Aquafaba is a vegan egg replacer that totally changed the world of vegan cooking. Not only does an aquafaba egg replace animal egg in recipes like a dream, it's basically free. Here's a guide to getting started with this magical egg replacer, plus some amazing aquafaba recipes!
Table of Contents
What is an aquafaba egg?
Aquafaba is just the liquid you'd normally drain and toss from a can of beans. It turns out that bean liquid has a similar protein profile to egg, which makes it an amazing egg replacer. It was discovered by Goose Wohlt.
Replacing eggs with aquafaba is easy! In any baked recipe (or for breading), simply use 3 tablespoons of aquafaba per egg. If your recipe calls for a large egg, use 4 tablespoons (¼ cup).
You can use aquafaba in any baking recipe that calls for one to two eggs. Sometimes it will work in a three egg recipe, but I wouldn't push it further than that.
What kind of bean liquid will work?
As I mentioned above, this is for the liquid from canned beans only.
If you cook beans from scratch, you need to simmer the leftover cooking liquid until it reaches a thick, egg white-like consistency before you use it as an egg replacer. Once you simmer it to a good thickness, you can use it just like canned.
I have not tested every type of aquafaba out there, but I can tell you about the ones that I have used:
- chickpea or white bean liquid - I consider these the gold stars. Use them with abandon! They're a neutral color, so your baked goods won't take on a tint. White beans aquafaba has a slightly milder flavor, which makes it best for something like a meringue.
- pinto, red, or black bean liquid - As long as you don't mind a bit of discoloration, you can use these without issues. They work best in darker items, like muffins, quick breads, and breading.
How to use aquafaba
There are so many ways to use this stuff. It's a relatively new discovery, so folks are still testing, experimenting, and creating amazing vegan recipes with this all natural, inexpensive egg replacer.
Use it in any recipe that calls for one to two eggs. For something like quiche or an omelet, aquafaba alone is not going to work. You're better of using something like tofu or chickpea flour and following a tested vegan recipe.
I have used aquafaba with boxed cake mixes that call for three eggs. While it does work, your cake won't have exactly the same structural integrity it would if you used animal eggs or followed a tested from-scratch vegan cake recipe.
Here are some ideas for how you can use aquafaba:
- in baking (see the first part of this section for caveats)
- as a binder to make breading stick to baked or fried food
- to make vegan meringues
- to make vegan marshmallows
Folks are still testing things like quiche, strata, and other recipes where eggs play a bigger role. I haven't played with aquafaba quiche yet, but it looks like some people are having success there using aquafaba, chickpea flour, and black salt. I'll definitely post if I come up with my own aquafaba vegan quiche!
Making vegan meringue with aquafaba
If you're familiar with how to make meringues, these tips will help you make aquafaba meringues!
For a vegan meringue recipe, your ratio of bean liquid to sugar should be around one part liquid to 1 ⅓ parts sugar. You can get away with 1 ¼ parts sugar, if you prefer.
Start low - You can always add more sugar if you're not getting the stiff peaks you want! I see recipes that say to add the sugar after you have soft peaks, but I had success adding most of the sugar right from the get, then adding more as needed.
I know - this is a lot of sugar. Meringues are mostly sugar, and so far no one's found a way around that. Whether you use egg or aquafaba, sugar plus the protein is what gives you stiff, shiny peaks.
How to freeze aquafaba eggs
You can freeze aquafaba. It will keep for a few days in the fridge, but to store it for longer, you can keep it in the freezer. To freeze:
- Pour into ice cube trays and freeze completely.
- Pop out the frozen cubes and transfer to an airtight container to freeze long-term.
Your aquafaba cubes will keep for about six months in the freezer. Defrost overnight in the fridge or for about 30-60 seconds in the microwave.
Since one standard ice cube tray section holds two tablespoons of liquid, you can use two aquafaba ice cubes for one large egg.
Aquafaba recipes
OK, so those are the basics, but with anything new, it's nice to have recipes to jump off of. Below are vegan aquafaba recipes to get you started.
Meringue
Using aquafaba to make vegan meringue was how this all started, so I wanted to share a few vegan meringue recipes that folks have been making first.
Vegan meringue cookies recipe
The recipe above is for classic aquafaba meringues. If you're looking for variations, Dianne's Vegan Kitchen has options for making chocolate or swirled meringue cookies using aquafaba!
Vegan Lemon Meringue Gin Flip Recipe
Macarons
Lucy at Supergolden Bakes shows you how to create gorgeous macarons using aquafaba in place of eggs!
Other cookies
Giant Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookie (vegan)
Somer at Vedged Out wanted to see how aquafaba worked as a straight up egg replacer, no whipping. And she made the best chocolate chip cookies EVER. This is the recipe that proved that straight, unwhipped bean liquid could replace eggs in baking.
Kohlrabi & Quince used a mix of chickpea and pinto bean liquid to re-create her favorite Easter cookie recipe from her childhood.
Marshmallows and marshmallow fluff
Why buy expensive vegan marshmallow fluff at the store, when you can use Seitan is My Motor's five ingredient recipe?
