Updated: Aug 4, 2022
Aquafaba is a tasteless plant-based, vegan egg/egg white replacer that acts as a way to bind, aerate and tenderize your beloved baked goods.
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Who would've thought that juice from beans are this useful?! Aquafaba is sooo valuable in the kitchen, especially when it comes to plant-based cooking and baking. It's tasteless and provides vital textures in various ways. For instance, it whips beautifully as a meringue, aerates cakes, tenderizes cookies and binds anything from brownies to plant-based meatballs!
Even those who don't follow a plant-based diet can benefit from reserving the liquid of cooked chickpeas to utilize in most recipes that call for egg. It's also a great excuse to make some homemade hummus or falafels with the cooked beans! If your diet allows for chickpeas, or any beans for that matter, I think it's a very economical way to be able to utilize both ingredients. If you are not keen to garbanzo beans, I know some people have made Aquafaba successfully with other beans such as cannellini or great northern. Happy eating and happy baking!
BAKING TIP: SEEPING COOKED BEANS OVERNIGHT WILL INFUSE MORE PROTIEN INTO THE AQUAFABA AND MAKE FOR A THICKER VISCOSITY
tips before starting/TROUBLESHOOTING:
Tip #1:
Do not add any salt or baking soda, as this will effect the results of your baked goods.
TIP #2:
Cooling and refrigerating the beans and aquafaba mixture together after cooking will result in a thicker viscosity due to more protein being seeped into the aquafaba.
TIP #3:
If you want an even thicker viscosity, place the aquafaba in a small pot and reduce down until thickened. Remember- it will gelatinize more when refrigerated!
TIP #4:
If your aquafaba is too thick, adding a tiny amount of water and mixing thoroughly will do the trick. Just don't dilute it too much!! It's supposed to resemble egg whites.
TIP #5:
To save Aquafaba for an extended amount of time, portion in an ice cube tray and freeze in an airtight container. To thaw, place desired amount of cubes into a separate container and leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
TIP #6:
Skimming the foam off of the top while the beans are boiling will remove any impurities and make for a cleaner Aquafaba mixture.
Prep time: Cook time: Yield:
5 Minutes 1 Hour 5 Cups
ingredients
(385 g.)- 2 cups Dried Garbanzo Beans*
(1892 ml.)- 8 cups water
METHOD
Soak dried garbanzo beans in a large pot with several inches of water- covering them to account for expansion. Leave soaking on countertop overnight or at least 8 hours.
Drain and rinse beans, then add back into the large pot with (1892 ml.) 8 cups of water.
Bring to a boil and cover. Let simmer for 1 hour covered while skimming the surface of any foam.**
Let cool and remove cooked beans with a slotted spoon. *FOR THICKER AQUAFABA*: Once cooled, refrigerate the beans and aquafaba liquid together to seep overnight OR reduce just the liquid down in a small pot until thickened.
Reserve the aquafaba liquid in an airtight container and refrigerate for a couple days.; or portion as tablespoons in an ice cube tray, and freeze. Once frozen, transfer cubes into an airtight container or bag and keep frozen for up to 2 months.***
NOTES
*If you don't prefer garbanzo beans, another neutral flavored bean such as cannellini or great northern will work as well.
**Skimming the surface of foam isn't completely necessary, but it will remove any impurities.
*** When ready to use frozen aquafaba cubes, transfer desired amount of into an airtight container and refrigerate overnight to thaw completely.