Who knew that the liquid in canned beans could actually be whipped up to mimic egg whites? Yes, yet another dairy alternative is at your fingertips, and that alternative is Aquafaba.
For those who choose (or need) to avoid eggs, open up your pantry and grab a can of beans. You’ll be surprised at how this low calorie, plant-based and gluten free egg substitute can fool you. To dish on a bit of aquafaba history, it’s believed that this trend of using bean liquid to replace eggs started publicly back in 2014 by a French cook whose blog then inspired two other Frenchmen to post a video on creating foam from bean juice. Shortly after, an American engineer viewed the video and started creating recipes using “bean water”, posting it to Facebook and coining the name “aquafaba”.
Liquid from chickpeas/garbanzo beans is most commonly used to create aquafaba, but you can really use the liquid from any bean or legume. We’re talking about the liquid that you usually rinse out or throw out in your can of beans. If you cook your own dried beans, the thick goopy liquid from the cooked beans can be used just as well as the canned liquid.
You can use Aquafaba in it’s liquid form for most recipes, but some will call for it to be whipped, which you can do the same way as you do with egg whites!
How Can You Use Aquafaba?
Since this liquid acts very similarly to egg whites, it can be used as a thickener, emulsifier and binder. Aquafaba can replace egg whites in just about any recipe, from creamy salad dressings to chocolate mousse. It can be whipped into foam to create an eggless meringue or used to create plant-based foam laden cocktails sans the raw egg white. You can also substitute it for all of your favorite baking recipes from cakes to cookies. Experiment with your favorite legumes (chickpea juice being the top choice for texture and color) and packaged tofu juice.
The Nitty Gritty On Aquafaba Nutrition.
Nutritional information and research is limited, but it’s generally agreed that there are trace amounts of protein, including veggie gum and starch, and limited vitamins and minerals. To be quite frank, the point isn’t in the nutritional value. The value in aquafaba as an egg replacement for those who are allergic to eggs, or who are vegan, changes the status quo of having limited recipe choices to enjoy!
The Basic Recipe Equivalency.
3 tablespoons aquafaba = one egg (whole)
2 tablespoons aquafaba = one egg white
1 tablespoon aquafaba = one egg yolk
Aquafaba recipes:
We scoured the web to find some of our favorite Aquafaba recipes, take a look..
Aquafaba butter by Plantepusherne.dk
Aquafaba Whiskey Sour by CookingLight.com
Coconut Macaroons by Nutrisue.ca
Chocolate mousse by mouthwateringvegan.com
Chocolate chip cookies by minimalistbaker.com
Brownies by lazycatkitchen.com
So what do you all think about this new kitchen hack? It’s now yet another egg substitute option for those that are vegan or trying to watch their cholesterol. So next time you’re cooking with beans, don’t throw away the liquid! What are your thoughts on this new cooking/baking trend?
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