Aquafaba is the starchy liquid that beans — especially chickpeas — have been cooked in. It is also the liquid in a can of beans. It can be used many ways. We use it most often as an egg replacer.
Here's everything you need to know. What Is It? Aquafaba is the thick liquid that results from soaking or cooking legumes, such as chickpeas, in water for an extended period of time.
It's called aquafaba, and it's (basically) free! When we refer to aquafaba (as we often do in our cookbook on vegan cooking, Vegan for Everybody), we're talking about the liquid in a can of chickpeas. (We're not talking about the liquid in a can of any other beans.
Health Benefits of Aquafaba
Chickpeas are healthy, and some of the nutrients transfer into the water. Protein and fiber don't transfer over, but you can still benefit from trace amounts of: B vitamins. Folate.
*1 15-ounce (425 g) can of chickpeas typically yields about 1/2 cup (120 ml) aquafaba, which typically whips up into ~2-3 cups aquafaba. *Nutrition information represents one 15-ounce can worth of aquafaba, which has minimal calories.
Aquafaba is bean cooking liquid or the liquid in a can of beans. Most often, when we talk about aquafaba, we are specifically talking about the cooking liquid of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or the liquid in a can of chickpeas.
While aquafaba contains few calories, it does not add significant nutrition. Aquafaba is composed of protein, starches and vegetable gum, but does not contain the same nutritional value as a legume or an egg yolk.
Studies show that regular chickpea consumption can significantly improve total cholesterol and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels (6, 1). Blood pressure can also be improved by regular consumption of chickpeas, which are exceptionally high in potassium, a blood pressure-lowering micronutrient (1).
How Do I Bake With Aquafaba? You can use aquafaba as you would eggs! Here are some tips: Just 1 tablespoon of aquafaba is about the same as one yolk, 2 tablespoons are the same as one egg white, and 3 tablespoons can stand in for the entire egg.
If you are using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them with water to cut the sodium (salt) content by almost a half. Rinse well in cold water to make them easier to digest and less gas-producing.
So what is Aquafaba? It's the juice in a can of beans. That's right. Most people use the liquid from chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or white northern beans for a lighter flavor, but black beans and others can be used, too.
Chickpea proteins, like egg proteins, have parts that hate water and parts that love water. When you shake or beat it, the proteins unravel, so that the water-hating parts interface with air, and the water-loving parts with water. Hence, bubbles and foam.
Great news! Both canned and dried varieties of chickpeas are nutritious! When purchasing canned varieties, look for those labeled "no salt added" or "low in sodium." Overall, beans are budget-friendly, but dried can often be less expensive and also more flavorful than canned.
Aquafaba is bean brine that possesses very similar characteristics to egg whites. Traditionally taken from chickpeas, aquafaba whips up into a meringue-like consistency and provides a gentle, airy lift to various baked goods.
You won't know until you try. One note: The liquid in all canned beans is a mixture of water, salt, and the starch released from the beans themselves. The salt acts as a preservative to keep the beans tasting fresh, which means the liquid is generally very, very salty.
Canned chickpeas are pre-cooked chickpeas. You can eat canned chickpeas straight out of the can! (Just be sure to rinse them off before chowing down to wash out excess sodium) Otherwise, you can roast them or turn them into any number of delicious dishes, like these here.
So, what foods cause gas and bloating? Legumes (beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, broad beans) are at the top of the list of foods that cause bloating. The reason for this is raffinose, a complex carbohydrate composed of glucose, fructose, and galactose.
People should not eat raw chickpeas or other raw pulses, as they can contain toxins and substances that are difficult to digest. Even cooked chickpeas have complex sugars that can be difficult to digest and lead to intestinal gas and discomfort.
Aquafaba Drawbacks
Oligosaccharides, complex sugars that are present in abundance in legumes, are next to impossible to digest by mammals, which often leads to gas, bloating and diarrhoea. Needless to say, bean water is saturated with oligosaccharides.
As it is very poor in nutrients it is definitely not recommended to use and eat it regularly instead of eggs. Aquafaba doesn't contain any notable nutrients and it doesn't have any significant health benefits. NOTE: The only people who can somewhat benefit from aquafaba are people suffering from a PKU.
Or, if you cook beans or chickpeas for a few hours, aquafaba is the water in which the beans or chickpeas were cooked. In other words, aquafaba is a viscous water that is the by-product of cooking the beans. A liquid that can be used as a standalone drink or as a viable source of vegetarian protein.
There are many ways that we can reduce our gassy response to beans for sure, but one of the worst culprits are those oligosaccharides, which seep into the cooking water. When we use aquafaba, we are using the part that is probably going to make us the most tooty.
History of Aquafaba
Wohlt found that the liquid from garbanzo beans, or chickpeas, could be whipped and used as an egg replacer. He called the bean liquid aquafaba, a combination of the Latin words aqua (water) and faba (beans). Out of nowhere, a trend to use the liquid from cooked beans of all kinds was born.