Perky meringues, fluffy pancakes and proper pisco sours are no longer out of range for vegan cooks, thanks to a little trick that is taking the egg-free community by storm.
Last year, a vegan in Indiana tried whipping the juice from a can of chickpeas in a blender.
The result was a frothy foam that forms stiff peaks much like its chicken-born counterpart.
The liquid contains proteins, starch and saponins that form robust bubbles when whipped.
He posted the results – which he calls " aquafaba" - to a Facebook group, and it has since kind of rocked the vegan world.
Most commercial egg replacements have to be cooked, and bubble-making kitchen hacks like baking soda and vinegar don't have the resilience to form peaks and meringues.
A condiment company has recently introduced a new vegan mayonnaise that uses aquafaba, and the ingredient is now appearing on menus for trendy vegan popups.