Magic Egg-Free Meringues
We genuinely could not believe these were egg-free the first time we made them. Crisp, cloud-like meringues with that perfect chewy centre, and they're made with chickpea water of all things. It sounds mad, we know, but trust us on this one. They're light, sweet, and just a little bit magical, which is exactly why we called them that. If you want to impress someone at a dinner party without any fuss, these are the ones to make.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Stand mixer
- Large baking tray lined with parchment paper
- Chilled coconut cream
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- water from 1 can of chickpeas
- 60g caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 240ml coconut cream - chilled
- 30g icing sugar
- strawberries
- raspberries
- passionfruit
Method
To make the meringue
- Put the chickpea water & cream of tartar in a stand mixer & spin them until the cream begins to thicken
- Add the caster sugar into the bowl & mix until the cream is thick like whipped cream
Bake the meringue
- Spoon 4 individually sized parts of the mixture on to a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and bake them for 2 hours 20 minutes
Finish the meringues
- Take the meringues out of the oven and let them cool down to room temperature
Make the cream
- Put the coconut cream ingredients in the mixer and whip them up into a thick cream
Time to serve
- Spread the coconut cream over the top of the meringues, decorate with fruit & serve immediately. BOSH!
Tips & Variations
- Use cold aquafaba: We find this works really well when the chickpea water is chilled before you whip it. It holds more air and gets to stiff peaks much faster.
- Add sugar slowly: Don't dump all the caster sugar in at once. Add it gradually while the mixer is running and you'll get a much glossier, more stable meringue.
- Leave them in the oven to cool: Once the bake time is up, turn the oven off and leave the meringues inside with the door slightly ajar. This stops them cracking from a sudden change in temperature.
Why This Works
The trick here is the aquafaba, the liquid from a tin of chickpeas. It whips up just like egg whites and holds its structure brilliantly when you add the cream of tartar, which stabilises the whole thing. The long, slow bake is what gives you that crisp shell with a soft, marshmallowy middle. Don't rush it and don't open the oven door early.