30 ways you can use aquafaba to create amazing vegan dishes

Author: Rachel Smith


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Making a recipe with chickpeas? Don't throw the water away - use it to make these delicious vegan aquafaba recipes instead! Find out more about aquafaba and how to use this miracle ingredient here.

What is aquafaba?

Aquafaba, the brine found in cans of beans and legumes like chickpeas, has caught the world’s attention. Aquafaba’s combination of proteins, soluble plant solids and starches can be used for a variety of cooking processes including thickening, binding, gelatinising and emulsifying.

Because aquafaba is very close in consistency to egg whites and contains similar proteins and starches to the ones found in eggs, it’s the perfect egg replacement for vegans.

How do I make aquafaba?

The simplest way to make aquafaba way is to use the brine directly from your tin of legumes, but you can also slowly cook dried beans in water until you get the aquafaba.

If the bean juice is too watery, just continue to heat it until it is the same consistency as egg whites.

If your recipe calls for a small amount of aquafaba, you can fill an ice cube tray with the rest and freeze to use at a later date.

In order to share our excitement about this key ingredient with you, we’ve compiled a list of sweet and savoury vegan aquafaba recipes, made vegan through the power of this clever vegan egg substitute.

1. Vegan Summer Fruits Pimm’s Pavlova

One of the most interesting aquafaba recipes to make when you first discover it is meringue. It feels a bit like a science experiment and you’ll be amazed at how it can be used to make crunchy, crumbly vegan meringue.

Once you’ve mastered making aquafaba meringue, you can recreate the classic summer pavlova dessert. We’ve topped ours with with pastry cream, boozy Pimm’s sauce, and a sprinkling of summer berries to make it extra special.

Vegan Summer Fruits Pimm’s Pavlova

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2. Vegan Custard Doughnuts

These deep-fried vegan doughnuts are filled with dairy-free custard that oozes out when you take a bite. Aquafaba helps give the dough that classic airy texture you’d expect from a good doughnut.

Vegan Custard Doughnuts

3. Vegan Lemon Mille-Feuille

This vegan mille-feuille recipe features layers of flaky pastry, a fluffy aquafaba cream filling, zesty lemon curd and a sprinkling of fresh berries.

Aquafaba is used in both the cream to make it light and fluffy and to give the lemon curd it’s signature smoothness.

Vegan Lemon Mille-Feuille

4. Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Made with dark brown soft sugar and a spoonful of treacle, these gorgeous sticky puddings are a British classic. Serve with lashings of caramel sauce and dairy-free cream for a comforting plant-based treat.

Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding with Caramel Sauce

5. Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie

With a crisp pastry base topped with zesty lemon curd and fluffy meringue made from aquafaba, it’s no wonder this pie has been popular for over 200 years!

Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie

6. No-Bake Chocolate Tart with Vegan Meringue

This rich and indulgent chocolate tart is delicious enough as it is, but the addition of sweet aquafaba meringue contrasted with tart raspberries makes this aquafaba recipe extra special.

No-Bake Chocolate Tart with Vegan Meringue

7. Vegan Chocolate Gateau Recipe

Few cakes are quite as spectacular as a chocolate gateau! This vegan version is made up of layer upon layer of moist chocolate cake sandwiched with fluffy vegan aquafaba buttercream.

Vegan Chocolate Gateau Recipe

8. Vegan Aquafaba Candy Floss Macarons

Although one of the main ingredients macarons are egg whites, it’s simple to make vegan macarons using aquafaba.

With just a bit of whisking and baking, aquafaba whips up to make delicious vegan macaron that can be filled as you please.

Vegan Aquafaba Candy Floss Macarons

9. Vegan Chocolate Mousse

This vegan chocolate mousse gets its airy texture from whipped aquafaba which helps make it light and fluffy.

We think it’s best served cold and garnished with berries to add a bit of tartness to compliment the chocolate flavour.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

10. Vegan Brioche

If you’re looking for something lighter than traditional bread, the feathery texture of vegan brioche bread is ideal. It’s delicious on it’s own with a little vegan butter, or great for making desserts with too.

Vegan brioche loaf

11. Vegan Mocha Semifreddo

If you like your desserts full of rich flavours, this mocha semifreddo made with aquafaba is for you. This frozen dessert is definitely one for grown ups as it’s made with coffee and dark chocolate for a richly indulgent vegan dessert.

Vegan Mocha Semifreddo recipe made with aquafaba

12. Vegan Lebanese Buddha Bowl with Tahini Drizzle

Aquafaba recipes don’t have to be sweet – you can even use this clever ingredient to make savoury dishes like falafel. Aquafaba acts like an egg to bind the ingredients together so your falafel hold their shape well when cooked.

These falafel made with aquafaba make a tasty addition to Budda bowls for a healthy weeknight dinner.

Vegan Lebanese Buddha Bowl with Tahini Drizzle

13. Vegan Guinness Cupcakes

One of the easiest aquafaba recipes to make is vegan cupcakes. It gives them a light and fluffy texture just like eggs do, minus the animals!

They’re even more tender than typically cupcakes too thanks to the stout because the carbonation of the drink helps make the batter airy.

Vegan Guinness Cupcakes

14. Baked Vegan Cheesecake with Berry Coulis

Baked or no-baked, we can’t resists vegan cheesecakes! But there’s something just a little bit special about baked cheesecakes with their crumbly biscuit bases and creamy baked fillings.

This baked vegan cheesecake uses aquafaba to bind the ingredients together to help the tofu filling hold its shape while it bakes.

Baked vegan cheesecake

15. Vegan Jaffa Cakes

We always loved finding Jaffa cakes in our lunchbox, and now we can enjoy this simple pleasure once again with this vegan Jaffa cakes recipe! You might think this is one of the trickier aquafaba recipes featured here, but you actually need just 5 ingredients to make them.

