The thrilling story of Aquafaba
...that no-one asked to hear!
Buckle up, we’re journeying into the cloudy world of bean water…
Ok, so the title is over—egging things, but I’m keen to share what aquafaba is, and how you can use it, so why not a little hyperbole to draw you in, dear reader?
Before 2014, you see, people like me just used to pour the water that chickpeas (garbanzos) came in down the sink. Or, if you cooked them at home, what was left in the pan also went down the sink.
But then, a French ténor and keen vegan chef, Joël Roessel, experimented with the liquid from canned beans as part of his interest in vegan cooking. He noted its ability to mimic egg whites when whipped, which led him to develop early recipes using this innovative ingredient. Dare I say this was a high note of his career?
Interestingly, I wonder what happened prior to 2014 with the gloopy stuff from chickpeas. It’s a bit like the story of how sandwiches got their name — when John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, a keen gambler, didn’t want to leave his card game, he asked a servant to slap a bit of meat between two slices of bread, and bingo, that became a sandwich. But how ridiculous to believe that no one had thought of doing that before!
And that’s not quite as arrogant of the naming of the game of rugby, named after the UK town, where Rugby School boy William Webb Ellis picked up a football during a normal football game in 1823, and ran forwards with it towards the goal…as if no one had thought of running around carrying a ball before! Credit where it’s due of course, the school was instrumental in laying down the rules of the game in 1845, creating the modern game we know and love today.
Anyway, I digress. I told you this was an exciting journey. Aquafaba. Latin for bean water, because, you know, bean water doesn’t sound very glamorous and probably makes you think of farts.
I think it’s now pretty well known in vegan circles, but remains quite obscure otherwise. And I feel like I ranted here previously that you can now buy tiny non—recyclable pots of aquafaba in the supermarket. Yes, that’s right — you can *buy* a carton of the gloop beans are cooked in. FFS!
Back to Msr. Roessel, whose culinary tinkering spawned an industry. While he shared his aquafaba recipes online in December 2014, possibly as a Christmas treat for vegans, he didn’t actually coin the term, that came later. He probably called it “eau de haricot" or possibly even "eau de pet".
His blog, Revolution Vegetale, http://www.revolutionvegetale.com/en, explores the potential of aquafaba, with great excitement, but it loses something (well, a lot) in translation, and my French barely goes beyond asking where a ruler is and demanding a window is closed.
For example, take a look at his ‘vegetable foam’ page. It’s worrying, in that he does casually mention if you’re looking to create aquafaba at home, ensure you boil the beans for the first ten minutes of cooking (and then simmer for ages), otherwise the cooking water will kill you, basically.
He doesn’t quite get as far as explaining — to an idiot like me — what his ‘foams’ might be used for, but I assume these foamy lumps can be used for meringues and mousses. All credit to Joel for his experimentation though, he’s up there with all the legendary tenors like Pavarotti and Freddie Mercury, as far as I’m concerned.
But a quick jaunt back into the history of chickpea gloop. The fascinatingly—monikered Goose Wohlt, an American software engineer and vegan, is attributed with further popularising aquafaba in 2015 by refining its use in recipes like meringues and sharing these developments widely on social media.
Joel and Goose’s keen experimentation sparked a culinary revolution, as aquafaba today is something of a staple for vegan and allergy-friendly baking.
However, if you’re like me, you keep on keeping the watery stuff from cans and pans, bung it in the fridge and then either forget about it, or wonder what the heck to do with it. Fear no more, here’s some ideas, and further down, recipes.
Before aquafaba received its exalted name and status, people used it as a starter for soups and stews, or as a thickener, and I recall reading somewhere it’s great to water your plants with.
Packed with nutrients like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, plus trace minerals like calcium and magnesium, aquafaba can act as a natural fertilizer, you see, giving your plants a gentle growth boost. Its organic compounds enrich the soil microbiome, fostering happy, healthy roots while reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. The key is to dilute it (1 part aquafaba to 10 parts water) and ensure it’s from unsalted chickpeas—plants don’t love salt as much as you might. Just sprinkle this liquid gold sparingly to avoid overfeeding or attracting pests.
And just like tofu water, you can use it as part of your skincare routine. Just remember to use if fresh, it doesn’t last long, and no—one wants you smelling like a rotting chickpea!
To make a face mask, mix aquafaba with ingredients like oatmeal or aloe vera for a nourishing and hydrating mask. Or use diluted aquafaba to cleanse your skin, especially if you prefer a mild, natural alternative to traditional cleansers. You could add a few drops of essential oil (like lavender) to diluted aquafaba and use it as a refreshing toner.
I’m no expert in beauty treatments, but isn’t it better to put something natural and real on your face rather than chemicals with made up names?
Phew. I told you it was going to be exciting. You probably need a lay down now, right? But first, check out the aquafaba—inspired recipes below.
RECIPES
Vegan Mayonnaise
Now then. This is a black hole if you start reading about it online. I’ve wasted waaaay too much good oil in trying to create this, and I’ve given up. It never seems to work. If you make a good version, please share it. Mayo is one of those ingredients I don’t like buying from the supermarket, as the plant—based versions seem full of chemicals, and don’t get me started on those ridiculous squeezy bottles that always leave half the product in them.
Top tip: My research suggests it’s best practice here to use a really good hand blender/ immersion blender, and ensure you only add the oil in a very slow drizzle. Some people time it. Four hands helps, of course, so grow some more or get a friend involved — one who is ok with the risk of being covered in gloop. I’ve had a few bowl skidding disasters trying to blend, add the oil, and keep the mixing bowl in place. Stick your bowl on a tea towel, or glue it to the counter. A good blender comes with its own special cup thing, of course, but I don’t have one of those.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp aquafaba
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
½ tsp salt
1 cup neutral oil (e.g., sunflower or canola)
Preparation:
In a blender or food processor, combine aquafaba, mustard, vinegar, and salt.
