Yes, it can be done, and that's not all. Vegan Meringue Cookies can happen in your kitchen with ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard! So what's the secret ingredient? Aquafaba is what it's called. Now let's break that down a little.
Aqua = water. Faba = bean.
So what does that make? Bean water!! I know, you are totally drooling right now. Bean water cookies. Yum? It's true, you can make a meringue out of the water that's leftover in a can of beans, and it's basically exactly the same result as if you were to use egg whites, except totally vegan! Celebrate, yay, exciting, hands to the sky, woot woot!
I am not the brilliant genius who figured this out but it's a pretty amazing discovery and the vegan community is going wild. I see lemon meringue pies, macaroons, and fluffy batters in the future... and all with an ingredient that I was throwing out. Pure brilliance.
After a few experiments I discovered the key is to buy chickpeas that are unsalted or no salt added. When I tried making meringues with a can of chickpeas that had salt added (check the ingredients), they were still pretty darn good, but they did have a slight smell and taste of bean. Not terrible, but not what I was aiming for. When I used the water from a can of unsalted chickpeas, that bean taste disappeared and all you can taste is perfect meringue heaven. Scrumptious. Some serious meringue connoisseurs (aka friends) tried these, and they actually preferred them to egg white meringues. Win for the vegans!
How do we make these delights? Take a 19oz can of no salt added chickpeas, and pour out all of the liquid. It should make about a cup of liquid. Save the chickpeas to do whatever you like with later on.
Add the chickpea liquid to a mixer bowl along with the vanilla and cream of tartar.
Start blending on high and slowly add in the sugar as it beats. You may need to stop and scrap down the sides to get any of the sugar that is stuck to the sides of the bowl.
Keep beating, and it should start to get fluffy. The goal is to achieve stiff peaks. Not there yet...
...Still too soft, keep beating.
Ah, just right. When you lift the beater the meringue should hold a stiff peak, even if you jiggle the bowl, the peak should stay as is. It took me about 6 to 6 ½ minutes to reach this stage in my mom's Kitchen Aid Mixer.
Now line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. You can stick down the corners of the parchment by adding a small dot of the meringue, to help hold the parchment in place.
Use a pastry bag or a spoon to dollop the meringues on the baking sheet.
When you are done you will have a whole bunch of pretty little meringues, ready to go into the oven. Bake for 1 ½ to 2 ¼ hours, rotating the pans half way through. Now it's a little difficult to tell exactly when they are done, and I really racked my brain on how to share this information, but there is not much of a visual cue, so you are going to have to go with your gut a little on this one. If the meringues are small or you want a chewy center, opt for less time. If they are large or you prefer a meringue that is crunchy all the way through, opt for more time. It's not very easy to tell when they are ready just by look, so the best way is if you are able to take one out of the oven, (carefully tear a piece of parchment off with a meringue on it) let it cool, and see if it's are the correct texture, and if it is, take the rest out of the oven. If not, bake longer.
When you take them out of the oven, let them cool and enjoy! Store in a dry place so they maintain their shape.
Vegan Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup aquafaba (the liquid from a 19oz can of unsalted chickpeas)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¾ cup white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200F (100C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the aquafaba to a mixer bowl along with the vanilla extract and the cream of tartar. Start beating on high, and very slowly as it whips, add in the the sugar one spoonful at a time. You may need to stop and scrape off any sugar that stuck to the sides of the bowl. Continue to beat, stopping every now and then to check the meringue. When stiff peaks hold in the meringue without it collapsing, they are ready. It took me about 6 to 6 ½ minutes to reach the stiff peaks.
- Use a pastry bag, or a spoon to dollop on the meringue into even mounds onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 1 ½ to 2 ¼ hours, rotating the pans half way through. Now it's a little difficult to tell exactly when they are done, and I really racked my brain on how to share this information, but there is not much of a visual cue, so you are going to have to go with your gut a little on this one. If the meringues are small or you want a chewy center, opt for less time. If they are large or you prefer a meringue that is crunchy all the way through, opt for more time. It's not very easy to tell when they are ready just by look, so the best way is if you are able to take one out of the oven, (carefully tear a piece of parchment off with a meringue on it) let it cool, and see if it's the correct texture. If it is, take the rest out of the oven. If not, bake longer. When they are ready let them cook and enjoy!
- Store in a cool dry place. They are best eaten that day, but if your environment is very dry (not humid), they can last a few days.
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
If you liked this recipe you might also enjoy:
Deana says
Hi there! Thanks so much for this recipe. I have tried it twice now and my aquafaba meringue comes out super bitter/ soapy tasting. Have you heard of this? Trying to figure out where I went wrong! I thought maybe I was too heavy handed with the cream of tarter last time, so this time I used a very scant 1/4tsp... I am determined to figure it out, as the texture is perfect!!
