The Strangest Vegan Meringues (Aquafaba is a real thing!)

One of my instagram friends shared some cool knowledge in her stories the other day which was using the liquid from a can of garbanzo beans (yum!) and turning it into fluffy, pillowy-soft marshmallowy meringue. This strange “ingredient” I soon learned was called aquafaba and it something people following a vegan diet use in various recipes. What the what?! I was so intrigued I got right up off the couch and decided to try it. I’d been meaning to roast up some crispy garbanzo beans as a snack anyway so that was the perfect excuse. I was going to dump the liquid down the drain regardless, right? After getting a quick ratio of ingredients from pinterest (a fairly consistent 1 can liquid to 1 and 1/4 cups powdered sugar ratio) I tossed it all in the stand mixer to see what would happen. I added a few pinches of cream of tartar and a splash of vanilla and waited. After about 20 minutes of whipping (it did take forever) the contents of the bowl had turned into thick, rich, soft peak-forming meringue! I was so excited.

Fast forward to actually trying them… they’re definitely odd. They had a strange taste (husband says they taste like bean juice but two out of three girls and I couldn’t stop eating them ha) but had a perfect texture which makes me think they’d be more successful with stronger flavors – lemon juice and zest maybe? Or mint chocolate chip? Espresso, amaretto? They were so easy that it’s surely worth another try. (Click here for my traditional meringue recipe.)