This marshmallow party is pretty awesome, and Seitan Beats Your Meat (best blog name ever?) blew my mind with her homemade Lucky Charms.
Mayo
Serious Eats uses aquafaba to create a super easy vegan mayo!
Pizza crust
Sarah from Fried Dandelions uses aquafaba to create crisp-yet-soft, perfect pizza crust.
Latkes
I made these aquafaba latkes for my whole family a few Hanukkah's ago, and they were a smash hit!
Vegan Aquafaba Latkes
Mousse
Whip up that aquafaba into rich, creamy mousse! A Saucy Kitchen shows you how to use it to make chocolate mousse. If chocolate isn't your thing, try strawberry mousse or coconut mousse instead.
Whipped cream
For a Cool Whip-style vegan whipped cream, aquafaba is your friend! Try this amazing recipe from The Hidden Veggies.
An egg-free binder
Aquafaba is fabulous for getting breading to stick to things! It's what I use in my Avocado Fries:
Air Fryer Avocado Fries
And Cadry uses it as the binder in her recipe for Fried Ravioli!
You can also use it as the binder for patties, like my Yellow Squash Patties:
Vegan yellow squash patties
Have you done any experimenting with bean liquid in place of eggs? I'm so impressed with how people are working aquafaba magic!
Bethany
I use 2 tbsp of Aquafaba
When making Impossible meatloaf and meatballs.
Becky Striepe
Ooh what a great application!
Lisa P Weinberg
I am guessing that aquafaba can be use in Souffle and Flan. Has anyone tried either and if so, is there a recipe online? I am trying to make a vegan Flan, using a Sous Vide, and have not perfected it yet.
Renee
Thank you very much! I was looking for a vegan air fryer (just bought a Cozyna) recipe for donut holes, and had no idea at all about this aquafaba business (new vegan, 3 months). This opens up a whole bunch of new doors for me. I'd been using soaked ground flax seeds for my eggs, and throwing out the bean water. Now I have a use for it, and a use for my ice cube trays that I haven't used in years. Awesomeness!
Becky Striepe
Oh I am so glad I could help!
Gurubandhu
Can you make the "meringue" with anything other than egg beaters? Like a good blender, immersion blender or something else? How long do you need to blend if the consistency is like egg whites before blending? Thanks.
Becky Striepe
No, this recipe definitely needs an electric mixer. A stand mixer will work also.
Conni
Just tried aquafaba to replace beaten egg whites in a Maine melt-in-your-mouth Blueberry Cake, a traditional recipe from a local Historical Society. It was always fantastic with egg whites, but once we became vegan, the egg substitutes never worked to achieve the melt-in-your-mouth texture. I was amazed at how well the aquafaba achieves the texture of beaten egg whites! I used Vegg to replace the yolks. It wasn't "perfect" - but pretty close for a first try! I used 4 T of aquafaba per egg white because I wanted a moist cake, abut next time I will use 3 T.
Becky Striepe
I'm so glad to hear it!! You might use AF for all of the egg, unless the yolk is part of the cake's flavor.
Samantha
Hello
I am a vegan so all my recipes are eggless but I find the texture to be a bit dense. Can I add in the Aquafaba to my eggless recipes to make them more light and fluffy even though the recipes does not ask for eggs?
Becky Striepe
It really depends on the recipe. In general, you'd definitely need to tinker. The AF is going to add moisture as well as lift, so you may need more dry ingredient to compensate.
Atia
Maybe I've missed something, but can one make one's own aquafab or must it come from purchased canned chickpeas?
I hate using canned beans, they never taste as good as freshly cooked ones.
Becky Striepe
You can make it. Save the liquid after cooking, then boil it down until it reduces by half. You want it thick - the consistency of an egg white, basically.
Annalisa
I'm glad to know you can make your own. does the salt amount matter, or is it the bean juice itself that is important?
Becky Striepe
I've used both salted and unsalted with no problems!
Naomi
I saw a recipe using a pressure cooker on Amazon TV but the chef had such a strong accent I couldn't understand him . I did get oook and reduce until thickened to egg white consistency.
Aimee / Wallflower Girl's Kitchen
LOVE aquafaba! It's made my life so much better. And I just noticed you included my royal icing - thanks :-)
Becky Striepe
Same here! It's super handy. :) And you're welcome - I love your site!
Laurie
Hi, I am so glad I found this site!
Can you tell me if you can use the Aquafaba in a cake, bread or pie recipe that you are using canned beans also, instead of flour?
Becky Striepe
That's a good question! I've only used it in pretty standard baked goods, but I can speak to that. It works great as a binder in cookies and cakes, except angel food cake. I also used it in vegan 'crab' cakes and for breading tofu, and it worked out like gangbusters. I hope this helps!
Terra Santos
Another clarification question please. ;) I've seen this used for egg white replacement but are you saying it works for full egg replacement as well? And are the measurements any different? Thanks!
Becky Striepe
It does work well for binding in baking. 3 tablespoons per egg has worked well for me. Sometimes I do 4 tablespoons if it calls for large eggs.
