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Making Vegan Meringue with Aquafaba | Plus video demo

Make these crispy cloud-light Vegan Meringues easily with your electric whisk, chickpea water, and sugar! That’s right, make some healthy hummus and then save the leftover chickpea liquid (AKA aquafaba) to make dessert!

plain vegan meringue cookies

What is Aquafaba and who started this chickpea water thing?

In 2015, vegan meringue made from “Aquafaba” swept the vegan cooking blogosphere. Kicked off from a photo of vegan pavlova by Goose Wolht in the Facebook group, What Fat Vegans Eat, members broke off and formed another group where we compared notes, learned from each other, and refined our vegan meringue recipes and techniques. I’m proud to say, I was there since the beginning! Not so proud of the potential names I suggested. L’egg (legume egg), anyone?

Learn more about the history of aquafaba here.

aqua faba aka chickpea brine

Where did the name Aquafaba come from?

What is aqua faba? In short, the water left from cooking legumes such as chickpeas and white beans. Get it? Aqua means water and faba means legume.

Don’t be scared of bean water! Aquafaba Tips

In the beginning (and maybe if it’s new to you), I admit, it sounds a little ridiculous, even gross, to save the liquid from a can of chickpeas or beans. You may have been taught never to eat it. Aren’t you supposed to rinse the heck out of beans so they don’t cause gas? Unless you’re particularly sensitive, most people find it perfectly fine! I’ve never had a bad reaction. But I have encountered some canned chickpea water that just doesn’t work!

For the best aquafaba, I try to only:

Chickpea water that is suitable for aquafaba will whip up in just a couple minutes with an electric beater or whisk. So if you’re struggling for 10 minutes, my advice is to give up and try another brand of chickpeas. 

Video tutorial for making Vegan Meringue with Aquafaba

Start with aquafaba itself. This aquafaba is simply the water from a can of chickpeas. If you want to avoid preservatives, simply choose a brand that includes only chickpeas (or white beans) and water. Salt-free or salt added is fine; there’s just a difference in taste.

You can also make it from scratch; save the liquid from cooking dry beans in a slow cooker like in this guideline. If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can make them on the stove top like I do in this video below.

When you have your thick chickpea water (aka Aquafaba) go ahead and whip it up! Stabilizers such as cream of tartar are optional. If you need to bake it to set, sugar is not optional. As seen in the video below.

Then use the raw whipped meringue to make baked meringue cookies! You can keep them plain or do something fun like fold in dehydrated fruit powder. BUT NOTE: DO NOT ADD FAT. Fat will cause the aquafaba meringue to deflate.

This meringue is more stable in the oven than flax-based versions and much more easy to make as well. You can use it straight out of the mixing bowl for whipped dessert toppings or bake it to create meringue cookies, meringue pie, and pavlova. If you decide to bake it, you will need to add sugar. Stevia and artificial sweeteners will not work.

Some recipes that use Aquafaba:

 

Aquafaba is more than just a way to get fluffy vegan meringue. You can use it in place of eggs in some kinds of baking. Try it in these Chocolate Chip Cookies from VedgedOut.com.

How to turn Aquafaba into Meringue (step-by-step with photos)

aqua faba aka chickpea brine

To make two trays of crispy vegan meringue cookies, I whip up 1/2 cup of aquafaba until it’s super thick. Whip it with an electric mixer just as you might have done in the past with egg whites. After one minute, you will just have a frothy liquid. 

aguafaba-meringue-one-minute

My homemade aquafaba forms stiff peaks in 2 to 5 minutes. However, some cans of aquafaba take a longer time. Some bakers will add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar and swear it helps. I don’t find a difference but feel free to give if a try!

Aqua Faba at Soft Peaks

aqua faba meringue stiff peaks

When you’ve achieved stiff peaks, you can whip in powdered sugar and flavourings. The aqua faba may slide back into a soft peak situation but just keep whipping and it will get back up to stiff peaks. Unlike egg whites, you cannot over-whip aquafaba.

Bowl of glossy vegan meringue

Now you can use this as a sweet whipped dessert topping or in baking. For more guidelines on how to use this in baking (since there are some differences from the non-vegan counterpart), please visit the newly formed Facebook group called Aquafaba Everything.

Turn Raw Aquafaba Meringue into Vegan Meringue Cookies!

Preheat your oven to 170°F (77°C). Yes, it is a very low temperature! Aquafaba meringue cookies dry to set. In the meantime, you can pipe the meringue as is directly on to a parchment-lined baking sheet. I love to fold in something fun first though.

dried strawberry powder in a bowl of vegan meringue

Use a piping bag to form the cookie shapes. They won’t grow in size very much. In fact, they might even shrink during baking.

raw piped vegan meringue with strawberry

Bake in a preheated oven at 170F or 77C for one and a half hours. After that, crack the open door open and let them cool to room temperature. This step is super important to let the meringue cookies dry completely.

If you live in a humid climate, you might want to wait for a drier day. Or you might have to run a fan or keep the oven on for a bit longer time.

