Spooktacular Aquafaba Ghost Meringues: The Ultimate Egg-Free & Allergy-Friendly Halloween Treat

This Halloween, don’t let egg allergies or dietary restrictions stop you from enjoying a classic spooky treat! Thanks to the incredible culinary magic of aquafaba, you can whip up light, airy, and utterly delightful meringues without a single egg white. Transform these delicious, delicate bites into adorable, frightful ghosts with simple candy eyeballs, creating a holiday favorite that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re vegan or managing food allergies, these ghost meringues are your ticket to a spook-tacular celebration.

Halloween is a time for festive fun, creative costumes, and, of course, delicious treats! But for those navigating food allergies or specific dietary choices like a vegan lifestyle, finding safe and inclusive options can often be a challenge. That’s where innovation in the kitchen comes to the rescue. Imagine a world where classic, delicate meringues – traditionally built upon egg whites – are suddenly accessible to everyone. This dream becomes a reality with the revolutionary ingredient known as aquafaba. This simple yet powerful discovery opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for allergy-friendly baking, allowing us to recreate beloved desserts that were once thought to be off-limits. Get ready to transform your Halloween festivities with these enchanting and safe egg-free ghost meringues, ensuring that every ghoul and goblin can partake in the sweet delights of the season.

Discovering Aquafaba: The Game-Changer for Egg-Free Baking

My journey into the world of egg-free meringues was sparked by a love for culinary television, much like many home bakers. I used to be absolutely addicted to food TV. Back when I had cable, Food Network was on non-stop. I probably watched every single episode of Paula Deen, ya’ll! Even if a particular food type or chef’s personality wasn’t my usual cup of tea, I was always eager to learn new techniques and soak in all the culinary knowledge I could. Now that we’ve cut the cord on cable – a decision made to curb screen time and save a bit of money – my gastronomic explorations have shifted to Netflix. Every cooking show added to the platform inevitably lands on my watchlist. From the fast-paced challenges of Guy’s Grocery Games to the hilarious mishaps on Worst Cooks in America, I’ve seen them all.

My latest obsession has been The Great British Baking Show. I’ve been captivated by the bakers’ skill and creativity, particularly when they tackle various types of meringues. Before watching the show, I held the common misconception that meringues were incredibly difficult to make, a perception reinforced by the fact that I didn’t grow up eating them. This made me quite leery of attempting them myself. However, as I watched the talented bakers on screen create perfect meringues episode after episode, I began to realize that this was a challenge I could absolutely conquer! Thanks, TV, for the inspiration!

The only significant hurdle, of course, was my son’s egg allergy. Since egg whites are the most fundamental and essential ingredient in traditional meringues, this presented a considerable challenge. For many years, the idea of making meringues seemed impossible. But then, a truly fabulous culinary discovery entered the scene: aquafaba. If you haven’t yet encountered this remarkable ingredient, prepare for your baking life to be forever changed! Aquafaba is simply the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans). This unassuming liquid possesses the same miraculous properties as egg whites. It can be whipped into a wonderfully stiff foam and holds its shape beautifully, just like eggs!

I decided to put aquafaba to the test, trying my hand at making classic meringues with this innovative substitute. The results were nothing short of wonderful. The aquafaba whipped up beautifully, forming stable, glossy peaks that mimicked traditional meringue mixture perfectly. The final baked meringues were crisp, airy, and melted in the mouth, just as they should. This experience solidified my belief in aquafaba as a truly indispensable ingredient for allergy-friendly and vegan baking, opening doors to desserts that were previously out of reach.

Crafting Perfect Egg-Free Ghost Meringues: Tips and Techniques

Making aquafaba meringues, particularly these adorable ghost versions, is a surprisingly simple and rewarding process. The beauty of this recipe lies in its minimal ingredients and straightforward steps, making it accessible even for novice bakers. With aquafaba, you’re not dealing with fancy or expensive substitutes, which is a common concern in allergy-friendly baking. The main components are aquafaba, sugar, a touch of cream of tartar for stability, and vanilla for flavor. This simplicity ensures that the pure, delicate sweetness of the meringue shines through, and allows for playful creativity when decorating.

The key to perfect aquafaba meringues is patience during the whipping process. Just like egg whites, aquafaba needs time to reach those crucial stiff peaks. Starting with chilled aquafaba can sometimes help, and ensuring your mixing bowl and whisk attachment are impeccably clean and free of any grease is paramount. Any trace of fat can prevent the aquafaba from whipping up properly. Gradually adding the sugar is also essential; this allows it to dissolve completely into the foam, resulting in a stable, glossy, and non-granular meringue. Don’t rush this step, and keep mixing until the mixture is thick, shiny, and holds its shape firmly – so firm, in fact, that you could hold the bowl upside down over your head without a single drop spilling! Once you achieve this consistency, you’re ready to pipe your ghostly shapes.