Beth says
Mine went in all nice and fluffy and came out totally flat. What did I do wrong?
Kerry says
Beth, Two thoughts that I have for flat meringues are: 1. You need to beat them a little longer so they are a little stiffer before putting them on the pan. and 2.Try not to fiddle with the batter after it is whipped. When I tried adding flavorings (coffee, chocolate chips, etc.) the extra stirring caused them to lose their airiness ad they flattened in the oven.
Helen says
Hi Sam!
This is one of my new favorite recipes of 2020! Every time I use chickpeas I’m making these meringue cookies... I love the fluffy-chewy consistency- love dropping them into hot chocolate. I made a variation with orange zest, which was good but I added too much zest (oops). I’m making them as mini pavlovas for New Year’s Eve with a pomegranate syrup and coconut whipped cream (hope they turn out okay!). Thanks for all your amazing recipes! They are always easy to follow with “normal” ingredients, making it easy to be vegan 🙂
Victoria says
I've always wanted to try meringues, and this recipe fit the bill! It only took minutes to whip up, and I used a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped to pipe the meringue onto my cookie sheets. Mine were smaller, so I baked them for 1.5 hrs, and cooled them in the oven. They came out just perfect! Light and fluffy without being overly sweet! This recipe is a definite keeper! Thanks for posting!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed, Victoria! 🙂
Jenny says
Could I use brown sugar instead of white sugar?
VT says
Hi Sam!
I think your recipe is killer–the fact that it’s got a reduced amount of sugar compared to the standard 1:2 ratio of conventional meringues/other aquafaba meringue recipes is very welcome. I was a little worried about the stability but my meringues turned out a dream~
Happy happy happy! I enjoyed the airy and crisp (and definitely sweet enough!) treats so much. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Becky says
Sam, I really appreciate your openness in creating your recipes. It's only in the last two years that I found your creations. You're doing a great job! Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks, Becky!
Geneva says
These turned out so well! I made one batch with a little added mint extract (and one drop of green food coloring to make it a soft green) and one batch with finely diced lavender (and one drop of red and blue food coloring for a nice light purple). They turned out perfectly crispy!! However, I knew my oven runs hot, so even at 200 degrees, I would recommend watching them closely because mine were done at 45 minutes and the pointy peaks had a nice tan to them. I piped them using a ziplock bag that I cut a star shape into the tip of, and it gave them a beautiful flowery shape once piped out. I can't wait to incorporate more flavors in the future! All I had on hand were salted cans of chickpeas, and I didn't notice any kind of salty flavor at all in the finished product.
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! SO happy you enjoyed 🙂
Cassandra says
We just made these tonight and omg! They are amazing! I happened to cook some dried chickpeas in my instant pot today, and wanted to experiment with the leftover bean water. We didn't have cream of tartar so I subbed lemon juice instead, using 1/2 tsp lemon juice to replace the 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. We ended up cooking ours closer to 2 hours, but they turned out perfect! With Mothers Day right around the corner, I'll definitely be making these again for my gift baskets. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you Enjoyed, Cassandra 🙂
Lorinda Lynn Esparza says
My husband was craving lemon meringue pie. We are both vegan so we were sad not to find a recipe for a pie, but I got the crazy idea of making the Sam’s Lemon Curd, spreading it on a crust and plopping these meringue cookies on top. It turned out fabulous! Thank you Sam for blazing a delicious vegan trail for all of us. I appreciate your enthusiasm and dedication to all things delicious and vegan. You inspire me.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Awesome! I also have a lemon meringue pie in my cookbook if you want to try my version. 🙂
Fanny says
Hi Sam!
How could you get rid of the chickpea taste though? I think there's only one kind of cans in my country
Thanks. Keep up the great work!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Fanny, there is no chickpea taste! Just make sure to buy unsalted chickpeas.
fanny says
Hi again,
that's what i meant. I didn't think the variety I can find in my country was salted but apparently it is because it has a taste once the eggs are beaten. Is there any way to 'cancel' it?
Sam Turnbull says
The sugar and baking it should help disguise it!
Anna Pow says
I have added vanilla and almond extract, as well as fresh lemon zest, which really helped.
Nancy says
I used your recipe as a starting point and thought you might be interested in my results. I do try to avoid using white sugar so I read up on subbing maple sugar for meringues.
First of all, I used aquafaba from a batch of chickpeas that I had cooked, as opposed to canned. I did boil down the aquafaba until is was quite thick (think egg white consistency). I only had about 1/4 cup of aquafaba by the time it was thick enough. So I basically used about a 1/4 of the ingredients from your recipe, and subbed maple sugar for regular sugar. It still made a couple dozen small cookies.
