I've been planning on bringing you this post ever since I discovered aquafaba but I'm so glad I waited to make sure I had some amazing things to choose from.
If you have not heard of aquafaba then don't worry it is still a relatively new discovery as an egg replacer but it is revolutionising the way vegans cook and what they can make.
So what is aquafaba?
Basically it is the water from chickpeas (or any tinned beans). When you buy a tin of chickpeas make sure they are stored only in water, then drain the liquid into a bowl and this is your egg white replacer. It will vary slightly but I have found that 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas will give you the equivalent of 2 medium egg whites.
For a long time now vegans have been looking for something that actually performed like eggs and could get you the lightness and this seems to be the answer and don't worry it tastes nothing like eggs.
In the past egg replacers like flaxseed and banana where great for binding and holding together a cake or pancakes but it lacked the lightness of egg and so you often ended up with something that was quite stodgy and put many non-vegans off.
Then, entering from stage left cam aquafaba. This really simple thing performs just like egg whites allowing vegans to create light and airy cakes along with things that were not really possible unless heavily processed, like meringue. With chickpea water all of these problems go away as you can use them for a direct replacement for egg whites. Now we can make absolutely anything we want!
I have put together a collection of different things that can now be made vegan and you would never know the difference
2. Vegan French Macarons
You can make these in absolutely any flavour you want, like you would with non-vegan ones but this recipe is for Earl Grey & Lemon flavour, yum. If you want to give these a go remember there is no short cut the only difference between these and regular French Macarons is the fact you replace egg whites with aquafaba.
4. Vegan Swiss Buttercream from Gretchen's Bakery
If you want to have a classic buttery topping for your cupcakes then this recipe will get you there. I have to be honest I think it is possible to get this type of topping without aquafaba but this is another option you have to get this really yummy sweetness into your vegan diet.
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6. Aquafaba French Toast from Vegan Mother Hubbard
This is another website I would recommend to any vegan and this is a brilliant breakfast alternative. This is probably not something I would personally choose to eat for breakfast, too many carbs for me, I would be asleep all day but if this is your thing and your body responds well to carbs then get making this it is super tasty.
8. Eggless Pasta from Vegan Dad
This is a great website for learning how to make a lot of kitchen staples vegan. This recipe uses aquafaba to bind the flour in the pasta as an alternative to eggs and you can continue to enjoy this great food and barely know the difference.
10. Vegan S'mores Pie from The Baking Fairy
I included this because it is just so amazing. Like with eggs you can make all sorts of different meringue and the one that is needed for the top of this pie looks just like it was made using eggs. When you look at this pie you can see just how far vegan cooking has come and shows why it is so many people are eating a plant based diet now.
12. Aquafaba Mayo from Learning to Eat Allergy Free
Now I have been able to get vegan mayo before but the problem I had when I looked at the ingredients was it was full of all sorts of things that I didn't even know what they were, never mind wanting to eat them. This recipe has only 5 ingredients all of which I use regularly and would happily eat. So next time I fancy a sandwich I will be following in some of this stuff!
14. Vegan Minty Cotton Candy Ice Cream from Elephantastic Vegan
I currently have my ice cream maker in the loft at a family members, I was decluttering and now I really wish it wasn't there. I can do this recipe without it but it would be so much easier with it. When I go through recipes like this it makes me realise how much I have missed cooking, now to fit it in!
1. Butter - yes your heard right, butter.
I found this great recipe on Plante Pusherne (it's Danish) but the recipe is in English and really easy to make. This one is perfect for me as butter is something I really miss and the great thing about this is you get the health benefits of coconut oil!
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3. Fluffy Vegan Chocolate Mousse
This is one of my favourite recipes from Lazy Cat Kitchen (which is also one of my favourite blogs). It is so simple and the best way to get a genuine mousse effect. Before this discovery vegan mousse was always made with avocado and banana and while this is a really tasty pudding it is just that and not really a mousse as there was no lightness at all. Now that problem is solved and there is no need to ever use eggs again!
5. Mozzarella Aquafaba Cheese from Avocado and Ales
Living without cheese as a vegan is a serious challenge but this is such a great recipe and it melts too which means you get a proper cheese effect. One note on the recipe is that it recommends lactic acid which is not actually vegan so just sub it for the lemon juice as recommended and you have a perfect vegan, meltable mozzarella cheese.
7. Sugar-Free Vegan Whipped Cream from Happy Food, Healthy Life
I love this recipe, it is all natural and there are no nasties in there or high levels of sugar. Just imagine this on a bowl of fresh berries, it would be the perfect healthy vegan treat. If I wasn't full up now I would be off to the kitchen right now.
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9. Homemade Vegan Marshmallows from Seitan in my Motor
When I was not vegan I can't say I was rushing out to buy marshmallows but they are nice when you fancy a treat and think of my joy when I realised I could make a good quality vegan alternative. Whether you decide to make these marshmallows will really depend on how much you think you can't live without them or how much you want to impress.
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11. Hazelnut & Cranberry Vegan Nougat from Sweet Paul Mag
This is just another amazing thing you can do with Aquafaba that you would have had real problems with before. I am really tempted by this recipe and I might save making it until a celebration time.
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13. Vegan Meringue from It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken
It was in the making of meringue that I first came across aquafaba and I have to be honest I am still trying to perfect it myself but I know I will get there. I absolutely love meringue but obviously there is the egg issue so with this recipe that just goes away. Yummy, crunchy, chewing meringue and it is totally cruelty free. What more could I want?
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15. Lemon Meringue Pie from The Pancake Princess
I know that this is the same type of meringue as on the s'mores pie but a list of this type would not be complete without a lemon meringue pie. I have been looking at this and thinking that I might be making this for my mum's birthday, she loves meringue and lemons and so now I have something to perfect before the end of July.
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So this is my top 15 picks of things you can make with aquafaba but it is not limited to this. Anything that you can use egg whites for then you can use aquafaba. It would also be the perfect edition to pancakes as a binding agent and if you are making a cake and want it to be nice and light and fluffy then substitutes your eggs for aquafaba and get the perfect vegan alternative.
