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.
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.
HOW TO MAKE AQUAFABA
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.