I could go on and on about how much I love and appreciate aquafaba. I’ve used this miracle bean juice to create delicious vegan whipped cream, Swiss meringue buttercream, vegan eclairs, and so much more. Who knew the water from a can of chickpeas could be the ultimate vegan ingredient? There was only one recipe left to tackle to really test out the strength of aquafaba: Vegan Meringues! These fluffy and light cookies are so easy to make using just 4 ingredients. After whipping and baking the cookies, you’ll have a melt-in-your-mouth dessert to make all of your guests happy. You’re going to love these vegan meringues kisses so much! They’re:
Light and airy.Just sweet enough.Easy to make.Crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
What is meringue?
Meringue is traditionally made from whipped egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar. It’s all whipped together to create a stiff, marshmallow-like mixture. After the meringue is baked, it firms up on the outside and stays fluffy and airy on the inside. Vegan meringues are just as easy to make thanks to aquafaba! The water from a can of chickpeas (A.K.A. aquafaba) acts just like egg whites when whipped, making it a simple, plant-based replacement.
How to make vegan meringues
Add the aquafaba and cream of tartar to a large bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the mixture until soft peaks form. Continue beating while you slowly add in the sugar. Add the vanilla and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag. Pipe small circles of meringue cookies onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours. The cookies are done when they’re no longer gooey in the middle and are crisp throughout.
Tips and tricks
Salt or no salt? You can use canned chickpeas with both no salt added and salt added. I usually use low sodium canned chickpeas.No piping bag? No problem! Just add the meringue to a ziploc bag and snip off one of the corners instead. Or simply spoon a tablespoon or two on the pan for each cookie.Cream of tartar – Is necessary to this recipe. When mixed with the aquafaba, the acid from the cream of tartar help the proteins become strong while stabilizing the meringues. Making the parchment stick – Add 4 dots of meringue batter to each corner of the baking sheets. Place the parchment paper on top, with the meringue acting as glue.Sugar free meringues – I don’t recommend replacing the granulated sugar with anything in this recipe. It’s necessary for flavor and stabilization!
Variations
Peppermint meringues – Add a ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract to the meringues for a delicious holiday dessert.Chocolate chip meringues – Fold in about ¾ cup of mini vegan chocolate chips. For extra chocolate, add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder as well.You could also add a little food coloring (vegan friendly, of course) to make a variety of colors.
Frequently asked questions
More tasty vegan cookies
Lemon Shortbread CookiesVegan Snowball CookiesChocolate Crinkle CookiesVegan Ginger Cookies
