Meringue from Veganosity
Cranberry Orange Quickbread from The Lazy Vegan Baker
Rosemary Party Mix from Cupcakes & Kale
Lavendar Gin Strawberry Shortcakes from Healthy Slow Cooking
Cranberry Orange Clafoutis from Fettle Vegan
Vegan Candied Nuts from A Virtual Vegan
Cinnamon Squash Bread from Veggie Inspired Journey
Cinnamon Glazed Apple Fritter Muffins from The Lazy Vegan Baker
A Foolish Mess from Quite Good Food
Vegan Omelette with Asparagus, Spinach & ‘Cheese’ from A Virtual Vegan
Herb Garlic Flatbread from Vegan Richa
Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins from Avocados and Ales
Asian Lentil Burger Lettuce Wraps from Veggie Inspired Journey
Eggless Aioli from Quite Good Food
Red, White & Blue Meringue Stacks with Coconut Cream from The Lazy Vegan Baker
Wow! What a post. I’m so glad you shared this. I have been very intimidated by aquafaba. This is a great tutorial and I love how you included so many recipes!
I’m just happy to help and try to share everything I have learned. I know people have tons of questions and that it can seem intimidating, so I wanted to make it as simple as possible (with a super long post hahah). Seriously, though, if you get a chance to watch the video you can see it in real time go from liquid to pipeable fluff in 7 minutes. Not the most exciting of videos but I didn’t want to gloss over anything.
Feel free to ask me any questions too. I want everyone to be comfortable making egg-free meringues. Pretty soon, eggs will have no use in cooking :-D.
I have tried making Aquafina many times before and it always turned soupy when I added the sugar. So I tried this recipe. I followed it to the T, making sure tot add the sugar very very slowly. Before I added the sugar it whipped up fine, but as soon as I added the sugar it turned soupy. I am planning on selling macaroons this summer and I don’t want to have to turn back to using egg whites because I’m vegan. Please HELP!!!
I used a kitchen aid stand mixer on speed 10, the highest setting. I use dry chickpeas, using the water from boiling the chickpeas. After 5 minutes on speed 10 I reach the midium stiff consistency, and start adding the sugar. But the vegan macaron recipes used less sugar, not that that made a difference for me, as soon as I added a couple tablespoons of sugar it had already become soupy. Even after following the steps and adding all the sugar it was very soupy and not stiff at all. I’ve had this problem with every recipe I’ve tried so I know its not just this one.
That’s awful! And so frustrating! Hmmm…so off the top of my head I have a couple questions/thoughts on why it didn’t work. Were all your utensils cleaned really well. Including the mixing bowl. Any hint of oil residue on anything will make it deflate. Also, it may be the homemade aquafaba you are using? I found that when I used the boiling liquid from making my own beans, it was very watery. I boiled down the liquid by half so it was a lot thicker, almost goopy. I’ve heard other people had this problem too. Have you tried making it from canned chickpea brine before? The difference between the canned and homemade it quite big. I’ve also heard reports that chilling the brine beforehand in the refrigerator for a couple hours helps. Please keep me updated! It’s so frustrating when it doesn’t work, I know :-(.
Excellent tutorial, the video was very helpful to know the stages. Mine look great, I will try them in the morning but they stayed nice and sharp looking as they baked. I also used caster sugar or superfine baking sugar to make sure it dissolved well and it worked well.
Thank you!! I’m so happy to hear you had successful meringues :-). Superfine sugar is great, it does dissolve so much easier!
I dont’ seem to see it here, but, what is the shelf life of meringues and/or macarons? I want to make some meringues to give to families as a favor separate from the kids’ goody bags. and it would be great if I could knock it out tomorrow night. i’m also making macarons for the dessert table and wanted to know the same – if I can knock them out a week in advance. and even if I can add the cream in between the sandwiches a week ahead of time. also, any possibility of refrigeration or freezing?
thanks in advance!
Hi! I hope you get this in time! So, meringues if kept in an airtight container, can keep for several weeks. I store mine in a rubbermaid container on the counter. Any exposure to air will make them get soft, possibly sticky, and will reduce their shelf life. For gift giving, you’ll want to package them in something airtight as well and let people know they need to be kept that way until eaten.
I actually have never made macaroons so can’t help you there. I’d recommend checking out the Floral Frosting blog as Charis is the macaroon expert :-).
Yes!!!! I have not done it yet, but I WILL eventually! It’s just too awesome!
You have to!!! Seriously, I know it sounds like a lot of info, but it’s super easy as long as you follow the instructions and don’t try to sub anything. Plus it’s so so much fun to watch it go from smelly weird bean juice to glorious white fluffy meringue. Still, every time I am amazed like I just watched a magic trick lol!
OMG I love this!! You just took the scary out of garbanzo liquid!!!
Thanks! It’s not scary at all, I promise. I know it sounds like there is a lot to know, but once you do it one time, you’ll be a super pro. And it’s so fun to watch the magic happen!!
