Why You Should Never Get Rid Of Leftover Liquid From Canned Beans
When you cook with canned beans, what do you do with the liquid left over in the can? Most people simply toss it down the drain. This bean water, also known as aquafaba, doesn't look like much, so it's easy to see why people often get rid of it. However, aquafaba shouldn't be so easily cast aside.
Discarding this liquid could result in a loss of nutrients. Additionally, throwing it away is not the most sustainable choice. Finding ways to use canned bean water in your kitchen helps reduce food waste. Thankfully, you don't have to think too hard to figure out how to use aquafaba, as it's a versatile ingredient.
The properties of this slimy, briney fluid make it such an asset in the kitchen. Bean liquid can come in handy in many recipes, from baking to beverages. In the following sections, we'll explore some easy ways to use leftover liquid from canned beans, so you don't have to throw it away anymore.
Use it as an egg substitute while baking
You already know you need eggs to bake cakes, cookies, or other sweets. Eggs hold the dough together, while also helping to create a fluffy texture. But you don't have to use eggs if you don't want to. Vegans — and people who are allergic to eggs — can use egg substitutes. A great one to use is canned bean water.
If you have a can of beans sitting in your pantry, you don't need a fancy store-bought egg replacer. Just strain out the beans and use the leftover aquafaba. This water has a slimy texture that works like eggs to bind all other baking ingredients together. It's also an inexpensive egg substitute for baking that's easy to use. To get the right amount of bean water your recipe needs, use two tablespoons of aquafaba for one egg white, and three tablespoons if you need a whole egg.
Thicken soups and stews
If your soup or stew is too watery, thickening agents will help it. Options like flour, cornstarch, and xanthan gum are pretty common to use, but there's one you've probably never tried: aquafaba. Unlike with some baking applications of this bean water, you don't need to whisk aquafaba when adding it to soups, stews, or gravies. Simply add it directly to the pot, then watch your recipes develop a nice thick texture.
An essential factor to consider when choosing a soup thickener is the dietary needs of the people eating it. For instance, some people can't have gluten. The great thing about beans water is that it's gluten-free, an excellent choice for people with this food restriction.
Additionally, a little bit of aquafaba won't change the taste of your soup dramatically. Generally speaking, this liquid has a slight bean flavor, but it shouldn't overwhelm your soups and stews.
Make vegan butter
You can also use aquafaba to make vegan butter. It's an excellent alternative for anyone allergic to dairy or following the vegan lifestyle. Making vegan butter doesn't require much skill. If you already have a can of beans, you likely have the other ingredients in your pantry. In addition to the leftover bean liquid, all you need is coconut oil, canola or rapeseed oil, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, salt, and turmeric. The best part is that it only takes about one minute to prepare.
Start by melting the coconut oil. Remove it from heat and let it cool. Once this is done, mix in the other oils. Next, mix the aquafaba and lemon juice in a separate jar — you will need an immersion blender to properly incorporate the ingredients during this step. Then, add the oil mixture to the mission jar. Finally, add salt for flavor and turmeric for color. Refrigerate your vegan butter and enjoy it when needed.
Create allergy friendly vegan cheese
If you're allergic to dairy, enjoying cheese is still possible, as long as you keep your canned bean water. This is the star ingredient for making delicious, allergy-friendly vegan cheese.
Making this vegan cheese does take a little bit of work, but the result is definitely worth the effort. Plus, you get to have fun along the way. Start by gathering your ingredients. You'll need plain, unsweetened, non-dairy yogurt, liquified coconut oil, unsweetened almond or soy milk, nutritional yeast, sea salt, tapioca starch, chickpea miso, agar-agar, and aquafaba.
Stir the aquafaba and agar-agar in a pan. Then, mix the tapioca starch, nutritional yeast, miso, and salt together in a separate container. In yet another container, combine the milk and oil together. Next, heat the aquafaba and agar-agar while whisking it. Once the agar-agar starts bubbling, stir in milk and oil. Finally, add the nutritional yeast mixture, then the yogurt. After a little more heating and whisking, the recipe will have combined. Eventually, the food is refrigerated, becoming a firm food.
Use it to make mousse and meringues
From muffins to sponge cake, you can easily swap eggs for aquafaba. One of the most exciting treats to make with canned bean water is a fluffy vegan mousse. Making a delicious chocolate mousse with aquafaba only requires only a few steps. Importantly, you'll beat the strained bean liquid until it's fluffy, using an electric stand mixer. Then, this foam should be gently combined with cooled, melted, vegan chocolate.
