Chocolate Vegan Meringue
Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, this egg-free Chocolate Vegan Meringue is light as air. These melted chocolate swirls are fun to make and even more rewarding to munch down on!
If you’ve never worked with aquafaba before, then release your inner pastry chef and try this chocolate vegan meringue recipe. But what is aquafaba? It’s an incredible no waste, vegan ingredient that has the ability to mimic functional properties of egg whites. This makes it the perfect replacement for them in some recipes, including meringues and marshmallows. It’s super easy to find, simply drain the brine from a tin of chickpeas, and voila, you’ve got aquafaba!
While it can be a bit technical, you’ll need only 5 ingredients and 45 minutes to prep. And don’t worry, we’ll help every step of the way. Just make sure you read our tips before you get baking to make sure you end up with the perfect fluffy meringue.
Essential Tips for Success:
- Go slow – you must add the sugar incrementally over 20 minutes on the highest setting of your stand mixer. Trust me. Put a Netflix series on, and settle in.
- Don’t skip the lemon juice – this gives the mixture its strength, and prevents the baked meringues from collapsing.
- Use a super clean and dry glass or metal bowl – fat and water are the enemy here, and plastic bowls can lead to undesirable results.
- Cook the meringue slowly – 100°C and no higher
- Let the meringues cool in the oven – drying the meringues out slowly will limit the chances of them cracking and collapsing in the middle. If you have a few cracks, don’t worry, they will still taste amazing.
- Use dark chocolate – the less fat in the chocolate the better, to avoid a melted mess in the oven.
Make it your own:
While the steps and ingredients shouldn’t be changed, you can still have fun with these. Pipe smaller meringue kisses to create a sweet gift for friends and family, or decorate them with chocolate sauce or sprinkle with nuts. If you manage to resist the temptation to eat them all, then they can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry space for up to 1 month.
These meringues are also perfect if you want to make pavlovas. Head over to our website to give our vegan mini pavlova recipe a try. And if you give these a try, be sure to let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo #theculinarycartel on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. Watch the full video here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this gluten-free?
This dish is gluten free! Enjoy!
Can I use liquid from other tinned beans?
This works best with chickpea liquid.
What is Aquafaba?
Aquafaba is an incredible vegan ingredient that has the ability to mimic functional properties of egg whites. This makes it the perfect replacement for them in some recipes, including meringues and marshmallows.
Why didn’t my meringues work?
Be sure to read the Essential Tips For Success to see where mistakes can happen.
Chocolate Vegan Meringue
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 - 12 Meringues
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, this egg-free Chocolate Vegan Meringue is light as air. These melted chocolate swirls are fun to make and even more rewarding to munch down on!
Ingredients
- 1 tin Chickpeas
- 3/4 cup (156g) White sugar
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp Lemon juice
- 80g Vegan dark chocolate, melted
- small handful roasted flaked almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 100°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Drain the chickpeas, reserving ½ a cup of liquid from the tin. Pour the chickpea liquid into a bowl and add the lemon juice. Save the chickpeas for another use (like our smokey, saucy chickpeas or loaded vegan hummus plate).
- Beat the mixture using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. This means the mixture can hold its shape, and when you remove the beater from the mixture an upright fluffy white peak should appear.
- Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, over 16 minutes beating continuously at a medium-high speed. Add your last bit of sugar at the 16 minute mark. Beat the meringue for 4 more minutes so the sugar fully dissolves into the mixture, leaving you with a glossy, creamy meringue.
- Pinch some of the meringue mixture between your fingers. It should feel completely smooth with no grains of sugar. If not, keep beating.
- While the meringue mixes, pop the vegan dark chocolate on a double boiler and stir until melted and no chunks are visible.
- Add the vanilla extract to your beaten meringue and mix until incorporated.
- Fold the melted chocolate into the meringue mixture slowly, but not fully, to form chocolate swirls between the white meringue.
- Blob the meringue mixture using a large serving spoon onto a baking paper-lined baking sheet. Leave about 2-3 cm free between each meringue so they don’t stick together when they expand. Scatter over the flaked almonds if using.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven until meringues are firm and come away easily from the parchment paper, about 2 hours. Turn off the oven, and forget about them, until the oven cools completely (this slow cooling process prevents cracks!)
- Once completely cool, serve immediately and enjoy!If you loved this recipe be sure to try our Vegan Mini Pavlovas
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Baked Goods
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 10 - 12 Meringues
- Calories: 142.59kcal
- Sugar: 18.54g
- Sodium: 112.18mg
- Fat: 3.85g
- Carbohydrates: 25.22g
- Fiber: 2.4g
- Protein: 2.46g
