Vegan Meringue Nests for Easter

I don’t know about you, but suddenly I am forced to cook all the time. So the other day I made a chickpea curry which lasted a few days and was really delicious. It has taken me a while, but now I know that you shouldn’t throw away the chickpea water, this can be beaten into meringue. Truly delicious meringue. For me this still is such a surprise, every time I beat this weird liquid into meringue, it is like a true miracle. Called aquafaba, I have to say, I am excited each and every time. It truly tastes just the same as meringue made with egg whites. And since I am a huge fan of meringue, I wanted to make a vegan version of it. Hence these vegan meringue nests for Easter were born.

You may wonder what the main difference is between meringue with egg whites and meringue made with chickpea water. Well, you will need to beat the chickpea meringue a little longer. For this reason a standing mixer may come in handy. You may have to beat the meringue for about ten minutes. But that’s about it, if you take the leftover water from freshly made chickpeas, it will really taste just the same as you can control the amount of salt you wish to add. I made vegan pavlova with some coconut cream and fruits. So much fun and fully vegan and also gluten-free!

I am going to keep it short. If you didn’t know about vegan meringue, this is for you and you are welcome, if you already knew about aquafaba, just have fun and let me know how your recipe turned out!

Print Recipe

Vegan Meringue Nests for Easter

Prep Time: 30min – Cooking Time: 2 hrs

These vegan meringue nests for easter feel like a marshmallow dream with a crunchy outside. Filled with coconut cream and fruits of your choice.

Ingredients

• 120 grams of chickpea water (either from freshly made chickpeas or canned)
• A good pinch of salt
• 200 grams of regular sugar
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar
• 2 cans of coconut cream, chilled
• 30 grams of regular sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Fruits of your choice (rapsberries, blueberries, etc.)

Instructions

1

Chill the coconut cream in the fridge.

2

For the meringue measure 120 grams of chick pea water and place into a large bowl. In case you made fresh chickpeas like I did, it can be helful to reduce the liquid a little more. Boil the leftover water for around 5-10 minutes. However, it is totally fine to use canned, you don't need to add any further salt as usually canned chickpeas already contain salt.

3

Beat the water for a few minutes on medium. Like egg whites, it should be come frothy and change color. Once soft peak form, add the sugar and beat on high for another few minutes. Beat until stiff peak forms and it looks glossy. Fold in cornstarch and vinegar.

4

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and heat oven to 100 degrees Celsius. Pipe 8-10 oval shape nests onto the prepared baking sheet. First pipe the bottom and then pipe the outer walls by going over several layers. Bake the nests for about 2 hours. They should easily release from the parchment paper. If they don't, just bake them a little more.

5

For the cream scoop out the solid part of the coconut cream and beat it together with the sugar and vanilla extract. Fill the nests with the cream and decorate with fruits as desired. Once you fill the nests with the cream, you should eat them soon after as the cream will soften the meringue.

Notes

The meringue can be made the day before and should be stored with as ittle air as possible.

If you like meringue, these are some non-vegan options:

American Lemon Meringue Pie

Pavlova with lemon curd and blueberries

Meringue with berries from Colombia