• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs
  • About
    • Press
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

The Aquafaba revolution and a Vegan Lemon Meringue pie recipe

December 14, 2015 2 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegan

aquafaba vegan lemon meringue pie
aquafaba vegan lemon meringue pie

My book V is for Vegan came out in April this year. Just as it went to print in late 2014, I started to hear about a new vegan technique referred to as aquafaba, a term coined by American software engineer Goose Wohlt. It entails using bean water as an egg white replacement – you can, for instance, make a vegan meringue from leftover chickpea water. It sounds incredible, mind-bogglingly weird. But it is this sort of innovative approach that originally attracted me to writing about veganism: restriction promotes creativity.
So it’s taken me all year to actually have a go at this myself. This week I used a can of chickpeas, drained it, used the garbanzos to make hummus and whipped the remainder (around 170ml to 200ml of liquid) with 200g of caster sugar to make meringue. And it worked. I just dumped both into my stand mixer with a whisk attachment and watched. After five minutes I had a bowl full of firm fluffy white meringue. I tasted it: no bean taste at all. I tried a dollop on a silpat in the oven which twenty minutes later turned into a perfect crispy little meringue.

My first Aquafaba recipe is for Lemon Meringue Pie, which is a favourite of mine. This vegan version is very light, almost mousse-like. My non-vegan parents actually preferred the vegan version to the normal pie. This is a first draught of the recipe and I’m going to work on it a bit more because as you can see in the top photo, the crust collapsed a little bit but it does taste delicious, really moreish.
Other aquafaba tips:

  • You can keep your aquafaba meringue for a few days in the fridge. If it starts to separate, just whip it up again.
  • 30ml aquafabs is 1 medium egg white to 40ml of aquafaba is equivalent to 1 large egg white. 45ml aquafaba is one egg.
  • I used approximately 1:1 but if you want stiffer meringues use more sugar, up to 1:2
  • Aquafaba replaces egg whites but The Vegg (as recommended in my book) is still best for yolks.
  • You can use any bean water for this, I’ve also heard you can use tofu water/whey (my next experiment) for similar results. 
  • Certain brands of beans/chickpeas work better than others. I used a Tesco’s own brand tin. 
  • If using raw beans/chickpeas, you don’t want the water from the soaking but the water from the cooking. Remember, beans in tins are already cooked.
  • I’ve made vegan meringue from egg replacer (a pavlova is in my book V is for Vegan) which was not bad but isn’t as good as aquafaba
  • You can also make meringue from flax seed eggs (20g ground flax seed soaked in water) but you can’t cook it. You can cook aquafaba.
  • You can make meringue, macarons, mozzarella, yorkshire pudding, chocolate ganache, swiss rolls, in breads, cakes, cookies, royal icing, butter cream icing, whipped cream (add cream of tartar), egg wash, all sorts of stuff.

If you want the classic non-vegan version of Lemon Meringue Pie, follow this link to my piece on the House and Garden site.

Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie:

For the pastry:
75ml olive oil, placed in the freezer a couple of hours before you come to bake
250g plain flour
50g icing sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
50ml approximately of iced water

For the curd:
There are several vegan curd recipes, I used one with silken tofu adapted from this site.You don’t have to use the yellow food colouring, but otherwise this recipe is rather pale (remember egg yolks add to the colour in the non-vegan recipe).

300g silken tofu (from Clearspring)
75g coconut butter, melted
200g caster sugar
zest of 4 lemons
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
30g of agar agar powder (flakes would be fine too)
Juice of 4 lemons
1/2 tsp yellow food colouring

For the meringue:
Liquid from 1 400ml can of chickpeas
200g caster sugar
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Method

For the pastry:
Freeze the olive oil in a plastic container. Then, using a stand mixer with a beater attachment, or a large bowl and two knives, work the oil into the flour, icing sugar and salt, then gradually add the water until you have a pliable but not sticky dough. Mix or press together until you have a ball. Flatten it into a disk, cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Butter the pastry tin, bottom and sides. Remove the pastry from the fridge and unwrap it. Using quarter turns, roll out a circle 2cm thick and approximately 28cm diameter, on a clean countertop. Lifting the circle with your rolling pin, drape it over the pastry tin, pressing it into the sides carefully so as not to tear it.
Put a layer of tin foil into the pie tin and then fill it with baking beans for you are going to bake it blind.
Place in the oven on a middle shelf for around 15 minutes then remove the foil and beans ( I just lift up the foil on both sides with the beans inside). Bake for another ten minutes.

