Aquafaba Recipe: The Ultimate Egg White Replacement?
If you follow a vegan diet, then this recipe is definitely a must-know. Do you have an egg allergy or egg intolerance? If you answered “yes,” then you’ll equally value this recipe.
If neither of these descriptions apply, you still may want to know about this shocking egg substitute because it works extremely well as a mimicker of egg, egg yolk and egg white in so many different recipes. What is this magical substance? I’m talking about aquafaba.
If you love to make homemade mayonnaise or meringue pies, then you might be shocked to find out that aquafaba enables you to make both without any egg-derived ingredients whatsoever. I was skeptical myself at first, but once I saw the results of aquafaba in action, I can tell you that it really does work!
What Is Aquafaba?
Aquafaba is a vegan egg substitute made from bean water, like chickpea water. If you’ve ever drained out the liquid from a can of beans or seen the water that results from cooking dried legumes at home, then then you are actually already familiar with aquafaba. The name “aquafaba” comes from “aqua,” which is Latin for water, and “faba,” which is Latin for bean so the name makes perfect sense. (1)
Aquafaba is said to have first been discovered by Joël Roessel, a French tenor singer, who in 2014 was trying to figure out a vegan egg white replacement. He tried using the “vegetal foam,” a.k.a. the liquid that typically gets thrown away from a can of beans, and the results were extremely impressive. Roessel saw how it was possible to get the results of egg whites without any eggs! Experienced chefs and bakers all agree that this intriguing ingredient is extremely close in consistency to raw eggs whites. This is why aquafaba works so incredibly well for recipes like meringues.
The liquid from chickpeas and other legumes is made up of carbohydrates, proteins and plant solids that have been left behind in the water after cooking the beans. The complex nature of aquafaba lends itself to having so many valuable attributes for cooking and baking. Aquafaba has unexpected yet reliable foaming, emulsifying binding, gelatinizing and thickening abilities. (2)
Nutrition Facts
I think this aquafaba recipe is definitely worth adding to your list of egg substitutes. So is aquafaba healthy? I would say that aquafaba is quite neutral. Aquafaba is typically used in small amounts and in small amounts, it is not loaded with nutrients. However, it also doesn’t contain significant amounts of things that people are often trying to reduce like calories, fat and sodium.
One tablespoon of plain aquafaba made from chickpea water without any additives contains about: (3)
- 3 calories
- 0 grams fat
- 0 milligrams sodium
- 0 grams fiber
- 0.2 grams sugar
- 0.2 grams protein
- 1.1 milligrams calcium
How to Use Aquafaba
The most common way to use aquafaba is as a replacement for egg whites in a recipe, but it can also be used to substitute for egg yolks or whole eggs.
Aquafaba substitution guidelines:
- 1 egg yolk: 1 tablespoon aquafaba
- 1 egg white: 2 tablespoons aquafaba
- 1 whole egg: 3 tablespoons aquafaba
Wondering how to use aquafaba? The Vegan Society has a lot of suggestions including: (4)
- Meringue
- Pavlova
- Chocolate mousse
- Ice cream
- Brownies
- Mayonnaise
- Aioli
- Butter
- Soy-free cheese
- Marshmallows
So it is actually possible to make everything on this list without any eggs. Hard to believe, but true!
Bartenders are now also using aquafaba for cocktails that call for egg whites, like a gin fizz or pisco sour. One bartender in charge of a vegan bar program says that aquafaba is the only egg white substitute he will use in his cocktails. After a 100 hours plus of studying aquafaba, he says “”If you fill two glasses, one with egg whites and the other with aquafaba, you wouldn’t even know the difference,” he said. “The only telltale sign is the smell: Egg whites smell like wet dog and chickpeas have no smell whatsoever.” (5)
How to Make Aquafaba
Aquafaba isn’t hard to make at all. You just need to make sure you have a hand mixer. The entire recipe takes under 10 minutes to create and then you have yourself an awesome egg substitute.
The most essential ingredient you’ll need to have for this recipe is the aquafaba. You have two options for this ingredient. I recommend using the water from cooking your own organic legumes at home. However, if you don’t have the time or you don’t have dried beans on hand, then it is an option to use the liquid from a box or can of beans.
If you have to opt for the quicker route then it’s best to choose a box of organic chickpeas. Last resort: a BPA-free can of organic beans. You can use the water drained off from a different variety of beans, but chickpea water is definitely known to work well. (6) If you’re not a fan of chickpeas, then cannelini beans are another great option.
