Most veteran bakers regularly have a tiny container with meringue powder substitutes kept inside their storerooms like egg whites. It is used for baking crisp and light meringue treats. It can also enhance the decoration of sugar cookies.
Meringue is suitable if you don’t like egg whites in certain baked treats. It mainly contains sterilized dried egg whites.
The egg whites are grounded to form a fine powder. Some of the additives contained in meringue powder include:
- Sugar for increasing the sweetness
- Gum Arabic used for thickening
- Cornstarch for absorbing moisture when it is stored
- Silicon dioxide for powder flow
- Potassium acid tartrate and citric acid to stabilize the egg foam
- Calcium sulfate for dryness
Where Do You Use Meringue Powder?
Meringue powder is the perfect alternative for a recipe that requires whipped eggs. Egg white is used as a replacement, although the egg whites hold the gold standard.
Meringue is used in royal icing, topping lemon meringue pavlova or pizzas, and piping meringue cookies.
Small amounts of meringue are also used to stabilize frostings to help them maintain their shape and design without weeping.
Some additives of meringues fail to dissolve completely in water; hence it can give you a grainy result. It also builds billowy foam since the process of drying makes its foaming and bonding capability weak.
Egg white is a meringue powder replacement because it lacks these downsides.
What are the Substitutes of Meringue Powder?
Here are some of the best substitutes that will keep your cookies, icing, brownies, and other baking recipes tasting delightful.
Egg Whites
Erin Jeanne McDowell, a resident baking friend, fails to call for meringue powder in all her recipes, such as royal icing. She only uses around 6 cups of sugar from the confectioners’ and egg whites that weigh five ounces, equal to exactly five egg whites.
There are several ways you can utilize all the eggshells left. Unlike most recipes that require egg white, you won’t need to beat them to high peaks.
Use a whisk instead of a paddle attachment inside your mixer and mix your sterilized egg whites as well as the confectioners’ sugar inside a bowl and use a whisk to beat till it ribbons off. Jeanne has a detailed recipe that shows how the egg whites should look.
Egg White Powder
The main constituent of egg white powder is dried egg whites; it is powdered egg whites in simple terms. Regardless of what you may call it, egg white powder is one of the best meringue powder replacements in the baking community.
They are convenient since you can store them in a can inside your store for around twelve months. Powdered egg whites also remove the waste and the time of detaching the white and the egg as required by fresh egg whites.
Powdered egg whites are available in almost all grocery stores.
Aquafaba
Aquafaba is a substitute for meringue powder in royal icing. Properties of aquafaba make it elegant, especially if you want to make a vegan recipe or eliminate meringue powder.
If you want to use aquafaba in your recipe, you need to whip up the liquid gold for around 12 minutes to obtain peaks with a stiff look.
Three aquafaba tablespoons are equivalent to one egg white. You need to note that when making aquafaba, you must ensure it is thick if you want good baking. You can simmer it if it is very liquid to make it thicker. However, if you simmer it, you may lose almost a quarter of your aquafaba.
Vegan Meringue Powder
Most vegan bakers love vegan meringue powder because it is also a good meringue powder replacement.
The main ingredients in vegan meringue powder include; cornstarch, cream, aquafaba powder, and sugar. One cannot distinguish if it is swapped with meringue powder.
Agar-agar Powder
Agar-agar powder is also known as agar powder. It is made using red algae, becoming a great vegan alternative for meringue powder.
Agar powder lacks taste, color, or smell, making it a great substitute for meringue powder in royal icing without using another flavor for your product.
One tablespoon of water and agar powder will have a similar effect to one egg white. Agar powder needs to be boiled and allowed to cool before whipping it.
It can be combined with lemon juice to get the stabilizer present in meringue powder. Agar powder works as a great alternative to baking cake, custards, or bread.
Flaxseed
Flaxseed is another meringue powder replacement. Flaxseed is a great ingredient for making vegan meringue.
This recipe may be involved, but typically you will boil the flaxseed with water for around 40 minutes. Drain the liquid after boiling and allow it to cool in the refrigerator. After several hours you will get flaxseed gel, which can form meringue.
It takes around 25 minutes to whip your gel to obtain the desired results. Ground flaxseed can also be combined with water to form a substitute. You will need 3 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of flaxseed to substitute 2 tablespoons of meringue powder.
Flaxseed works best if you are preparing pancakes, muffins, and cakes. See how to quickly locate flaxseed in the grocery store.
Chia Seeds
Meringue powder can also be replaced with chia seeds. It offers your recipe a nutty flavor. It is more like flaxseed because if you mix chia seeds with water, you will obtain chia seeds gel.
The gel is a binding agent. Nonetheless, to get a meringue powder alternative, you will be required to grind them until you get a powder.
Chia seeds may not be the best substitute for meringue powder in royal icing since it adds color to your baked products. White chia seeds are a better substitute for meringue powder to avoid altering the color of your end products.
Note that you will require 2 tablespoons of meringue powder and water and one tablespoon of chia seeds.
Tofu Aquafaba
If you want to make meringue cookies or pavlova, you can use the juice obtained from tofu aquafaba. The recipe also requires a cream of tartar that helps to stabilize.
Tofu aquafaba obtained from typical tasting or soybean will replace egg whites. You can also whip them to get the same effect when you whip white eggs.
Aquafaba has been named a unique substitute since it contains all yolk and egg white characteristics.
Some other uses include thickening, binding, being a foaming agent, emulsifying, and many more. Three tablespoons of aquafaba can replace one egg. Aquafaba can be stored in a refrigerator for two to ten days. If it starts stinking, you can freeze it.
Gelatin
Most bakers have gelatin on hand as an ingredient. Gelatin is a baker’s friend because it has many uses. It can be used to thicken your deserts or to wiggle or jiggle.
Gelatin is tasteless, soluble in water, and a colorless agent. Gelatin is a natural meringue powder replacement.
Gelatin works when you combine three tablespoons of warm water and one tablespoon of gelatin ingredient to replace two tablespoons of meringue powder.
Gelatin can easily be accessed in your local store or supermarket, making it the best substitute if you don’t have meringue powder.
Gelatin is not the best substitute for vegans because it has collagen from cows and pigs. If you want a vegan meringue, gelatin may not be the best choice.
Xanthan Gum
Xanthan, categorized as a food additive, may also substitute meringue powder in royal icing. It has been used as an ingredient in products like salads.
Xanthan gum can also help ingredients that separate to stick together. Combining xanthan gum with water or another liquid will get a gel-like and thick result.
You can get Xanthan gum from the nearest grocery store or even in stores such as Walmart or Target.
It works when you stir the water with a quarter tablespoon of xanthan gum. It would help if you whipped it before you used it.
Note that xanthan is obtained from sugar, but it can also come from soy, dairy, or wheat corn. Avoid this substitute if you have an allergy to these ingredients.
Can You Substitute Cream of Tartar for Meringue Powder?
The functionality and composition of the Cream of tartar and meringue powder are pretty different. The bigger portion of meringue powder is dried whites. It can be combined with water to make a meringue.
Tartar cream is a stabilizer, and it can be used to prevent the eggs from collapsing. A portion of meringue powder contains cream of tartar that helps to stabilize the meringue. So, it is not possible to substitute cream of tartar for meringue powder. However, you can use it when stabilizing meringue recipes.
It is okay to make a few mistakes when you try these substitutes but ensure you avoid tossing out a whole bowl of meringue. Use the prescribed substitutes in your recipes to make your tasty meringue desserts and products like delicious cookies and cakes.