I do think I became impatient and didn't whip them quite long enough. With the maple sugar, they were a little brown and not as glossy. Our childhood favorite was always "Meringue Surprises" (meringues with chocolate chips) so naturally I had to add some. I did bake the cookies for about 2 1/4 hours, and then left them in the oven for another 1 1/2 hours.
The result- delicious! They were hollow but I was okay with that.They were also a little flat, but again I think that was my fault for not whipping long enough. I was delighted to have such tasty results using maple sugar! I will definitely be making again. Thank you for the inspiration!
Sam Turnbull says
Glad your recipe testing worked out 🙂
Lynn Denise says
I just made these and folded in chocolate chips! They are so good, even though I had to use a can of low sodium chickpeas. The sugar and vanilla cancelled out the bean taste! Before baking it tasted like marshmallow fluff! It only took about five minutes to form peaks. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Angela says
Thank you for the awesome directions and recipe. While we are not a vegan family, my husband is allergic to eggs. I'm excited to experiment with aquafaba to make him new goodies that he has never been able to eat before. Vegan recipes aren't just for vegans!
Sam Turnbull says
They sure aren't! They're for everyone! The more vegan recipes that people enjoy, the better. 🙂 I hope your husband loves your new egg free recipes!
Karen Allard says
I can't wait to try these for Easter!! I have made lemon "meringue" pie twice and it turned out really well so I know this will too. My question is...I would like to colour these for Easter and I am wondering if anyone has tried this. Say cherry juice for pink. I don't know how a turmeric yellow would taste though? Would this extra liquid hurt the process? And, can these cookies freeze until they are to be used. I'm leery to try this right before the day.
Thank you so much for this posting and chance to dialogue!
Karen
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Karen, you can use just a few drops of vegan food colouring and mix it in along with the vanilla extract. These food colorings are made using natural juices if that's what you are looking for. I wouldn't recommend freezing them, but if they are stored in an air-tight container, as long as no moister gets in, they should keep fairly well. Enjoy!
David says
"Aqua = water. Faba = bean.
So what does that make? Bean water!! I know, you are totally drooling right now. Bean water cookies. Yum? It’s true, you can make a meringue out of the water that’s leftover in a can of beans, and it’s basically exactly the same result as if you were to use egg whites, except totally vegan! Celebrate, yay, exciting, hands to the sky, woot woot!"
Why must so many internet vegans be childish idiots? "Totally. Woot woot." Yes, I'm vegan. But you, you're just someone running with a fad. You're vegan because you don't think and someone told you what to think. Please. Shhhhhhh. Go away quietly. You give us a bad reputation. Some of us aren't so moronic.
But wait! Of course! Maybe you're only pretending to be that dumb. That way you sell your ads to the really dumb 'vegans'. Enjoy your sleep tonight.
Sam Turnbull says
Pretty sure I'm not the one who looks like a childish idiot right now. Have fun trolling, David!
Lauren says
What a horrible, pointless comment David. YOU give us a bad name.
When happiness and enthusiasm offends you, that is a much deeper issue that you have within yourself that needs to be addressed, I hope you find happiness and true contentment in the future.
Another great recipe Sam, keep doing you! We love you and are so grateful for the effort and dedication you put into providing fabulous recipes and spreading the vegan message in a kind, approachable way. You rock girl!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thanks so much for your support, Lauren! 😀
Lisa says
I know this is over a year later, but what a sad, unhappy person you must be, David! I own countless vegan cookbooks, and Sam’s is my favorite because of her delightful, positive attitude. And her mouthwatering recipes are amazing! What on Earth has made you so bitter? Why would you feel the need to be David Downer to anyone else? You’re the one who needs to shhhhhhhhh and go away quietly.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, thank you so much for your support, Lisa! Weird how people feel the need to be so negative, eh? 🙂
Josee says
I would much rather read texts from someone who is happy and optimistic than belittling someone with a negative attitude. This blog has helped many people become plant-based when they thought it was impossible. If you had done some research on this lovely lady, you would have seen how bonafide she is and how many people she has inspired. I truly hope that you are able to find happiness somewhere else.
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you for your support, Josee!! 🙂
emiia says
we get it david u dont have friends
HCask says
My mom is allergic to eggs so I looked up a vegan cookie recipe so she doesn’t have a reaction. But you’re right David, silly of me not to just set her into anaphylaxis.
Brandon says
Wretched buffoon.
Kansas says
Wow, I'm impressed. I wasn't a fan of mirengues before I was vegan but I had two cans worth of aquafaba so I thought I'd give it a try. I ate two and had to put them away to not eat more. They are so good.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, awesome! Thrilled you love them so much, Kansas 🙂
josh bornstein says
(On my browser there is no "new comment" button, so I have to piggyback on your comment.) 🙂
I'm excited to try this recipe.
One question: Can I use the water from other canned beans (kidney, fava, etc). Or is there something special about the chickpea that imparts something special into its water?
