What do chickpeas and baked goods have in common? It turns out that the answer to this question lies in your pantry. Aquafaba is the newest trend in the food world because of its versatility and ability to be used in vegan recipes. If your mom keeps cans of beans lying around, it’s time to drain them and learn how to use the liquid in your baked creations.
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Aquafaba, or bean water, is the liquid that chills around in your cans of beans – most commonly chickpeas. You probably drain your beans, ready to make some awesome recipes, and toss that stuff out – but now you can maximize their use by making different vegan recipes. It can be used to make vegan butter, vegan meringue, and vegan chocolate mousse.
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There’s an official aquafaba website that talks about the science behind aquafaba – its thickening, emulsifying, foaming, and binding qualities – and its nutritional properties. Aside from butter, meringue, and mousse, the aquafaba can also be used to make vegan mayonnaise, cookie dough macarons, and even “marshmallow” fluff.
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It’s no wonder there are now countless Pinterest boards dedicated to aquafaba. You’ll be saving money buying cans of beans and being able to use the entire product instead of buying eggs. We also can’t forget that it thickens better than eggs when making meringue. If you can get over the smell, you’ll be making tons of cool aquafaba-based recipes in no time. And, of course, because many of us love our mug cakes and aren’t vegan, we can always just substitute the aquafaba into this recipe when we’re too lazy to buy eggs.
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