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I've used aquafaba in cooking a lot, mostly to avoid using so many eggs in baking. And while I've had great results for a few specific recipes, I've also found
by ar-nelson 6y ago
I've used aquafaba in cooking a lot, mostly to avoid using so many eggs in baking. And while I've had great results for a few specific recipes, I've also found that it's not a universal egg replacement, and it's hard to tell which recipes it will and won't work in.
I bake a lot of gluten-free and grain-free breads and biscuits, and aquafaba is a great egg replacement in these. Sometimes it even produces a better texture. But in other recipes, like cookies, it doesn't work at all; the dough loses its shape completely and deflates into a puddle.
I've also read about using aquafaba to make meringue or mousse, but I haven't had good luck with that so far. The chickpea taste is strong, and does not go with sugar at all.
I haven't tried using any beans other than chickpeas. Maybe it would work better with different beans.
- Rooster61 6y agoHuh, chocolate chip cookies are the main thing I DO make with aquafaba. I wonder what we are doing differently on that dish? They don't come out as perfect cookies for me (they definitely don't brown as much), but consistency wise is pretty much spot on. I loosely base my recipe on the one Babish came up with on his channel.
- lozaning 6y agoIf I had to guess, they're not refrigerating their dough. Chilling dough for 24 hours in the fridge before baking is a game changer for cookies.
- ar-nelson 6y agoI should look into this, maybe refrigerating would help. The recipe I tried was an unusual one (an olive oil dark chocolate chip cookie recipe), and I had made it successfully with eggs before, but trying aquafaba ruined it.
- Rooster61 6y agoRefrigerating would definitely help, but tbh I usually stick it straight in the oven after dishing it out. I'd definitely try chocolate chip if you haven't. Playing with other kinds of oils and odd ingredients would probably change it a bit too much for aquafaba to work correctly.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- bananaoomarang 6y agoNot disputing this (perhaps different brand/type/recipe) but I have made aquafaba meringues before and was very impressed, didn’t taste of chickpeas at all to me, just like a meringue texture/sugar wise without the 'egginess'.
- ar-nelson 6y agoYes, I think the amount of chickpea taste varies based on how much the aquafaba is cooked down. (I always make it by boiling dry chickpeas; I don't use canned.) With some more experimentation I can probably get it to work.
- saltypal 6y agoThis gives me some hope. I once made vegan tiramisu for a friend using aquafaba made from boiled dry chickpeas, and the sweet/chickpea flavor tasted exactly like the worst kind of vomit-burp imaginable. It is one of probably 2 or 3 of several thousand meals I've ever cooked that I threw directly into the bin after having another person confirm the flavor.
- tomcam 6y agoOn the upside you just donated the term “vomit burp” to the world
- ragingrobot 6y agoNah, Tim Alen did decades ago. He even contributed his shorted version, the "vurp".
- colanderman 6y agoMy wife uses canned chickpeas for her meringues, with also sugar, cream of tartar, and vanilla. She's made several very successful batches (no bean flavor whatsoever) this way. Probably the vanilla helps mask the flavor, but maybe canned vs. fresh chickpeas also make a difference.
- npsimons 6y agoFor a binder or thickener, I've found ground flax seed mixed with water to work better.
- VectorLock 6y agoCan you give examples of things that it gives a better texture in?
- ar-nelson 6y agoI have two recipes that use aquafaba: a grain-free biscuit recipe and a grain-free flatbread recipe. A lot of gluten-free breads use eggs because they need a binder to replace the gluten, but the eggs taste, well, eggy. The aquafaba makes it lighter, and not eggy, so it seems more like actual bread.
- VectorLock 6y agoCan you share? I wouldn't mind giving that a try.
- ar-nelson 6y agoHere's the biscuit recipe. I originally adapted it from a paleo recipe that I can't seem to find again, but I've made enough changes to make it my own. (Because of the aquafaba, and arguably the potato starch, it's not paleo after my changes.) - 3/4 cup potato starch - 1/4 cup coconut flour - 1/4 cup almond flour - 3/4 tsp baking soda - 1/4 tsp baking powder - 1/4 tsp salt - 1/4 cup olive oil - 1/4 cup water - 3 tbsp aquafaba - 1 tsp apple cider vinegar Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oil and water, stir. Add aquafaba, stir. At this point, it should stick together but still be somewhat lumpy. If it does not stick together, add more water, but be careful--don't add enough water that it becomes smooth! Add vinegar, stir, and spoon individual biscuits onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Should make 7-9 biscuits. Cook at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. These biscuits are excellent with olive oil and vinegar. They reheat well, and have a crumbly texture that reminds me of Southern-style biscuits. The flatbread recipe is similar, but with no baking soda or vinegar, and the flours replaced with 1 cup tapioca starch and 1/3 cup coconut flour. Some extra olive oil helps too, and maybe some oregano.
- seanhandley 6y agoSame experience when we tried it. The flavour was not good.
- Kluny 6y agoYeah, different egg substitutes apply depending on what you make. Tofu replaces egg in stir fry - flax replaces it in banana bread - aquafaba works for meringues.
- joshspankit 6y agoFor someone who likes moist banana bread, “flax eggs” are the clear winner.
- S_A_P 6y agoMaybe throw in some Xanthan Gum. Ive had some good results using that...
- hnick 6y agoMy wife made meringues (technically macarons) with it, the result was fine in texture but maybe there was a bit of a deeper nuttier flavour than usual as you said, but it worked for me. She did use chickpea water too. It would probably go better with a rich filling like chocolate ganache.