{"id":836024,"date":"2025-03-22T17:13:04","date_gmt":"2025-03-22T22:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/22\/all-the-ways-chickpea-liquid-can-replace-eggs-in-dessert-recipes\/"},"modified":"2025-03-22T17:13:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T22:13:04","slug":"all-the-ways-chickpea-liquid-can-replace-eggs-in-dessert-recipes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/22\/all-the-ways-chickpea-liquid-can-replace-eggs-in-dessert-recipes\/","title":{"rendered":"All the Ways Chickpea Liquid Can Replace Eggs in Dessert Recipes"},"content":{"rendered":"

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You can save grocery money and still make your meringue cookies.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann<\/span>\n <\/p>\n

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While I\u2019ve known about the aquafaba (chickpea brining liquid) hack for a while, I\u2019ve always thought of it more for folks with food allergies. Why would I, a happy egg eater, ever need<\/em> to use it to replace eggs? Well, here we are. Egg prices don\u2019t seem to be coming down anytime soon, and if you\u2019re as reliant on the ovum as I am, you may be looking for ways to cut costs. While I\u2019ll still be splurging on the real thing for perfect, jar-scrambled eggs<\/u><\/a>, I\u2019ll be using aquafaba for these other egg-related recipes.<\/p>\n

Chickpea liquid gets its magical binding properties from the starches that leach out of the bean and into the brine. When cooked, the water evaporates and you\u2019re left with the starches, salt, and traces of other ingredients bound together in a sticky sort of web. I boiled some straight-up chickpea liquid in a pan to see. <\/p>\n

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When the water evaporates, chickpea liquid leaves behind a net of starches and other ingredients.<\/span>
\n Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Is it an egg? Decidedly not. While a thin sheet of cooked, slightly browned starch doesn\u2019t look so impressive, it actually shows us what this simple liquid is capable of. Do note, however, that salt varies considerably in cans of chickpea liquid. When using it in baking, taste the aquafaba, and if it\u2019s very salty, reduce the salt in the recipe by a quarter-teaspoon per two \u201ceggs\u201d in the recipe.<\/p>\n

Use aquafaba in batters<\/h2>\n

Binding is a big part of why eggs go in cookie dough and cake batters, and luckily aquafaba can function in this way. What aquafaba doesn\u2019t<\/em> do naturally that eggs do, is puff. Even if you don\u2019t whip an egg, it has some body to it after it cooks. Chickpea liquid doesn\u2019t naturally have the same consistency, but this challenge is not impossible to overcome. Aquafaba whips up pretty easily and manages to hold that aeration. (More on that in a moment)<\/p>\n

For batters where you don\u2019t need to see much puff in your baked goods, like brownies, you can pour aquafaba straight into the batter. For one whole large egg, use three tablespoons of aquafaba.<\/strong> For one egg white, use two tablespoons of aquafaba.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

For batters and doughs where you\u2019d like to see a little lift, whip the amount of aquafaba you\u2019re using in a small bowl. Just whip it until its soft and foamy; stiff peaks aren\u2019t necessary for this use. Then mix it into the dough as usual during the egg step. This bit of aeration will give your cookies a mounded shape and the average cake batter a smidge of lift. While it might be an annoying extra five to 10 minutes of your time, it\u2019s worth it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Use aquafaba for meringue<\/h2>\n

Typical meringue consists of only two major ingredients: egg whites and sugar. And frankly, it\u2019s only meringue because the egg whites do all the heavy lifting. And yet, aquafaba can make it happen. Again, I\u2019ve never been heavily reliant on this bean syrup, but it\u2019s never let me down when I whip it up.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Egg or otherwise, no meringue lasts very long unless you stabilize it in some manner. Always whip aquafaba with a small amount of cream of tartar to give you more time to work with the whipped meringue. For every cup of aquafaba, use a half-teaspoon of cream of tartar<\/strong> to help stabilize the structure. Whip the two together until the mixture becomes foamy on top, about three to five minutes, then add the sugar and whip it until the mixture has stiff peaks. Use this meringue to make meringue cookies, pavlovas, or fold it into other batters for maximum lift.<\/p>\n

Use aquafaba for egg wash<\/h2>\n

Egg wash is one of the most understated baking techniques. Adding an egg wash can help seal together pies and pastries so they don\u2019t explode, and it can add color and shine to the exterior of breads and countless other treats. While sour cream<\/u><\/a> makes a good exterior egg wash, it doesn\u2019t do much for binding. Aquafaba is here to help though. Simply brush the liquid onto the pastry or bread how you would normally do with eggs and get on with the recipe. You won\u2019t taste any off flavors, but you might get a tickle of salt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Allie Chanthorn Reinmann<\/p>\n

Food Editor<\/p>\n

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Allie has been Lifehacker\u2019s Food Writer since 2021. She earned her bachelor\u2019s degree at Ithaca College in drama and studied at the Institute of Culinary Education to earn her diploma in Pastry and Baking Arts. Allie worked professionally as a private chef for over a decade, honing her craft in New York at places like Balthazar, Bien Cuit, The Chocolate Room, Billy\u2019s Bakery, and Whole Foods. She spent evenings as a chef instructor, and also earned a master\u2019s degree at Hunter College for teaching English. Allie\u2019s YouTube channel, Thainybites<\/a>, features recipes and baking tricks. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read Allie’s full bio<\/a><\/p>\n