Author: 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! (or chickpea 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... vegan desserts 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 chickpea brine. It should make about a cup of liquid. Save the chickpeas to do whatever you like with later on.
Add the chickpea liquid to the bowl of a stand mixer along with the vanilla and cream of tartar. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can also use an electric hand mixer. Whipping by hand is not recommended as it will likely tire you out and just not work!
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. If you only have soft peaks, you're 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 tray 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 piping 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.
Common Questions:
Vegan meringue cookies are easy to make and have the same crispy shell and airy center as the original version. And this vegan meringue cookie recipe uses a one-of-a-kind ingredient: aquafaba. So what are some common questions about this amazing recipe? Does vegan meringue freeze well? Yes! Freezing aquafaba meringues is just as easy as freezing meringues made with animal products. To freeze your vegan meringues, line an airtight container with greaseproof paper and place as many meringues in a single layer as possible. Done! Is vegan meringue gluten-free? Yup! This is a gluten-free recipe! Can you buy just aquafaba? Unfortunately, no. Not yet, anyway. but the bright side is you get a lovely bunch of chickpeas to play around with so win-win!
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Vegan Meringue Cookies
Servings: meringues (roughly)
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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
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
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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...