Aquafaba…the ultimate oil-replacer
What exactly is aquafaba?
Aquafaba is the liquid that is left over from cooking beans. Typically, we associate it with chickpeas, but almost every bean leaves liquid behind after it’s boiled, and that, my friend, is aquafaba.
One of the more challenging aspects of going SOS-free (salt, oil, and sugar) was actually the oil part. First, I learned to sauté without oil. That was pretty easy. There were two tricks to learn: you can use water or broth instead of oil, but you have to start with high heat and gradually turn it down as the veggies cook. I wait until the water dries up in the pan, turn the heat down a bit, and then add about 1-2 tbs of water, scraping the pan to collect all that veggie goodness from the pan. I keep repeating this until the veggies are cooked to my liking.
Roasting. Roasting actually continues to be a little tricky. I have learned a few things that result in nicely roasted veg, but to be perfectly honest, nothing turns out the way it did when I covered my veggies in oil. My taste buds had to change, and I had to get used to the texture of the veg. That being said, once I discovered aquafaba and how to use it, I did enjoy my roasted veggies more.
Dressings. Soooo many dressings use oil that I honestly never thought I would be able to enjoy a homemade salad dressing again! That was until I discovered aquafaba. Anytime I am making a dressing that calls for oil, just substitute aquafaba for the oil, 1:1. So, if a recipe calls for ¼ cup of oil, use a ¼ cup of aquafaba. It’s really that easy!
This is specifically for cooking beans in an Instant Pot. Directions for cooking on the stovetop will be a bit different. I don’t ever do that because it requires soaking time and a lot of attention to the pot. With the Instant Pot, I just dump everything in, seal it up, and let it do its thing.
There’s one big trick to making this correctly… letting the cooked beans sit in their juices for at least 4-6 hours. I always get my beans cooking before I go to bed and let them sit all night in their juices, right in the Instant Pot. Then in the morning I put a colander over a large bowl and pour the beans and the liquid into the colander. I make sure there’s a bowl under the colander so that I catch and reserve the liquid- which is the aquafaba!
How to store the aquafaba:
Pour the aquafaba into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, pop the cubes into a freezer bag and store in the freezer. Standard ice cube trays hold about 2 tbs of liquid, so I have a rough idea of how many cubes I will need to thaw. It’s super easy, and they last for months and months in the freezer.
Side note: You can definitely use the liquid from the can of chickpeas, but a lot of the time they are loaded with salt and preservatives, and that’s a deal breaker for me, so I prefer to make my own. It’s really simple and pretty hands-off. All you need is an Instant Pot and a bag of dry beans, and you are good to go!
Here’s how to make your own:
Weigh out 16 oz of dry beans. (most bags of dry beans are 16 oz)
Rinse the beans well
Throw the beans in your Instant Pot
Measure out 6 cups of water and pour it in the pot with the beans.
Put the lid on and cook for 28 mins, using natural pressure release.
Once they've finished cooking and released all pressure, let the beans sit undisturbed in the pot for at least 4 hours. I often cook the beans before bed and leave them in the pot overnight. This is the most important step in the process: letting the beans soak in the water after they are cooked. This allows the chickpeas to release more of their goodness and thickens the water.
After the beans have sat for several hours, take off the lid and remove the pot.
Place a large colander over top of a large bowl. You will be pouring out the beans into the colander, and you’ll want the bowl to catch all that lovely liquid you just made.
After you have drained the beans into the colander and captured the liquid, you’ll need to store all that juice. My solution was to pour it into ice cube trays and freeze it. After they're frozen, I pop them into freezer bags and store the cubes in the freezer. They keep forever, and I love the size of the cubes. They are basically 2 TBs per cube, which makes it really easy to figure out how many I need to thaw for a recipe.
Anytime I make something that would typically use oil, or if a recipe calls for oil, I use aquafaba. I have even used it to make granola, both raw and cooked granola. The uses are endless, fat-free, and so much healthier for you.