Vegan Jaffa cakes

16. Three Tier Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

When you’re looking to impress, this show-stopping three-tiered chocolate cake is guaranteed to wow. With layer upon layer of moist chocolate cake and toasted hazelnuts, it tastes as good as it looks, and thanks to the aquafaba, there’s not an egg in sight.

Three Tier Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

17. Buffalo Cauliflower Wings and Ranch Mayonnaise

In need of some crowd-pleasing finger food? You can’t go wrong with buffalo cauliflower wings! These fiery cauliflower bites are coated in aquafaba batter which makes them wonderfully crispy.

To keep things cool, serve them up with a refreshing ranch mayo made from (you guessed it!)… aquafaba!

Buffalo Cauliflower Wings and Ranch Mayonnaise

18. Apricot & Almond Frangipane Tart

When it comes to vegan pie fillings, the combination of tangy apricots and sweet almonds makes this one of the most delicious ones you’ll ever eat.

You’ll use aquafaba in both the base and the frangipane so it’s a great one to try if you’re new to vegan baking.

Apricot & Almond Frangipane Tart

19. Tropical Vegan Pavlova with Lime & Coconut Whip

Making sure you reserve your chickpea water is well worth it when you have incredible vegan pavlova recipes like this you could make with it.

This recipe has got a tropical twist with coconut cream, lime and passionfruit adding some zesty flavours to balance out the sweetness of the vegan meringue.

Tropical Vegan Pavlova with Lime & Coconut Whip

20. Chocolate Orange Battenberg Cake

Battenberg is a classic cake that’s normally dyed with distinctive pink and yellow-coloured sections. For this vegan battenberg recipe, we’ve put a twist on the traditional version by making it chocolate orange flavour, and it’s even more delicious!

Vegan Chocolate Orange Battenberg Cake

21. Tiramisu

If you like your desserts creamy and full of coffee flavour then this vegan tiramisu should be on your list to make. It has an airy chocolate mousse made with aquafaba a and rich chocolate ganache that makes it so irresistible.

Two glasses of vegan tiramisu

22. Beanie Banger Sarnie with Vegan Aquafaba Mayonnaise

Whisked aquafaba can be used in savoury dishes as well as sweet. This recipe for aquafaba vegan mayonnaise is flavoured with a little garlic and mustard and is the ideal accompaniment to a number of dishes like these banging sausage sandwiches.

Beanie Banger Sarnie with Vegan Aquafaba Mayonnaise

23. Raspberry, Lime & Dark Chocolate Sable Biscuits

These French shortbread cookies are the perfect little snack to nibble on when you’re feeling peckish. They’re crumbly, buttery and dipped in dark chocolate to make them even more delicious.

Raspberry, Lime & Dark Chocolate Sable Biscuits

24. Broccoli & Chive Puff Pots

These mini vegan broccoli and chive soufflés are crunchy on the top, light, fluffy and bursting with flavours inside, this is our version of a soufflé.

Aquafaba helps give them their light, soft texture that you’d expect from a good soufflé.

Vegan Broccoli & Chive Puff Pots made with aquafaba

25. Spaghetti Carbonara with Mushroom ‘Bacon’

When you want an easy dinner, vegan pasta dishes are on hand to save the day. Although a carbonara might seem like a difficult recipe to make vegan, marinated mushrooms make a great vegan bacon alternative.

Spaghetti Carbonara with Mushroom ‘Bacon’

26. Vegan Queen of Puddings with Rhubarb & Ginger

If the thought of the tart flavour of rhubarb makes your mouth water than you must try this vegan take on the classic British dessert.  Stewed rhubarb is flavoured with zesty ginger and topped fluffy meringue to make a dessert that’s both sweet, tart and a little bit fiery all at the same time.

Vegan Queen of Puddings with Rhubarb & Ginger

27. Vegan Eton Mess

Eton mess is a classic British dessert made up of three main elements – crushed meringue, cream and berries. In this vegan version, we’ve used aquafaba in place of egg whites to make the meringue and paired it with sweet Chantilly cream and strawberry sauce. It’s summer in a dessert form!

Vegan Eton Mess

28. Vegan Cauliflower and Chickpea Patties

Aquafaba is the not-so secret ingredient that helps bind the ingredients of these chickpea patties together so they hold together when cooked. These mouth-watering morsels are bursting with the flavours of garlic, turmeric, and garam masala and are perfect for a healthy snack or light lunch.

Vegan Cauliflower and Chickpea Patties

29. Easy Vegan Falafel

Fed up with crumbly falafel that falls apart when baked? Try adding aquafaba to the mix to help them keep their shape.

Easy Vegan Falafel

30. Vegan Apricot and Frangipane Puff Pastry Tarts

These delightful tarts are such a wonderful way to use up any extra aquafaba you have. The crispy, puff pastry tarts are filled with a soft and nutty frangipane filling and a burst of apricot flavour.

Serve them with a big dollop of vegan custard for a truly scrumptious vegan dessert.

Vegan Apricot and Frangipane Puff Pastry Tarts

Now you’ve had a go at making these vegan aquafaba recipes, try these vegan seitan recipes.

Written by

Rachel Smith

Having launched the brand's digital presence in 2015, Rachel shares her love for animals and the planet through her work as Vegan Food & Living’s Digital Editor. As a passionate vegan for over eight years, Rachel loves creating delicious vegan dessert recipes for her award-winning blog, Rawberry Fields. Rachel's recipes and photography have been featured in numerous international print and digital publications including the Daily Mail, Huffington Post, Thrive, and Buzzfeed. You can follow Rachel at @rawberryfields

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