These meringue ghosts are so cute and fluffy: the perfect Halloween treat for anyone! Kids, adults, and your scary monster guests!
I have been playing with the idea of making spooky meringue ghosts for quite some time.
They look so cute and irresistible!
But I really wanted to try to make a vegan version! They are not the healthiest Halloween treats, as they contain a lot of sugar!
But they are definitely lighter than the version made with eggs and are especially good if you have any egg allergies.
The first time I heard of vegan meringue, I was a bit skeptical.
How can you make meringue without eggs? I am sure if you have been vegan for quite some time, you know the answer already.
But for all the newbies out there, the answer is chickpea brine, also known as aquafaba.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Aquafaba
- Cream of tartar
- Icing sugar
- Some dark chocolate
What is Aquafaba?
Aquafaba is the liquid that you find in canned chickpeas. You have probably been throwing that away, but that’s one of the most magical ingredients you can find!
This sticky water is full of proteins, and if you whip it, it acts like egg white: it traps air and becomes light and fluffy. It’s the perfect substitute for egg white in any recipe, not just in a meringue.
You can use it in muffins, cakes, mousse recipes, and everything else that requires a light texture. You can even use it to make vegan mayonnaise!
How to Make Vegan Meringue
You are not going to believe how easy it is to make vegan meringue!
It’s easier to make than the version with eggs!
You just need to remember a few things:
- Use unsalted canned chickpeas like these ones.
- Add cream of tartar to your aquafaba: This is a trick used in standard meringue recipes too. The acidity of the cream of tartar helps to prevent proteins from bonding too tightly, allowing them to trap more air bubbles and holding them in place for longer.
- It is impossible to overwhip aquafaba: you can mix it for ages, but you will not have the same risks as overmixing egg whites.
- You need to make sure the whipped aquafaba is quite stiff before adding the sugar.
- Add the sugar very slowly, one spoon at a time!
And now that you know all the tips to make a perfect vegan meringue, let’s make these spooky Halloween meringue ghosts!
How To Make Meringue Ghosts
- Make the meringue: Preheat the oven to 230°F (110°C/ fan 90°C) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Drain the chickpeas and place the aquafaba into a large, clean bowl. Add the cream of tartar to the bowl, too. Whisk with a stand mixer or an electric whisk for approximately 5-6 minutes until it’s more than doubled in size, white and foamy. Make sure you mix until you get stiff peaks. Add the icing sugar very slowly, one tablespoon at a time, and continue until all the sugar has been added. By the end, you should have a beautiful glossy mixture!
- Shape: Transfer the meringue mixture into an icing bag with a large round plain nozzle and pipe into spooky ghost shapes.
- Bake: Place in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Then, turn the oven off and leave the ghosts to cool in the oven for at least another hour.
- Add eyes: When the ghosts are completely cooled, melt the chocolate, and using a little piping bag, pipe the spooky little eyes. If you don’t have a small piping bag, a great trick is to use a toothpick.
How to store
You can keep the meringue ghosts in an airtight container for up to a week (if they ever last that long!).
Make Your Own Aquafaba
If you have time to spare, you can make your own aquafaba:
- Soak dry chickpeas in lots of water overnight.
- In the morning, rinse well and put it in a large pot with lots of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 1 hour and a half (until beans are soft).
- Drain the chickpeas by making sure you keep the cooking water. If the cooking water looks too runny compared to the water you find in canned chickpeas, you can simmer it on low heat until it becomes the right thickness. You now have homemade aquafaba!
Make sure your aquafaba is completely cool before making your meringues.
If you try this meringue ghost recipe, please leave a comment and a rating and let me know how much you liked it!
Meringue Ghosts
Ingredients
- ½ cup aquafaba (chickpea brine) - *see notes
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar - *see notes
- 1 cup icing sugar
- A couple of squares of dark vegan chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 230°F (110°C/ fan 90°C) and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Drain the chickpeas and add the chickpeas brine (aquafaba) into a large clean bowl. Add the cream of tartar to the bowl, too.
- Whisk with a stand mixer or an electric whisk to med-high for approximately 5-6 minutes until it's more than doubled in size, white and foamy. Make sure you mix until you get stiff peaks.
- Start adding the icing sugar very slowly, one tablespoon at a time, and continue until all the sugar has been added. By the end, you should have a beautiful glossy mixture!
- Transfer the meringue mixture into an icing bag with a large round plain nozzle and pipe into spooky ghost shapes.
- Place in the oven and bake for 2 hours. Do NOT be tempted to open the oven! After 2 hours, turn the oven off and leave the ghosts to cool in the oven for at least another hour (better if you can leave them longer or overnight).
- When the ghosts are completely cooled, melt the chocolate, and using a little piping bag, pipe the spooky little eyes (if you don't have a small piping bag, a great trick is to use a toothpick – simply dip the toothpick in the melted chocolate and use it as a pencil to make the eyes).
- Keep the meringue ghosts in an airtight container for up to a week (if they ever last that long!).
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Tag @gatheringdreams on Instagram. I want to see it!
Dana says
This recipe was perfect. They were gone before i put the chocolate eyes on them. Thank you for the recipe!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Glad you liked it, Dana 🙂
Shana says
What is icing sugar? Is that different than the normal sugar used in everyday baking?
Thanks in advance
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hey Shana,
Icing sugar is granulated white sugar that’s been pulverized to a powder and sometimes is mixed with a small amount of cornstarch. It is much finer than normal sugar. If you can’t find it you can use very fine caster sugar. That should work as well!
Jes says
Is this the same as confectioners sugar?
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Yes!
Eli says
These are great! I do need to practice my piping skills! But the recipe is fun and I’m excited to remake them for Halloween! Thanks for the recipe!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Yeah! Glad you liked them Eli! 🙂
Kay says
Hi, roughly how many does this make? I think I have made mine much smaller and so probably need to adjust the cooking time….😀
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Hey Kay,
I made around 15 ghosts with this amount 🙂 And yes, if you made them smaller keep them a bit less in the oven as they’ll dry faster!
Kay says
Thank you for such a wonderful recipe and prompt response!😀
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Glad you liked it, Kay 🙂