I have another killer holiday recipe for you guys – vegan aquafaba Christmas tree meringues! Made with aquafaba!!
These meringues go perfectly with a warm coffee on a snowy day or as garnishes on a delicious Yule log! They are perfect to make this time of year because there is a lot less humidity, which is the nemesis of meringue!
The technique takes a small amount of practice, and a fairly long time in the oven, but I’ll walk you through all the steps so that you can make your own perfect vegan meringues. These meringues only require 4 ingredients – aquafaba, sugar, cream of tartar (or lemon juice) and food colouring!
How long do meringue cookies last?
These cookies will last up to 2 weeks kept in an airtight container at room temperature. I have had them last as long as 1 – 2 months but it’s preferable to eat them sooner.
How do you know when the meringues are done?
A gentle nudge of the meringue in the oven should reveal if they are ready. Ideally we are looking for them to lift off the mat with ease. Don’t forget to let them cool completely before taking them out the oven!
Top tips for vegan meringue:
- Wipe down your mixing bowl with white vinegar before whipping up aquafaba. Not only does this do a good job of cleaning the bowl, the meringue benefits from the acidity found in the vinegar.
- To add the cream of tartar, take a small amount of aquafaba and place in a separate bowl with the cream of tartar. Whisk vigorously and then add back into the larger bowl. By mixing it in a separate bowl, it’s a lot easier to get it to fully blend into the liquid instead of floating around in chunks.
- Be conservative with any flavourings. Vegan meringue is water-based and any additional hydration will weaken the meringue. This is why we prefer cream of tartar over lemon juice or white vinegar (both strong acids that can be used as subs if necessary).
- As mentioned above, once the meringues are baked, turn the oven off and let them cool completely. This prevents cracking and will make sure they are super crisp and dry.
If you’re looking to make more sophisticated meringue shapes this is a good base recipe that you can use to get started. Feel free to add vanilla extract or other flavourings once you’re confident with the base recipe.
Despite the simple recipe, I’ve given a lot of detail in the recipe so as to avoid easy mistakes. Enjoy!
For this recipe you’ll need:
- a piping bag with open star nozzle – if you prefer not to use silicon or fabric bags please do use biodegradable or compostable piping bags!
- electric whisk or stand mixer
- silicone mat or parchment paper
- accurate scales to weigh aquafaba after simmering
Aquafaba Christmas Tree Meringues
Vegan aquafaba Christmas tree meringues are the perfect holiday treat! Crunchy, sugary deliciousness - these little kisses can be flavoured with all your favourite holiday flavours.
Ingredients
- 150g aquafaba (2 cans of 400g chickpeas, unsalted)
- 100g fine caster sugar
- 150g icing sugar
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 2 drops green gel food colouring
- (optional) peppermint extract
Directions
- Step 1 Pour the contents of the cans of chickpeas into a measuring cup through a sieve to collect the liquid (aquafaba). You will need at least 250ml and no more than 350ml.
- Step 2 Pour the aquafaba into a pan and use a low heat to bring the liquid to a simmer. Keep stirring every few minutes and reduce the liquid for 15 minutes in total. We are aiming to reduce the liquid by half to 150ml.
- Step 3 Once reduced, pour it into a measuring cup to check it has been reduced to 150ml (a hot liquid will let off some steam so it’s good to aim for 160ml and the liquid will reduce further while it cools).
- Step 4 Leave to cool until room temperature.
- Step 5 Line a baking tray with parchment and pre-heat the oven to 80C (176F).
- Step 6 Once cool, put the aquafaba in a stand mixer bowl with the cream of tartar and beat on medium for 10 minutes.
- Step 7 Once you reach soft peaks, start sieving in the caster sugar one spoon at a time. Then allow the meringue to whip up for a further 3 minutes.
- Step 8 Once you reach firm peaks, start adding in the icing sugar. We use icing sugar here because it’s a very dry sugar and it will counter some of the excess moisture.
- Step 9 Add 2 drops of green food colouring. Optionally, add some peppermint extract.
- Step 10 Fit a piping 10mm open star tip or similar. Add the meringue into the piping bag.
- Step 11 Pipe towers of meringue to resemble the Christmas trees.
- Step 12 Decorate with sprinkles to look like baubles.
- Step 13 Put the meringues in the oven to dehydrate for 2 hours. Leave to cool overnight. If they are still too soft, bake for a further 30mins.
- Step 14 Serve!
Just found you on Tiktok!! These were so fun to make thanks for the recpie!!!
I haven’t tried these trees yet but I made the pumpkins and they turned out so well!! Thank you for the recipe!!!