Why you should not throw away the chickpeas water

You soak chickpeas to cook them or drain the water from canned chickpeas, and most people do not realise the uses for this water. A liquid full of health benefits is poured down the drain as waste. We will show you how you can use the water to make vegan alternatives to mayonnaise and meringues. Aquafaba or Chickpea water can be used as a vegan alternative to egg whites as well.

Make Your Own Chickpea Water

You can make your own chickpea water at home. Making chickpea water does take little time but is not labour-intensive. You simply soak the chickpeas in water for 4 to 7 hours. After the chickpeas are soaked, drain the liquid and keep it. You can use the same water to boil the chickpeas. After you have boiled the chickpeas, keep the liquid.

The Health Benefits of Aquafaba

Before we get into the fun stuff of making different things with chickpea water, let’s have a look at the health benefits. There are several vitamins and minerals that you need to keep your body healthy. Chickpeas water is rich in vitamin B, folate, iron, phosphorous and healthy fats. All these minerals are in this precious water, which we usually throw down the drain.

Vegan Egg White Substitute

The nutritional properties of chickpeas water are very similar to those of egg whites. Therefore, chickpeas water is a great addition to help balance your diet if you do not eat animal products.

Vegan Meringues

Just because you do not eat eggs does not mean you can’t enjoy the light and fluffy meringues. Here’s a recipe for you to try:

You will need:

• 6 Tablespoons of Aquafaba or chickpea water (about half the drained liquid from 1 can of chickpeas)
• ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar
• ½ Cup (100 grams) of plain white sugar
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Try to get natural extract instead of essence. The taste is more decadent, and fewer chemicals make it healthier.

What you need to do:

• In a clean mixing bowl, put chickpea water and cream of tartar. Beat the water and cream of tartar with your electric mixer. Start at a slow speed until the Aquafaba becomes foamy. Then, increase the speed of the mixer gradually until you get stiff peaks. Now, add your sugar slowly while whipping the mixture. Next, add in vanilla extract and keep beating until you get glossy and stiff peaks.
• Preheat your oven to 250°F or 121° C. Use parchment paper to line your baking tray. Use a piping bag to pipe the mixture onto the baking sheet, or you can use a spoon to level the mixture onto the tray.
• Put your baking sheet into the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Do not disturb the meringues, do not open the oven, let them cook for 45 minutes. Do not open the oven after 45 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave it for a further 60 minutes. You can take the meringues out of the oven afterwards.
• Keep your vegan-friendly meringues in an air-tight container for long-lasting results.