Vegan Whipped Cream and the Miraculous World of Aquafaba

Not long ago, the chef I work under was given an assignment to create a vegan dessert involving meringue. He told me he was using something called aquafaba. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? It’s not. In fact, you’ve probably been dumping it down the drain for years, because aquafaba is simply the liquid left from cooking beans.

It was only two years ago that a French chef (Joel Roessel) discovered that this liquid could be whipped into a foam. When he began blogging about his experiments, his discovery caught the attention of Goose Wohlt, an American software engineer who soon developed a successful formula for meringue that was very close to the real thing. With further research and experimentation, Wohlt discovered that this aquafaba (aqua meaning water, faba meaning bean) is a suitable egg substitute for many recipes. Since then, aquafaba has taken the culinary world by storm—especially with vegan chefs.

When using aquafaba as an egg replacer, you do not whip it. You simply use 3 tablespoons of the bean water for each egg. Vegans everywhere have used it in brownies, cookies, breads and burgers with nearly flawless results. When you do whip it, you can use the fluffy foam to make meringues or, as I’m about to show you, whipped cream.

You can make aquafaba using any bean from dry by soaking them overnight, cooking them and saving the liquid. Draining the liquid from a can of beans works also, just be sure there is no salt added. Chickpeas and white beans are the most common because of their neutral flavor and color. The aim is to use just the right amount of water when cooking the beans. Too much water and it won’t congeal enough, too little and it will just be a sticky mess. Allowing the beans to sit in the liquid for a few hours after cooking will help with the gelling process, giving you a substantial, protein rich liquid.

The recipe below should yield two cups of aquafaba. You only need ¼ cup to make 1-1/4 cups of cream, but not to worry—aquafaba freezes very well. The best way to do this is in ice cube trays—then you can just pop out your cubes as you need them. In the fridge, aquafaba lasts about 1-2 weeks.

When making whipped cream, do not worry if it seems to be taking too long. People I know have reported as long as 15-45 minutes before they saw peaks, so be patient. In my experience, it has never taken longer than 8 minutes on high speed. If you are using cream of tartar to help with stabilization, add it about 2 minutes in when the aquafaba starts to foam. When adding the sugar, wait until it is holding firm peaks, then add it very slowly. Granulated sugar seems to work best, and you can pulse it a few times in a grinder if you want to make it finer. But if you add it slowly enough, this is not necessary.

By the time you add the vanilla, you’re left with a light as air, fluffy whipped cream substitute that I think you’ll be quite impressed with. If there is one downfall, it’s that you have to eat it right away because it will not hold up for more than a couple of hours. But don’t worry–re-whipping it brings it right back. This is an easy problem to deal with, however, because I am almost certain it won’t last that long anyway!

Yum

Aquafaba

May 17, 2016

by Paul

Category Desserts Snacks & Appetizers Vegan

Persons

2

Notes

Aquafaba freezes very well in ice cube trays. It also whips best when chilled.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry chickpeas
• 4 cups cold water
• To Make Whipped Cream
• 1/4 cup aquafaba
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
• 1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. To Make Aquafaba:
2. Soak chickpeas in 3 times their amount of cold water for 8 hours or overnight.
3. Drain chickpeas and rinse well. Add to pressure cooker or pot along with the 4 cups of cold water.
4. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to cook, covered, for 30 minutes of using pressure cooker or 1-1/2 hours if using regular pot.
5. Turn off heat and allow chickpeas to sit in the liquid for 2-5 hours, until cooled. If using pressure cooker, no need to release pressure or cool under cold water, just let it sit.
6. Drain chickpeas, saving the liquid. This is aquafaba!
7. To Make Whipped Cream:
8. Whip aquafaba on high speed for a few minutes until it looks foamy.
9. Add cream of tartar, if using.
10. Continue beating at high speed until firm peaks begin to form. This can take as long as 15 minutes, so be patient.
11. Once firm peaks begin to form, add sugar slowly, a teaspoon at a time so it has a chance to dissolve.
12. Add vanilla. Use immediately.

Tags

aquafaba,

chickpeas,

dairy free

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