In the meantime, make the curd:
In a Vitamix or powerful blender, blend the tofu, liquid coconut butter, sugar and vanilla extract together on a low speed then gradually raise the speed to 10 or full power and blend for a few minutes. (I now use a Vitamix to make non-vegan curd also, it’s so much quicker.)
Put the lemon juice and agar agar into a medium pan on to a low heat and stir continuously until the agar has melted (taking care not to let the mixture boil). Add the lemon/agar mixture to the blender and process, starting low and going to full speed, for a few minutes. Then add enough yellow food colouring until you have the shade you want.
Remove the pie base from the oven and let the pie cool. Pour the curd into the tart, spreading it evenly. Any excess curd can be put into a glass jar and kept in the fridge. You can use it on toast or whatever, but it’s actually really good as a vegan lemon syllabub.
Put it in the fridge and let it cool.


For the meringue: 
Add the chickpea juice the sugar, the vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on maximum speed for up to ten minutes or when the mixture is stiff.
Using a rubber spatula, spread the meringue thickly over the lemon curd pie, making sure you have nice peaks.
Bake for another five to ten minutes or until the peaks are slightly golden. But if you have a blow torch, use that instead of rebaking it.
Remove from the oven and let it cool.

aquafaba vegan meringue

Recent posts

latua pasta meal kit pic:Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

How hospitality has pivoted to survive the Covid lockdown: meal kits, zoom tastings and a delivery supper club

March 5, 2021

Japanese sweet potatoes

February 28, 2021

kosho pic: Kerstin rodgers/msmarmitelover.com

New citrus recipes: using bergamot, blood orange, yuzu and pomelo

February 6, 2021

Previous Post: « 20 things you must eat in Catania, Sicily
Next Post: White nectarines for Christmas (including a special aquafaba vegan recipe) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Louise

    February 1, 2016 at 12:08 pm

    So no sugar in the meringue ? I ask because I just tried making aquafaba meringue and got stiff peaks which collapsed when I added sugar.

    Reply
    • Kerstin Rodgers aka MsMarmiteLover

      February 1, 2016 at 7:31 pm

      "whipped the remainder (around 170ml to 200ml of liquid) with 200g of caster sugar to make meringue."
      Yes there should be sugar. I put approximately 1:1 ratio. It shouldn't collapse. It has never collapsed with me.
      Make sure your bowl is clean and free of any grease?