Terra Santos
Awesome. Thank you so much for the super quick response! And you only mix it "till it peaks" for recipes where it calls the same with the egg whites? Otherwise, just dump it in?
Becky Striepe
Exactly! Now I'm super curious about what you're making. I'd love to hear how it turns out!
Terra Santos
hahaha... Well, it's not for one particular recipe. We are a family of 7 with multiple food allergies/intolerances. Recently, 3 of us were told to avoid egg white after food sensitivity testing. Considering we already have to a multitude of other foods to avoid, I was trying to figure out how in the world I could still make things without eggs. So this is a recent world of learning for me. I've tried the flax/chia mix and it didn't work super well with the pancakes I made at all. I tried baking soda/vinegar and that wasn't tasty. I've been told some substitutes work better in some things than others so I'm still experimenting. ;) So I really appreciate the help! Now I have to figure out what to serve for breakfast on the 3-4 days per week we were having eggs!
Becky Striepe
Yeah, it's definitely true that different subs work in different places. For breakfast, maybe tofu scrambles or overnight oats? My husband also really likes grit bowls in the morning with sliced avocado on top. Let me know if I can help further!
Terra Santos
Unfortunately we can't do soy. The kids can have oats but I can't. Boo. Gotta get creative. Thanks for the offer to help!
Becky Striepe
Wow, you have a lot of moving pieces! You might check out Fork and Beans. She is great at allergy-friendly cooking. I think she has a baking guide that's free, too.
Terra Santos
Yeah... It's nuts. I'll check that out. Thanks again!
Terra Santos
Alas!!! I tried a muffin recipe and a pumpkin roll recipe with this method last night and neither worked! I was so sad! What might I have done wrong? They tasted fine but they did not rise at all. I have pictures of both. Thoughts?
Becky Striepe
Hmm interesting! I'm surprised about the muffins especially. And stumped!
Terra Santos
Neither recipe called for the eggs to be beaten... however, do you think maybe I should've with the aquafaba? I used it straight up as you mentioned with your waffles.
Becky Striepe
It's worth a shot! Maybe just do a batch of one thing to see what works? Do you have the recipe handy? I can take a look!
Terra Santos
I do have both recipes by snapshot if you can tell me where to send or email them. Thanks for asking!
Becky Striepe
Sure! You can send to Becky at glueandglitter dot com :)
Terra Santos
Done. Thank you!
Diane
The chick peas that I have are in salted water. Is this ok or is it other types of tins?
Becky Striepe
Salted is fine. You might back off on the other salt in your recipe, but I have used salted even to make meringue cookies with no problems. If you're watching your salt, you can definitely find unsalted canned chickpeas, though!
Sue
After draining the beans the first time, can you add more water, cook for a time and make more usable juice with a second draining?
Becky Striepe
I haven't tried that, so I can't say. If you give it a shot, I would love to hear how it went!
Dvorah
I would like to use the water from the home made cooking beans. What will be the garbanzo bean - water ratio ? And also what about using chickpea flour water ? Any suggestions Thank you for sharing your awesome recipes ! ????????
Becky Striepe
Hmm I haven't used the water from homecooked beans, but you can for sure. Not sure of the ratio. I'd cook them the way you would normally, but you can also search the Facebook group I mention in the post. Folks there have done this for sure!
Tee Bone
I've used the homemade bean water with great success...just cook beans as you normally would & drain into a jar for numerous uses. I usually just cover brand by 1/2 to 1 inch depending on how many good of beans in trying to cook & salt as I normally would. Just made mayo today & it rocks!
Becky Striepe
Thank you so much for this comment! Very helpful info here!
Denise
I drained off the liquid from a can of pinto beans a couple of days ago. Do you know if that will work too? Or fits it have to be white or garbanzo beans? Thanks in advance for your response! :)
Becky Striepe
I haven't personally used pinto, but I hear that it works. I would measure the liquid and start with 1 part sugar to 1 part liquid, then add sugar by the tablespoon as needed. Different beans yield different amounts of liquid.
Pauline
Thank you for sharing your vegan recipes & tips!
Teprine
This may be a ridiculous question, but when you say chick pea juice, what do you mean? The water in the can or the liquid that the chickpeas have been soaking in? Just not entirely clear for me.
Tep
Becky Striepe
Not ridiculous at all. It's the water left after cooking. I usually collect it by just sticking a bowl under the colander when I drain my beans from the can or after cooking.
Micaela @MindfulMomma
Always fun to learn of a new plant-based way to cook great food!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Micaela!
Betsy (Eco-novice)
Awesome! I'll have to share this with my GF Vegan bean-loving sister!
Becky Striepe
Hurrah! Enjoy it!
Hannah
Nice roundup! Someday someone will figure out angel food cake. I so wanted to be the genius that made it happen, but....nope!
Becky Striepe
I am eagerly awaiting that day too, Hannah! You could still be the one to crack it!
Aqua Faba
What an #aquafabalous post!
Becky Striepe
Aw thank you, Goose!