Vegan Marshmallow Fluff. Well, it’s technically not marshmallow … but it is darn close! We placed it under the broiler for a few minutes to get that toasted marshmallow color and served it with homemade baked sweet potato chips.
This one might take a bit of convincing for some of you who have never heard the term ‘aquafaba‘. What exactly IS aquafaba you ask? In short, aquafaba generally refers to the brine (i.e. “aqua”) in a can of chickpeas or other mildly flavored white beans, (i.e. “faba”) sweetened with sugar and stabilized with either arrowroot powder or cream of tartar. I know what you are thinking, but stick with me here. This is about to get really interesting 🙂
First discovered by Joël Roessel, a ténor from France, who was experimenting with vegetable foams, the technique still needed refining. Meanwhile, Goose Wohlt, a software engineer in the US, was experimenting with vegan egg whites and existing meringue techniques. Inspired by Roessel’s video, he discovered the right composition and techniques to create a stable ‘meringue’.
I have been following this Facebook page called ‘Vegan Meringue: Hits and Misses!‘ with great interest for months now. I finally decided to take on this Vegan Marshmallow Fluff and I promise you, you will not be disappointed!
There are just 4 ingredients in the fluff itself. Start with 1/2 C of liquid from a can of chickpeas or other very mild flavored white beans. Butter beans are what I used here today. You will find that the thickness of this liquid varies from brand to brand. The thicker the better and you’ll want to refrigerate it so that it is very cold. Add the liquid to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Slowly add sugar, vanilla and finally, a pinch or two of cream of tartar (you could also use arrowroot powder).
This is what it looks like after about 1 minute. But that magical marshmallow texture (pictured above) will take about 10-12 minutes on medium-high speed to achieve. After those 10-12 minutes, you have perfectly whipped and stable fluff. Deliciously sweet and not one hint of bean flavor.
To make the baked sweet potato chips, I used both traditional and white sweet potatoes sliced very thin. The thinner the better actually.
If you have any sort of mandolin, use it. Watch your fingers though. These things are dangerous 😉 But they do make perfect uniformly thin slices.
Toss the chips in a bowl with a small amount of oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. In a preheated oven set at 250 degrees, bake for at least an hour or until crisp. Depending on the thickness, it could take longer. NOTE: In hind sight, I would have used parchment because they wanted to stick a little bit. I gave them a sprinkle of coarse salt. This is an optional step, but I love that salty and sweet combination in this recipe.
They do shrink, so keep that in mind when you are selecting your sweet potatoes. Oh, and I leave the skin on. I think it gives them a nice rustic look. And on a totally unrelated note, my dogs LOVE these chips. I give these to them without the salt of course 🙂
You don’t have to broil the fluff as it is all ready to enjoy, but I love that it gives a toasted marshmallow look. Just a minute or two will do nicely.
This will not be the end of my experimentation with aquafaba. I am addicted and can’t wait to try it with pies, frosting and coming in December, I’ll try to give you a nice Royal Icing for use in decorating your holiday cookies.
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think in the comment section below and if you feel like snapping a pic, tag me on Instagram @theveglife1 I love seeing what you guys come up with!
Before you go, why not check out some of our recent videos and be sure to subscribe to the YouTube Channel! 🙂
Vegan Marshmallow Fluff
Ingredients
- FOR THE FLUFF:
- 1/2 C of liquid from a can of chickpeas or butterbeans refrigerated
- 1/3 C Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Cream of Tartar or two
- *
- FOR THE SWEET POTATOES:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Drizzle of Oil
- Pinch of Coarse Salt optional
Instructions
- Drain a can of butter beans (which I used) or chickpeas reserving the liquid. Refrigerate until very, very cold.
- Place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- While beating, slowly add the sugar, vanilla and cream of tartar for about 10 minutes or until you reach a consistency somewhere between soft and stiff peaks.
- Slice the sweet potatoes very thin and toss with a small amount of oil.
- Spread in a single, even layer on a baking sheet.
- Bake until crisp, turning once. I recommend using parchment for ease of removal.
- Optional: Place the fluff into an oven safe bowl and broil until golden.
- Serve immediately.
- NOTE: The fluff makes about 3 cups.
Emi says
Hi!
I wonder how this would be if you used the sweetner, “Zero.?” Zero is an all natural sweetner with zero Calories, Zero Glycemic Index (GI) and is Zero Artificial. This is good sweetener substitute because it looks like sugar and is good for diabetic people because of the GI factor.
It’s looks wonderful! It the regular marshmallow made from animal products?
Thanks!
Emi
aimee says
Hi Emi, I think it would definitely work with Zero. However, I did check out their site and they do recommend increasing the amount. We used 1/3 C of granulated sugar, so I would add 2 Tbl plus another 2 tsp. However, I didn’t find that less (or more) sugar affected the whipping ability of the fluff, so I would do it to taste.
Most regular marshmallows contain gelatin (made from animal bones) unfortunately.
I would love to know if you try this recipe with Zero. If so, please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Joey mather says
I made your vegan pumpkin ice cream and it was awesome. I’ll try again with less sugar.
aimee says
Hi Joey, I am so glad you liked the pumpkin ice cream! Everyone I shared it with last year has already requested it again this year. I enjoy it with less sugar but lots of people have told me they like it ‘as is’. I guess it’s just a matter of personal preference 🙂
Joey mather says
I like vegan. Thank you.
I make chick pies n others with no milk.
Want to know of whip topping with no dairy.
Joey mather says
I’m going to try the marshmallow n s potato chips.
Elisa says
How long with the fluff mixture stay fluffy?
aimee says
I would say if you can use it right away, that would be best. However, we did keep it refrigerated overnight and it was fine. If you find you need to re-whip it for volume, it responds well.
abby says
Would this deal well in the oven on top of a sweet potato casserole?
aimee says
I’ve never tested it, but I know there is a group on Facebook called Aquafaba Hits & Misses where they have has success with it. You might want to check it out here >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/VeganMeringue/ If you try it, I would love to hear how it turns out! 🙂
Claire says
I have a few questions.
1) Would this still work without the cream of tartar or is that a key ingredient?
2) Does this keep/could this be stored in a jar for later use?
3) I used to use standard marshmallow fluff to top my hit chocolate before I was vegan. Could I use this for that purpose or would it just dissolve?
Claire says
*hot chocolate
aimee says
Hi Claire, yep – the cream of tartar is a key ingredient, though you could choose a different thickener (such as arrowroot powder). It helps keep the integrity of the fluff. If you chose to try and store this, you would definitely have to re-whip it. I have not tried it on hot chocolate, but I think you might be okay. My best recommendation for you is to make a small test batch. It’s a little looser than traditional fluff, but I bet if you play around with the proportions, you can get a stiffer mixture that would work well for hot chocolate! I am putting this one on my list for re-testing during the fall/winter months with hot chocolate. Let me know how it goes it you try it 🙂
Peggy Anne Elliott says
Can I use this fluff to make Rice Krispie treats?
aimee says
Hi Peggy, it’s really more for a topping. It wouldn’t hold up to something like Rice Krispie treats. There is a vegan marshmallow (or two) called Dandies that work great for Krispies 🙂