If you’ve visited my blog a few times, the chances are that you’ve heard of aquafaba – a miraculous plant-based egg replacer – as I’m in love with its amazing properties and use it often. If this is the first time you hear about it, here goes: aquafaba is a legume cooking liquid that has been discovered to emulate egg whites.
If you would like to read up more about this discovery and the science behind it, check out this informative website set up by the people who discovered that what we all used to chuck down the drain is, in fact, an invaluable cooking ingredient.
People report success with many varieties of legumes (cannellini, black beans and lima beans to name just a few), but I myself love chickpeas and so chickpea aquafaba is the only type I’ve ever used. Below is full explanation on how to get this magic liquid out of dry chickpeas.
You can also use the brine from a tin of chickpeas, but there are a few problems with that. Firstly, most tins contain harmful BPA, which has been linked to many serious illnesses, so many people try to avoid it. Secondly, ideally you do not want any salt in your aquafaba and all tinned chickpea brands I am aware of add sodium. Thirdly, using tinned aquafaba is more expensive than making your own. Finally, people have reported issues with consistency with some brands – some brands work, some don’t. For all these reasons, I prefer to prepare aquafaba from scratch.
What can I use it for? I hear you ask. Pretty much anything you would use an egg white for…Here is a round-up of SOME of the foods aquafaba has helped me make or to make better. If you love experimenting in the kitchen, I recommended joining a group called Vegan Meringue – Hits and Misses on Facebook, where you’ll find plenty of encouragement, great tips and knowledge from a bunch of amazing vegan cooks.
1. fudgy brownies
2. creamy strawberry cheesecake
3. airy chocolate mousse
4. vegan meringues
5. moist orange semolina cakes
6. vegan lemon meringue pies
7. Sriracha vegan mayo
8. Greek zucchini fritters
9. Mediterranean meatballs
10. crispy veggie tempura
11. smooth, oil-free hummus
12. crispy low-fat granola
- 2 cups of dry chickpeas
- 8 cups of water
- Soak dry chickpeas in plenty of water (chickpeas should be well covered) for about 8 hours. I tend to leave them to soak overnight.
- Discard soaking water and rinse the chickpeas. Place them into a pot, which you have a lid for and cover with 8 cups of water. Do not add any salt or baking soda.
- Cover the pot with a lid and bring to the boil. Be careful as chickpeas like to boil over if the heat is too high so keep an eye on them until they come to boil. Skim the foam that has come to the top and discard.
- After the chickpeas come to boil, decrease the heat to low-medium and simmer the chickpeas (with a lid on) until tender. It takes about 60-75 minutes.
- Once the chickpeas are ready, turn the heat off and leave the chickpeas to cool down in its cooking water (this infuses the cooking water with more protein, which gives aquafaba its miraculous properties of an egg white).
- Remove chickpeas from the cooking water with a slotted spoon. Make sure the spoon is clean and has no grease residue on it as even trace amounts of grease inhibit aquafaba’s foaming properties – this is especially important if you intend to whip your aquafaba into a meringue.
- Depending on the intended application of your aquafaba, you may want to reduce the liquid a little to make it more potent. I find that this is especially necessary for when you intent to use it as a binder, in vegan meatballs for example. Please remember also that the more reduced the liquid the more intense chickpea flavour will be so when you intent to use it for desserts, like meringues or chocolate mousse, you do not need to reduce as much or at all. To reduce aquafaba, return the remaining cooking water to the stove. Set the heat to low-medium and reduce aquafaba (without a lid) for about 30-45 minutes until some of the water evaporates and you are left with thick yellow liquid.
- 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. If you are not in a rush to use your aquafaba, pop cooked chickpeas back into the container with aquafaba and store them together overnight – this will make aquafaba even more gelatinous. Store in an air-tight container for 3-4 days.
I have linked this helpful vegan recipe in my website , thank you so much.
Thanks
I suppose so although I have never used a pressure cooker so I don't really know what I am talking about :) Ania
It really depends on your taste (and how much salt was added) and what you plan to use it for. If you want to make a chocolate mousse for example, salt enhances the taste of chocolate and I often add it to anything that is chocolate flavoured. Hope that helps! Ania
Sure, I don't see why not! Good luck! x Ania
The aguafava I made in the slow cooker seems thinner than that from a can of garbanzos. Is your stove top aguafaba as thick as what comes out of a can? I am wondering if I need to reduce my slow cooker aguafaba when using for desserts (primarily) - brownies etc, as if slow cooker aguafaba is thinner, the batter may have too much moisture in it.
Appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks!
It's hard for me to say as I do not own a slow cooker and the viscosity of the aquafaba depends on the application. I would simply try whisking it and if it whisks into stiff peaks fine then you are good to use it as is. Otherwise reduce, cool down and try again. One context when it is good to have it more gooey is when used for breading things, for example, like in this recipe. I hope that helps! Ania
Thank you in advance,
Dora
Sure, you can reduce but simmering on a stove without the lid - excess water will evaporate in the process and the resulting brine will be thicker, especially once it cools down it will become apparent. You can store it as it is, you do not want to whip it up for storing. You can also freeze it, in larger amounts or in ice cube form. Hope that helps! Ania
Thank you and greetings from Austria,
Beatrice
I am really pleased to hear that you enjoyed the scones and I hope you'll enjoy some of my other recipes too! I use US cups whereby 1 cup equals 240 ml. Hope that helps! Ania
how much aqua faba liquid in volume does this make please?
Thanks.