Crispy strawberry vegan meringue cookies

Printable recipe for Vegan Meringue with Aquafaba

Yield: 2 trays

Vegan Meringue Cookies with Aquafaba

Vegan Meringue Cookies with Aquafaba

Turn the liquid from a can of chickpeas (or white beans) into fluffy meringue, then bake it to make vegan meringue cookies! Make them plain (or strawberry like the photo).

For the best consistent results, make aquafaba from scratch.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Bake Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Additional Drying Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup aquafaba (drain the water from a can of chickpeas or white beans)
  • 3/4 cup granulated white sugar, ground down to a powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

optional

  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  • 4 tablespoons dried strawberry powder

Instructions

For aquafaba meringue

If using cream of tartar, combine it with the aquafaba. Use an electric beater or whisk to whip the aquafaba to stiff peaks. This can take anywhere between 2 and 10 minutes; some batches may take slightly longer.

Add powdered sugar gradually while continuing to whip. Then add the vanilla. The mixture may soften but keep whipping to re-create stiff peaks. Don't worry about over-whipping; it's impossible with AF.

Use as a sweet dessert topping, coffee or hot chocolate topping, or in baking. Try them in these .

For vegan meringue cookies

Preheat oven to 170°F (77°). If your oven cannot go that low, try for the lowest temperature available. Transfer the whipped aquafaba to a piping bag. Pipe rounds or desired shapes on to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake in your preheated oven for 90 minutes. After that, leave the baking sheets undisturbed while you prop open your oven door a crack and let cool to room temperature. This longer period of drying allows the cookies to crisp completely.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

pin-vegan-meringue-agua-faba

Showing 19 comments
  • Jenny D
    Reply

    Thanks for linking to my blog :). Love spreading the word about aquafaba and love your tutorial!!

    • Mary
      Reply

      You’re welcome! I LOVE your idea for making meringue ice cream sandwiches!

  • monique
    Reply

    how many cookies were you able to make with a 1/2 cup of brine? I want to make 18 “ghost” meringues for my daughter’s class but i’m not sure if 1/2 cup will be enough…

  • A Frustrated vegan...
    Reply

    I’ve tried this so many times, in so many variations but now matter what I do, once I put it in the oven to make meringues it melts within minutes. What I’m I doing wrong???

    • Mary
      Reply

      Tell me exactly what you’ve been doing and I might be able to tell you what you’re doing wrong.
      If it melts right after you put it in the oven it could be many things, including:

      – your aquafaba was too thin. Some brands of chickpeas/white beans don’t work as well. Make sure yours is thick and viscous like egg white. If it’s thin, boil it to reduce the volume.

      – you didn’t add enough sugar. Sugar is essential for the structure of the meringue. Do not use sugar-free substitutes. Liquid sugars are tricky. Just follow the recipe.

      – your oven is too hot. Meringues need to be dried more than baked.

      – you didn’t beat the meringue to stiff peaks.

      good luck!

  • Lupi
    Reply

    Hi,
    Since chick peas are not common in my country, i’ve been making it with various beans. Tofu water (fresh tofu) too light, and green bean won’t stiff. But I made a good stiff one with black beans & red beans even from hot aquafaba in less than 10 minutes. When I turn the bowl up side down it just stay there.so good. But there is a problem (i saw prople talk about it too)
    It get soften. i move it into plastic bag. But the pan is not enough. I take another pan, prepare the paper. Some of stif peak became water again… After the baking too. i leave it on table, my meringue become soft. I only ate or 5 good merigue… Crack to the bottom. Do you know how to keep it stif and hard? i want to sell it but I can’t if the soften problem hasn’t solve. Can u help?
    Does the chick peas aquafaba sticky? My red beans and black beans not sticky though. I’m still wondering about the needed thickness.
    i try to give cocoa powder to stiff peak, it become water.Not soft peak like with sugar. it’s water and I wont even become harder again. any suggestion about this? Thank you

    • Mary
      Reply

      I recommend joining the facebook groups for developing aquafaba recipes and troubleshooting. Go to aquafaba.com to find the links.

      • Renu Gupta
        Reply

        what can i substitute for egg yolks a very big question.

  • iHuxkies
    Reply

    What temp for oven would you say works best??

    • Mary
      Reply

      Low and slow. Check out this recipe for baked meringue cookies: https://youtu.be/gaXBe4Axw60
      For other purposes, you should follow a recipe.

  • JY
    Reply

    Hi Mary,

    Thank you so much for showing the video, I am new to your channel and I just tried making these yesterday.
    I got nice looking and tasty meringues but when I take them out of the oven it starts to become sticky and it eventually melts away leaving them at room temperature.

    Do you know what is wrong and how can I fix it? I have tried baking it for a second time and leaving it in the oven overnight as some articles say but it is still the same, melts after removing them from the oven.

    • Mary
      Reply

      Hi JY,
      It sounds like your environment is too humid to keep the baked meringues out. After they are baked and dried completely, store them in an airtight container so they can’t absorb the moisture from the air. Good luck!
      Cheers,
      Mary

      • JY
        Reply

        Thanks Mary, I will give it another try.

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