Aquafaba Mayo
The water from the chickpea can replaces the egg yolk, and it emulsifies just as reliably.
- Preparation
- 8 min
- Cook/bake time
- –
- Total
- 8 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
The water from the chickpea can replaces the egg yolk, and it emulsifies just as reliably. Aquafaba sounds like a trick, but it is physics: the proteins and saponins released from the chickpeas act as an emulsifier and foaming agent. Three tablespoons bind 200 ml of oil into a mayonnaise that no one will recognize as vegan.
Why this works
When cooking chickpeas, proteins and saponins transfer into the cooking water. Both are surface-active, meaning they are molecules with a water-loving and a fat-loving end, which is exactly the property that makes lecithin in egg yolk an emulsifier. This is why aquafaba can stabilize oil in water, and it is also why it can be whipped up like egg whites. The difference to the egg lies in the quantity: aquafaba is significantly more diluted, which is why three tablespoons are needed for 200 ml of oil, whereas one egg yolk can handle 250 ml. Because the emulsion is somewhat more fragile, the immersion blender helps more here than the whisk: it creates very fine oil droplets, and the finer the droplets, the more stable the emulsion.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Measure the aquafaba
Drain the water from a can of chickpeas and measure out three tablespoons. It should be slightly viscous and form threads when stirred; if it is very thin, boil it down briefly to a third and let it cool. The chickpeas themselves are not needed.
- 2
Mix the base
Put the aquafaba, mustard, lemon juice and salt into a tall, narrow container that is just as wide as the immersion blender. The shape is more important here than usual: in a wide bowl, the blender will not find the interface between water and oil.
- 3
Pour the oil over and blend
Pour all the oil over it, and it will float on top, which is correct. Place the immersion blender on the bottom, turn it on and leave it at the bottom for ten seconds. The mixture will turn white from the bottom. Only then slowly pull the blender upwards until everything is emulsified.
- 4
Season to taste
Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon. The mayonnaise is still soft right after blending and will become significantly firmer in the fridge within an hour, so it is better to have it too soft now than too firm.
Our best tips
- A tall, narrow container. The immersion blender must be able to stand on the bottom, otherwise the emulsion will not start.
