Aquafaba is the latest buzzword popping up around office watercoolers.
Aquafaba is an eggscellent vegan egg replacer that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.
What is aquafaba?
The word aquafaba was born from combining the Latin words for bean (faba) and water (aqua).
Aquafaba is the thick, translucent, somewhat viscous liquid that remains after beans or legumes are soaked and cooked in water for several hours. It has quickly gained popularity among vegans after it was discovered that this liquid can be used to make vegan meringues, but this wonder liquid can be enjoyed by everyone in a cornucopia of ways. You can use aquafaba as a binder, a thickener, a foaming agent, and an emulsifier. It also has excellent gelling properties.
Of course, the easiest way to start adding aquafaba to your healthy ingredient arsenal is to simply use the leftover liquid from any can of beans or chickpeas, or from tofu that is packed in water.
It’s a unique mix of starches, proteins, and other soluble plant solids which have migrated from the seeds to the water during the cooking process gives aquafaba a wide spectrum of emulsifying, foaming, binding, gelatinising and thickening properties.
A growing international community has developed around aquafaba to explore its full potential, resulting in many exciting recipes such as meringues, mayo, butter, cheeses, pavlovas, macarons, baked goods and much more.
No waste and a slim waist
Aside from the fact that aquafaba is so versatile, it is also incredibly economical. Rather than mindlessly dumping bean liquid down your drain, you can essentially make something from nothing.
One tablespoon of aquafaba contains a mere 3-5 calories. Although aquafaba contains much less protein than egg whites, it does contain a small amount (1 gram compared to 10 grams for egg whites), along with starches and vegetable gum — very close to the nutrition profile of chickpeas. Because aquafaba is a relatively new concept, there is not much research available yet regarding potential health benefits. However, because is it so low-calorie, versatile, and environmentally-friendly, why not try it out?
Getting started
To use aquafaba as an egg white or whole egg replacer, follow this substitution ratio:
- 3 tbs aquafaba = one whole large egg
- 2 tbs aquafaba = one egg white
- 1 tbs = one egg yolk
You may have to play around with the aquafaba slightly to find the right consistency. While the liquid from chickpeas is plenty thick, other canned beans and legumes may need to be reduced on the stove about 25 percent. You will want it to have the consistency of egg whites.
Information found on FitDay and on the official Aquafaba wesite.
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