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Aquafaba: Sweet and Savory Vegan Recipes Made Egg-Free with the Magic of Bean Water
This groundbreaking cookbook is the first to explore the many uses for aquafaba – a miraculous plant-based egg replacement made from simple bean liquid.
The bean liquid we used to throw away turns out to be one of the most astonishing culinary discoveries of the decade. With its amazing egg-replacement abilities, miraculous "aquafaba" can be used as an egg-replacer to make everything from French toast to lemon meringue pie. Aquafaba can be used as a binder in both sweet and savory recipes and is a boon to vegans, people with egg allergies, as well as anyone interested in innovative cooking with a magical new ingredient.
Aquafaba includes the story of how the bean liquid properties were discovered, how to use it, and how to make fabulous recipes,
Aquafaba can even be used to make dairy-free cheese, ice cream, butter, and so much more. The book also includes a chapter filled with recipes that use the chickpeas and beans that remain after using their liquid to make aquafaba.
The latest title by San-Diego-based author Zsu Dever (author of Vegan Bowls and Everday Vegan Eats ), Aquafab a features Zsu's signature photography, her easy-to-follow instructions, and metric conversion charts.
The bean liquid we used to throw away turns out to be one of the most astonishing culinary discoveries of the decade. With its amazing egg-replacement abilities, miraculous "aquafaba" can be used as an egg-replacer to make everything from French toast to lemon meringue pie. Aquafaba can be used as a binder in both sweet and savory recipes and is a boon to vegans, people with egg allergies, as well as anyone interested in innovative cooking with a magical new ingredient.
Aquafaba includes the story of how the bean liquid properties were discovered, how to use it, and how to make fabulous recipes,
Aquafaba can even be used to make dairy-free cheese, ice cream, butter, and so much more. The book also includes a chapter filled with recipes that use the chickpeas and beans that remain after using their liquid to make aquafaba.
The latest title by San-Diego-based author Zsu Dever (author of Vegan Bowls and Everday Vegan Eats ), Aquafab a features Zsu's signature photography, her easy-to-follow instructions, and metric conversion charts.
192 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2016
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97 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 27, 2018
If you love vegan baking and desserts, this book is a must.
September 24, 2017
Not a 'health-conscious' book at all. "Vegan' does not equal "healthy". The book's main focus is sweets based on plenty of sugar or high-fructose agave syrup.
The writer has not spent time in a health-seeking philosophy, but is a restaurant chef by training. This means: ignorant of the lack of nutritional value in aquafaba, and of the destructive nature of sugar/high fructose corn/agave syrups, ignorant of the destructive nature of GMOs, ignorant of the nutritional requirements to compensate for vegan dietary choices.
This book stands tall in the health-compromising saddle.
Aquafaba has been tested for food value: http://aquafaba.com/nutrition.html. Negligible amounts of sodium/calcium were found.
Basically Aquafaba is an innocuous, non-nutritive water from soaking/cooking beans. It can be whipped into a minutely-textured foam. Not the sudsy foam of a soda, the crystalline froth of egg white, the heavy froth of whipped soy oil, or the smoothness of whipped cream. This product produces a dense, flavorless foam, a neutrality which might be useful in any number of applications.
According to most of the web sites out there dealing with this material, the most popular target-use for aquafaba is as a means of providing a new fun form for putting lots of sugar into the body. Mostly in merengues - online Merengue research has developed a great following. Aquafaba foam behaves well in the presence of sugar.
Given current and past volumes of research, studies, and other information about destruction of health by consuming sugar, along with U.S. obesity and diabetes rates - and associated dental and bone losses, the idea of anything 'healthy' based on sugar, whether in a bean-water-whip or not, seems ludicrous.
And given the enhanced nutritional needs of vegan dietary choices, nutrient-dense foods are essential, not refined carbs.
Theoretically, aquafaba could be used as an egg white substitute, but it has a limited range - it hasn't the body to withstand folding into dry goods or contact with salt. Many people use gums, starches, or thickeners to compensate. Its use as a savory ingredient is limited, as evidenced also in this book. The only type of use it stands up to well is - merengues. and only one place on the Web did I find someone experimenting with somewhat healthy ingredients to make aquafaba recipes.
But it was a disappointment for me - sweet recipes are everywhere on the web, and I was hoping for something savory without resorting to GMO starches (In the U.S., tapioca, potato, corn starches are GMO unless organic.) or synthetic gums.
The bottom line?
If your idea of a fun time is to 'go vegan' but not 'go healthy'; if your 'go vegan' intention includes feeding yourself and children on sugar-rich food-substitutes instead of actual nourishment, then this book definitely can bring you some fun recipes to try out.