Sam Turnbull says
Oh weird! What browser are you using? I will see if I can fix the problem.
You can use water from other cans of beans but beans like kidney and black beans will have more flavour and colour, so just beware of that. Enjoy! 🙂
Liz P says
I was so intrigued by this, I just had to try it. So since I had chick peas for lunch, I did the meringues in the afternoon. It did take a good 15 minutes of whipping but it worked! Kept their shape in the oven too! Who knew! The foam before it was cooked also tasted yummy! Brilliant!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, isn't it so cool? So happy you enjoyed it!
teany weany says
I was amazed at how this (started to) turn out, but once in oven for 20min they started to go brown, I panicked and opened to turn them around - and bam, deflated, so they were flat, slightly torn, and brown.
The top tray went back up, bottom bit didn't, but they still went browner and browner - in the end I took them out after 40minutes even though I knew there was no way they were done as they were burnt to a crisp on the outside, uncooked inside.
I'm obviously doing something wrong because everyone else on here got great results, any ideas? Oven was on exactly what you suggested 🙁
That said I was AMAZED by the bean juice!! And after it was whipped I ate quite a bit of it before it went in oven , de-lic-ious.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh no! Sorry they didn't work out for you. It sounds like your oven is too hot. It's not uncommon for ovens to run a little hotter or a little cooler than what the readout is. You could try picking up an oven thermometer, they are often farily cheap. Hope that helps!
Danielle says
how should these be stored? air tight container at room temp, or in the fridge?
Sam Turnbull says
Airtight container at room temperature. Just note that if these get underbaked or the air is humid they may soften. But as long as it's nice and dry they should keep for several days. Enjoy!
Sheila says
Thanks for the recipe. This recipe worked perfectly and tasted delicious. Having read various blogs I followed instructions to make homemade aquafaba from soaking chickpeas, and ensured I reduced the liquid and cooled it to the consistency of raw egg white. I couldn't detect any chickpea taste whatsoever. Very happy. I will now attempt using aquafaba to make a pavlova and other desserts. Amazing discovery!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy it worked out perfectly for you, Sheila! Isn't it so cool!?!?!
Helen Munoz says
Hi, I tried your recipe and it worked wonders. I shared it on my blog
leave a comment and show love
Happy Cooking !
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed them so much, Helen 🙂
Ronda Lewis says
Can I soak the chickpeas myself and then Use the water?
Sam Turnbull says
I've never tried it myself, but here are some instructions on how to do it from another site. Enjoy!
CARMEN BERGERON says
Just made these today. They are delicious, Sam!!!
Thank you for the recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them, Carmen!
Sierra says
OMG these turned out amazing and took less than 6 minutes to whip up in my Kitchenaid stand mixer on speed 10! I remembered the importance of having a cold bowl and cream when making dairy whipped cream, so I refrigerated my aquafaba before using it in this recipe so maybe that helped keep the whipping time shorter. I'm so happy to discover a cookie recipe that can be made with only 4 ingredients (ones I always have on hand to boot). I had some of the batter left over after filling up all my cookie sheets, so I tried freezing it to see what would happen. The next morning I had a container of delicious vegan vanilla ice cream on my hands. WOW
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing! So happy you loved them so much, Sierra. Very cool trick about freezing, I will have to try that myself! 🙂
Claire says
Mine keep melting!!! I think I may have gotten a small amount of water in the batter. Would that be why? After a minute in the oven they become sugar Aquafina water....
Em says
Just used red kidney bean water with a tablespoon of cocoa powder to add flavour and hide the murky colour!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha awesome!
Ko says
The best things that I have ever made
Sam Turnbull says
So happy to hear that!
Jenn Swanson says
Mine are in the oven smelling delicious now! I used white bean aquafaba...so not sure how this will work. They are rather flat looking, so will try beating them longer. I did it for 6 mins, but might need longer next time. The batter tasted amazing (and you can lick the bowl when it's not egg!) I'm excited to try these. I used vanilla extract because I'm allergic to almonds. Thanks for the weirdly amazing recipe! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! My pleasure! For the next time, if you beat them longer, I noticed that the aquafaba doesn't seem to get over beaten and break like egg whites do, so no worries about over doing it! Enjoy!
Savanna Phares says
I also noticed that if you add just a tad more sugar during "the end" of the beating process that the meringue will start to set more and have more structure or maybe just conserve like 1 tbsp to sprinkle in at 6 minutes
Sam Turnbull says
Oh, that's an interesting tip! Thanks, Savanna!
Manj says
"... if you giggle the bowl, the peak should stay as is...."
Sam, I love you. I read the above and my heart just smiled as I myself giggled, and maybe jiggled at the same time.
Thanks for sharing this. I've got my first ever meringue in the oven, though it's gone flat, hence here looking for some tips- think I got them
Big hugs and happy creating ✌️
Sam Turnbull says
Bahahahaha! Whoops!! That's a funny typo, haha. Big hugs to you, I hope you enjoy your meringues!
Manj says
Thank you love 😉 Got off of them and into aquafaba ice cream and mousse and toum....Endless fun. 😉
Sam Turnbull says
Oooh! Sounds yum!
T.E. says
My favorite meringue cookies are coffee pecan. I cant wait to try the aquafaba.
This sounds perfect because I don't like super sweet cookies. My new favorite is to add ground pecans and a little Starbucks Italian Roast Via or instant espresso to standard a meringue kiss recipe. I like it better than my usual with white chocolate chips or crushed candy canes.
Sam Turnbull says
Sounds delightful!! I hope you love them T.E. 🙂
Michelle Richards says
Hi Sam, can I use canderel instead of Sugar?
Thanks
Michelle xx
Sam Turnbull says
Hmm... I've never cooked with canderel or any artificial sweetener, so I tried doing a bit of research to discover if meringues could be made with artificial sweetener, and from what I found, it doesn't look like there is a lot of success. Hope that helps!
Michelle Richards says
Thanks, I'll stick to caster sugar and divide the points for weight watchers
Michelle xx
Sam Turnbull says
Great! Enjoy 🙂
Arielle says
I made these today. For those of you looking, I found salt free chickpeas in the natural foods section of my grocery store (Giant), rather than with the rest of the canned beans.
The texture is spot on, but I still found them.... beany. (I actually really dislike chickpeas anyway, which is part of the problem.) I'd still be interested in trying it with another type of bean. I think that folks who haven't encountered the ingredients list probably won't be bothered by the flavor, though.
Sam Turnbull says
I wonder if different brands of aquafaba have different tastes? I served mine to a professional baker and she was blown away by them. Glad you loved the texture Arielle!
Sarah says
I tried making these tonight, but can you tell me what might be wrong? The batter tasted great and I got stiff peaks after probably ten minutes with my stand mixer. I baked them for two and a half hours at 200 and they never hardened at all- they were still totally sticky and not at all solid. I turned up the oven to 250 out of desperation and ended up blackening them, and yet they were still gooey. We don't have much humidity. Any insight? Thanks!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Sarah,
It's a bummer they didn't work for you! It's difficult to know without being in the kitchen with you, but it just sounds like they needed to bake longer. Slightly varying temperatures in ovens, humidity in the air, slightly different measurements can all have an effect. If you try them again, after the two-hour point, I would just check on them every 15 minutes until the desired texture is reached. Hope that helps!
Aimee says
Hi Sam, can I used this for a meringue topping for a fruit pie, like lemon meringue pie that is not going to be baked or will it not hold shape unless its cooked?
Sam Turnbull says
Usually the meringues on lemon meringue pies are baked for a bit as well, and yes it totally works for that, I will have a recipe in my cookbook 🙂
Jesse says
My favorite cookie when I was not vegan was raspberry meringue cookies with raspberry jello can I use vegan jello to get the same affect.
Sam Turnbull says
I've never tried it myself, but if you have done it with traditional meringues, I can't see why it wouldn't work here. Enjoy! 🙂
Mya says
Some of my classmates made raspberry vegan meringues not too long ago using fruit puree. I'm not sure what their ratio was but it is possible.
Stephanie says
I just made these for the first time! I used Aquafaba with sodium, and the meringues still turned out, but there is a slight chickpea flavour. It didn't affect anything else though! I baked them for probably an hour and 50 minutes and they turned out nice and crunchy!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, that's exactly the result I had. The salted aquafaba is still good, but there is a slight chickpea flavour. I think you'll find with the unsalted that the chickpea flavour disappears! So happy you enjoyed them 🙂
Nicola says
I tried these last night and they exploded in the oven after 6 minutes hahahahah! I was crushed lol
Sam Turnbull says
Oh no!! Exploded!? I have never heard of that before. My guess is that your oven temperature might have been to high and an exterior shell was formed before the interior was cooked? If you think that might be right you could pick up and oven thermometer to test your oven.
Maia says
Is it ok to use the liquid from great northern white beans instead of the liquid from chickpeas? If so, what makes chickpea liquid so specially suited for this?
Sam Turnbull says
I have never tried it myself, but yes, apparently all beans work the same. If you give it a go, let us know how it tastes!
Maia says
The bean taste was definitely there, but that is because there was sodium added. Oops! I also had a hard time getting them to take shape, but the texture was perfect! In any case, they were a big hit at the potluck I took them to, so it worked out in the end!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed them! 🙂
GJ says
I don't like canned beans. Can I subtitute with water from the chickpeas cooked in pressure cooker?