I want to make an important note: This recipe for aquafaba works best with sweet or savory recipes since it includes maple sugar and cinnamon. If you are looking for an unsweetened aquafaba (which is definitely the way to go with things like mayonnaise), then simply leave out the maple sugar and cinnamon. If you want to leave out the salt, that’s perfectly fine too. Just whipping up the chickpea water will create a perfect aquafaba to use as an egg substitute.
First, using a hand mixer, beat the bean water until hard peaks are formed. This usually takes about 7 minutes.
Next, you’ll start folding in the maple sugar, cinnamon and salt. If you want an unsweetened aquafaba, then only add the salt leaving out the maple sugar and cinnamon. If you don’t want any added sugar, salt or flavor then you’re already done with this easy recipe!
Continue folding in the maple sugar, cinnamon and salt until mixture is well-combined.
Use your homemade aquafaba in place of egg, egg yolk or egg white in your favorite recipes.
Total Time
8 minutes
Meal Type
Diet Type
Ingredients:
- ½ cup maple sugar*
- ⅓ cup aquafaba
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon*
- sea salt to taste
- *remove if not making sweet aquafaba
Directions:
- Using a hand mixer, beat the aquafaba until hard peaks are formed, about 7 minutes.
- Fold in the maple sugar, cinnamon and salt until well-combined. (Only fold in salt if not making sweet aquafaba.)
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40 Comments
Does it work for an Angel food cake? That’s a lot of Aquafina.
About using this Aquafaba as an egg white substitute in an angel food cake. Would it work? The recipe calls for 12 egg whites so that would be 24 T of Aquafaba. Would it work?
Hello, I’m wondering about aquafaba as a salad dressing emulsifier. Have youever tried this?
Is aquafaba keto friendly?
Tried this today with green lentils and it worked great to make whipped topping. You have to use it right away or it will turn runny again. I’ve re-whipped it several times and it always turns back into whipped topping.
I’m so excited to try this, I have an egg allergy and never thought I could find something comparable
Would like an answer to Jean’s question below.
How would you make an omelet from this aquafaba?
Can it be baked or sautéed with veggies added like an egg omelet?
Take a can of chick peas and open the lid just enough so you can pour the water out, while the peas remain in the can. The water is called aquafaba and you don’t have to do anything else than put it in a clean glass with a lid and store it in your fridge. It will last at least a week or two like this. Only throw it out if it starts to smell…
You don’t need to mix it, stir it or add anything to it – it works perfectly the way it is from the can!
You can use it directly for baking bread, cakes, cookies, mayonnaise or in your meatballs recipe (etc) instead of eggs – it’s works just like a normal egg (3 tablespoons).
Its amazing ?
If you want to cook the water yourself, you can find recipes for it on the internet ?
I am also waiting for Dr Axe’s answer to the questions – how long does the aquafab keep, what is the ratio of water to beans, can you soak and drain the beans prior to cooking, and lectin content.
Another alternative to eggs in a baking recipe is tapioca flour, used dry. I use a heaping tablespoon in place of two eggs. Enter-G egg replacer contains tapioca flour and potato starch. The package directions say to combine it with water, but I had better results using it dry.
Most tapioca, corn, and potato starch in this country is GMO. Be sure to check for organic or non-GMO-certified sources.
But the starches like corn/potato or tapioca should be heatet, right? Or can i make raw desserts with it?
Thought it was very helpful and reflects my beliefs as far as food allergy testing is concerned.
I’m wondering if you could use a stand mixer or a Vitamix blender? Why the recommendation for a hand mixer specifically?
I don’t think it was just specially just a hand mixer a stand mixer would be fine too but a blender would NOT work because you could not get the volume needed for stiff peaks. The reason for a hand or stand mixer is the time needed you would not be able to HAND mix for the 7 minutes or longer needed to get stiff peaks needed in the instruction by hand. Hope that helps that is what I get from the instructions.
And I’m wondering IF he’ll answer these questions!
How much water to how many beans. I am thinking too much water with too few beans cooked,
and the bean water would be too weak?
It would be nice if he suggested how to BEST make your own Aquafaba from cooking chickpeas?
I have he same question about the lectins.
Thank you
How would you make an omelet from this aquafaba?
Can it be baked or sautéed with veggies added like an egg omelet? Im highly allergic to eggs so that would be the only recipe I’d use it in.
I don’t think so. But you should be able to using chickpea flour. Look for recipes on the internet.
Thanks for this great tip!
Would this also work with water from cooking green lentils? How long would it last in the fridge? How long does the fluffiness last as a topping on a cake?
I love the sound of this and will certainly try it.
A question about coconut oil. EVERYONE swears by this oil, but I have yet to see anyone giving a substitute for a person who is “sensitive” to it. I used coconut oil in cooking and on my skin; I made my own coconut milk and drank coconut water. Then I had a food sensitivities test done that revealed I was “sensitive” to it and should cut it from my diet. I also ate coconut and had gone both dairy and gluten-free, eating only a whole foods diet.