And really, if it doesn’t quite work out, it’s not like any fancy ingredients were wasted. That’s one of the reasons I love it most. So simple, inexpensive and accessible.
Do you know how long you can keep the meringue mixture in the fridge before baking it?
I would not suggest storing it at all. It starts to deflate pretty quickly. In a couple hours, it will start to separate, and then you’ll have to beat it all over again. If you add 1/8 teaspoon of xantham gum, you’ll get more stability. I’ve stored ones made with xantham gum in the fridge as a marshmallow fluff for up to 24 hours and it’s been good. Meringue is a fragile thing :-).
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Thanks for the recipe. Used the link for the ones made with xylitol and they have come out amazingly!!!
Hi, Lovely recipe and so easily explained. Can we powder these meringues and use in the recipes where they cann for meringue powder. There are some buttercream and fresh cream piping recipes, which calls for meringue powder. Just a curious mind 🙂 Thanks, Saumya
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Hi, I tried it. but just check the oven and the pavlova completely collapsed. Did a few things different. I used a plastic bowl since i do not own a big metal or glass one. And I put it on a paper baking sheet, the package didn’t say if it was greased, but I assume it is.
It was so beautiful after I mixed it for over 15 minutes and a lovely taste. but now is a flat and thin big omelet. Any idea why it turned out like this?
So, unfortunately, it was probably the plastic bowl that did you in. Plastic holds onto grease, even when it’s clean, and any grease will kill your meringue. Also, greased baking sheet will collapse it as well. So that’s double trouble there :-(. You’ll need to invest in a glass or metal bowl and make sure the baking paper is not waxed or greased in any way, then you should have success! p.s. sorry for the long delay in responding, I didn’t see this comment for some reason.
I noticed these got very dry and almost styrofoam like in texture as opposed to regular egg white meringues that are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Am I doing something wrong or is that how they are supposed to be?
There are many different textures of meringues. You’ll find egg white ones that are crunchy throughout, just like these. To make them chewy on the inside, you’ll want to follow a recipe for pavlova style, which includes vinegar and some other ingredients. I don’t have one, sorry. These are supposed to be dry throughout. Also, you could take reduce the baking time a little and they’ll be chewier inside, but they won’t store as well. Hope this helps and sorry for the super late reply!!
Darn! My powdered peanut butter hopes have been dashed. But what do you think about blueberry syrup? A small amount mixed with the dry sugar? Its not super thick like syrup. So maybe more juice like. I made it with the Mehu Lissa steam juicer.
Ah, so sad about pb powder, I know! It seems like such a good addition. Blueberry syrup…hmmm…maybe?? Mixed with dry sugar is a good idea I think. I just worry about needing to add too much to get the flavor which could be too much liquid. I’ve added jam before and that sorta worked well. To get the flavor strong enough I had to add more and more and it started to deflate the meringue a bit. I stopped before I completely destroyed it and piped out my meringues. They were fine, just a lighter flavor than I’d wanted.
Do you have access to freeze dried fruit? I’ve found that to be the best way to add fruit flavors. It can be crushed into a fruit powder and incorporates very well into the meringue.
Another idea, make regular vanilla meringues and serve them with a drizzle (or drenching!) of the syrup.
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Hi there! Thank you for sharing this! Would aquafaba work for royal icing??
Yes it absolutely would! I’ve seen some amazing cookie decorating with aquafaba royal icing. I don’t have a recipe but I think if you google it, you will find several at least. If you’re on facebook, the group Vegan Meringue is a great resource. Search royal icing in that group and you will see some really cool decorating.
Help! My aquafaba meringue mixture was all glossy and looked fantastic but the more I beat it (as I continued to add sugar) it turned to liquid!
Oh no! Sorry for the delay in responding. I’m just seeing this :-?. So, A bunch of questions, so I can troubleshoot the problem. Did you use cream of tartar? That is super important as it helps the meringue hold it’s structure. Second, if you were using a plastic bowl or utensils, they can hold oil/residue and that will totally deflate a meringue. Where did the aquafaba come from (a can or homemade)? What type of sugar were you using? I hope I can help! Liquid meringue is no good!
Thank you for all the info! I managed to make a beautiful glossy mixture and bake, and left them overnight. BUT most of them stuck and there for broke when I tried to take them off. They felt hard on the outside but sticky inside. I do have a fan oven, could that have something to do with it? Also I live in a slightly humid place and finally my other guess was size and shape. I just scooped it on to the tray, the smaller ones came out ok. Any advice appreciated, thanks so much!
You are welcome! Isn’t it so cool to see the liquid turn into fluff! It sounds like if just the bigger ones were sticking, that they needed more drying time. The time required for them to dry is really dependent on the temperature where you live. And the season lol! Where I live, summers are super humid and so they take longer. In winter, they take less time. I would suggest letting them dry until they come off the baking tray easily. Also, since the smaller ones removed easily with the allotted drying time, maybe make them that size as a rule in the future. I hope that helps! Jenny