Sam Turnbull says
I haven't tried it myself but this YouTube video explains how to make aquafaba. Hope this helps!
Yvonne says
I just put my pan into the oven, and I am AMAZED! I think this vegan meringue beat up silkier than the egg meringue! I'm curious to see how they'll taste out of the oven. I only had salted chickpeas, so I used almond extract to give them a little bit of a cherry flavor (to mask any potential "off" taste). The "raw" meringue tasted incredible...I never would've guessed they were vegan. I'm planning on making mint, mint-chocolate chip, chocolate, and cherry (with chopped maraschinos) in the future if these turn out well. Thanks for the recipe, and thank you for providing the link on how to make your own aquafaba!
Sam Turnbull says
It's so cool isn't it!? I also find that there is no risk of over beating the meringue/ hope you love them Yvonne! Your flavour additions sound amazing!!
Marni says
White sugar is NOT vegan.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Marni, white sugar isn't vegan if bone char is used to refine the sugar. I believe this is a practise only used in the US as far as I know. Many brands are totally vegan, you just have to check with the company to find out. Here in Canada, one of the more common brands of white sugar is vegan as you can see on their FAQ page. In the US any organic sugar will be vegan if you are unsure of what brand to buy. Hope that helps!
Robyn says
Also you can buy vegan white sugars. That are specifically labeled as such. In San Francisco I know Whole Foods carries it (I buy it specifically for baking) so I'm sure if you have the same or something similar near by, you could find it.
Sam Turnbull says
Perfect! Thanks for the tip Marni!
Maia says
Tried this with raw sugar and it turned out just fine, if anyone wants to know
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Maia, great to know!
Estrella Guillen says
These worked for me! My only nay-say is that they were too sweet (for me). But I am super excited to make these again. Also, I baked for 1 hour an 45 minutes and they were a tad bit overbooked. I probably should have stopped at 1.5 hours. <3 Star
Sam Turnbull says
So happy they turned out for you 🙂
Eli says
Im so sad these disnt turn out for me. The good thing was that unlike egg meringues that often easily brown and stay a bit chewy and sticky, these dried up great and stayed pure white. The problems I had was that some of them either flattened, disappeared or turned out hollow(all from the same batch) and even if they kept their shape they all stuck the the wax paper like crazy and they tasted and smelled strongly of chickpeas. Why?!?!?! 🙁
Sam Turnbull says
Oh I am so sad to hear that. Make sure to use parchment paper, not wax paper so that the meringues don't stick. Did you use aquafaba from a can of unsalted chickpeas? I find when you use the aquafaba from a salted can of chickpeas it has a lot more chickpea taste. Hmmmm it's very odd that within one batch there were so much variation in the outcome. I am really not sure why. The only thing I can think of is if your oven has temperature differences... some ovens have hot spots. I wish I could be more help Eli!
Heather says
I'm sad, we tried making these but they totally melted flat and squidgy in the oven! Any ideas what went wrong? I really really want to make these 🙁
Sam Turnbull says
Oh, I'm sad too! Meringues are picky things whether they are vegan or not. It sounds like maybe the meringue wasn't whisked enough? It should have stiff peaks that stand straight up. If you think it was stiff enough other problems might be if it's too humid. It's best to make meringues on dry days. I hope those tips help? I want them to work for you!
Aruna says
Hi iam excited to try this, pls tell me how to store the lft over aquafaba whipped cream and how long can I store it.
Sam says
Hmm, I haven't tried it myself, but my guess is it wouldn't store very well. The bobbles will likely, slowly pop, and you will be left with liquid. I would recommend using all the aquafaba when you make it. You can always half the recipe if you like. Alternatively, aquafaba would store for a few days in the fridge, or freeze well, before it is whipped (just the liquid from the can). Hope that helps!
darshna says
Hi
I live in the UK , can you tell what sugar you used was it caster or icing .
Thank you
Sam says
I used granulated sugar 🙂
Darshn says
Thank you Sam
Can't wait to have a go.
Josef Rosenfeld says
Just made these for Easter, easily found salt free, did use a hand mixer, so it took a while. Plan to tweak the recipe a little, maybe some more vanilla, but the people who ate them all thought they were good and no one suspected that they were not made with eggs.
Sam says
Haha that's awesome! Love it. So happy you were able to fool everyone 🙂
Andreia says
Hi! I was really interested in this recipe, it sounds amazing. What do you consider a lot of salt? I can't find canned chickpeas without added salt, the lowest I've been able to find has 0.3g for 100g. Do you think that would do the trick?
Thank you.