Vegan meringues are another delicious dessert you can make with leftover bean water. As long as you also have some cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and an electric hand mixer, you can make this sweet treat in your kitchen. Essentially, you'll whip the ingredients together, use the completed mixture to form cookies, then bake the cookies in the oven. Although this recipe is simple, you can have more fun by sprinkling some flavoring, nuts, or chocolate to create your desired treat.
Prepare vegan mayonnaise
Leftover liquid from canned beans also works in just about any recipe that calls for eggs, including mayonnaise. Getting store-bought vegan mayonnaise might be easier, but you'll have more fun making yours at home. To make it, you'll essentially combine the bean water with ingredients like salt, vinegar, sugar, lemon juice, and dry mustard. After blending, the mixture will turn into a thick, creamy mayonnaise.
This egg-free recipe tastes good as well. Those that tried making their own seemed pleased with the final product's flavor. Another person shared that if you'd like to incorporate the eggy flavor that this vegan mayonnaise lacks, you can add kala namak. This ingredient, also known as black salt, helps to add that egg flavor back in. As always, you can modify this recipe to suit your tastes. Feel free to adjust the seasoning used, until you find a recipe that you enjoy.
Experiment with dairy-free whipped cream
Save that canned bean water and make healthy whipping cream to top your desserts. The whole preparation process takes three minutes or less. All you need to do is whip together aquafaba, cream of tartar, vanilla extract, and another sweetening agent (such as maple syrup or powdered sugar) in an electric stand mixer. Cream of tartar helps maintain shape, while vanilla flavoring helps to improve the taste of the mixture.
Not everyone may love the flavor of this vegan whipped cream. However, the flavor is greatly improved by adding sweetening agents. A dash of sugar goes a long way to improve the taste of this recipe.
The only downside to this vegan whipped cream is that it doesn't hold its shape forever. However, it can last a few hours. We think it's still useful if you want to create a quick topping for your homemade dessert.
Make a healthy salad dressing
If you're trying to eat healthier, salads are probably on top of your list for getting much-needed nutrients. But even the most nutritious mix of vegetables may become unhealthy when paired with the wrong dressing. Instead of picking up packaged salad dressings at the store, why not make your own using aquafaba? In these recipes, aquafaba acts as an emulsifier, helping to prevent other salad dressing ingredients from separating.
The bean liquid is here used in place of oils. While it may not taste like the fat-filled store-bought options, it still tastes fresh and flavorful. You can also use your salad dressing in many other ways, by drizzling it on some pizza, using it to make sandwiches, and much more.
Make your healthy salad dressing by mixing miso, lemon juice, aquafaba, and white wine vinegar in a bowl. Add all of the other ingredients, such as garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, nutritional yeast, and maple syrup. You can use a whisk instead of a stand mixer. Just like that, your healthy salad dress is ready to use. You can also refrigerate it for later use.
Relax with a cocktail
Some cocktails, like sours, need to be made with egg whites. Beating or shaking the egg whites creates an appealing foamy layer on top of the drink, adding texture and visual appeal.
But if you don't eat eggs or don't have them available, aquafaba is a fitting alternative. The slimy water from canned chickpeas can create the perfect frothy layer on your cocktails. You can simply shake up the aquafaba, then use it to add a frothy layer to your cocktails. Aquafaba won't typically change the taste of your drink, although it may add a slightly nutty flavor.
The best part is that replacing egg whites with aquafaba for cocktails may make your drink vegan — depending on what other ingredients are included in a given recipe. You can challenge your inner bartender by trying aquafaba in cocktail drinks that traditionally use egg whites, such as Amaretto Sours, Rhubarb Sours, Campari Gin Sours, and Pisco Sours.
Make homemade eggless pasta
You can also use leftover bean liquid when making homemade pasta by employing aquafaba as an egg substitute and binding agent. To add back in that traditionally eggy taste of fresh pasta, you can add a teaspoon of black salt. You can also consider adding some turmeric, nutritional yeast, and black pepper for additional flavor. While unsalted bean water would ideally be the perfect choice for this vegan pasta, you can use whatever type you have. You'll also need flour and olive oil.
To make this recipe, you'll begin by mixing all the dry ingredients in a bowl, then adding the liquids. Next, you'll knead this mixture until smooth and even. Then, cover the dough in a bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes. You'll then roll it out and cut the dough into shapes. You can then cook your pasta and enjoy it however you like.