Vegan Meringue Kisses

These adorable vegan meringue kisses are perfectly light and crisp making them perfect for desserts like Eton mess or as a topping for cakes. Get the recipe below.

Turning aquafaba into meringue

Is there anything more magical than taking chickpea water (aka aquafaba) and turning it into white, crisp meringue?

It requires so few ingredients and with a bit of practice you too can make these adorable meringue kisses.

I like to use these in Eton mess recipes, to top cakes or to give as a gift. They are a really versatile confectionery.

Ingredients

Let me walk you through the steps so that you too can turn aquafaba into meringue. But first we need to get our ingredients together:

Aquafaba
Cream of tartar
Caster sugar
Vanilla paste

Step-by-step Instructions

If you're familiar with making egg white meringue you might be surprised to know that the method for making vegan meringue is very similar. Just follow these simple steps:

Aquafaba and cream of tartar in a metal mixing bowl

Step 1: add the aquafaba and cream of tartar to a clean mixing bowl.

Step 2: Using an electric whisk, beat the aquafaba and cream of tartar until you have soft peaks.

Uncooked vegan meringue in a metal mixing bowl

Step 3: Continue to whisk adding 1 tablespoon of caster sugar at a time until it has formed thick, glossy stiff peaks

Uncooked vegan meringue with vanilla paste in a meta mixing bowl

Step 4: Whisk in the vanilla paste

Vegan meringue kisses ready for the oven

Step 5: Using a large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, pipe meringue kisses on to a baking sheet lined with baking paper

Step 6: Bake in the centre of the oven at 90C for 1.5 hours or until crisp and they come away from the baking paper easily.

Substitutions

Making vegan meringue is a silence. The only substitution for this recipe is lemon juice in place of the cream of tartar as they are both acidic.

Variations

Vegan meringue is very delicate so you can't make too many changes to the recipe, but freeze dried fruit powders are a great way of adding flavour and you can use gel food colouring to change their colour.

Equpiment

For this recipe you'll need a mixing bowl, an electric whisk (whisking by hand just won't cut it!) and a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.

Storage

Vegan meringue is at its best right after it has been baked. This is because they go soft much quicker than egg white meringues.

If you don't intend to eat them straight away then make sure you store them in an air tight container and keep them somewhere cool until you do want to use them.

Top tips when making vegan meringue kisses

Clean your equipment with vinegar

This tip may sound a little odd but there is a good reason behind it. Grease is the enemy of meringue. If there's even the smallest spot of grease on your bowl or whisk then your aquafaba just won't whisk stiff enough to make nice firm meringue.

You can get rid of any residual crease by wiping your equipment with a little distilled white vinegar.

Keep whisking until you've got stiff peaks

If you find yourself wondering why your vegan meringue collapsed in the oven then under whisking is probably answer.

You need to keep whisking the aquafaba until you have stiff peaks.

You should even be able to turn the bowl upside down and the mixture remain in the bowl!

Add your sugar slowly

I recommend adding your sugar just one tablespoon at a time and whisk for up to a minute before adding the next lot. That makes sure that it's fully incorporated before you add the next lot of sugar.

Feel for graininess

If you're not sure when to add the next spoonful of sugar, you can check the mix for graininess. If it feels at all grainy you should keep whisking before adding any more.

Pipe your vegan meringue mix immediately after whipping

You can't hang about when making vegan meringue. The mixture will collapse if it's left out too long so get piping as soon as it's made.

Leave vegan meringue kisses to cool in the oven

By leaving them to cool in the oven you are letting them dry out even further, but you're also preventing moisture from getting to them.

If moisture does get to them they will go soft and chewy.

Your vegan meringues should come off of the baking paper easily

You will know that your meringue kisses are properly cooked as they will peel off the baking paper really easily. If they are stuck at all this is a sign that they need longer in the oven otherwise they will still be soft and sticky inside.

FAQs

What is aquafaba?

Aquafaba is a liquid that can be used as a substitute for egg whites in vegan cooking.
It is the water in which chickpeas or other beans have been cooked in. You can use the water straight out of a tin of cooked beans or chickpeas, or buy it in cartons (for example Oggs).
Here we use aquafaba straight from the tin. 1x 400g tin of chickpeas should yield about 120ml of aquafaba, perfect for this recipe.
When whipped, aquafaba gets really light and fluffy.

What is cream of tartar?

Cream of tartar (also known as potassium bitartrate) is a fine, white powder that is used in cooking (amongst other things).
It is commonly used in cooking to stabilise egg whites or to prevent sugar cystalisation.
In this recipe cream or tartar is used to stabilise the aquafaba.
It can be found in the baking aisle, usually alongside the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
It's quite acidic so both vinegar and lemon juice can be used as a substitute.

Do I have to use caster sugar?

Yes. Caster sugar dissolves more easily than granulated sugar. You can't use any sugar substitutes here.

The recipe