Ingredients:
- 1 (1-pound) package Camellia Cannellini Beans (or Camellia Large Limas, Navy Beans, Great Northerns or Black Beans)
- 6 cups water, plus extra as needed
Directions:
- Rinse beans thoroughly, then place in a clean, medium-size cooking pot. (Important: the pot must be free of any oil or oil residue, as oil will break down the aquafaba and render it useless.)
- Cover beans with water and soak for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. (Add extra water if needed – just enough to keep beans covered while soaking.)
- Transfer pot of soaked beans to stove and bring to a boil over high heat for 10 minutes, then cover and reduce to a low simmer, allowing beans to cook until tender, approximately 2 hours. (Time can vary depending on type of bean; refer to package instructions.) Beans should continue to be submerged; add small amount of water if necessary.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked beans from pot and allow remaining liquid (this is the aquafaba) to cool. You should have about 2 cups of aquafaba, with a viscosity (thickness) that is slightly looser than egg whites. If you have more than 2 cups and/or the liquid seems too thin, place the liquid back in the pot and boil over medium-high heat to reduce it to a consistency closer to egg whites, approximately 10-25 minutes (depending on the volume of liquid).
- Allow aquafaba to cool before use. Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 7 days or freeze for up to a month.
For Whipped Aquafaba:
- Allow aquafaba to cool completely in the refrigerator.
- Add aquafaba and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Whip on high speed until you achieve desired stiffness of peaks, about 5 minutes for semi-soft peaks and 10-15 minutes for stiff peaks.
- Whipped aquafaba can be covered and stored in refrigerator for up to 2 days but is best when used immediately.
Tips and Advice:
- Always use an extra-clean, unoiled bowl and utensils for aquafaba recipes. Oils interact poorly with the aquafaba, particularly if you’ll be whipping it later on
- As a general rule, 3 tablespoons of aquafaba is equal to one whole egg, while 2 tablespoons is equal to one egg white.
- Use an ice-cube tray to freeze individual servings of aquafaba for future use.
- Do not ever salt or season your beans while cooking them for the aquafaba!
- When making any kind of whipped aquafaba, cream of tartar helps to make stiffer peaks a greater possibility.