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
I had one leek, one potato, but that’s enough to I had one leek, one potato, but that’s enough to make a leek & potato soup. I added garlic, rosé & Parmesan. I made a storecupboard salad from a cucumber & a tin of sweet corn. (Always have sweet corn in your pantry- it makes a tomato/sweet corn salad, or a tuna sweet corn salad or Thai style corn fritters) which I dressed with lemon juice & avocado oil. I also made garlic bread: a tiger loaf sliced almost to the bottom- room temp butter mixed with salt & minced garlic- wrap in foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. A simple leftovers lunch.  #leftovers #lockdownlunch #london #pantryessentials #soup #sweetcorn #garlicbread #supperclub #covidcooking #bubblelunch
Couscous and bulghur wheat are so brilliant when i Couscous and bulghur wheat are so brilliant when it comes to quick lunches. Especially if you bung them in the rice steamer. They take literally minutes to cook and are fluffy and perfectly done. I mixed in a tin of tuna and some preserved lemon, a few spring onions and a little tahini dressing. Served with a carrot and mandarin salad. I’m trying to use up the bottom drawer of my fridge and dried goods in my pantry before I do more shopping. Preserved lemons are one of my pantry essentials.  #pescetarian #couscous #ricesteamer #lockdownlarder #supperclub #lunchformybubble #londonlockdown
Baked cauliflower ‘wings’ for lunch. Easy. Bre Baked cauliflower ‘wings’ for lunch. Easy. Break into florets. Dip into batter of flour and fizzy water with sweet smoked paprika and salt. Lay on oven tray ( covered with parchment or silpat) and bake for 30 mins in hot oven. Then brush with butter and bake for another 5 mins or so. I served with a dipping sauce of yoghurt and lime marinade from @granluchito and more salt. #vegan #vegetarian #cauliflower #supperclubchef #recipe #5aday #lockdownlunch #baked #cauliflowerwings
Today I made tofish and chips for my bubble. My da Today I made tofish and chips for my bubble. My daughter and her boyfriend are working here everyday while their new flat upstairs is having the builders in. I like it because I have someone to cook for and I get a bit of company. Although in reality it’s 3 people sitting silently at their laptops all day. Today I did hear the high court session where a woman has sued Labour to find out the names of people who leaked a report. Anyway tofish is marinated firm tofu with one side covered with nori kelp and deep fried in batter. It really does taste fishy, and the nori looks like fish skin. Will do again. #supperclubchef #londonlunch #vegan #tofishandchips #tofurecipes #deepfried #handcutchips #homecooked #recipeoftheday
Another #lockdownlife activity, learning to darn. Another #lockdownlife activity, learning to darn. This red wool cardigan was shredded by moths. I’m trying both visible and invisible mending. The sleeve I darned in the traditional way. The holes I edged with embroidery cotton, making a feature of ‘moth lace’. All v Prince Charles don’t you think? He’s into patching and saving old clothes.  #visiblemending #darning #moths #longlonelynights #covid #lockdown #recycling #upcycling #ecofashion #redcardigan
Did that internet recipe doing the rounds- baked f Did that internet recipe doing the rounds- baked feta with tomatoes. I added red peppers, olive oil, garlic. Bake for 20 minutes then mix together - the feta forks a creamy sauce. Stir in freshly cooked pasta. Basta! #easyovenrecipes #bakedfetaandtomatoes #bakedfetapasta #supperclub #londonlockdown #coronacooking #vegetarian #justaddpasta #bakedfetacheese
Making thin crepes with lemon and sugar and banana Making thin crepes with lemon and sugar and banana and maple syrup. Using a cast iron crêpière I bought in a french supermarket years ago. For lunch we had savoury crepes with cheese and garlic. Apparently savoury crepes are ‘ middle class’! Who knew? #pancakes #pancakeday #shrovetuesday #crepes #bananapancakes🍌 #supperclub #londonlockdown #eatingwithmybubble
I’m cooking a lot of Asian food right now. It’ I’m cooking a lot of Asian food right now. It’s quick, hearty, tasty and healthy at the same time. Here I cubed leftover firm tofu, the whites of spring onions, mushroom stems, red pepper fried in groundnut oil, a little garlic, run out of ginger, some chilli bean sauce leftover from a jar, some soy sauce, a little teriyaki sauce from @misotasty . Then I boiled black soba noodles for 5 minutes, rinsed them in cold water, slung them back in the stir fry pan al dente. Another 5 minutes on the stovetop, I served them with the green parts of the spring onion, and a squirt of Yuzu paste from @misotasty. Served as a quick office lunch to my ‘son-in-law’ @jamescalmus who is here working while builders make an unholy noise in the flat above. My daughter and he will be moving in above when the work is done at the end of March. It’s scary buying a place for the first time- and dealing with builders- and blowing the last of your money. I remember when I bought my second flat, I was so broke I couldn’t afford a bed, and slept on the carpet for 3 months. #moving #firsthome #london #supperclub #mybubble #asianfusion #sobanoodles #tofurecipes #homecooked #lockdownlife
Heart shaped pasta parcels stuffed with cheese fro Heart shaped pasta parcels stuffed with cheese from @latuapasta one of the meal kits I’ve been trying recently. It comes with a jar of tomato sauce. The perfect dish for a nervous cook trying to impress a love. Myself I’m a corona loner as per usual. It’s ok, I’m used to it. Post- menopause I don’t have the longing I used to experience which made me needy and desperate with regards to ‘having a relationship’. Yes it does get lonely but actually I also feel a kind of relief. Happy Valentine’s Day to those who have romantic love and an even happier v day to those who don’t...
