How to Make Aquafaba (Ultimate Guide)
- PREP 10min
- TOTAL 10min
Aquafaba is the starchy liquid that beans — especially chickpeas — have been cooked in. It is also the liquid in a can of beans. It can be used many ways. We use it most often as an egg replacer.
Aquafaba can be used as an egg replacer in three ways: (1) lightly whisked as a binder in cookies, pancakes and muffins, (2) whipped into soft peaks and folded into batters that benefit from added airiness like waffles, muffins and cupcakes, and (3) whipped into stiff peaks and used to make meringue, ice cream or vegan macarons.
When choosing which state to use aquafaba in, you are most likely going to need it lightly whisked or whipped into soft peaks. Lightly whisked aquafaba does a fine job in most recipes, but when you substitute that with whipped aquafaba, you will likely see even better results. The recipe below is for whipped aquafaba.
You Will Need
1 (15-ounce) can no salt added chickpeas or 1/2 cup chickpea cooking liquid, see notes
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Directions
Vigorously shake the unopened can of chickpeas, and then open and drain the beans, reserving the liquid. If there are lots of little bits of beans in the liquid, pour it through a fine mesh strainer to remove them.
Lightly whisk the liquid, and then measure out the amount of aquafaba you need. As a guide, when substituting a whole egg, you will need three tablespoons of liquid. When substituting one egg white, you will need two tablespoons.
Choose how you would like to add the aquafaba to your recipe: lightly whisked or whipped.
For lightly whisked, add the measured out liquid to a wide bowl and beat by hand with a wire whisk until it looks frothy, about 1 minute. You do not need to add the cream of tartar.
For whipped aquafaba, add the measured amount to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar, and then turn the mixer on. Whip on high speed until your desired fluffiness. This takes some time so be patient. We usually stop mixing after 4 to 5 minutes. To tell when it is properly whipped, remove the whisk and turn it upside down, soft peaks will hold at first and then slowly melt back into themselves after a second. Firm peaks will hold and look more distinct, but the tips will still fold back on themselves. Be careful not to over whip as this can cause it to loose all of it’s airiness and deflate.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Canned chickpea liquid is the most fool proof option for aquafaba, however, you can make it using leftover cooking liquid from cooking chickpeas. If you are making it from scratch, you will need to remove the cooked beans, and then simmer the cooking liquid until thickened and it resembles the viscosity of the liquid that comes out of a can of beans. Tips for doing this are provided in the article above.
- Don’t have a stand mixer? Try a hand mixer or food processor instead. The stand mixer really is the best tool for the job, but the other two appliances will work in a pinch.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We used data from this website (all about aquafaba).
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