Chocolate Mousse Made From Chickpea Water (Aquafaba)

Do not pour that away. The cloudy liquid in a tin of chickpeas whips up exactly like egg white, and it makes a chocolate mousse so light and silky that nobody guesses what is in it. Topped with a compote made from a bruised apple that was heading for the bin. Two things nobody wanted, and a proper dessert out of them. Let's make it!

Why This Aquafaba Mousse Works

Aquafaba behaves like egg white because it is doing the same job. The starches and proteins that leach out of the chickpeas trap air in exactly the same way, so it whips to stiff peaks and holds them.

Sugar whipped in from the start stabilises it. Just as with a meringue, the sugar dissolves into the foam and stops it collapsing while you fold in the chocolate.

Chocolate does the setting, so there is no gelatine and no cooking. As it cools it firms the whole thing into a mousse in the fridge. Three ingredients, no thermometer, no fuss.

It is completely vegan without trying to be. No eggs, no cream, no dairy at all if your chocolate is dark.

Both halves come from something you were binning. The chickpea water, and a soft apple nobody was going to eat.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes, for the compote
• Chill Time: 1 hour minimum
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Serves: 2 generously, or 4 as a small treat
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: An electric whisk or stand mixer

Two things I would tell anyone making this. The first is patience with the whisking. Aquafaba takes longer than egg white to come up, usually 5 to 8 minutes on full speed, and there is a stage in the middle where it looks like it is never going to happen. Keep going. It goes from loose and foamy to properly stiff quite suddenly at the end. The second is the apple. Do not peel it. I leave the skin on partly because peel is one more thing in the bin, but mostly because it holds the fruit together and gives you a bit of bite in the compote instead of it collapsing into mush. Soft, bruised, floury apples are exactly right here, and they are one of the most commonly binned things in any fruit bowl. New Zealand households throw out around 80 kilos of food a year, and a great deal of it is fruit that simply went soft while nobody decided what to do with it.

Ingredients

For the mousse

• 60ml aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas
• 50g caster sugar
• 100g dark chocolate, chopped

For the compote topping

• 1 soft apple, or a banana, pear or other overripe fruit, chopped into small chunks with the skin left on
• 1 to 2 tbsp sugar, to taste
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, or a cardamom pod

How to Make Chocolate Mousse from Chickpea Water

1. Melt the chocolate. In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, until smooth. Take it off and let it cool slightly, so it is fluid but not hot.
2. Whip the aquafaba and sugar. Both into a clean, dry bowl and whisk on high until it holds stiff peaks, exactly like a meringue. This takes 5 to 8 minutes and it will look hopeless in the middle. Keep going.
3. Check it is ready. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down over your head without wearing it. If it slides, it needs longer.
4. Fold the two together. Add the cooled chocolate to the whipped aquafaba and fold gently with a spatula until just combined and no streaks remain. Do not stir, and do not overwork it.
5. Spoon into glasses. Ramekins or small glasses, and into the fridge for at least an hour to set.
6. Make the compote. While it chills, put the chopped fruit, skin and all, into a small pan with the sugar and cinnamon. Cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes until soft and syrupy but still holding some shape.
7. Cool the compote completely. Warm compote on a set mousse will melt it. This is not optional.
8. Top and serve. Spoon the cold compote over each mousse and serve.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Three ingredients: Chickpea water, sugar, chocolate
• Nobody can tell: It is indistinguishable from an egg white mousse
• Completely vegan: With no substitutes bought specially
• Free, essentially: Both halves came from something destined for the bin
• Make it ahead: It is better after a few hours in the fridge

Chef's Tips for Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse

Do not peel the apple. The skin keeps the fruit from collapsing to mush and gives the compote a bit of texture, and it is one less thing in the bin. This is the single best tip on the page.

Everything must be spotlessly clean and dry. Any trace of fat or oil in the bowl or on the whisk and the aquafaba will not whip, exactly as with egg whites.

Keep whisking through the ugly stage. Around three or four minutes it looks like foam that is going nowhere. It comes together suddenly near the end.

Let the chocolate cool before it goes in. Hot chocolate seizes the foam and knocks all the air out, and you get a dense, grainy mousse instead of a light one.

Fold, do not stir. A spatula, cutting down through the middle and turning it over. Streaks are better than a deflated mousse.

Use the chickpeas. You opened the tin for the liquid, so do something with what is left. Hummus, a curry, or roasted with spices.

Three tablespoons of aquafaba equals one egg, which is worth remembering for anything else you want to make with it.

Substitutions & Variations

• Milk chocolate for a sweeter, softer set. It is looser than dark, so give it longer in the fridge
• Any overripe fruit: Banana, pear, plum, peach or a bag of frozen berries
• Cardamom, star anise or a strip of orange peel in the compote instead of cinnamon
• A spoon of coffee or a splash of rum folded into the chocolate
• Orange zest through the mousse, which is very good against dark chocolate
• Skip the compote entirely and top with toasted nuts or a scattering of sea salt

Storage

Best eaten fresh: Within a day, while the texture is at its lightest.

Fridge: Up to three days, covered. It firms up as it sits and the top can dry slightly, so a layer of cling film touching the surface helps.

Freezer: Not recommended for the mousse, which goes grainy. The compote freezes perfectly for three months.

Avoid: Topping it with compote until you are serving. Warm or wet compote sitting on the mousse will loosen it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is aquafaba? The starchy liquid chickpeas are cooked and canned in. The proteins and starches that dissolve into it during cooking behave like egg white, so it whips, holds air and sets. Roughly 3 tablespoons stands in for one egg.

Can you taste the chickpeas? No. There is a faint savoury note in the raw liquid that disappears completely once it is whipped with sugar and folded through dark chocolate. Nobody has ever guessed.

Why will my aquafaba not whip? Almost always grease. Any fat in the bowl or on the whisk stops the foam forming, exactly as with egg whites. Wash and dry everything thoroughly and start again. It can also simply need more time.

Can I use the liquid from any tin of beans? Chickpea is best, being the starchiest and most neutral. Cannellini and butter beans work. Kidney bean liquid is too dark and too strongly flavoured.

How long does it take to whip? 5 to 8 minutes with an electric whisk, longer than egg whites. By hand it is possible but genuinely hard work.

Do I have to peel the apple? No, and please do not. The skin holds the fruit together so the compote keeps some bite rather than turning to mush, and it saves the peel from the bin.

Can I make it the day before? Yes, and it is arguably better. Make the mousse and compote separately, keep both covered in the fridge, and top it just before serving.

Is it actually vegan? Yes, as long as your chocolate is dairy free. Most dark chocolate at 70 percent and above is, but it is worth checking the label.

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One tin of chickpeas gives you dinner and this. Next time you drain one, tip the liquid into a bowl instead of the sink and see what happens when you put a whisk in it. It is the single most surprising thing in the pantry.

Enjoy!

Del x

A light, silky vegan chocolate mousse whipped from chickpea water, topped with a compote made from a bruised apple.