#valentines #valentinesday #vday #mealkits #foodoflove #freshpasta #valentinesdinnerathome #london #supperclub
Another Facebook marketplace find- this gorgeous g Another Facebook marketplace find- this gorgeous green velvet armchair which is also very comfortable-£50. The fire is lit 🔥 my broken ankle is propped up and I’ve a lovely cup of tea. #facebookmarketplace #recycling #upcycle #interiors #edwardianflat #londoninteriors #cosyhome #supperclub #greenvelvet #velvetarmchair #interiorsonthecheap
Pomelo candied peel is so fragrant. Instructions: Pomelo candied peel is so fragrant. Instructions: pare off the zest in longish strips, making sure there is no white pith. Then cover the peel with cold water, bring to the boil, then drain. Repeat this step twice more. This gets rid of the bitterness.  Then add 200g caster sugar and 400ml water to the peel. Simmer until the peel has absorbed all of the syrup. Then pour granulated sugar into a bowl; prepare a rack with parchment paper underneath to catch drips. Carefully extract each strand of peel and dip it into the sugar, then lay on the rack to dry out. Leave the peel 24 hours. Keep any sugar left over from the pan, and bowl, which will be lemon/pomelo scented, to use in baking. #supperclub #citrus #pomelo #candiedpeel #recipe #baking #lockdownlife #covidcooking #slowcooking #londonlife
My lady cave, my she shed, my recycled summerhouse My lady cave, my she shed, my recycled summerhouse. I’m going in for #shedoftheyear !
Everything made from stuff found in skips. #london #shed #shedlife #lockdown2021 #woodburner #bedinshed #throughtheroundwindow #supperclub #recycled #dumpsterdiver #ecobuilding
Black pepper firm tofu from @misotasty who are now Black pepper firm tofu from @misotasty who are now doing craft tofu. You fry the tofu cubes in cornflour then make a rich sauce with red pepper and black pepper, garnish with spring onions. Yet another fab thing to do with tofu! #tofurevangelist #tofurecipes #supperclub #blackpeppertofu #chinesenewyear #yearoftheox #chinesefood #covidcooking #lockdownlarder #vegetarian
Hot and sour soup with soft tofu from @misotasty j Hot and sour soup with soft tofu from @misotasty just the thing for a snowy day. Ate this on Sunday with my bubble. Persuading people that tofu is good to eat one meal at a time!  #tofu #tofurecipes #hotandsoursoup #soup #winterfood #supperclub #londonchef #homemade #recipes #vegan #vegetarian link to recipe: http://secret-garden-club.blogspot.com/2013/02/herbs-jackie-magazine-and-hot-and-sour.html?m=1
Japanese sweet potatoes from Miyazaki. They are th Japanese sweet potatoes from Miyazaki. They are the best I’ve ever had- small, dense, fluffy silky and sweet. I baked them in the oven and served with smoked trout and creme fraiche from @natoora “ Sweet potato is highly nutritious. It is high in fiber and will activate your intestinal system, and a white sticky substance “jalapin” that can be found when sliced, will help with digestion and help regulate your intestinal environment. Since its antioxidative vitamin C and antioxidative carotenoid are not lost by heating the sweet potato, experts say it is good for health and beauty. “ #sundaylunch #supperclub #sweetpotatoes #smokedtrout #pescetarian #japaneseingredients #oyatsuimo #miyazaki #yaki-Imo
Pomelo, cucumber and gadogado peanut dressing. So Pomelo, cucumber and gadogado peanut dressing. So refreshing! Pomelo is, along with mandarins and Citron, one of the original citrus fruit from which many others were bred. It’s rather like a grapefruit ( which bred with bitter orange, is a descendant) but sweeter, firmer, drier and more meaty in texture. It’s quite a pfaff to prepare as you have to take all the membrane and pith off- that’s the bitter bit. The pith can be turned into a poor mans cutlet, a Cuban steak, when times are tough. The peel can be candied. this citrus lasts a long time in the fruit bowl. #citrus #citrusrecipes #pomelo #wintersalads #gadogado #peanutdressing #supperclub #lockdownrecipes  #saturdaylunch #februaryfood #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes
Flammkuche is a kind of German or alsacien pizza- Flammkuche is a kind of German or alsacien pizza- very thin. I got this flammkuche with a topping of nutmeggy bechamel, mushrooms, mozzarella & pesto as a #mealkit from @amelie_restaurants. Even the keenest cooks get sick of their own food! It’s really delicious and quick to prepare. #flammkuchen #pizza #vegetarian #lockdown2021 #lockdownfood #foodsolutions #covid_19 #newnormal #dinnerin10minutes #londonlife
Blood orange, fennel and dill salad with mustard d Blood orange, fennel and dill salad with mustard dressing. Easy peasy winter citrus salad. Best to use a mandolin to shave the fennel. #supperclub #covidmenu #citrus #bloodorange #wintersalad #lockdownlarder #valentinesday❤️ 💛💚🧡
Tarte au bergamote 💛done with puff pastry rathe Tarte au bergamote 💛done with puff pastry rather than shortcrust because that’s what I had ready made and hurty ankle meant I didn’t have wherewithal to make own pastry. I used zest and juice of a bergamot and zest and juice of 2 lemons 🍋. This bergamot I actually grew! #bergamot #citrus #tarte #tarteaucitron #supperclub #winterdesserts #sour #sharp #sweet #lockdownfood #covidcookery 💛💛💛
Made kosho with my incredibly expensive @natoora Y Made kosho with my incredibly expensive @natoora Yuzu (£12.80!) using the zest, 1 deseeded green chilli and some @maldonsalt in the pestle and mortar. It’s good to sprinkle on rice, noodles, soup. #condiments #citrus #yuzu #japanesefood #londonchef #supperclub #yellowfood #winterfood #seasonal #chilli #msmarmitelover
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2021 msmarmitelover