Aquafaba is the starchy, slightly viscous liquid left over when you cook chickpeas or open a can of them. It whips, foams, and emulsifies much like egg whites, making it a popular egg substitute in vegan and allergy-friendly cooking. A tablespoon contains just 3 to 5 calories, with less than 1% of that coming from protein.
Why Bean Water Acts Like Egg Whites
The magic of aquafaba comes down to its chemistry. When chickpeas cook, proteins, carbohydrates, saponins, and other plant compounds leach into the surrounding water. These dissolved solids, though present in small amounts (roughly 1 to 3% protein and about 2% carbohydrates), interact with each other to trap air bubbles and stabilize them, the same basic job that egg-white proteins do when you whisk them into stiff peaks.
Saponins deserve special mention. These naturally occurring plant compounds are excellent foaming agents. Combined with the proteins and starches in the liquid, they create a network that holds air in place long enough to bake a meringue, mousse, or sponge cake. The result is remarkably close to what you’d get with eggs, both in texture and structure.
How It Was Discovered
Aquafaba’s potential was uncovered almost by accident in 2014 and 2015 through the independent experiments of Joël Roessel, a French singer, and Goose Wohlt, an American software engineer. Both discovered that whipping this bean liquid with sugar produced convincing meringue. Wohlt posted his results online, and a Facebook group called “Vegan Meringue: Hits and Misses” ran with the idea, testing and refining recipes. The name itself is a straightforward combination of the Latin words for water (aqua) and bean (faba).
Which Legumes Work Best
Chickpea liquid is the gold standard, but it’s not the only option. White beans, red kidney beans, and black chickpeas all produce usable aquafaba. Performance varies, though. In lab testing, white chickpea aquafaba had the highest foam stability at about 92%, with black chickpea close behind at roughly 87%. Red kidney bean aquafaba foamed noticeably less, reaching only about half the foam capacity of the chickpea versions.
Color matters too. White chickpea and white bean liquids are pale and neutral, so they won’t tint your recipe. Red bean or black chickpea liquid will add color that could be unwelcome in a white meringue but perfectly fine in chocolate mousse or darker baked goods. For most general-purpose baking, plain canned chickpea liquid (drained straight from the can, no rinsing) is the easiest and most reliable choice.
Egg Substitution Ratios
The standard conversions are simple:
- 1 whole egg: 3 tablespoons of aquafaba
- 1 egg white: 2 tablespoons
- 1 egg yolk: 1 tablespoon
These ratios work well in most baking recipes, from cookies and cakes to waffles and pancakes. For whipped applications like meringue or marshmallow fluff, you’ll typically want to use the liquid from canned chickpeas rather than homemade, because the canning process concentrates the solids more consistently. If your homemade version seems too thin, simmer it on the stove until it reduces to roughly the viscosity of egg whites.
What You Can Make With It
Aquafaba is surprisingly versatile. Whipped on its own with sugar, it produces meringue cookies, pavlova, and even macarons. Unwhipped, it works as a binder in baked goods, replacing the structural role of eggs in muffins, quick breads, and brownies. It also emulsifies fats and liquids together, which means you can use it to make vegan mayonnaise, butter, or creamy salad dressings. Some bartenders even use it as a substitute for egg white in cocktails like whiskey sours and pisco sours, where it creates the same silky foam on top of the drink.
Nutrition at a Glance
Aquafaba is not a meaningful source of any nutrient. One tablespoon delivers 3 to 5 calories, negligible protein, and trace amounts of minerals like calcium and iron that are too small to count toward your daily intake. This is actually part of its appeal for people watching their calorie or cholesterol intake, since a single egg contains about 70 calories and 186 milligrams of cholesterol. For anyone using aquafaba purely as a functional ingredient in cooking, its nutritional emptiness is a feature, not a bug.
Storage and Shelf Life
Fresh aquafaba keeps in the refrigerator for up to five days, though it can start separating after just 24 hours. A quick shake or stir brings it back together. For longer storage, pour it into ice cube trays in 2-tablespoon portions and freeze. Once frozen solid, pop the cubes into a bag and store them for several months. When you need aquafaba, let a cube or two thaw at room temperature before using. This approach prevents waste, since most people don’t need an entire can’s worth of liquid at once.
Powdered Aquafaba
Commercial producers have started making dried aquafaba powder for convenience and shelf stability. The process typically involves concentrating the liquid through reverse osmosis, then drying it using freeze drying or spray drying. Research from South Dakota State University found that spray-dried and concentrated versions produced cakes and cookies with the best quality and texture compared to other drying methods. Foam stability remained consistent across most processing techniques, with spray drying being the one exception where foaming performance dipped slightly. These powders reconstitute with water, giving you aquafaba on demand without needing to open a can of chickpeas.