Piping the meringues is where the real fun begins, especially when transforming them into Halloween ghosts. You can use a piping bag with a round tip for perfectly uniform ghosts, or simply snip the corner off a sturdy freezer bag for a more rustic, whimsical look. Hold the bag upright and squeeze gently, creating swirls or peaks that resemble friendly (or frightful!) specters. Give each ghost enough room on the baking sheet, as they don’t spread much but you want to ensure even baking. The baking process itself is slow and low, designed to dry out the meringues rather than cook them rapidly. After an hour in a low oven, the crucial step is to turn off the oven and let them cool completely inside. This slow cooling prevents cracking and ensures your meringues are wonderfully crisp and hollow on the inside. Once cooled, the transformation is complete with the addition of candy eyeballs, black icing dots, or mini chocolate chips. I found that a tiny dab of leftover meringue mixture on the back of the candy eyes helps them adhere perfectly. My kids absolutely loved decorating and, even more, devouring these adorable treats!

This recipe for aquafaba ghost meringues is not just a delicious dessert; it’s a super fun Halloween activity that fosters inclusivity. Knowing that these treats are free from common allergens like eggs, dairy, gluten, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts (making them top-8-free and vegan) means they can be a hit at any Halloween party or gathering. No one has to feel left out, and everyone can enjoy a safe and delicious holiday. It’s truly rewarding to create something so delightful that accommodates diverse dietary needs without compromising on taste or texture. These meringues are light, crispy, and perfectly sweet – embodying the spirit of Halloween joy for all!

———->>>>>On a related note, I am SUPER EXCITED to be a part of my friend Allie from Cupcake Diaries’ 30 Days of Halloween series. She’s been organizing this fantastic series for several years, and I’ve personally gathered countless brilliant ideas from her curated posts. For the entire month of September, Allie dedicates each day to a different Halloween recipe, making it a treasure trove of inspiration for festive treats. Be sure to visit her site at www.cupcakediariesblog.com or simply click on the photo below to explore her incredible collection. Her Halloween recipe collections are not only super cute but also incredibly creative! These ghost meringues are featured today, September 17th, and you can catch mini previews of the other daily posts below. For larger pictures and more detailed information, definitely check out her site. There are tons of fun ideas that can easily be adapted for various food allergies, ensuring everyone has a safe and delicious Halloween!

Egg-free Ghost Meringues (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free; vegan)

Yield:
25 ghosts

Prep Time:
15 minutes

Cook Time:
1 hour

Total Time:
1 hour 15 minutes

If you have an egg allergy, or are vegan–you can still have a spook-tacular holiday treat. Thanks to a new culinary gem, aquafaba, you can make the classic meringue without egg whites. Simply add eye balls after baking and transform your meringues into frightful ghosts.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup aquafaba (the liquid drained from a 15 oz can of chickpeas)
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 Tablespoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 and 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• Candy eye balls, black icing, or mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Measure and pour the aquafaba into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on. Start mixing it slowly. Once it starts to become frothy, add the cream of tartar and cornstarch. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. When the frothiness starts to turn white, add the vanilla. (You can use color-free vanilla if you want a brighter white, but I didn’t want to bother buying it.)
3. With the stand mixer still mixing, add the sugar one Tablespoon at a time, to make sure it incorporates fully and isn’t granular.
4. Once all of the sugar has been added, continue mixing until the mixture has reached the stiff peaks phase (you could hold the bowl upside down over your head and it wouldn’t spill out, as well as when you stop mixing and lift the whisk out, the peaks stand up firm and hold their shape). It will also look nice and glossy and take up most of the bowl in volume. It can take up to ten minutes, so be patient!
5. Gently place the mixture in either a piping bag, or even a ziplock bag. You can use a #12 round tip, but I just cut the corner of my ziplock bag.
6. Holding the bag upright, like you would if you were frosting something, squeeze from the top and make swirls, depending on how big you want your ghosts. Give your ghosts room to grow and don’t put them too close. I find it took several pans to use all of the mixture.
7. Bake for one hour. After the timer has finished, turn the oven off and allow them to cool in the oven. They should be firm to the touch.
8. You can use candy eye balls (unfortunately, I’ve never found any that don’t have soy, so if you need them to be top 8 free, you can either use black piping gel, chocolate chips or black frosting for eyes instead.) I got the eye balls to stay by using a bit of the leftover meringue mixture on the backs of the eyes to help them stay in place.
9. Enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from: Namely Marley

This recipe contains affiliate links.

DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS, SO YOU DON’T LOOSE IT! BE SURE TO ALSO CHECK OUT MY OTHER ALLERGY-FRIENDLY PINTEREST BOARDS.

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More Allergy-Friendly Halloween Treats You’ll Love:

To continue your journey into allergy-friendly Halloween delights, explore some of our other favorite spooky recipes. Each one is crafted to be inclusive and delicious, ensuring your holiday treats are safe and enjoyable for everyone!

Spider Sugar Cookie Bars (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free; vegan)

Frankenstein Rice Krispies (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free; vegan)

Monster Eyeballs (Gluten, dairy, egg, peanut & tree nut free; vegan)

Chocolate Sugar Cookie Bats

Gluten & Dairy Free Halloween Mummy Pretzels

Allergy Friendly Halloween Cake

Venus Fly Trap Cupcakes

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