I know a lot of ingredients but when I heard the term aquafaba I had to look it up. It’s popular with vegans, because it whips up just like egg whites do. However, it is fully plant based: it’s the juice from a can of chickpeas. Don’t click away this recipe, it might sound strange but it’s a great ingredient and it tastes nothing like chickpeas.
Don’t try to make these meringues less sweet, the sugar keeps them from collapsing – trust me, I found out the hard way (as evident by the picture in the Cook’s Log about learning about vegan baking).
Tip the chickpeas into a sieve above a bowl and set this in the fridge overnight. It helps prevent collapse. If you forgot, feel free to use room temperature aquafaba, or set the bowl in the freezer for 30min.
Ingredients:
- 1 200gr can of chickpeas
- 1/2 tsp vinegar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tbs arrowroot powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Makes around 2 cups
Recipe:
Drain the can of chickpeas in a sieve. Preferably, set the bowl in the fridge to cool overnight.
Add the vinegar and beat for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. The time depends on the brand of canned chickpeas.
Add the powdered sugar and arrowroot powder. Beat for 3 minutes, the mixture becomes very stiff and glossy.
Add the vanilla last and beat for 10-15 seconds to incorporate.
Pipe little domes and bake for 1.5-2 hours on 130°C. This makes fully crisp meringues.
For a pavlova, use the same time, as the bigger meringue takes longer to cook, but you want the interior to still be soft and chewy.