Does having a sensitivity to coconut also refer to oil? Is it possible that a person cannot eat pure coconut, and yet tolerate the the oil? I hope that you can address this issue in a future email.
Just thought I would share. It’s my understanding that when you have leaky gut you will test positive for senstivity to foods that you eat frequently because your body is having an immune repsonse to food molecules it encounters on a regular basis. This is one of the reasons some practitioners will recommend that you rotate foods regularly in order to prevent a sensitivity from developing.
Hi you don’t know me but I also have a problem with coconut mostly it’s with its fat but I found out that yes there is a difference in type and quality of many coconut products and that my food problem to it is in certain forms…and certain types…as a kid I grew up where there were three types and the one that I often got was a type of green coconut…never could drink the water…but these days I get lucky…you need to know what exactly you are sensitive to about the coconut… Somethings you can get around somethings you can’t and if you can’t then don’t fret it…it’s not like my kid who had a three pages of allergies to food…or myself with a liver condition that means I can’t eat any Nuts or Avocado….just a few of the things (no maple Sugar or syrup either and that’s just a few things I can’t have so I feel for you about the coconut stuff)
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Since aquafaba is the liquid remaining from cooking chickpeas or other dried beans, does the liquid still contain the lectins that are generally the culprit in causing intestinal bloating and flatulence? I am looking for an egg substitute that will allow for fluffy gluten free baking, but also have a family member who suffers from ulcerative colitis who must avoid foods which are considered inflammatory or gas promoting. Soaking dried beans for several hours prior to cooking often will reduce the lectins. So for your home cooked bean recipes to make the aquafaba, are the beans pre-soaked and the liquid discarded prior to cooking, then cooked with a measured amount of water? And will this procedure still allow for a liquid viscous enough to whip like egg whites? Also, what is the measurement of pre-soaked beans to cooking water, and how long must the beans (ie chickpeas) be cooked, to allow for the right consistency of the aquafaba?
Yes! I am with Maureen and would love to know the answer to that question, too! Thanks.
I have made aquafaba once before. Discard the presoak water and use the cooking water. Sorry I don’t recall the measurements. It does whip like egg whites. I wasn’t keen on the taste, maybe I didn’t add enough sweetener. I will just have to try again. I want to make cloud bread, when I saw the article I thought this would work great. We shall see.
Chickpeas have the least amount of lectins and phytates from any other beans.If you’re worried, use Home made, soak chickpeas over night , before you cook it clean chickpeas very well. You will be fine .
I am also very interested in Maureen’s great question! What about the lectins? Does Aquafaba contain them…?
I have the same question as Maureen.
A good way to avoid gas and flatulation is to remove the skin of the beans after they have been cooked. It can be actually a very relaxing process and the results extremely satisfying.
This is for Maureen. I to, am on a “special” diet. I do use a lot of Dr. Axe’s suggestions and teaching, but as far as diet, I STIVK to the SCD food plan SCD stands for Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and it has completely cured me of Collagenous Colitis! I do stay away from eggs, so this recipe from Dr. Axe, is very interesting and I may use it, BUT I will pay special attention to see if I have andy bloating or flatulence! Thank you, Maureen!
Beans need to be cooked with at least quarter inch of water above them, add more as needed during cooking
I have the same question as Maureen. I’ve been trying to follow the AIP program and I also have an IgG sensitivity to eggs. It would be great to find an egg replacer that doesn’t use cellulose. But I’m concernced about phytic acid/lectins in beans.
Hi Maureen I have been using beans etc…for years a friend years ago from Mexico told me the best way is to put in a wooden spoon when cooking the gaseous veg and to leave it when it cools…it does seem to work. In Macrobiotics I learned, years ago, that when cooking with such foods one should put in Wakeme (sea weed) to keep the gasses at bay you can take them out after and not use them if like me u can’t eat them… I have used both methods they both work… even used a baboo chop sticks when I didn’t have the spoon….it worked to…
I’m not sure, but in the Plant Paradox, Dr. Gundry says that you can use beans canned by the Eden company as they pressure cook their beans in the can and that kills the lectins. He also says that you can pressure cook them yourself. I would think (but am neither a doctor nor a scientist) that this would kill the lectins in the aquafaba too. I haven’t tried this yet, so also can’t say for certain that the pressure cooking doesn’t change the composition of the aquafaba such that it won’t work in recipes.
You didn’t mention carbohydrates in your nutritional analysis, only the sugars. Also, how long can aquafaba keep in the fridge?