It really depends on the recipe for falafels that you are using. If you are using my recipe, then you don't need to do anything to them - simply grind them up and start making the falafel mixture. Good luck! Ania
I'm sorry, but I don't think I understand your question...hummus can be made with either tinned and home cooked chickpeas so there is no alteration needed. Let me know if I am missing something! Ania
I actually wanted to know if I can cook the chickpeas in the pressure cooker and if yes then for how long??
I think you've already asked me that question. Here is my original reply: I am sure you can, BUT I don not own a pressure cooker so no idea how long it would take. Normally, they take 1 hr 15 minutes so I imagine less than that. Sorry I could not be of any more help! Ania
Can I cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker ??? Because I feel that is a faster method... If yes we can cook in a pressure cooker then for how long???
I am sure you can, BUT I don not own a pressure cooker so no idea how long it would take. Normally, they take 1 hr 15 minutes so I imagine less than that. Sorry I could not be of any more help! Ania
No, I haven't and to be perfectly honest, I've had to google her...:) Ania
Thanks!
It really depends on how much you'll reduce it, but I would say about 1 cup. Hope that helps! Ania
I was wondering that maybe that was the mistake or if I should have waited until it cooled down to.
Regards
I don't have a pressure cooker, but I've heard that it is absolutely fine for making aquafaba. Yes, you need cold aquafaba to make mayo, for sure. Also, the oil needs to be drip-fed at first and only use it starts to emulsify, trickled in very slowly. Hope that helps! Ania
Thank you in advance.
No, don't throw them away, they are perfect in so many dishes - I love chickpeas so you'll find many many recipes with them on my site - here is the search result. Hope that helps! Ania
Please, I would like to know if I can use water from lentils instead of chickpea water?
And also, how do I store homemade aquafaba should I eventually make it?
I am not sure if lentils would work as I have never tried. I only have tried chickpeas and white beans ones. It needs to be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. It can also be frozen for later use. Hope that helps! Ania
Aquafaba is great at replacing egg whites, but when it comes to moist cakes I find that fruit / veg puree is better. For red velvet cake, I would recommend using pureed beetroot (like I did in this case). I think a rule of thumb is to use 1/4 cup (60 ml) per egg. You could also use silken tofu (blended beforehand) in the same way. Hope that helps! Ania
AF usually lasts about 4-5 days so I would give it a sniff before using (you'll know once it's gone bad!). Whether you need to whip it or not depends on the recipe you are using, but if you are replacing unwhipped egg whites in an omni recipe, then you can add it as is. Hope that helps! Ania
I'm not living vegan but I have some serious issues with eggs. I found this recipe and I was wondering if aquafaba tastes anything like chickpeas? Sounds strange to me that my macaroons could taste like chickpeas ^^
Best wishes from Germany
I imagine that aquafaba on its on does taste like chickpeas a bit, but once you turn it into meringues / chocolate mousse etc. it doesn't anymore as its subtle flavour is masked by cacao / sugar and any other, more dominant flavours that are added. Hope that helps! Ania
I would not say that it's like whipped cream as it lacks fat - it's more like having uncooked meringue over berries, but if that's what you're after then sure! Ania
I'm pretty new to veganism. Long time vegetarian (more than half my life) and even longer baker. My question is, have you ever made or heard of an Aquafaba being made of the water from small white beans. I don't particularly care for chickpeas, but I've used the small white (Navy) beans forever. I understand it's the same principle, I'm just uncertain as to whether or not the beans will turn to mush after being boiled. It seems like that will ruin the 'egg whites'.
I haven't ever made aquafaba from small white beans but I am pretty sure it can be done - your best bet is to join the Facebook group that I linked to in the body of the post and ask a question there. I'm sure someone will be able to help. I am pretty sure though that you shouldn't overcook the beans so much that the fall apart for the aquafaba, so perhaps cook the beans until tender, take aquafaba away and finish cooking in some fresh water if you like them mushy. Hope that helps! Ania
It's hard to know without more details. Did you use chickpea brine or any other beans? Did you use a glass / metal bowl or a plastic one? Did you add a few drops of (vinegar or lemon juice) - that usually helps to stabilise the foam although it should really work without it. Did you use aquafaba from a tin or homemade? Ania
Thank you!
Yes, they go into the fridge, overnight is usually sufficient! Hope that helps, Ania
And on the last point you say overnight when leaving chickpeas in the container and 4-5 days if not with chickpeas?
It's confusing to me if you could clarify please?
If your stomach is sensitive to chickpeas than possibly you may have the same effect with aquafaba. I don't suffer from any issues so I guess it's an individual thing.
I cannot find the bit you are referring to (4-5 days without chickpeas). Returning cooked chickpeas back into aquafaba is an optional step that makes aquafaba a bit more potent (gelatinous), but it has no bearing on how long aquafaba keeps for. In my experience it keeps for 3-4 days.
Hope that helps,
Ania
My first Aquafina is in process...
So if I understand well, the Aquafina is ready after the first 24h in the fridge with or without chickpeas and will last for 3-4 days right? So if I make chocolate mousse with it on the 3rd day, will the mousse last for a day in the fridge?
I'll let you know about the fart outcome issue lol
I recommend making the mousse as soon as aquafaba is ready (12 hours / overnight in the fridge is plenty) as it MAY go bad on you if you wait until the 3rd day.
?
The reason why we soak dry chickpeas is to shorten their cooking time considerably and to neutralise phytic acid (which has been linked to malabsorption of certain nutrients) so that's why you have to discard the water after soaking. Hope that makes sense! Ania
This is really useful, thanks! Are the chickpeas ready to use after the aquafaba has been removed or should they be discarded?
Thank you,
Laurice
Yes, you certainly can. Once frozen it will keep for a few good months, for sure.
Hope that helps,
Ania