Sam says
Hi Andreia, when I made the meringues with the water from salted chickpeas the meringues were still good and everyone still devoured them, they just had a background of a chickpea flavour, whereas when I made them with unsalted, that disappeared. So you can totally make them with salted chickpea brine. I would choose whichever brand is lowest in salt and go with that, hopefully you won't be able to taste chickpeas. 🙂
Mikayla O says
I just finished making these and they turned out perfectly! I used a hand mixer and was standing there for about 20 minutes but it's all good now. I'm really excited for my (non-vegan) family to come home and try them out!
Sam says
Oh yay! So happy they worked out perfect for you. So cool isn't it? 🙂
Jody says
I made these yesterday and fooled people into thinking they were made with egg whites. Delicious.
Sam says
Haha! I love that. So happy you were able to fool everyone!
JenR says
Made these last night and they looked great - but they were totally hollow inside! Any ideas why? It has been years and years since I made any type of meringue (it was egg-based back then), but I don't remember seeing this phenomenon before. Thoughts?
Sam says
Hi JenR!
This can happen with the egg-based ones too, it's a result of too much air. So perhaps the meringue batter was beat a little too long? Hope that helps!
Rachel says
Hey! Really loved this recipe it turned out great. To everyone who is wondering about the cream of tartar, I left it out (because I had none) and the recipe did work, it just increased the amount of time spent beating it (by about 20 min). I would definitely recommend the tartar, but it will still work otherwise. Thanks!
Sam says
So happy it worked out for you Rachel. Glad to know it worked without, but yeah, I think it definitely helps. 🙂
Zina says
is there a substitute for cream of tartar
Sam says
Hi Zina,
Cream of tartar helps the aquafaba hold it's shape. There isn't really a substitute. If you must, you can try leaving it out but I am not sure how it will turn out. Hope that helps!
Yvonne says
I don't know if it works or not, but I've read that if you can replace every 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar (the amount needed per egg to make meringue) with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or distilled white vinegar.
Goose says
Hi, could you use this meringue to make a Pavlova, or does this recipe only work for small shapes. Hoping to make a Pavlova for Australian day and my vegan friend.
Thanks!
Sam says
Hi Goose,
Absolutely you can! From my experience, you can use aquafaba for any egg meringue recipe and it works perfectly! Enjoy 🙂
Oliver Slay says
Hi ..
I have been experimenting for a few years with this.. and recently have moved towards white kidney beans (tastes like maltesers). Cannelini, butterbeans.. black beans (didn't taste good)... I'm erring towards a flash boil then cool the liquid... this destroys the lectins in the liquid which are in some beans and aren't good for you...
Early on i tried the liquid from boiling whole linseeds (vorgster.blogspot.co.uk) .. i have proposed the name "Aqualini" for this liquid since it's not a bean... and 'lini' is latin for linseed...
I liked the post...
It's a bit unfortunate that the post is interspersed with pictures of roasted turkey from Aldi...
Keep it up...
If you try white kidney beans.. do boil the liquid for 2-3 minutes and cool it first...
Sam says
Glad you are having so much fun experimenting! So sorry about the ads 🙁 I put blocks on ads that contain animal products, but sometimes they sneak through. If it happens again, I would very much appreciate if you could send me a screenshot and let me know what kind of device you were using, so I can have the ad removed. Enjoy the aqualina! 🙂
Leslie says
Hello, great I was wondering if there was a cruelty free recipe. My question goes as to if its necesary to add tartar.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sam says
The cream of tartar helps the aquafaba fluff up and hold it's shape, so yes, I would recommend it. 🙂
M says
Just curious, I noticed several comments asking about cream of tartar.
I understand cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate) is a byproduct of the wine making industry.
Is there another non vegan source of this? Or are people simply mistaking because it has the word 'cream' in it?
Regards,
M.
Sam Turnbull says
Cream of tartar is vegan, my guess is that people just don't have it on hand and are hoping to get away without a trip to the grocery store! Haha.
Cate says
I don't typically use canned beans, would the water from cooking them be the same as the canned water? Would love to try this, but good canned chickpeas are so expensive!
Sam says
I haven't tried it, myself but according to this Youtube video explains how to make aquafaba from scratch. Hope the helps!
LynnM says
I have used the aquafaba from my homecooked beans (drained through a fine mesh strainer) and it worked even better than with the canned!
Andriana says
Does this merengue have applications for meringue pies too I wonder?
Andriana says
oh I see below it does, that's wonderful. Thanks for the post!
Sam says
Oh haha! yep 🙂
Sam says
Absolutely! I haven't done it yet myself, but from what I understand, you can use aqua faba meringue the same way you use egg white meringue!
KritterKat! says
It is very possible and my mom has a great recipe for it! I prefer over dairy/egg lemon meringue pie 🙂
Sam says
Yum!
