Vegan Meringue Cookies - it doesn't taste like chicken (2024)

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 aimingfor. 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 toget 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 meringueshould hold a stiff peak, even if you jigglethe bowl, the peak should stay as is. It took me about6to 6 ½minutes 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 aseasy 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!

Bon Appetegan!

Sam.

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