Description
This Vegan Italian Meringue recipe creates a fluffy, glossy, and stable meringue using aquafaba, the liquid from cooked chickpeas, as an egg white substitute. Perfect for topping desserts like brownies and baked Alaska, this meringue is a fantastic egg-free alternative that whips up with sugar syrup to achieve the classic Italian meringue texture and stability.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegan Italian Meringue
- 234 g aquafaba (liquid from chickpeas, see notes)
- 200 g caster sugar
- 60 ml water
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Reduce the Aquafaba: Add the aquafaba to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer gently, checking after about 5 minutes until it has reduced to half a cup. Continue simmering if necessary. Once reduced, pour into a jar and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
- Whip Aquafaba with Cream of Tartar: Ensure a large bowl is clean, dry, and grease-free. Add the chilled reduced aquafaba and cream of tartar and whisk on high speed for about 10 minutes until soft peaks form.
- Prepare Sugar Syrup: In a separate saucepan, combine caster sugar and water, stir gently, and let it sit for a minute until it forms a sugar paste.
- Cook Sugar Syrup: Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and allow the syrup to simmer without stirring. Monitor the temperature with a candy thermometer until it reaches 116°C (240°F), which usually takes 10-12 minutes.
- Incorporate Sugar Syrup: Slowly drizzle the hot sugar syrup into the whipped aquafaba while continuing to whisk, ensuring it is fully incorporated.
- Final Whisking: Continue whisking the mixture for another 5 minutes to achieve a glossy, stable meringue.
- Use or Store: Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with your preferred nozzle and use immediately as a topping for desserts such as brownies or baked Alaska. Alternatively, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before use.
Notes
- Reducing aquafaba helps concentrate the proteins for better whipping and stability.
- Use a clean, dry bowl free of grease to achieve maximum volume when whisking aquafaba.
- Do not stir the sugar syrup while it is heating to ensure proper crystallization.
- The cream of tartar stabilizes the aquafaba foam and helps maintain structure.
- Vegan Italian meringue can be stored refrigerated for up to 24 hours but is best used fresh for optimal texture.