Srivani says
These are magical little cloud morsels! I can't believe chickpea water made authentic tasting meringues. It took me about 6-7 minutes for the stiff peaks and I baked for 2 hours for absolutely perfect meringues. 3 days after making them, and I'm still giggling over the outcome! Took them to a family dinner (all meat-eaters except my hubby, 2 year old daughter and myself)... they were skeptical at first but tried them with delight. Everyone agreed they were great. And my daughter... all she could say was "more meringue cookie please, more meringue cooking please."
So Sam, I do hope you are working on a vegan lemon meringue pie . 😉
Sam says
Yay!!!! So happy you love them so much. Isn't aqua faba magical!? I was so thrilled when they worked so well too. I am so happy you and your family enjoyed them and I am definitely keeping the lemon meringue pie in mind for a future post 😉
Laura says
I really can't believe this worked! I was so skeptical, but these cookies were absolutely amazing! Who would have thought?! 🙂
Sam says
It works so shockingly well, doesn't it!? I was so skeptical too, but they really are amazing. Those aquafaba discoverers are amazing folk! Haha. So happy you loved the recipe Laura!
Marina says
hello! i have one question.
Which B-12 do you take?
Thanks
Sam says
Hi Marina,
I'm not too picky about it, as long as it's a vegan B12 supplement, I usually go for one that is 2,500 mcg once a week. Here's one that will do: http://www.amazon.com/Deva-Nutrition-Vegan-Sublingual-Tablets/dp/B00EW1BVIS Hope that helps!
Lisa says
I am so excited to give this *another* try! I used canned garbanzos I had on hand, which--when I checked later--turned out to have a little salt and this may have affected the outcome (wouldn't form peaks). Nonetheless, I was making your cranberry walnut chickpea salad sandwiches *anyway* and decided to reserve the liquid and try these meringue cookies. After what seemed like an eternity of whipping, I tried adding more cream of tartar to see if that would help the liquid form peaks. No luck. Finally I gave up, BUT I put the now creamy, sweet liquid over chopped fruit for a salad, and oh my! Score! I saved the rest (the 1 cup of garbanzo liquid yielded about 3 cups of frothy sweet cream) and will try it ...maybe in my coffee? ...in our vitamix-made ice "cream"? Anyway, thanks for revealing this very interesting bean "cream." It will be interesting to see what happens with aquafaba in the future! Love your blog! Keep cooking!
Sam says
Thank you so much Lisa! I don't know why peaks didn't form for you... I had a look around the internet and saw that it took some people as long as 20 minutes to get to the peak forming stage. (It only took me about 6). So perhaps it just depends on your machine, or the brand of chickpeas you use. I am so happy you enjoyed the cream anyways. Putting it over fruit sounds lovely!
Marc says
I think 20 minutes refers to the people whisking/beating by hand.
if you're using a machine whisk, then its only 4 to 7 minutes.
Sam Turnbull says
Great!
Gemma says
Your meringues look amazing! <3
No one would ever tell these are vegan, really. So delicious!
Sam says
It's totally true, people are amazed that they are vegan!
Cindy says
I wonder if I could add a little bit of baking cocoa to chocolate them up a bit?
Sam says
Hi Cindy,
I haven't tried this myself, but I think it would work. I would start by adding 1 Tablespoon of Cocoa Powder and see how that works.
Let us know!
Sam
Spice Chicken says
I tried this and the foam collapsed.
Sam says
oh bummer! Thanks for letting us know how it turned out for you.
Eve says
Hiya! I know this was a while ago but just saw this while reading the comments. To make them chocolatey just sprinkle your cocoa powder on the meringues just before they go in the oven
Sam Turnbull says
Ooo lovely idea. 🙂
Salima says
Amazing! I'm in awe! Thank you Sam for sharing this trick!
Sam says
You are so very welcome Salima! 😀
Stephanie says
Oh my god! SO cool! My mom makes these super awesome raisin cookies with brown sugar meringue on the top and I was SO sad that they were not vegan options for these. THANK YOU! 😀
I used to think that this water (in the chickpeas can) was not for consumption at all... kind of toxic. I rince my chickpeas like crazy. So funny 🙂
Thank you again
Sam says
Oh yes, you can definitely use this meringue for your mom's super awesome raisin cookies!
You can totally consume the aquafaba. I normally rinse it off well too because it is kind of slimy, but this slimy water has some serious power that I didn't know about!! 😀
Jen R says
@Stephanie, I am super interested to know if there is a recipe for your mom's cookies online someplace? I tired looking it up and I can't find anything. Perhaps she made it up? I found lots of "brown sugar meringue", but none with a raisin cookie under it. They sound amazing!
Diane says
This is genius! Question... I live on the coast, in the south, so it is humid year round. Do you think these will have the same issues that regular ones ( with egg whites) have with all the moisture in the air?
Sam says
Thank you Diane! Yes, I think they react pretty much exactly the same, and will get soggy in humid air unfortunately. Perhaps if you bake them for a longer time, they might hold up for a little longer...