The writer has not spent time in a health-seeking philosophy, but is a restaurant chef by training. This means: ignorant of the lack of nutritional value in aquafaba, and of the destructive nature of sugar/high fructose corn/agave syrups, ignorant of the destructive nature of GMOs, ignorant of the nutritional requirements to compensate for vegan dietary choices.
This book stands tall in the health-compromising saddle.
Aquafaba has been tested for food value: http://aquafaba.com/nutrition.html. Negligible amounts of sodium/calcium were found.
Basically Aquafaba is an innocuous, non-nutritive water from soaking/cooking beans. It can be whipped into a minutely-textured foam. Not the sudsy foam of a soda, the crystalline froth of egg white, the heavy froth of whipped soy oil, or the smoothness of whipped cream. This product produces a dense, flavorless foam, a neutrality which might be useful in any number of applications.
According to most of the web sites out there dealing with this material, the most popular target-use for aquafaba is as a means of providing a new fun form for putting lots of sugar into the body. Mostly in merengues - online Merengue research has developed a great following. Aquafaba foam behaves well in the presence of sugar.
Given current and past volumes of research, studies, and other information about destruction of health by consuming sugar, along with U.S. obesity and diabetes rates - and associated dental and bone losses, the idea of anything 'healthy' based on sugar, whether in a bean-water-whip or not, seems ludicrous.
And given the enhanced nutritional needs of vegan dietary choices, nutrient-dense foods are essential, not refined carbs.
Theoretically, aquafaba could be used as an egg white substitute, but it has a limited range - it hasn't the body to withstand folding into dry goods or contact with salt. Many people use gums, starches, or thickeners to compensate. Its use as a savory ingredient is limited, as evidenced also in this book. The only type of use it stands up to well is - merengues. and only one place on the Web did I find someone experimenting with somewhat healthy ingredients to make aquafaba recipes.
But it was a disappointment for me - sweet recipes are everywhere on the web, and I was hoping for something savory without resorting to GMO starches (In the U.S., tapioca, potato, corn starches are GMO unless organic.) or synthetic gums.
The bottom line?
If your idea of a fun time is to 'go vegan' but not 'go healthy'; if your 'go vegan' intention includes feeding yourself and children on sugar-rich food-substitutes instead of actual nourishment, then this book definitely can bring you some fun recipes to try out.
December 6, 2016
Excellent resource. Make sure to FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS, especially on the order of evens. Yup. Very important. Otherwise you'll come up with some interesting results. Edible results, but not necessarily aesthetically pleasing.
December 28, 2024
A Christmas Gift
It was my year to make meringue cookies. Having perfected them using egg whites (which I did not really want to use), imagine my surprise to learn they could be made with bean juice in a dehydrator. Making them became an obsession, and then I found this truly amazing book. Aquafaba from sweet to savory. It is truly a Christmas miracle and the best Christmas gift of all. The Magic of Bean Water says it all.
It was my year to make meringue cookies. Having perfected them using egg whites (which I did not really want to use), imagine my surprise to learn they could be made with bean juice in a dehydrator. Making them became an obsession, and then I found this truly amazing book. Aquafaba from sweet to savory. It is truly a Christmas miracle and the best Christmas gift of all. The Magic of Bean Water says it all.
May 14, 2018
This a fantastic, professionally written and very comprehensive book on Aquafaba. I wish I’d bought it back when I first started experimenting with aquafaba—the extremely well tested recipes, detailed instructions and helpful tips ensure success. Zsu Dever is obviously a professional chef who undertands the science behind making recipes work. Highly recommended.
January 25, 2025
Amazing book and recipes!
As the mother of children who decided they were vegetarian very young, finding acceptable recipes with real food ingredients has been difficult. This book brings together so many cultures and cooking techniques it’s like a world tour! I’m buying this for my kid, they’ll love it
As the mother of children who decided they were vegetarian very young, finding acceptable recipes with real food ingredients has been difficult. This book brings together so many cultures and cooking techniques it’s like a world tour! I’m buying this for my kid, they’ll love it
January 21, 2018
Excellent, clear instructions. Have tried two recipes so far out of the book and the macarons were perfect. Should be in every vegan (or egg-free, in my case) kitchen.
May 11, 2021
Lots of dessert recipes, which we don't make, so it doesn't get much use in our house.
December 15, 2021
So many ideas but every time I save the magic bean water I forget to use it.
May 4, 2021
I had read in several sources about using aquafaba as a substitute for egg whites. This is the book that opens that door. Many both basic and advanaced uses and recpes.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews