These vegan aquafaba meringue cookies may look fancy, but they're super easy to make. You only need 5 staple ingredients and about 15 minutes of prep to make these beautiful melt-in-your-mouth cookies!
Can you believe we're under a month away from Valentine's Day? If you're looking for a festive treat to make, get excited with me. These vegan meringue cookies are perfect... for so many reasons!
While they look incredibly fancy, these vegan meringue cookies are CHEAP to make. I kind of hate to admit that, but it's true. You get a lot of bang for your buck with this recipe, making it perfect for Valentine's Day or the holidays when you want to show everyone a little extra love and appreciation.
Like traditional egg based meringues, these aquafaba meringue cookies are also pretty easy to make. We'll be subbing the egg whites for a not-so-secret ingredient (aquafaba), but more on that later. And, of course, they're delicious - there's nothing quite like a melt-in-your-mouth meringue!
Why you need to make this vegan meringue cookies this Valentine's Day:
They're exceptionally pretty, if I may say so myself!
They are cost effective - they maybe cost $1 to make?
The recipe yields a TON - probably enough for 10-12 gift bags for your closest friends!
You only need FIVE ingredients, which you probably already have on hand anyways!
They're allergy-friendly, so almost anyone can enjoy them!
And, last but not least, they're DELISH!
What is aquafaba exactly?
I polled you all over on Instagram and about half of you are new to aquafaba. I am excited to introduce you to this mindblowing, FREE ingredient. Aquafaba is chickpea brine. You know the liquid in a can of chickpeas? That is what aquafaba is. So stop throwing it out! And, before you dismiss this special ingredient, just know that you won't be able to taste chickpeas once it's baked, so stay with me!
It's a relatively new discovery in vegan cooking (since 2014), but has been a total game changer. Without going into the chemistry behind aquafaba, just know that it acts similarly to egg whites.
In a traditional meringue recipe you whip egg whites to stiff peaks. For this recipe, we'll replace the eggs whites with chickpea water. The process and result is virtually identical - crazy, right!?
Adding color to the meringues
For the meringues pictured, I leaned on mother nature with beetroot powder. Yes, the powder does taste like beets, but the flavor will be overpowered by the sugar, so don't worry!
Take 4 teaspoons of the beetroot powder and add 1 teaspoons of water and mix until it forms a smooth paste. Using a spoon, make two vertical streaks down your piping bag, on opposite sides. To the best that you can, try to make the streaks even without letting the paste clump at the bottom. Here's a helpful video if you need a visual.
Alternatively, you can add the paste directly into the meringue to make it light pink or you can use any other coloring or no coloring at all. It's really up to you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an electric mixer to make these aquafaba meringue cookies?
Technically, you can use a hand whisk but that will take longer and require more energy. If you have a hand mixer or stand mixer, that's ideal.
How do I know what stiff peaks are vs soft peaks?
To test if you have stiff vs soft peaks, turn your mixer off and pull the whisk out. You'll see it forms a "beak" of meringue at the end of it. If the "beak" starts to fold over, it's soft. If it stays upright, it's stiff. When I was first learning technique, I found this video really helpful.
If I don't have a piping bag, can I still make this recipe?
Absolutely! You can use a ziplock bag and cut the corner off - I've heard that works really well! Alternatively, you don't have to pipe these out like I did, you could also just use a spoon and make other shapes. If you are looking to pipe, this is the piping kit I have and love (and it's under $9)!
If I use regular dye, how much should I add?
I haven't tried this recipe with traditional dye, but 1-2 drops should probably suffice. Just make sure you have enough dye to draw those 2 vertical stripes down the piping bag. Or add the dye directly to the meringue if you want one color.
Do you have any natural sprinkle brands you really like?
I've heard really great things about Supernatural Sprinkles and they have a ton of festive options for all ocassions.
MORE VEGAN COOKIE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE:
Healthy chocolate peppermint cookies
Skillet Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookie
Vegan Meringue Cookies
These vegan aquafaba meringue cookies may look fancy, but they’re super easy to make. You only need 5 staple ingredients and about 15 minutes of prep to make these beautiful melt-in-your-mouth cookies!
Ingredients
- ½ cup (120g) aquafaba
- ¼ teaspoon white vinegar (or cream of tartar)
- ½ cup (115g) cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- (optional) 4 teaspoon beetroot powder
- (optional) 1 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 225F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silpat.
- Clean your mixing bowl and whisk with a splash of white vinegar.
- Add the aquafaba (should be about 1 can) and ¼ teaspoon white vinegar to bowl and whip on medium high until you reach stiff peaks, about 8-9 minutes.
- Gradually add the cane sugar and whip until smooth and glossy.
- Add the vanilla and mix just until combined, about 10 seconds.
- (Optional) Stir the beetroot powder and water in a small bowl until a smooth paste forms. Using half of the paste, make 2 vertical streaks down the piping bag, on opposite sides. This will give you the two-toned meringue cookies.
- Carefully add half of the meringue to the piping bag. Pipe a tiny amount of meringue under each of the 4 corners of the parchment to make sure it is secure.
- Pipe about 30 meringue cookies onto the parchment.
- When your piping bag is empty, add more of the beetroot coloring and the remaining meringue. Continue piping the cookies until there is no more meringue left.
- Top with sprinkles, edible flowers, or whatever else you have handy.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes. Let cool before removing from the tray.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
*Add sugar gradually otherwise you can break the meringue
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 60 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
Leave a Reply