Vegan Eton Mess
Eton mess is the official British summer dessert - at least that’s how I see it. It is a mixture of meringue, whipped cream and strawberries (or any other berries). It is actually very easy to make vegan Eton mess, it is gluten free and delicious so let’s do it!
I never had Eton mess before I moved to the UK. I never even heard of it. Then my flatmate was making it and made a portion for me and oh my, was that delicious. For me, this is an ultimate summer dessert. So I searched various recipes - for Marry Berry Eton mess, Jamie Oliver Eton mess because they know the best (or they seem like they would). But obviously none of these are vegan - which is fine, because all we need to replace egg whites is a tin of chickpeas and voila, vegan Eton mess with yogurt is ready to be eaten.
What ingredients do you need?
AQUAFABA - aka chickpea water. Did you know that you can whip aquafaba like egg whites? Yeah, I know, you probably did, haha. Just open any tin of chickpeas and use the water (or use the water from when you were cooking chickpeas). Don’t worry, I know the colour isn’t very pretty, but it will be white when it’s whipped.
CREAM OF TARTAR - is here to help aquafaba to hold its stiff peaks and be whipped quicker. You could replace it with vinegar however I’ve never tried that. Or you don’t have to use it at all, it will just take longer to get whipped.
COCONUT YOGURT - I choose it instead of vegan whipped cream or coconut whipped cream because it is easier to find in the supermarkets, therefore easier for you to make this recipe. And I find coconut whipped cream a bit too heavy but if you fancy that instead, just use it.
STRAWBERRIES - strawberries are the traditional choice. A very good and delicious choice. But you can replace it with any other berries - raspberries, blueberries and imagine it with blackberries! Yum. Or a combination of more berries, it is entirely up to you.
How to make vegan meringues?
Whisk aquafaba and cream of tartar with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer until it forms stiff peaks. It took me around 8 minutes. Stiff peaks mean that when you turn the bowl upside down, nothing will move.
Start gradually adding sugar while whisking. Stiff peaks should form again - it took me around 5 minutes. It will look glossy and be thick. Spoon into 4 dollops on a lined baking sheet lined with baking parchment and bake in preheated oven 100C for 1 hour and 15 mins. After the meringues are finished baking, leave them in the oven for another hour and don’t open the door.
Mix strawberries with lime juice. Crush meringues, mix them with coconut yogurt and layer them with strawberries into 4 glasses.
Tips and tricks on how to make vegan Eton mess
It is possible to make meringues without cream of tartar? Yes, it is. But it is honestly better with it - it takes less time to whip it and it holds better peaks.
Be sure to use clean bowl for whisking - if there is any grease, you won’t reach stiff peaks. I usually clean the bowl before I use it.
Can Eton mess be made in advance? Yes and no. You can prepare all of the ingredients in advance - bake meringues, prepare yogurt and strawberries but don’t mix it until you’re ready to serve it. Otherwise the meringues mixed with yogurt won’t be crunchy.
Is Eton mess gluten free? Yes it is!
If you like this recipe, you might like these too:
Vegan Strawberry Tart with White Chocolate
No Bake Cheesecake with Strawberries
If you make this Eton mess, and take photos of it, be sure to tag me on instagram - @bigbakesmanifesto and use hashtag #bigbakesmanifesto too! I love to see people making my recipes.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
4 tbsp aquafaba
1/4 tsp cream of tartar*
100 g caster sugar
200g coconut yogurt
300 g strawberries
juice from 1 lime
Method
Preheat oven to 100C and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Put aquafaba into a clean bowl, add cream of tartar and whisk with a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer) until stiff peaks form - it took me around 8 mins (it will take longer if you’re not using cream of tartar)
Start adding sugar gradually and whisk until it holds stiff peaks again - it took me around 5 mins. It will become thicker and look glossy.
Spoon 4 dollops of the mixture on the prepared baking sheet bake for 1 hour and 15 mins. Leave the meringues in the oven for another hour after they finished baking and don’t open your oven at all.
Cut strawberries and mix them with lime juice.
Crush meringues (just roughly), mix about 3/4 of them with coconut yogurt and strawberries. Divide the mixture in 4 bowls (or glasses), top with the leftover crushed meringues and serve immediately.
Notes:
If you don’t have cream of tartar, you don’t have to use it. However it is much better with it - it is whipped quicker and holds peaks better so I would recommend you to use it.