Blend on medium speed while slowly adding the oil in a thin stream.
Continue blending until the mixture emulsifies and thickens like mayonnaise.
Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.
Vegan Chocolate Mousse
This is a quick easy win when you fancy some sort of pudding but can’t be bothered. Just note the two hour ‘setting’ time — so maybe make this the night before or at lunchtime, ready for after dinner.
Ingredients:
½ cup aquafaba
1 cup dark chocolate (vegan, melted and cooled slightly)
2 tbsp sugar or maple syrup (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation:
Whisk aquafaba in a large bowl using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form (about 5-7 minutes).
Gently fold in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract, being careful not to deflate the mixture.
Divide into serving glasses and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until set.
Vegan Pancakes
I’ll just leave this earworm here. If you sing along, just replace the work ‘bacon’ with ‘vegan’, of course.
Ingredients:
1½ cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup plant-based milk
3 tbsp aquafaba
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation:
In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and sugar.
Whisk aquafaba, plant-based milk, and vanilla in another bowl.
Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed (don’t overmix).
Heat a non-stick pan, pour batter in small rounds, and cook until bubbles form. Flip and cook until golden brown.
Vegan Meringues
Another holy grail of vegan cooking, meringues are up there with Yorkshire Puddings on my list of things-to-try-and-cook-but-more-often-mess-up-than-not.
Ingredients:
½ cup aquafaba
½ cup sugar
½ tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Beat aquafaba and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
Gradually add sugar, a spoonful at a time, while continuing to whisk.
Add vanilla extract and mix until glossy and smooth.
Pipe or spoon onto the baking tray and bake for 90 minutes. Turn off the oven and let cool inside.
Vegan Caesar Dressing
Why did Cleopatra blush? Because she saw Caesar dressing…
Ingredients:
2 tbsp aquafaba
1 clove minced garlic
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Blend aquafaba, garlic, nutritional yeast, mustard, and lemon juice in a blender.
While blending, slowly drizzle in olive oil until the dressing thickens slightly.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Use as a dressing for salads or a dip for veggies.
Stuff You Should Know — And Care About
Animal charity or marketing company?
Ed Boks over at Animal Politics shares some great thoughts about Los Angeles’ proud claims to be a no—kill city when it comes to strays, but rising euthanasia rates for dogs (74%) and cats (17%) since 2023 have raised concerns about the sustainability of Best Friends Animal Society’s approach. Critics question the organisation’s financial transparency, noting that much of its reported $75 million investment may have been in-kind services rather than direct support for shelters. Only 6% of its $216 million revenue in 2023 was granted to partner organisations, fuelling doubts about priorities, especially with high executive compensation.
The farmer from Babe asks Egypt to stop animal abuse
Actor and Academy Award nominee James Cromwell (above, you know, him) — well known for his vegan advocacy — recently sent an urgent letter to Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities, Sherif Fathy, calling on him to take immediate action to end the abuse of camels and horses, forced to haul tourists at the pyramids of Giza in sweltering heat.
In the letter, Cromwell notes that the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities promised meaningful changes after a 2019 PETA Asia investigation first exposed egregious animal abuse at the country’s top tourist sites. Yet PETA Asia’s latest investigation documented that handlers violently whipped exhausted horses in front of tourists they had been forced to haul in the blistering sun – with no access to food, rest, adequate shade, or proper veterinary care! Injured and malnourished horses were seen eating from rubbish dumps, and the bodies of dead horses were found discarded every day at waste sites outside the pyramids of Giza.
Hero the Basset Hound: Courtesy of the Humane Society
Abandoned dog, Hero, saves 38 other animals and is then adopted
An old story now, but Good News Hub reported a remarkable tale of animal heroism, after a 10-year-old Basset Hound, now named Hero, ran away from her neglectful home and saved tens of other animals. She escaped wearing an ID tag that led animal control officers to a house inNorth Carolina with 38 animals in dire need of rescue. Hero sparked a rescue effort that saved 36 dogs, a chicken, and a cat from a life of neglect and suffering, and has now been adopted. I needed to read this!
CAUSE OF THE WEEK
Every purchase is a climate decision. Shop with purpose, because the planet pays the price for mindless consumption.
I ranted about Black Friday in a note on Substack recently. I’d urge all you lovely readers to snub it. The event, not my note, that is! We are beginning to drown in a sea of unwanted junk, and developed nations hide the size of the problem — and their unrecyclable recycling — by shipping it off to rot or be burnt in developing nations.
So why not rebrand it Back Friday? A day to give back. Sort out your wardrobes, your cupboards, and donate to charity, offer stuff to neighbours or others, and choose not to buy anything. If you do, shop locally, and don’t help line the pockets of billionaires.
Here’s some facts, just on fashion:
100 billion new garments are produced annually around the world
The worldwide fashion industry is responsible for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions
The UN Environment Programme estimates that today people buy 60% more clothes and wear them for half as long
Around 20% of worldwide industrial wastewater pollution is from the fashion industry
It takes around 2,700 litres of water to make one cotton shirt
Of all the clothing thrown away across the world 57% is sent to landfill
25% of global clothing waste is incinerated
Clothes made using synthetic fibres such as polyester and acrylic are responsible for more than 60% of global apparel purchases
Synthetic fibres take 80 to 800 times longer to decompose than natural fibres like cotton
Source: https://www.businesswaste.co.uk/your-waste/textile-recycling/fashion-waste-facts-and-statistics/
Who knew the history of bean water could be so interesting?
Nice post. The chocolate mousse sounds amazing!