Aquafaba Files

Creamy Vegan Aioli (Or Mayo) You Can Whip up at Home

Is there anything that some leftover water from a can of chickpeas can’t do?

The Aquafaba Files is a Tenderly recipe series by Laura Vincent, exploring the almost suspicious versatility of this ingredient that is little more than the leftover liquid from a drained can of chickpeas.

I’m beginning with a simple Aioli recipe — or leave out the garlic and you’ve got mayonnaise. Ideally you want to make this in a high-speed blender or food processor, or with an immersion stick blender to really whip it into shape, but if all you have is a bowl and a whisk it’s not impossible — just be prepared to be whisking for a long time.

For some reason I made things super difficult for myself by using a small food processor bowl that a stick blender wand slotted into, which meant that I was continually wrestling the lid off to slowly add the oil between blitzings and getting half-made aioli all over my shirt. I don’t recommend this process. However you go about it, the aquafaba froths up magnificently as it’s blended, giving this aioli a silky smooth texture and rich, creamy flavour.